Enzymes from Extreme Environments

TL;DRAbstract

This chapter presents a number of methods that have been successfully applied in the screening for enzymes from extremophilic microorganisms and their communities. Parameters such as temperature, pH, percentage of relative humidity, salinity, dO2, redox state, moisture content, light, local geology, weather (cloud, precipitation, wind speed), and so on, may be critical or irrelevant. Thermophilic samples, psychrophilic samples, halophilic samples, acidophilic samples, superficial sea- and freshwater samples are the issues for consideration in the sampling of various specific extreme environments. Two major extraction protocols may be used: (i) phenol extraction, where the gentle hydrophobicity of phenol makes it a good solvent for DNA extraction, and (ii) the use of commercial kits. Extremophiles are an obvious source of novel enzymes that may revolutionize the biofuels industry. Several bacterial and fungal species produce ligninases, with the enzymes produced by brown- and white-rot

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