Preliminary Study on L-asparaginase Enzyme Producing Actinomycetes Isolated from Western Ghats of Chikkamagalur

— Western Ghats is a potential ecosystem for actinomycetes diversity. In this study, actinomycetes were isolated from different soil samples from Western Ghats of Chikkamagalur and screened for asparaginase activity. L-asparaginase gained its great importance in clinical research, can used to treat tumours like Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) as effective chemotherapeutic agent. The isolated actinomycetes were primarily screened for L-asparaginase activity by rapid plate assay method. Among 6 soil samples analysed from different regions of the Western Ghats 19 actinomycetes strains were isolated, of which 8 strains were positive for L-asparaginase. The isolated L-asparaginase active strain appears to be a promising agent and requires further investigation of its anti-leukemic activity. Enzymes which degrade amino acids should receive greater attention as potential therapeutic agents