Molecular identification of native Egyptian Actinobacteria: Screening for lignin utilization and degradation of lignin model compounds

Abstract

Phylum Actinobacteria covers a broad group of bacteria that are well-known for their applications in pharmaceutical industries. The majority of Actinobacteria found to produce extracellular peroxidases belong to the Streptomycetaceae family, and the majority of the peroxidases produced have been detected in experiments focusing on phenol and/or lignin degradation. In the current study, twenty-three native Egyptian Actinobacteria strains were isolated for lignin utilization. The results indicate that 17 out of 23 were successfully utilizing lignin as sole carbon source on lignin agar medium. Also, they showed ability to degrade lignin model compounds such as vanillic acid, veratric acid and guaiacol. Molecular identification of the 17 isolates by 16S rDNA gene sequencing was carried out. Data analyzed using Blast from Genbank and accession numbers were acquired, and phylogenetic trees were constructed.