Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-producing extreme halophilic archaeon: Haloferax sp. MA10 isolated from Çamaltı Saltern, İzmir

İzmir Çamaltı Saltern is the biggest seawater-based saltern in Turkey. To date, it has not been investigated extensively for the existence of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB)-producing species. In this study, 14 extremely halophilic archaea were isolated, purified, and screened for PHB production. One strain was then selected as the best PHB producer, further cultivated in different PHB media, and compared with a positive control, Haloferax mediterranei ATCC 33500. PHB was extracted from cells and measured with a spectrophotometer, and then the amount of PHB was measured through comparison with standard PHB. The detected high PHB yield was 6.53% of the dry cell weight in the PHB medium supplemented with acetate. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed 99% similarity to Haloferax alexandrinus strain TMT; therefore, the strain was named Haloferax sp. MA10. Haloferax sp. MA10 and Haloferax alexandrinus TMT have some differences in phenotypic and biochemical properties. With this study, the discovery of PHB-producing extreme halophilic archaeon Haloferax sp. MA10 at İzmir’s Çamaltı Saltern is reported for the first time.