ANTARCTIC MARINE BACTERIUM PSEUDOALTEROMONAS SP KNOUC808 AS A SOURCE OF COLD-ADAPTED LACTOSE HYDROLYZING ENZYME

Psychrophilic bacteria, which grow on lactose as a carbon source, were isolated from Antarctic polar sea water. Among the psychrophilic bacteria isolated, strain KNOUC808 was able to grow on lactose at below 5 degrees C, and showed 0.867 unit of o-nitrophenyl beta-D-galactopyranoside(ONPG) hydrolyzing activity at 4 degrees C. The isolate was gram-negative, rod, aerobic, catalase positive and oxidase positive. Optimum growth was done at 20 degrees C, pH 6.8-7.2. The composition of major fatty acids in cell of KNOUC801 was C-12:0 (5.48%), C-12:0 (3OH) (9.21%), C-16:0 (41.83%), C-17:0 (omega)8 (7.24%) and C-18:1 (omega)7 (7.04%). All these results together suggest that it is affiliated with Pseudoalteromonas genus. The 16S rDNA sequence corroborate the phenotypic tests and the novel strain was designated as Pseudoalteromonas sp. KNOUC808. The optimum temperature and pH for lactose hydrolyzing enzyme was 20 degrees C and 7.8, respectively. The enzyme was stable at 4 degrees C for 7 days, but its activity decreased to about 50% of initial activity at 37 degrees C in 7 days.