A new potent alkaline protease producing halotolerant alkaliphilic
isolate NPST-AK15 was isolated from hyper saline soda lakes of
Wadi El-Natrun Valley, located in northern Egypt. The organism was
affiliated to Bacillus sp. based on biochemical tests and 16S rRNA
gene analysis. The characterization of NPST-AK15 indicated that this
bacterium is halotolerant, thermotolerant and alkaliphilic in nature.
Optimization of various fermentation parameters resulted in an
increase of enzyme production yield by about 22.8 fold, indicating the
significance of optimization of the fermentation process to obtain
commercial yield of the enzyme. Alkaline protease secretion was
coherent with the growth pattern, showing maximum enzyme
production in mid stationary phase. NPST-AK15 and its extracellular
alkaline protease with salt, pH, and temperature tolerance signify their
potential applicability in the laundry industry and other applications
of alkaline protease. Complete purification and characterization of
alkaline protease from NPST-AK15 are in progress to be published.