ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF SCREENING FOR THERMOTOLERANT STRAINS MORTIERELLA ALPINA PEYRONEL

Abstract

Background. In the modern period, due to the increased environmental burden and the situation of the economic crisis, considerable attention of researchers in the field of biotechnology is drawn to natural sources of valuable substances that allow solving the problem of their deficiency in a relatively inexpensive, safe and environmentally friendly way, based on the principles and logic of a living organism – producer. Representatives of the tribe of Mortierella mushrooms – fungi of the species Mortierella alpina have the ability to synthesize arachidonic acid, metabolites can serve as the basis for obtaining products that promote the formation of animal immunity and plant growth processes. From a practical point of view, the well-known fact that the structure of the fatty acid profile of mycelium depends on the ambient temperature is important, and therefore the temperature factor is considered as one of the limiting realizations of the productive potential of the body. The purpose of the research: development of screening techniques for productive strains of M. alpina with an extended range of tolerance to fluctuations in environmental temperature. In the course of the research, the following tasks were solved: the study of the productive properties of Mortierella fungi present in the collection and the selection of the most promising strains; study of the possibilities of increasing the phenotypic diversity of strains by induced mutagenesis and selection; study of the spectrum of tolerance to the expansion of the temperature range of cultivation while maintaining the productive properties of strains. Results. The conducted studies made it possible to establish the features of the effect of the temperature of the cultivation medium on the structure of the fatty acid profile of the studied strains. The implementation of induced mutagenesis techniques made it possible to obtain a series of phenotypic classes of mutants, which were subjected to a comprehensive study. The tolerance of the obtained strains to the simulated temperature range was assessed, followed by screening of cultures with the most stable fatty acid profile that meets practical interests. The study of cellular mechanisms of thermotolerance of selected strains was carried out. Conclusions. The variability of M. alpina mutant strains determines the formation of material for screening thermotolerant productive strains. Moreover, the preservation of this ecological characteristic in thermotolerant strains in a number of generations can serve as a marker of stability and productive characteristics.

Keywords

• temperature factor
• fatty acids
• ecological valency
• mutagenesis
• screening
• arachidonic acid