Bacterial Biodiversity of the Kapova Karst Cave as a Source of Hydrolases Producers

Researchers have identified a rich bacterial biodiversity within the Kapova Karst Cave, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Shulgan-Tash Nature Reserve, with significant potential for producing hydrolases—enzymes like RNases, proteases, and amylases. The study cultivated 102 bacterial isolates from cave biofilms, revealing that 89% belonged to Proteobacteria, predominantly the genus Pseudomonas (42 isolates). Notably, 39 isolates exhibited all three enzymatic activities, while others specialized in one or two. Stenotrophomonas rhizophila, Lysinibacillus fusiformis, and Pseudomonas stutzeri emerged as key producers of protease, RNase, and amylase, respectively. The findings highlight the cave's microbiota as a valuable reservoir for biotechnological applications, leveraging extreme-environment biodiversity to isolate enzyme-producing bacteria.

Kurdy, W., Yakovleva, G., & Ilinskaya, O. (2023). Bacterial Biodiversity of the Kapova Karst Cave as a Source of Hydrolases Producers. European Journal of Biology, 82(2), 186–195. https://doi.org/10.26650/eurjbiol.2023.1349885