| Description: |
Saccharophagus degradans (strain 2-40), formerly known as Microbulbifer degradans, is a Gram-negative, pleomorphic, aerobic, rod shaped, and motile bacterium. It belongs to a recently discovered group of marine bacteria that degrade and recycle complex carbohydrates. It was originally isolated from the salt marsh cord grass, Spartina alterniflora, in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Saccharophagus degradans contains degradative surface protuberances, containing what is collectively termed hydrolosomes. The chitinase, agarase and alginase produced by S.degradans are not exported into the extracellular medium but are localized in the surface protuberances. Thanks to these protuberances, it is able to recycle a multitude of ICP (insoluble complex polysaccharides) including agar, chitin, alginic acid, carrageenan, cellulose, B-glucan, laminarin, pectin, pullulan, starch, and xylan. Agricultural, aquacultural, and algalcultural wastes threaten to become an increasingly serious problem. The wastes are mostly recalcitrant complex carbohydrates, namely cellulose, chitin and agar. The degradative protuberances of S.degradans may become important bioremediation tools, using them as concentrated, organized, protective enzyme packets. |
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