ABSTRACT
An appreciation of comparative microbial survival is most easily done while evaluating their adaptive strategies during stress. In the present experiment, antioxidative and whole cell proteome variations based on spectrophotometric analysis and SDS-PAGE and 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis have been analysed among salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive Frankia strains. This is the first report of proteomic basis underlying salt tolerance in these newly isolated Frankia strains from Hippophae salicifolia D. Don. Salt-tolerant strain HsIi10 shows higher increment in the contents of superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase as compared to salt-sensitive strain HsIi8. Differential 2-DGE profile has revealed differential profiles for salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive strains. Proteomic confirmation of salt tolerance in the strains with inbuilt efficiency of thriving in nitrogen-deficient locales is a definite advantage for these microbes. This would be equally beneficial for improvement of soil nitrogen status. Efficient protein regulation in HsIi10 suggests further exploration for its potential use as biofertilizer in saline soils.
Acknowledgments
The Head and Coordinator CAS program, Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, is gratefully acknowledged for providing laboratory facilities.
Funding
The authors are thankful to the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, New Delhi for the financial support in the form of project (BT/PR9145/AGR/21/233). Amrita Srivastava is thankful to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, for providing fellowship in the form of Junior and Senior Research fellowships.