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Isolation of Indole Utilizing Bacteria Arthrobacter sp. and Alcaligenes sp. From Livestock Waste

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Abstract

Indole is an interspecies and interkingdom signaling molecule widespread in different environmental compartment. Although multifaceted roles of indole in different biological systems have been established, little information is available on the microbial utilization of indole in the context of combating odor emissions from different types of waste. The present study was aimed at identifying novel bacteria capable of utilizing indole as the sole carbon and energy source. From the selective enrichment of swine waste and cattle feces, we identified Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the genera Arthrobacter and Alcaligenes. Bacteria belonging to the genus Alcaligenes showed higher rates of indole utilization than Arthrobacter. Indole at 1.0 mM for growth was completely utilized by Alcaligenes sp. in 16 h. Both strains produced two intermediates, anthranilic acid and isatin, during aerobic indole metabolism. These isolates were also able to grow on several indole derivatives. Interestingly, an adaptive response in terms of a decrease in cell size was observed in both strains in the presence of indole. The present study will help to explain the degradation of indole by different bacteria and also the pathways through which it is catabolized. Furthermore, these novel bacterial isolates could be potentially useful for the in situ attenuation of odorant indole and its derivatives emitted from different types of livestock waste.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Priority Research Centers Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2014R1A6A1031189).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 712-749, Republic of Korea

      Minsu Kim, Jin-Hyung Lee & Jintae Lee

    2. College of Pharmacy, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 712-749, Republic of Korea

      Eonmi Kim & Hyukjae Choi

    3. Department of Animal Science and Institute of Milk Genomics, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, 561-756, Republic of Korea

      Younghoon Kim

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    1. Minsu Kim
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    2. Jin-Hyung Lee
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    Correspondence to Jintae Lee.

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    Minsu Kim and Jin-Hyung Lee have contributed equally to this article.

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    Kim, M., Lee, JH., Kim, E. et al. Isolation of Indole Utilizing Bacteria Arthrobacter sp. and Alcaligenes sp. From Livestock Waste. Indian J Microbiol 56, 158–166 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-016-0570-z

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