Characterization of halo-alkaline and thermostable protease from Halorubrum ezzemoulense strain ETR14 isolated from Sfax solar saltern in Tunisia.

A total of 54 halophilic strains were isolated from crystallizer TS18 (26 strains) and non-crystallizer M1 (28 strains) ponds and screened for their ability to produce protease, amylase, and lipase activities. Enzymatic assays allowed the selection of thirty-two active strains, among them, the ETR14 strain from TS18 showed maximum protease production yields and therefore, selected for further analysis. The results from 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that the strain belonged to Halorubrum ezzemoulense (Hrr.