Exploring the Bacterial Diversity of the Armutlu Geothermal Spring (Türkiye) through a Metagenomic Sequenced Based Approach

Year 2023, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 57 - 64, 30.11.2023

Anıl Cebeci , Merve Öztuğ , Hande Mumcu , Nevin Gül Karagüler

Abstract

The geothermal or hot springs are home to a diverse microbial population. Identification of the thermophilic microbial world of these niches can direct us to the exploration of novel economically valuable biocatalysts, antibiotics, and a variety of other biomolecules. Due to the tectonic features within its borders, Türkiye has many thermal springs in different regions. In this study, a thermal site, the Armutlu geothermal spring in the eastern Marmara region, was investigated to identify the bacterial taxonomic composition and diversity through a metagenomic sequence-based approach which is the first study to the best of our knowledge. During the period of sampling, the water temperature and pH at the surface were 74.9 °C and 7.1, respectively. According to 16S rRNA sequencing results, Bacteria (98.36%) are the dominant taxa compared to Archaea (1.64%). Based on the diversity findings, the bacterial community is primarily dominated by Proteobacteria (42.49%), which, together with Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Nitrospirae, and Bacteroidetes, constitute ~87% of the overall bacterial population. Furthermore, the microbial community was also investigated for the activity of hydrolase enzymes such as protease, amylase, and amylopullulanase through a culture-dependent approach for possible future applications. As a conclusion, the microbiota of the Armutlu geothermal spring was open to investigate the novel species and hydrolytic biocatalysts.

Keywords

Bacterial community, Armutlu geothermal spring, Thermophile, 16S rRNA sequencing, Hydrolases

Supporting Institution

ITU Scientific Research Project Coordination Unit

Project Number

1504

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