Biodiversity and phylogenetic analysis of culturable bacteria indigenous to Khewra salt mine of pakistan and their industrial importance.

Culturable bacterial biodiversity and industrial importance of the isolates indigenous to Khewra salt mine, Pakistan was assessed. PCR Amplification of 16S rDNA of isolates was carried out by using universal primers FD1 and rP1and products were sequenced commercially. These gene sequences were compared with other gene sequences in the GenBank databases to find the closely related sequences. The alignment of these sequences with sequences available from GenBank database was carried out to construct a phylogenetic tree for these bacteria. These genes were deposited to GenBank and accession numbers were obtained. Most of the isolates belonged to different species of genus Bacillus, sharing 92-99% 16S rDNA identity with the respective type strain. Other isolates had close similarities with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus arlettae and Staphylococcus gallinarum with 97%, 98% and 99% 16S rDNA similarity respectively. The abilities of isolates to produce industrial enzymes (amylase, carboxymethylcellulase, xylanase, cellulase and protease) were checked. All isolates were tested against starch, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), xylane, cellulose, and casein degradation in plate assays. BPT-5, 11,18,19 and 25 indicated the production of copious amounts of carbohydrates and protein degrading enzymes. Based on this study it can be concluded that Khewra salt mine is populated with diverse bacterial groups, which are potential source of industrial enzymes for commercial applications.

Chemical changes in aging Drosophila melanogaster.

The "Green Theory" of aging proposes that organismal lifespan is limited by the failure to repair molecular damage generated by a broad range of metabolic processes. Two specific predictions arise from this: (1) that these processes will produce a wide variety of stable but dysfunctional compounds that increase in concentration with age, and (2) that organisms maintained under conditions that extend lifespan will display a reduced rate of accumulation of such "molecular rubbish". To test these predictions, novel analytical techniques were developed to investigate the accumulation of damaged compounds in Drosophila melanogaster. Simple preparative techniques were developed to produce digests of whole D. melanogaster for use in three-dimensional (3D) fluorimetry and 1H NMR spectrometry. Cohorts of Drosophila maintained under normal conditions showed an age-related increase in signals consistent with damage whereas those maintained under conditions of low temperature and dietary restriction did not. 1H NMR revealed distinct age-associated spectral changes that will facilitate the identification of novel compounds that both increase and decrease during aging in this species. These findings are consistent with the predictions of the "Green Theory".

Biodiversity and phylogenetic analysis of culturable bacteria indigenous to Khewra salt mine of Pakistan and their industrial importance

Culturable bacterial biodiversity and industrial importance of the isolates indigenous to Khewra salt mine, Pakistan was assessed. PCR Amplification of 16S rDNA of isolates was carried out by using universal primers FD1 and rP1and products were sequenced commercially. These gene sequences were compared with other gene sequences in the GenBank databases to find the closely related sequences. The alignment of these sequences with sequences available from GenBank database was carried out to construct a phylogenetic tree for these bacteria. These genes were deposited to GenBank and accession numbers were obtained. Most of the isolates belonged to different species of genus Bacillus, sharing 92-99 percent 16S rDNA identity with the respective type strain. Other isolates had close similarities with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus arlettae and Staphylococcus gallinarum with 97 percent, 98 percent and 99 percent 16S rDNA similarity respectively. The abilities of isolates to produce industrial enzymes (amylase, carboxymethylcellulase, xylanase, cellulase and protease) were checked. All isolates were tested against starch, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), xylane, cellulose, and casein degradation in plate assays. BPT-5, 11,18,19 and 25 indicated the production of copious amounts of carbohydrates and protein degrading enzymes. Based on this study it can be concluded that Khewra salt mine is populated with diverse bacterial groups, which are potential source of industrial enzymes for commercial applications.

Avaliou-se a biodiversidade e a importância industrial de bactérias indígenas da mina de sal Khewra, Paquistão. Efetuou-se a amplificação do 16S rDNA dos isolados por PCR empregando-se os iniciadores universais FD1 e rP1, e os produtos foram seqüenciados comercialmente. Essas seqüências de genes foram comparadas com outras seqüências disponíveis no GenBank a fim de encontrar seqüências relacionadas, construindo-se uma árvore filogenética para essas bactérias. Os genes foram depositados no GenBank obtendo-se os números de acesso. A maioria dos isolados pertenceu a diferentes espécies do gênero Bacillus, apresentando 92-99 por cento de identidade de 16S rDNA com a respectiva cepa de referencia. Outros isolados apresentaram alta similaridade com Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus arlettae e Staphylococcus gallinarum, com 97 por cento, 98 por cento e 99 por cento de similaridade de16S rDNA, respectivamente. A capacidade dos isolados produzirem enzimas industriais (amilase, carboximetilcelulase, xilanase, celulase e protease) foi verificada. Todos os isolados foram testados em placas quanto a degradação de amido, carboximetilcelulose, xilana, celulose e caseína. Os isolados BPT-5, 11, 18, 19 e 25 produziram grandes quantidades de enzimas degradadoras de carboidratos e proteínas. Conclui-se que a mina de Sal Khewra apresenta diferentes grupos de bactérias, que são fontes potenciais de enzimas industriais de aplicação comercial.