Uncovering the soil microbial community structure based on humus-metaboilzing activity of actinomycetes

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24580128
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied microbiology
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: UEDA Kenji 日本大学, 生物資源科学部, 教授 (00277401)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TAKANO Hideaki 日本大学, 生物資源科学部, 助教 (50385994)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: Streptomyces / humic acid / respiration / electron transfer / differentiation / secondary metabolism

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed at elucidating how the soil-dwelling gram-positive bacteria actinomycetes contributes to the construction of microbial community structure. Some actinomycetes strains exhibited a marked humus-coagulating and decolorizing activity． The isolation of humus-decolorizing activity of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) showed the possible involvement of a membrane-associating diaphorase． The presence of similar extracytoplasmic diaphorase activity in the diverged actinomycetes strains suggested the wide occurrence of energy metabolism based on the reduction of a humic substance(s)． Overall，the evidence suggests that some actinomycetes metabolites widely support the growth and expression of specific functions in other organisms，and that actinomycetes contributes to the construction of a global soil microbial community structure by effectively associating with the formation and dynamics of humus，the substance derived from dead plant that constitutes rich soil environment.

Free Research Field

応用微生物学