Limited degradation of industrial,synthetic and natural lignins by Serratia marcescens

Summary Serratia marcescens was found to degrade kraft lignin by only 15%. When ¹⁴C-radiolabelled lignocelluloses and DHP lignins were used as substrates the bacterium mineralized to ¹⁴CO₂ only 1.1–1.9% and 0.4–0.8% of the lignins respectively. However, some 44.4% of the ¹⁴C--DHP lignin was recovered as soluble radiolabelled products.     

Enzymatic and hydrolytic degradation of benzylaryl ethers related to hardwood lignins

A number of 4-hydroxybenzylphenyl ethers and their acetates were synthesized as models for hardwood lignin and used as substrates in acid hydrolysis and enzymatic oxidation reactions. Under hydrolytic conditions, the acetates underwent ether cleavage at a slower rate than the free phenols. Evidence for carbonium ion intermediates is presented. Cleavage of the ether substrates by peroxidase—peroxide oxidation was much faster than by acid hydrolysis for all substrates except the acetates which did not react. Subsequent oxidation of the component parts of the ether substrates was selective: the syringyl moieties were oxidized in preference to the guaiacyl moieties. Electron spin resonance studies of the oxidation reaction showed that removal of the phenolic hydrogen atom was the first step, followed by quinone—methide formation. A mechanism is proposed to account for the oxidative degradation of the lignin models.     

Isolation and characterization of aerobic bacteria capable of the degradation of synthetic and natural melanoidins from distillery effluent

Melanoidins, complex biopolymer of amino-carbonyl compounds are the major coloring and polluting constituents of distillery wastewaters. In this study, three aerobic melanoidin-degrading bacteria (RNBS1, RNBS3 and RNBS4) were isolated from soil contaminated with distillery effluent and characterized as Bacillus licheniformis (RNBS1), Bacillus sp. (RNBS3) and Alcaligenes sp. (RNBS4) by biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The degradation of synthetic and natural melanoidins was studied by using the axenic and mixed bacterial consortium. Results have revealed that the mixed consortium was more effective compared to axenic culture decolorizing 73.79 and 69.83% synthetic and natural melanoidins whereas axenic cultures RNBS1, RNBS3 and RNBS4 decolorized 65.88, 62.56 and 66.10% synthetic and 52.69, 48.92 and 59.64% natural melanoidins, respectively. The HPLC analysis of degraded samples has shown reduction in peak areas compared to controls, suggesting that decrease in color intensity might be largely attributed to the degradation of melanoidins by isolated bacteria.     

Carbohydrate oxidases in ericoid and ectomycorrhizal fungi: a possible source of Fenton radicals during the degradation of lignocellulose

Isolates of the ericoid mycorrhizal fungus Hymenoscyphus ericae (Read) Korf et Kernan, and the ectomycorrhizal fungi Suillus variegatus (Swartz ex Fr.) and Pisolithus tinctorius (Pers.) Coker & Couch, along with a Cortinarius sp. and the white rot Phanerochaete chrysosporium Burdsall were examined for the ability to oxidize carbohydrates to their corresponding lactones and to excrete the H₂O₂ produced thereby. All except Phanerochaete chrysosporium were found to express cellobiose oxidase (cellobiose dehydrogenase, EC 1.1.19.88) and glucose oxidase (β- d -glucose:oxygen 1-oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.3.4) when grown on cellobiose and glucose respectively. Production of extracellular H₂O₂ was visualized during growth on both substrates using ABTS as the chromogen. According to the Fenton reaction, H₂O₂ will react with hydrated or chelated Fe(II) in the environment to produce hydroxyl (Fenton) radicals, HO^·. Mycelial extracts from each of the mycorrhizal fungi produced HO^· in the presence of cellobiose and Fe(II), presumably mediated by H₂O₂ produced by cellobiose oxidase activity in the extracts. Conditions favourable to HO^· production were shown to exist in Modified Melin–Norkrans medium, and the data discussed in relation to previously observed lignin degradation by mycorrhizal fungi.     

Diuron degradation by Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKM- F-1767 in synthetic and natural media

When incubated in synthetic (N-limited) medium and on ashwood chips, Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKM-F-1767 degraded 14 and 10 mg/l diuron, respectively. The wood chips were used as support and sole nutrient source for the fungus. A higher degradation efficiency was found in ashwood culture as compared to the liquid culture, probably as a result of the synergetic effect of attached fungal growth, presence of limiting-substrate conditions and the microenvironment provided by ashwood, all favorable for production of high extracellular enzyme titres. Diuron degradation occured during the idiophasic growth, in the presence of manganese peroxidase, detected as dominant enzyme in both cultures.     

