Enhancement of bacteriorhodopsin production from novel haloarchaea strains of Marakanam region of Tamil Nadu

Haloarchaea from high saline habitats are known to contain industrially important value-added bioactive compounds such as bacteriorhodopsin, carotenoids, lipids, and proteins. The diversity of Haloarchaea from geographically less explored saline habitats has received less attention. In this study isolation and characterization of the biotechnological potential of novel haloarchaea strains from solar saltern, a hypersaline environment in Marakanam, Tamilnadu was carried out. The samples were collected during the pre-monsoon (July) and post-monsoon (January) season and ten different haloarchaea strains were isolated. UV-Vis spectroscopy analysis revealed the bacteriorhodopsin production by all the isolated strains. Further experiments were carried out to estimate the yield of bacteriorhodopsin and to assess their photocurrent activity and biosensor applications. The maximum yield of bacteriorhodopsin was 5.6 mg/L of cultured lysate. This study will contribute to a better understanding on effect of elicitors on bacteriorhodopsin producing different haloarchaea strains and growing knowledge on their biotechnological applications.