Arctic and Antarctic PHA producing bacteria

Microorganisms inhabit almost all available environments on Earth. They owe their successfulcolonizing skills partially to the ability of energy and nutrient providing substance storage. One suchsubstance are the macromolecular polymers called polyhydroxyacids (PHAs), that help survive periodiccarbon deficits but also enable to cope with several types of environmental stresses. Those polymers haverecently gained much attention as an environmentally friendly (biodegradable) alternative for oil-basedplastics.The main objective of this project is to examine the role of bacterial storage materials that arePHAs in adaptation of polar region bacteria to stress conditions but also to evaluate biotechnologicalpotential of those microbes and the PHAs they produce.Bacterial strains from the Arctic and Antarctic Psychrophile (cold-lovers) Collection (part of theCentral Collection of Strains of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy ofSciences) will be screened for PHA production. This collection holds almost 3000 isolates derived fromvarious materials gathered during six expeditions to Arctic and Antarctica. Strains will be examined forPHA granule storage and presence of key PHA synthesis enzyme encoding genes. Genetic and genomicresearch will allow to determine the structure of the whole genetic apparatus encoding the PHA synthesisability in a given strain. Those gene clusters will be introduced into a model microorganism (Escherichiacoli) to further examine PHA influence on bacterial physiology. PHA-positive native and recombinantstrains as well as their PHA-negative mutant equivalents will be subjected to a range of cell damagingphysical and chemical conditions to determine PHA involvement in their survival. Insights into thechemical structure of the polar region bacteria-produced PHAs and its biosynthesis from waste productmaterials, like glycerol, will allow to evaluate their biotechnological potential.The reasons for tackling this specific subject are both scientific (ecologic) and economic. Polarregion bacteria experience a multiple of life-challenging factors in combinations not seen in otherenvironments. This causes an evolutionary emergence of mechanisms enabling growth in such harshcircumstances, like the ability to store and utilize PHAs. Therefore Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems mayhost a plenitude of diverse, stress resistant PHA producers, able to utilize new low temperaturebiosynthesis pathways using unusual carbon sources. The search and comprehensive analyses of suchstrains can prove extremely valuable when seeking to lower bioplastic production costs and raising theirpopularity among consumers.