Isolation, culture and characterization of a new strain of Euglena gracilis. New strain of Euglena gracilis

RUIZ, L.B.; ROCCHETTA, I; FERREIRA, DOS SANTOS V.; CONFORTI, V.

PHYCOLOGICAL RESEARCH (PRINT)

Blackwell

Lugar: Tsukuba; Año: 2004 vol. 52 p. 168 - 174

1322-0829

A new strain of Euglena gracilis Klebs has been isolated from a highly polluted river; it was named MAT. Strain growth in different culture media was evaluated at heterotrophic and autotrophic conditions. Total lipid, sugar, protein and chlorophyll a production was studied. Results obtained for MAT were compared with data obtained for UTEX Culture Center strain. Likewise, cells from both strains were bleached using streptomycin, and grown in the same media used for green samples. Both MAT and UTEX showed clear differences in their biochemical composition and growth rate depending on the media used. They also exhibited different growth patterns. Euglena gracilis medium proved to be the best culture environment for both strains either in autotrophic or heterotrophic conditions. Results show that basal contents of lipids, sugars, proteins and chlorophyll a vary depending on the strain, and thus values obtained for one strain do not apply to another. Moreover, strain origin may have an influence on the mechanisms of adaptation or defense developed by each sample.