Isolation and identification of a novel valienamine-producing bacterium

AIMS: To isolate, identify and assess valienamine production by a soil bacterial isolate from a wheat field in Hangzhou, China. METHODS AND RESULTS: A validamycin A-degrading bacterial strain, numbered ZJB-041, was isolated and identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, based on morphology, physiological tests, ATB system (ID32 GN), and 16S rDNA analysis. The strain was capable of producing valienamine by decomposing validamycin A. After fermentation in shaking flasks at 30 degrees C for 7 days, 96.0% of 34.49 mmol l(-1) of validamycin A was degraded and 2.65 mmol l(-1) of valienamine was obtained. The resting cells of this strain also produced valienamine by degrading validamycin A. After 72 h of incubation in 0.2 mol l(-1) of phosphate buffer (pH 7.5), 90.2% of 17.16 mmol l(-1) of validamycin A was degraded, and 1.77 mmol l(-1) of valienamine was obtained. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggested that S. maltophilia ZJB-041, a bacterial isolate, has the potential for validamycin A degradation and valienamine production. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The validamycin A-degrading bacterium could potentially be utilized in the disposal of validamycin residues and in the production of valienamine.     

Fermentative degradation of triethanolamine by a homoacetogenic bacterium

With triethanolamine as sole source of energy and organic carbon, a strictly anaerobic, gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium, strain LuTria 3, was isolated from sewage sludge and was assigned to the genus Acetobacterium on the basis of morphological and physiological properties. The G+C content of the DNA was 34.9±1.0 mol %. The new isolate fermented triethanolamine to acetate and ammonia. In cell-free extracts, a triethanolamine-degrading enzyme activity was detected that formed acetaldehyde as reaction product. Triethanolamine cleavage was stimulated 30-fold by added adenosylcobalamin (co-enzyme B₁₂) and inhibited by cyanocobalamin or hydroxocobalamin. Ethanolamine ammonia lyase, acetaldehyde:acceptor oxidoreductase, phosphate acetyltransferase, acetate kinase, and carbon monoxide dehydrogenase were measured in cell-free extracts of this strain. Our results establish that triethanolamine is degraded by a corrinoid-dependent shifting of the terminal hydroxyl group to the subterminal carbon atom, analogous to a diol dehydratase reaction, to form an unstable intermediate that releases acetaldehyde. No anaerobic degradation of triethylamine was observed in similar enrichment assays.Abbreviation NTA nitrilotriacetate     

Isolation and characterization of a lipolytic bacterium capable of growing in a low-water-content oil-water emulsion

A unique lipolytic bacterium was isolated in a selective growth system consisting of 99% triglycerides and a 1% water phase. The bacterium, termed Pseudomonas aeruginosa YS-7, was able to grow in an environment of low water content and could also survive amphipathic, osmotic, and matrical water stress in a triglyceride-rich culture. The isolated strain was identified as P. aeruginosa on the basis of standard physiological, biochemical, and serological assays. The strain is a gram-negative motile rod, aerobic, pigment forming, and capable of growing at 42 degrees C. It is highly tolerant of high concentrations of the cationic detergent cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and of the fatty acid salts derived from bacterial hydrolysis of the oil. Growth of the bacterium in a pure culture in a 99% triglyceride medium lasted until most of the water was evaporated or consumed. Growth was accompanied by triglyceride hydrolysis, which continued to occur even after growth saturation until the water was totally depleted. No loss of viability was observed when the culture was maintained under water-depleted conditions for an additional 40 h. A second cycle of bacterial growth and triglyceride hydrolysis was immediately initiated upon the addition of 1% (vol/vol) water to the culture. Lipase activity was stable regardless of changes in culture conditions. The isolated strain is uniquely resistant to severe water stress in a triglyceride-rich medium or under cold acetone precipitation compared with 12 other microbial strains, including bacteria and yeasts. Among these 12, only the lipolytic strains grew in the 99% triglyceride medium, but they reached a cell mass fourfold smaller than that of P. aeruginosa YS-7.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Isolation and characterization of a phenol-degrading bacterium from an industrial activated sludge

