Actinoplanes italicus
| Actinoplane italicus | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Picture of A. italicus producing sporangia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Actinobacteria |
| Class: | Actinobacteria |
| Order: | Actinomycelates |
| Family: | Actinoplanaceae |
| Genus: | Actinoplanes |
| Species: | italicus |
| Binomial name | |
|
Actinoplanes italicus Beretta 1973 |
|
Actinoplanes italicus is distinguished by the cherry-red color of its vegetative mycelium, and by the production of soluble pigments. It is also known to produce sporangia when cultured on starch or skim milk agar. Very few strains have been found and cultured, thus A. italicus is relatively uncharacterized.
A. italicus was discovered and isolated from a soil sample obtained from an orchard at Pontelongo, Italy.
During experiments led by Grazia Beretta searching for antibiotic producers from some of the uncommon genera of the Actinomycetales, A. italicus did not produce any antibiotic activity against either Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria, and differed in its morphological, cultural, and physiological characteristics. Studies were undertaken to determine whether the first strain, A 52212, of A. italicus represented a new species of Actinoplanes.
A. italicus was cultivated using various standard media to determine optimum growth conditions. The media were incubated in the dark at 28°C. Pigment production was determined by exposing the media to daylight and artificial light at night. Stock slant cultures were kept on oatmeal agar. Every 8 to 16 days, the colony characteristics were observed on starch agar Petri dishes.
Using A Dictionary of Color by Maerz and Paul, color was determined and assigned to the varying pigments produced. Carbon sources were investigated. The media containing carbon sources were inoculated with mycelium, washed twice, and suspended in distilled water. Optimal temperatures were determined by incubating slants of oatmeal agar at 15, 20, 28, 40, and 50°C.
The notable cherry-red vegetative mycelium is produced on most of the media used in the experiment. Other members of Actinoplanes, when grown on the same media, produced a yellow and orange vegetative mycelium.
The vegetative mycelium is composed of thin and twisted hyphae. The sporangia produced on starch and skim milk agar have wrinkled surfaces and vary in shapes from spherical to oval and piriform.
The shape of the sporangia takes on a more regular shape immediately before rupturing. The spores released are highly motile, taking on varying shapes of spherical and oval.
In peptone-yeast extract-iron agar, A. italicus produces H2S. Within a skim milk agar medium, it was able to hydrolyze casein. Other notable physiological characteristics include its ability to liquefy gelatin, produce tyrosinase, and peptonization without cogulation. The optimal temperature ranges between 28 and 37°C.
...
Wikipedia