Open AccessIsolation of methane oxidising bacteria from soil by use of a soil substrate membrane system
Author(s) -
Svenning Mette M,
Wartiainen Ingvild,
Hestnes Anne Grethe,
Binnerup Svend J
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1016/s0168-6496(03)00073-4
Subject(s) - methane monooxygenase , bacteria , methane , biology , isolation (microbiology) , anaerobic oxidation of methane , environmental chemistry , soil microbiology , enrichment culture , microbiology and biotechnology , ecology , chemistry , genetics
A new method for isolation of methane oxidising bacteria (methanotrophs) is presented. Soil samples from a wetland area and a landfill were plated on polycarbonate membranes, which were incubated in a methane–air atmosphere using a non‐sterile soil suspension as the medium. The membrane acted as a permeable growth support. The membrane method resulted in selective growth conditions, which allowed isolation of methane oxidising bacteria. The method resulted in isolation of both type I and type II methanotrophs from natural wetland and landfill soils. The isolates obtained from the landfill were dominated by type II methanotrophs and included several isolates carrying the gene for soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO). Repetitive element sequence‐based PCR fingerprinting documented genotypic diversity at the strain level. The presented method is a promising tool for easy and rapid isolation of different indigenous methanotrophs from an environment of interest.