Uncovering High-Yield Ectoine Producers from Extreme Environments: Insights from Tuz Lake

Mustafa Çiçek; Aytac Kocabas

doi:10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1653239

EN TR

Uncovering High-Yield Ectoine Producers from Extreme Environments: Insights from Tuz Lake

Abstract

Ectoine, a compatible solute produced by halophile microorganisms, is widely used in various industries due to its protective properties against environmental stress. This study aimed to isolate and characterize bacterial strains capable of producing high levels of ectoine without medium optimization from Tuz Lake, an extremely saline environment in Turkey. Bacterial isolates were obtained by selective culturing on meat peptone agar containing NaCl concentrations ranging from 3% to 21%, using water and soil samples collected from randomly selected sites in the Şereflikoçhisar and Cihanbeyli regions. A total of 22 isolates were screened for salt tolerance and their potential for ectoine production. Among them, 10 isolates with the highest salt tolerance and distinctive colony morphology were selected for further analysis. Molecular characterization via 16S rRNA sequencing identified these isolates as belonging to the genera Halomonas, Chromohalobacter, and Salinivibrio. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that Salinivibrio sp. (Isolate 12) and Halomonas sp. (Isolate 21) exhibited the highest ectoine production, yielding 296.88 µg mL-1 and 202.49 µg mL-1, respectively. To optimize ectoine yield, a Plackett-Burman experimental design was applied, evaluating the effects of different nitrogen sources. Peptone was identified as a statistically significant factor (p < 0.05) for enhancing ectoine production in Salinivibrio sp. This study highlights the biotechnological potential of halophilic bacteria from Tuz Lake for industrial ectoine production and emphasizes the importance of medium optimization in improving ectoine yields. Further optimization may enable the development of scalable processes for commercial ectoine production.

Keywords

Aşırı Çevrelerden Yüksek Verimli Ektoin Üreten Mikroorganizmaların Keşfi: Tuz Gölü Örneği

Öz

Ektoin, halofil mikroorganizmalar tarafından üretilen ve çevresel streslere karşı koruyucu özellikleri nedeniyle çeşitli endüstrilerde yaygın olarak kullanılan uyumlu bir çözünendir. Bu çalışmada, Türkiye’deki aşırı tuzlu bir ortam olan Tuz Gölü’nden, besiyeri optimizasyonu yapılmaksızın yüksek düzeyde ektoin üretebilen bakterilerin izolasyonu ve karakterizasyonu amaçlanmıştır. Şereflikoçhisar ve Cihanbeyli bölgelerinde rastgele seçilen alanlardan toplanan su ve toprak örneklerinden, %3 ila %21 arasında değişen NaCl konsantrasyonlarına sahip et-pepton agar kullanılarak yapılan seçici kültürleme ile bakteri izolatları elde edilmiştir. Toplamda 22 izolat tuz toleransı ve ektoin üretim potansiyeli açısından taranmış, en yüksek tuz toleransına ve belirgin koloni morfolojisine sahip 10 izolat detaylı analize alınmıştır. 16S rRNA dizilemesiyle yapılan moleküler karakterizasyon, bu izolatların Halomonas, Chromohalobacter ve Salinivibrio cinslerine ait olduğunu göstermiştir. Yüksek performanslı sıvı kromatografisi (HPLC) analizleri, Salinivibrio sp. (İzolat 12) ve Halomonas sp. (İzolat 21) türlerinin sırasıyla 296.88 µg mL-1 ve 202.49 µg mL-1 ektoin üretimiyle en yüksek verimi gösterdiğini ortaya koymuştur. Ektoin verimini artırmak için farklı azot kaynaklarının etkisini değerlendiren Plackett-Burman deney tasarımı uygulanmış ve Salinivibrio sp. için peptonun ektoin üretimini anlamlı şekilde artıran bir faktör olduğu (p <0.05) belirlenmiştir. Bu çalışma, Tuz Gölü'nden izole edilen halofilik bakterilerin endüstriyel ektoin üretiminde biyoteknolojik potansiyelini vurgulamakta ve ektoin verimini artırmada besiyeri optimizasyonunun önemini göstermektedir. İleri optimizasyon çalışmaları, ticari ektoin üretimi için ölçeklenebilir süreçlerin geliştirilmesine olanak sağlayabilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Supporting Institution

Karamanoglu Mehmetbey University

Project Number

10-M-21

Ethical Statement

This study does not require approval from an ethics committee.

Thanks

This research was supported by the project number 10-M-21 accepted by Karamanoglu Mehmetbey University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Office.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Microbiology (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Mustafa Çiçek
0000-0002-7109-6500
Türkiye

Aytac Kocabas ^*
0000-0001-7622-1932
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

July 25, 2025

Publication Date

September 11, 2025

Submission Date

March 7, 2025

Acceptance Date

June 27, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 28 Number: 5

DOI

https://doi.org/10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1653239

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA27AY68EG

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Çiçek, M., & Kocabas, A. (2025). Uncovering High-Yield Ectoine Producers from Extreme Environments: Insights from Tuz Lake. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Tarım Ve Doğa Dergisi, 28(5), 1186-1196. https://doi.org/10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.1653239