Identification of the amylase enzyme-secreting organism
The isolated strain IND4 with highest activity was identified on the basis of the biochemical properties, the phenotypical characteristics, and the 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The genomic DNA was extracted from the cells of an 18-h cultured IND4 strain by using a QIAGEN DNA purification kit (Germany) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The 16S rRNA gene of the isolate was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the upstream primer P1: 5′-AGAGTTTGATCMTGGCTAG-3′ and the downstream primer P2: 5′-ACGGGCGG TGTGTRC-3′ (Sigma–Aldrich). Amplification of DNA was carried out using the research gradient Peltier Thermal cycler machine PTC-225 and a DNA polymerase (Sigma) under the following conditions: denaturation at 95 °C for 3 min followed by 30 cycles at 95 °C for 1 min, 55 °C for 30 s, and 72 °C for 1 min and 50 s. The amplified product was sequenced at Scigenome Laboratories, India. Sequence comparison with databases was performed using BLAST through the NCBI server. The isolate IND4 was identified as B. cereus IND4. The sequence was submitted to the GenBank database, and an accession number was assigned. The GenBank accession number of the sequence reported in this article is KF250420.