Culture Collections as Hidden Sources of Microbial Biomolecules and Biodiversity

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbial Diversity and Culture Collections".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2024) | Viewed by 13630

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Sicily Marine Centre, Messina, Italy
2. National Research Council, Institute of Polar Sciences, Messina, Italy
Interests: microbial ecology; microbial pathogens; biotechnologies; bioremediation; bioactive compounds
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting you to consider submitting a manuscript to Diversity for a Special Issue on “Culture Collections as Hidden Sources of Microbial Biomolecules and Biodiversity”. The application of modern advanced techniques in molecular biology is revealing unexpected high levels of microbial diversity and complexity. However, the invisible loss of microbial diversity in the environment deriving, for example, from global changes and anthropogenic activities, is not really perceived. In this context, culture collections worldwide has become a valuable resource for the sustainable use of microbial diversity and its conservation. They provide pure cultures and genetic materials that are required for a number of research (including systematics) and teaching purposes, as well as for bioprospecting aims (i.e., the search for novel bioproducts) and their subsequent exploitation in biotechnological fields (e.g., pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, agricultural, and food industries, as well as biorestoration).

For this Special Issue, we are looking for experimental studies and reviews relating to any aspect of the diversity, physiology, conservation, molecular biology, and biotechnology of prokaryotes and eukaryotes from microbial collections.

Thank you for your consideration.

Dr. Angelina Lo Giudice
Dr. Carmen Rizzo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Microbial isolates
  • Culture collections
  • Biotechnological value
  • Biodiversity conservation

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 162 KiB  
Editorial
Culture Collections as Hidden Sources of Microbial Biomolecules and Biodiversity
by Angelina Lo Giudice and Carmen Rizzo
Diversity 2020, 12(7), 264; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12070264 - 1 Jul 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3237
Abstract
The application of modern advanced techniques in molecular biology is revealing unexpectedly high levels of microbial diversity and complexity. However, the invisible loss of microbial diversity in the environment deriving, for example, from global changes and anthropogenic activities, is not really perceived. In [...] Read more.
The application of modern advanced techniques in molecular biology is revealing unexpectedly high levels of microbial diversity and complexity. However, the invisible loss of microbial diversity in the environment deriving, for example, from global changes and anthropogenic activities, is not really perceived. In this context, culture collections worldwide have become a valuable resource for the sustainable use of microbial diversity and its conservation. They provide pure cultures and genetic materials that are required for a number of research and teaching purposes, as well as for bioprospecting aims and their subsequent exploitation in biotechnological fields. This Special Issue has been launched with the aim of showcasing the diversity and biotechnological potential of microorganisms (e.g., Bacteria, Archaea, cyanobacteria, microalgae, fungi, yeasts, and protozoa) belonging to culture collections kept worldwide. Full article

Research

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19 pages, 4216 KiB  
Article
Statistical Assessment of Phenol Biodegradation by a Metal-Tolerant Binary Consortium of Indigenous Antarctic Bacteria
by Kavilasni Subramaniam, Siti Aqlima Ahmad, Peter Convey, Noor Azmi Shaharuddin, Khalilah Abdul Khalil, Tengku Athirrah Tengku-Mazuki, Claudio Gomez-Fuentes and Azham Zulkharnain
Diversity 2021, 13(12), 643; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13120643 - 4 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3250
Abstract
Since the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, the continent has been pressurized by multiple anthropogenic activities, today including research and tourism, which have led to the emergence of phenol pollution. Natural attenuation rates are very slow in this region due to the harsh [...] Read more.
Since the heroic age of Antarctic exploration, the continent has been pressurized by multiple anthropogenic activities, today including research and tourism, which have led to the emergence of phenol pollution. Natural attenuation rates are very slow in this region due to the harsh environmental conditions; hence, biodegradation of phenol using native bacterial strains is recognized as a sustainable remediation approach. The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of phenol degradation by a binary consortium of Antarctic soil bacteria, Arthrobacter sp. strain AQ5-06, and Arthrobacter sp. strain AQ5-15. Phenol degradation by this co-culture was statistically optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) and tolerance of exposure to different heavy metals was investigated under optimized conditions. Analysis of variance of central composite design (CCD) identified temperature as the most significant factor that affects phenol degradation by this consortium, with the optimum temperature ranging from 12.50 to 13.75 °C. This co-culture was able to degrade up to 1.7 g/L of phenol within seven days and tolerated phenol concentration as high as 1.9 g/L. Investigation of heavy metal tolerance revealed phenol biodegradation by this co-culture was completed in the presence of arsenic (As), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni) at concentrations of 1.0 ppm, but was inhibited by cadmium (Cd), silver (Ag), and mercury (Hg). Full article
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Review

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8 pages, 458 KiB  
Review
Collection of VKM Paleofungi
by Galina Kochkina, Nataliya Ivanushkina and Svetlana Ozerskaya
Diversity 2021, 13(9), 402; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13090402 - 26 Aug 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1930
Abstract
A unique collection of paleofungi from permafrost sediments, cryopegs, paleoseeds, and frozen volcanic ash from the Arctic and Antarctic, collected at different depths, was created in All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms (VKM). Some samples are as old as 3 million years. The collection includes [...] Read more.
A unique collection of paleofungi from permafrost sediments, cryopegs, paleoseeds, and frozen volcanic ash from the Arctic and Antarctic, collected at different depths, was created in All-Russian Collection of Microorganisms (VKM). Some samples are as old as 3 million years. The collection includes psychrotolerant fungi, which have wide adaptive potential and are able to thrive in low-temperature habitats, and fungi that remain viable due to the presence of natural cryoprotectors that ensure the survival of fungal cells during low-temperature preservation in permafrost sediments. The collection contains 780 strains from 79 genera and more than 160 species and is maintained in accordance with international standards of microbial viability preservation and information support. Full article
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13 pages, 3128 KiB  
Review
COLMENA: A Culture Collection of Native Microorganisms for Harnessing the Agro-Biotechnological Potential in Soils and Contributing to Food Security
by Sergio de los Santos-Villalobos, Alondra María Díaz-Rodríguez, María Fernanda Ávila-Mascareño, Andrea Denisse Martínez-Vidales and Fannie Isela Parra-Cota
Diversity 2021, 13(8), 337; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13080337 - 23 Jul 2021
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 3835
Abstract
COLMENA is a microbial culture collection dedicated to the characterization, classification, preservation, and transferal of native microorganisms isolated from various agro-systems and other ecosystems in Mexico. This collection aims to protect microbial diversity, reducing soil degradation, but also exploiting its agro-biotechnological potential. So [...] Read more.
COLMENA is a microbial culture collection dedicated to the characterization, classification, preservation, and transferal of native microorganisms isolated from various agro-systems and other ecosystems in Mexico. This collection aims to protect microbial diversity, reducing soil degradation, but also exploiting its agro-biotechnological potential. So far, COLMENA has isolated and cryopreserved soil microorganisms from different crops in two major agricultural regions in Mexico, the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, and the Fuerte Valley, Sinaloa. COLMENA has specialized in the identification and characterization of microbial strains with metabolic capacities related to the promotion of plant growth and the biocontrol of phytopathogens. Thus, COLMENA has identified several promising plant growth-promoting microbial (PGPM) strains due to their metabolic and genetic potentials and their beneficial effects in vivo and field trials. These findings demonstrate the biotechnological potential of these strains for their future use in profitable agricultural alternatives focused on enhancing global food security. To share the knowledge and results of the COLMENA team’s scientific research, a virtual platform was created, where the database of the studied and preserved microorganisms is available to professionals, researchers, agricultural workers, and anyone who is interested. Full article
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