SCREENING, ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF NITRILASE PRODUCING BACTERIA FROM SOIL

Enzymes are identified as key catalysts in various processes occurring within the living cells. The role of various enzymes is constantly investigated to find their novel applications. Nitrilase is one such enzyme which carries out the hydrolysis of carbon-nitrogen bonds except for amides. This catalytic property of nitrilase is exploited to generate corresponding chiral carboxylic acids. These chiral molecules can be employed in various drug synthesis schemes. Nitrilase have been reported from various microorganisms with variable catalytic properties. With an objective to explore microorganisms which produce nitrilases and able to catalyze aromatic nitriles, screening of microorganisms from soil was carried out. Out of five soil sampling sites, screening from the soil sample taken from benzonitrile manufacturing industry (Anami Organics Ltd. Valsad, GujaratIndia) resulted in isolation of microorganism which was able to use benzonitrile as substrate and was positive for nitrilase enzyme assay which was done by modified indophenol method. The microorganism was later identified to be Bacillus thuringiensis using 16s rRNA and biochemical analysis. Nitrilase is present as an intracellular protein in this species.