Organotrophic bacteria of the Baikal Rift Zone hot springs

Pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene fragments was used to investigate the bacterial community of an Alla hot spring microbial mat. The mat community was mainly represented by the members of five phyla: Deinococcus-Thermus , Nitrospirae , Atribacteria (OP9), Proteobacteria , Chloroflexi , and Firmicutes , with other groups responsible for not more than 2% of the total number. From hot springs of the Baikal Rift Zone (Buryatia, Russia), 13 strains of aerobic alkaliphilic thermophilic organotrophic bacteria were isolated, and their morphology, ecology, physiology, and phylogenetic position were studied. Based on analysis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences, the isolates were identified as members of the family Bacillaceae . Strains Al-9-1, Se-1, Ga-1-1, Ga-9-2, and Se-1-10 were assigned to the genus Anoxybacillus ; strains Ur-6, Br-2-2, А2, and Um-09m, to the genus Bacillus ; strains Gor-10s and Gа-35, to the genus Paenabacillus . Secreted endopeptidases of the isolates were shown to have relatively narrow substrate specificity. The investigated enzymes were characterized by high pH (6.3–11.4) and temperature stability (23–70°C), which makes it possible to carry out organic matter degradation in the environment under variable ecological conditions.