Phylogenetic Analysis of Culturable Arctic bacteria

Abstract

We isolated and identified culturable Arctic bacteria that have inhabited around Korean Arctic Research Station Dasan located at Ny-Alsund, Svalbard, Norway (79°N, 12°E). The pure colonies were inoculated into nutrient liquid media, genomic DNA was extracted, and phylogenetic analysis was performed on the basis of 16S rDNA sequences. Out of total 227 strains, 198 strains were overlapped or unidentified, and 43 bacteria were finally identified: 31 strains belonged to Pseudomonas, 7 strains Arthrobacter, two Flavobacterium sp., an Achromobacter sp., a Pedobacter sp., and a Psychrobacter sp. For isolation of diverse bacteria, we need more effective transport method than 3M petri-films, which were used for convenience of transportation that was restricted by volume. We also need to use other culture media than nutrient media. We expect these Arctic bacteria can be used for screening to develop new antibiotics or industrial enzymes that are active at low temperature.