Isolation, identification, whole genome sequencing, and functional analysis of a frog-derived chitin-degrading bacterium JD-3

Abstract:

Objective To establish a theoretical foundation for the application and development of chitinases, this study isolated and screened chitin-degrading bacteria from the intestines of amphibians, optimized their fermentation conditions, characterized their enzymatic properties, and analyzed their whole genomes.Methods A strain capable of producing chitinase was isolated from the intestinal contents of Rana kukunoris and identified based on morphological characteristics and molecular biological evidence. The enzyme production conditions of the strain were optimized by single factor and response surface methodology (RSM) experiments, and the enzymatic properties were studied. Whole genome sequencing was carried out for identification of the chitinase gene family.Results The chitin-degrading strain JD-3 was identified as Carnobacterium maltaromaticum. This strain achieved the highest enzyme activity of 12 mU/mL after fermentation with the inoculum amount of 4% at 31.4 ℃ and initial pH 4.9 for 2.47 d. The optimal reaction conditions of the enzyme were 20 ℃ and pH 3.0, and the enzyme maintained good stability at room temperature and under acidic conditions. The genome of JD-3 was 4 195 636 bp long, containing 6 circular contigs, 63 tRNA genes, 19 rRNA genes, and 3 864 protein coding sequences. Two chitinase genes belonging to the glycoside hydrolase family 18 (GH18) were identified and phylogenetically classified into two distinct categories.Conclusion We isolated an acid-tolerant chitin-degrading bacterium, C. maltaromaticum JD-3, from the intestines of plateau amphibians. The findings provide new insights into the development and utilization of microbial resources in the digestive systems of animals.