This paper reports the successful isolation and characterization of a new phenol-degrading bacterium, strain EDP3, from activated sludge. Strain EDP3 is a nonmotile, strictly aerobic, Gram-negative, and short-rod or coccobacillary bacterium, which occurs singly, in pairs, or in clusters. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed that strain EDP3 belonged to the gamma group of Proteobacteria, with a 97.0% identity to 16S rRNA gene sequences of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. Strain EDP3 could aerobically grow on a number of aromatic compounds, such as phenol, sodium benzoate, p-hydroxybenzoate, phenylacetate, benzene, ethylbenzene, benzylalcohol, and so on. In particular, it could mineralize up to 1,000 mg l⁻¹ phenol at room temperature (25°C). The growth kinetics of strain EDP3 on phenol as a sole carbon and energy source at 25°C can be described using the Haldane equation. It has a maximal specific growth rate (μ_max) of 0.28 h⁻¹, a half-saturation constant (K _S) of 1,167.1 mg l⁻¹, and a substrate inhibition constant (K _i) of 58.5 mg l⁻¹. Values of yield coefficient (Y _X/S) are between 0.4 and 0.6 mg dry cell (mg phenol)⁻¹. Strain EDP3 has high tolerance to the toxicity of phenol (up to 1,000 mg l⁻¹). It therefore could be an excellent candidate for the biotreatment of high-strength phenol-containing industrial wastewaters and for the in situ bioremediation of phenol-contaminated soils.     

漆酶／介体体系降解黄麻纤维木质素的研究

为了研究漆酶／介体处理过程中,黄麻纤维木质素结构的变化,采用二氧六环水溶液抽提制取了黄麻纤维木质素,再用漆酶／介体对其处理,通过GPC、元素分析、酚羟基含量测定、红外光谱以及核磁共振氢谱分析了漆酶／介体处理后,黄麻纤维木质素结构的变化。结果表明：经漆酶／介体处理后,黄麻纤维木质素重均分子量和数均分子量减小,酚羟基、醇羟基以及甲氧基含量降低,羰基含量增加。     

Short communication: Bacillus cereus capable of degrading SDS shows growth with a variety of detergents

A strain of Bacillus cereus was isolated from a detergent-polluted pond. This strain showed growth with exceedingly high concentration of both anionic and non-ionic detergents. Detergent such as SDS was rapidly taken up by the cells and degraded to dodecan-1-ol by the enzyme alkylsulphatase.     

纤维素降解产物对Kluyveromyces marxianus 1727共发酵葡萄糖和木糖的影响

研究纤维素酸水解产生的4种副产物乙酸、甲酸、糠醛、5-羟甲基糠醛及发酵产物乙醇对Kluyveromyces marxianus 1727共发酵葡萄糖和木糖的影响。结果表明:5.0 g/L乙酸和1.0 g/L甲酸对葡萄糖和木糖共发酵具有明显的抑制作用;1.0 g/L糠醛和5-羟甲基糠醛基本不影响K.marxianus 1727发酵葡萄糖,且能够被K.marxianus1727转化为毒性相对较低的物质。由于5-羟甲基糠醛的转化速率慢,对K.marxianus 1727发酵木糖的抑制程度大于糠醛。乙醇对K.marxianus 1727发酵木糖具有抑制作用,当乙醇质量浓度大于20 g/L时,生物量及木糖利用率约是对照的44%和70%。     

Isolation and characterization of a new denitrifying spirillum capable of anaerobic degradation of phenol

Two kinds of phenol-degrading denitrifying bacteria, Azoarcus sp. strain CC-11 and spiral bacterial strain CC-26, were isolated from the same enrichment culture after 1 and 3 years of incubation, respectively. Both strains required ferrous ions for growth, but strain CC-26 grew better than strain CC-11 grew under iron-limited conditions, which may have resulted in the observed change in the phenol-degrading bacteria during the enrichment process. Strain CC-26 grew on phenol, benzoate, and other aromatic compounds under denitrifying conditions. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA sequences revealed that this strain is most closely related to a Magnetospirillum sp., a member of the alpha subclass of the class Proteobacteria, and is the first strain of a denitrifying aromatic compound-degrading bacterium belonging to this group. Unlike previously described Magnetospirillum strains, however, this strain did not exhibit magnetotaxis. It grew on phenol only under denitrifying conditions. Other substrates, such as acetate, supported aerobic growth, and the strain exhibited microaerophilic features.     

Isolation and characterization of a thermophilic bacterium, Geobacillus thermocatenulatus, degrading nylon 12 and nylon 66

A thermophilic bacterium, identified as a neighboring species to Geobacillus thermocatenulatus, having a growth optimum at 55 °C and, capable of degrading nylon 12, was isolated from soil by enrichment culture technique at 60 °C. At this temperature, the strain grew on 5 g nylon 12 l^–1 with a decrease in its molecular weight from 41000 to 11000 over 20 d. The degradation was assumed to be due to endogenous hydrolysis of amide bond in nylon 12. The strain degraded also nylon 66 with a decrease in its molecular weight from 43000 to 17000 in 20 d at 60 °C. Nylon 6 was not degraded.     

