Molecular identification and screening of bioactive actinomycete from soil for enzymatic and antifungal activities

Background and Aim: Investigating the soil ecosystems is crucial for understanding of soil microbial potential and discovering of bioactive microorganisms. Actinomycetes have a considerable potential to produce novel and unique bioactive metabolites with a broad range of biological activities. The present study aimed to molecular identification of bioactive actinomycetes for enzymatic and antimicrobial activities.Methods: In this research, fifteen rhizosphere soil samples were collected. Actinomycetes were isolated by pour plate technique and cultured in a Casein Glycerol Agar (CGA) medium. Among the isolated actinomycetes, an isolate that showed better antimicrobial activity against Verticillium dahliae was selected for future studies. Then, selected isolate was screened for the production of different extracellular enzymes such as amylase, protease, lipase, citrate permease and catalase. Eventually, this isolate was identified based on the ۱۶S rDNA sequence.Results: The results revealed that the selected isolate had enzymatic activities in addition to antifungal activity. This isolate was able to digest starch, lipid and also use citrate and casein as carbon source. The catalytic activity of this isolate indicates that it catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen and is crucial to protect cells from oxidative damage. According to molecular identification, selected isolate was categorized into genus Streptomyces.Conclusion: This study revealed that the soil actinomycetes could be good candidates to explore new sources of bioactive compounds. In addition, the obtained results indicated that these isolates might serve as producers of wide range of antibiotics and enzymes.