US-Egypt Cooperative Research: Isolation, purification, and characterization of novel halophilic, alkalithermophilic enzymes of industrial interest from alkaline hypersaline lake

1132412 该项目支持一项合作研究，由尤尔根Wiegel博士，微生物学系在格鲁吉亚大学在雅典，GA和Noha梅斯巴，生物化学系在苏伊士运河大学，伊斯梅利亚，埃及。他们计划分离和鉴定新的微生物，称为极端微生物，这些微生物在当今的生理化学边界上生长，并对这些极端微生物中的生物技术有用的酶进行详细的表征。 选定的酶将允许工业，如洗涤剂，纸浆，造纸和化学工业，使用自然资源和生态友好的方法来改善和修改他们的产品。 该项目的目标包括：（1）分离和鉴定埃及Wadi An Natrun湖泊中的需氧和厌氧极端微生物、嗜盐嗜碱菌和嗜碱热菌;将使用选择性方法富集具有独特和新特性的特殊酶的微生物，这些酶具有巨大的工业加工潜力;（2）筛选分离菌株以生产酶。待筛选的酶包括蛋白酶、脂肪酶、酯酶、纤维素酶和木聚糖酶，（3）从分离物中大规模培养和纯化极端酶，（4）表征有希望的新型酶，重点是极端条件下的酶稳定性、活性和底物特异性，和（5）选择的有希望的酶的异源表达，用于可能的修饰和大规模生产。 智力优势：该项目将与埃及的对应方合作，从埃及极端生境中分离出嗜盐/嗜碱和嗜碱/嗜热原核生物并确定其特性，并利用这些生物体进行工业上有用的酶的生物勘探。 这项研究将导致分离和鉴定新的微生物，极端微生物，它们生长在当今的生理化学边界上。 此外，它还将导致从这些极端微生物中识别和详细描述生物技术上有用的酶，这可以使埃及和美国当地的不同行业，特别是洗涤剂/纸浆/造纸/化学工业，利用自然资源和生态无害的方法改进和修改其产品。除了发现有益于社会的天然产品，以及受影响行业的环境产出可能得到改善外，更广泛的影响将包括对美国和埃及的研究生和本科生科学家进行现代和跨学科的微生物，分子和生物化学方法的培训。

1132412 This project supports a cooperative research Dr. by Jurgen Wiegel, Department of Microbiology at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA and Noha Mesbah, Department of Biochemistry at Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt. They plan to isolate and identify novel microorganisms, known as extremophiles that grow at the present-day physiochemical boundaries for growth, and to conduct detailed characterization of biotechnologically useful enzymes from these extremophiles. The selected enzymes will allow industries, such as the detergent, pulp, paper, and chemical industries, to improve and modify their products using natural resources and ecologically sound methods. The aims of the project include: (1) Isolation and identification of aerobic and anaerobic extremophiles; halophilic alkaliphiles and alkalithermophiles from the lakes of the Wadi An Natrun in Egypt; microorganisms harboring specialized enzymes with unique and novel properties of great potential for industrial processes will be enriched for using selective methods (2) Screening the isolates for enzyme production. Enzymes to be screened for include proteases, lipases, esterases, cellulases and xylanases, (3) Large scale culture and purification of extremozymes from isolates, (4) Characterization of promising novel enzymes, with a focus on enzyme stability, activity and substrate specificity under extreme conditions, and (5) Heterologous expression of selected promising enzymes for possible modification and mass production. Intellectual Merit: The project will allow the isolation and characterization of halo/alkaliphilic and alkali/thermophilic prokaryotes from extreme habitats in Egypt in collaboration with counterparts in that country, and using these organisms in bioprospecting for industrially useful enzymes. The research is to lead to the isolation and identification of novel microorganisms, extremophiles, which grow at the present-day physiochemical boundaries for growth. In addition, it will lead to the identification and detailed characterization of biotechnologically useful enzymes from these extremophiles, which can allow different industries, particularly the detergent / pulp / paper / chemical industries, present locally in Egypt and the United States, to improve and modify their products using natural resources and ecologically sound methods.Broader Impact: In addition to natural product discovery of benefit to society, and the likely improvement in the environmental output of the affected industries, broader impacts would include the training of graduate and undergraduate scientists in the US and Egypt in modern and interdisciplinary microbial, molecular and biochemical methods.