Antioxidant enzyme activity of filamentous fungi isolated from Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctica

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: TOSI, SOLVEIG, Kostadinova N., Krumova E., Pashova S., Dishliiska V., Spassova B., Vassilev S., Angelova M.
• Other Authors: Tosi, Solveig, Kostadinova, N., Krumova, E., Pashova, S., Dishliiska, V., Spassova, B., Vassilev, S., Angelova, M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: ANTARCTIC FUNGI; LIVINGSTON ISLAND; SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE; CATALASE; COLD-ACTIVE ENZYME; BIOREACTOR CULTURES; Antarctic; Livingston Island; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11571/210216; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0812-1; http://www.springerlink.com/content/eq662tg1182g33m2/

From 18 soil samples taken in the vicinity of the permanent Bulgarian Antarctic base "St. Kliment Ohridski" (62° 38 '29 "S, 60° 21’ 53’’ W) on Livingston Island, 109 filamentous fungi were isolated on selective media. The most widespread fungal species were members of the genera Cladosporium, Geomyces, Penicillium and Aspergillus. Other species, already recorded for Antarctic environments were also isolated: Lecanicillium muscarium, Epicoccum nigrum and Alternaria alternata. Thirty strains demonstrating good growth were screened for superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and 6 of them showed high enzyme activity. The tested strains produced SOD with higher activity at 15°C than at 30°C suggesting that this enzyme is cold-active. The best producer of cold-active SOD, A. glaucus 363 cultivated in bioreactors demonstrated optimal growth temperature at 25°C and maximum enzyme activities at 25°C and 30°C for SOD and CAT, respectively. The electrophoretical analysis showed that the fungus possesses Cu/Zn-SOD.