Abstract
Actinobacteria have been an excellent source of novel antibiotics for several decades. However, their community remains unexplored in the pond sediments. The metagenomic analysis holds immense potential for identifying rare and uncharacterized microorganisms from many ecological habitats. The present study was designed to delineate and understand the bacterial diversity with special focus on Actinobacteria in pond sediment collected from Sanjeeviraya Hanuman Temple, Tamil Nadu, India. The sediment had an average temperature (25.32%), pH (7.13), salinity (0.960 Mmhos/cm) and high organic content (10.7%) posing minimal stress on growth condition of the microbial community. Subsequent molecular manipulations, sequencing and metagenomics analysis of 16S rRNA confirmed the presence of 40 phyla, 100 classes, 223 orders, 319 families and 308 genera in the sediment sample dominated by Acidobacteria (18.14%), Proteobacteria (15.13%), Chloroflexi (12.34), Actinobacteria (10.84%), and, Cyanobacteria (5.58%). Within the Actinobacteria phylum, Acidothermus (29.68%) was the predominant genus followed by Actinospica (17.65%), Streptomyces (14.64%), Nocardia (4.55%) and Sinomonas (2.9%). At the species level, only 15.2% within the Actinobacterial phylum were assigned to cultured species. This study reveals the huge unexplored diversity of Actinobacterial community indicating that the microbial ecology of pond sediment is a neglected field which needs attention and also illustrates the highly enriched bioactivity with potential pharmaceutical and industrial significance.
Highlights
It is estimated that only 1% of microbes in the natural environment are culturable under laboratory conditions [46]
Uncultivated bacteria possess a great diversity of enzymes adaptable to different environmental conditions which could serve as a prolific source of novel bioactive compounds with industrial and pharmaceutical applications
The overall physico-chemical properties of the sample was moderate with an electrical conductivity (EC) and total salinity of the sediment of 0.952 mmhos/cm and 0.960 mmhos/cm respectively and the water content of the sediment at the sampling moments was medium
Summary
It is estimated that only 1% of microbes in the natural environment are culturable under laboratory conditions [46]. Metagenomics is a tool to study massive microbial communities prevailing in the environment in its natural state irrespective of its uncultivable properties. This technique has helped to overcome the barriers of culture dependent techniques and identified rare microorganisms [23]. It provides a wide and unbiased view of the potential microbial functions in a single snapshot with high resolution contributing immensely to the global microbial diversity studies from different ecosystem and their potential ecological functions [27]. Isolation of rare Actinobacteria could increase the chances of discovering such potentially novel bioactive compounds i.e
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
