Isolation and characterization of halophilic soil fungi from the salt desert of Little Rann of Kutch, India
- Published
- Accepted
- Subject Areas
- Biodiversity, Microbiology, Mycology
- Keywords
- Aspergillus versicolor, chemoprofiling, LC-MS, halophilic fungi, growth characterization, Rann of Kutch
- Copyright
- © 2016 Rajpal et al.
- Licence
- This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ Preprints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Cite this article
- 2016. Isolation and characterization of halophilic soil fungi from the salt desert of Little Rann of Kutch, India. PeerJ Preprints 4:e1914v1 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.1914v1
Abstract
Extremophiles are considered a cornucopian source of chemically diverse and often novel metabolites. Determination of their growth and distribution pattern and their chemical nature is therefore vital to fully gauge their existential uniqueness and potential as a fount of novel compounds. Present study deals with growth characterization and chemoprofiling of halophilic fungi inhabiting a hitherto unexplored terrain of Little Rann of Kutch, India. Thirty five morphologically discrete fungi, primarily belonging to phylum Ascomycota, were isolated from the soil, suggestive of the region’s low microbial diversity. Calculation of fungal salt tolerance index identified one isolate as a halophile with the remaining being halotolerant. Morphological characteristics and 18S rDNA sequencing established the halophile’s identity as Aspergillus versicolor. A. versicolor was further characterized for its salt tolerance potential and degree of halophily. The fungus grew optimally at 7.5% NaCl, thereby classifying it as a moderate halophile. Macro-morphology of the fungus corresponded well with its micro-morphology. At 0% and 10% NaCl, fungal specimen exhibited mycelial distortions, loss of cytoplasm and sparse conidiation; healthy growth features were observed at 7.5% NaCl. For chemoprofiling, A. versicolor was cultured on Czapek Dox broth and Malt Extract broth and the crude extract was analysed by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A comparative chemoprofile analysis determined Czapek Dox broth to be a better choice for profiling of this particular strain as it exhibited higher compound diversity. The rich chemical contour of A. versicolor suggests the fungus to be a potential source of novel bioactive molecules of pharmaceutical significance.
Author Comment
This is a preprint submission to PeerJ Preprints.
Supplemental Information
Tolerance index of the isolated fungi
Each index was measured by dividing the fungal colony diameter on CYA by the diameter on CYA+NaCl after incubation for 8 days at 25±1°C.