Utilization of lignocellulosic waste by the edible mushroom,Pleurotus

Lignocellulosic waste represents huge amounts of unutilized renewable resource. The use of the polysaccharides in the lignocellulosic complex is limited due to their high lignin content. White rot fungi are capable of selectively degrading lignin, thereby upgrading it. The focus of this article is on the potential utilization of edible mushrooms of the genus Pleurotus, via solid state fermentation, using cotton plant stalks as a substrate. This material poses agrotechnical problems since the stalks have a fibrous structure similar to that of hardwood. Potential uses for this material are as a fuel in rural areas, a substrate for mushrooms, an animal feed and substrate for paper making. In this study, degradation of cotton stalks by Pleurotus is described using chemical analyses and scanning electron microscopy. During four weeks of solid state fermentation, lignin content significantly decreased and in vitro digestibility was increased. The fermentation product was consumed by ruminants at a level of up to 40% of their diet.     

Bacterial degradation of dehydropolymers of coniferyl alcohol

A bacterial isolate identified as Xanthomonas sp. proved to be ligninolytic due to its ability to degrade ¹⁴C-labeled dehydropolymers of coniferyl alcohol (DHP) and [14C]lignocellulose complexes from corn plants (Zea mays). Several parameters of ligninolysis were evaluated and it was shown that resting cells degrade DHP as sole carbon source. Enhancement of DHP degradation in the presence of ferulic acid or water-soluble fractions of DHP or of dioxane lignin from wheat was demonstrated. It is shown that a dissociation of DHP takes place during incubation in the absence of the bacteria which is reflected in a shift of DHP to lower molecular weight fractions. Bacterial degradation of [14C] DHP results in the release of ¹⁴CO₂ and in the incorporation of the ¹⁴C-label into the biomass of the bacteria, as shown by chemical and biological methods.Abbreviations Bq Becquerel, measure for radioactivity according to SI nomenclature - DHP dehydropolymers of coniferyl alcohol - DMF dimethylformamide - DMSO dimethyl sulfoxide - HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - TCA trichloroacetic acid - THF tetrahydrofuran     

Isolation and characterization of a sea cucumber fucoidan‐utilizing marine bacterium

Aims: To isolate a fucoidan‐utilizing strain from seawater for sea cucumber fucoidan degradation. Methods and Results: The utilization of sea cucumber fucoidan was monitored by H₂SO₄–phenol assay for neutral sugar. The bacterium CZ1127 was isolated from seawater and shown to have a relatively large maximum fucoidan‐utilizing rate of 81·5%. CZ1127 was confirmed to belong to the family Flavobacteriaceae by 16S rDNA and physiological analyses. This strain has an ability to utilize fucoidans extracted from various sea cucumbers to different degrees. Both extracellular and intracellular enzymes of CZ1127 could degrade sea cucumber fucoidan, as confirmed by high‐performance size exclusion chromatography. The M_r of sea cucumber fucoidan could be reduced from 792·6 kDa to at least 3·7 kDa by the crude intracellular enzyme of this strain. Conclusions: The marine bacterial strain CZ1127, which belongs to the family Flavobacteriaceae, was found to utilize various sea cucumber fucoidans and furthermore showed promise in sea cucumber fucoidan enzymatic degradation and oligosaccharide preparation. Significance and Impact of the Study: The finding of a novel source can be applied in sea cucumber fucoidan enzymatic degradation. Furthermore, it is the first definite report of a bacterial strain that can utilize the fucoidans from various sea cucumbers.     

Aerobic degradation of highly chlorinated polychlorobiphenyls by a marine bacterium, Pseudomonas CH07

Hitherto, aerobic degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has been reported to be limited to the less chlorinated biphenyls. We report here a marine mercury-resistant bacterium, Pseudomonas CH07 (NRRL B-30604) which was capable of degrading a variety of highly chlorinated congeners of PCBs from the technical mixture Clophen A-50. Of the two most toxic coplanar PCBs present in Clophen A-50, one coplanar pentachloro congener CB-126 and one toxic sterically hindered heptachloro congener CB-181 were found to be degraded completely and the other coplanar tetrachloro congener CB-77 was degraded by more than 40% within 40 h by this microorganism. The apparent absence of bphC in this bacterium leads to the proposal of a different mechanism for degradation of PCBs.