Growth of Prototheca isolates on n-hexadecane and mixed-hydrocarbon substrate

Prototheca zopfii, an achlorphyllous alga, was capable of using hydrocarbons as sole carbon and energy source. The ability of P. zopfii to use hydrocarbons did not correlate with source of isolation. Seventy-five percent of the P. zopfii cultures recovered from sewage, plants, or animals utilized hydrocarbons. Other Prototheca species and P. zopfii that did not utilize hydrocarbons were isolated simultaneously from several sources with isolates that did use hydrocarbons. Species type rather than source of isolation was the predominant factor that determined hydrocarbon utilization.     

Growth of Prototheca isolates on n-hexadecane and mixed-hydrocarbon substrate.

Prototheca zopfii, an achlorphyllous alga, was capable of using hydrocarbons as sole carbon and energy source. The ability of P. zopfii to use hydrocarbons did not correlate with source of isolation. Seventy-five percent of the P. zopfii cultures recovered from sewage, plants, or animals utilized hydrocarbons. Other Prototheca species and P. zopfii that did not utilize hydrocarbons were isolated simultaneously from several sources with isolates that did use hydrocarbons. Species type rather than source of isolation was the predominant factor that determined hydrocarbon utilization.     

Hydrocarbons preserved in a ~2.7 Ga outcrop sample from the Fortescue Group,Pilbara Craton,Western Australia

The hydrocarbons preserved in an Archean rock were extracted, and their composition and distribution in consecutive slices from the outside to the inside of the rock were examined. The 2.7 Ga rock was collected from the Fortescue Group in the Pilbara region, Western Australia. The bitumen I (solvent‐extracted rock) and bitumen II (solvent‐extracted hydrochloric acid‐treated rock) fractions have different hydrocarbon compositions. Bitumen I contains only trace amounts of aliphatic hydrocarbons and virtually no aromatic hydrocarbons. In contrast, bitumen II contains abundant aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The difference seems to reflect the weathering history and preservational environment of the investigated rock. Aliphatic hydrocarbons in bitumen I are considered to be mainly from later hydrocarbon inputs, after initial deposition and burial, and are therefore not indigenous. The lack of aromatic hydrocarbons in bitumen I suggests a severe weathering environment since uplift and exposure of the rock at the Earth's surface in the Cenozoic. On the other hand, the high abundance of aromatic hydrocarbons in bitumen II suggests that bitumen II hydrocarbons have been physically isolated from removal by their encapsulation within carbonate minerals. The richness of aromatic hydrocarbons and the relative scarcity of aliphatic hydrocarbons may reflect the original compositions of organic materials biosynthesised in ancient organisms in the Archean era, or the high thermal maturity of the rock. Cyanobacterial biomarkers were observed in the surficial slices of the rock, which may indicate that endolithic cyanobacteria inhabited the surface outcrop. The distribution of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons implies a high thermal maturity, which is consistent with the lack of any specific biomarkers, such as hopanes and steranes, and the prehnite–pumpellyite facies metamorphic grade.     

水体沉积物中微生物厌氧呼吸耦合多环芳烃降解的研究进展

多环芳烃(Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,PAHs)是一种具有致癌、致畸、致突变的持久性有机污染物。本文在分析国内外主要水体沉积物中PAHs污染状况的基础上,综述了近几年有关厌氧水体沉积物中微生物以硝酸盐、Fe(III)以及硫酸盐为电子受体进行呼吸耦合PAHs降解的研究概况。此外,还总结了基于微生物的PAHs降解基因组、蛋白质组、代谢组以及菌群水平上互作网络的研究进展,以期为进一步加速PAHs污染水体沉积物原位生物修复提供科学理论参考。     

Energetics of interactions of aromatic hydrocarbons with water

The thermodynamics of transfer of aromatic (benzene, toluene) and aliphatic (ethane, propane, butane) hydrocarbons from the gas phase into water in the temperature range 5–125°C have been analyzed in order to determine the net hydration effect of these compounds. In the case of the aromatic hydrocarbons the enthalpic contribution predominates over the entropic contribution to the Gibbs energy of hydration. This results in a negative value of the hydration Gibbs energy of aromatic hydrocarbons, in contrast to the positive Gibbs energy of hydration of aliphatic hydrocarbons. The different sign of the hydration Gibbs energies indicates that the mechanism causing hydrophobicity of aromatic hydrocarbons has different nature than that causing the hydrophobicity of aliphatic hydrocarbons. The comparison of hydration of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons leads to the following thermodynamic parameters for these additional interactions between the benzene ring and water at 25°C: enthalpy −5.4 kJ/mol, entropy 26.8 J/K mol and Gibbs energy −13.4 kJ/mol. The large enthalpic contribution to the Gibbs energy of hydration of aromatic hydrocarbons probably comes from the ability of the aromatic ring to accept hydrogens from water, forming hydrogen bonds.     

Microbe-aliphatic hydrocarbon interactions in soil: implications for biodegradation and bioremediation

Aliphatic hydrocarbons make up a substantial portion of organic contamination in the terrestrial environment. However, most studies have focussed on the fate and behaviour of aromatic contaminants in soil. Despite structural differences between aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, both classes of contaminants are subject to physicochemical processes, which can affect the degree of loss, sequestration and interaction with soil microflora. Given the nature of hydrocarbon contamination of soils and the importance of bioremediation strategies, understanding the fate and behaviour of aliphatic hydrocarbons is imperative, particularly microbe-contaminant interactions. Biodegradation by microbes is the key removal process of hydrocarbons in soils, which is controlled by hydrocarbon physicochemistry, environmental conditions, bioavailability and the presence of catabolically active microbes. Therefore, the aims of this review are (i) to consider the physicochemical properties of aliphatic hydrocarbons and highlight mechanisms controlling their fate and behaviour in soil; (ii) to discuss the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of aliphatic hydrocarbons in soil, with particular attention being paid to biodegradation, and (iii) to briefly consider bioremediation techniques that may be applied to remove aliphatic hydrocarbons from soil.     

Hydrocarbon site of synthesis and circulation in the desert ant Cataglyphis niger

Chemical analyses revealed that in Cataglyphis niger both the hemolymph and the crop contain the same hydrocarbons that are found in the postpharyngeal gland (PPG). On the cuticle, on the other hand, alkanes, and in particular nonacosane, were more abundant than in the PPG. Studies of their biosynthesis in vivo, using intact ants, revealed the presence of newly synthesized hydrocarbons in both the PPG and the crop. In decapitated ants (in the absence of the PPG), however, the crop did not contain any newly synthesized hydrocarbons, indicating the PPG as the major source of crop hydrocarbons. The fat body, as demonstrated by in vitro studies, is the major tissue that biosynthesizes hydrocarbons. The PPG failed to do so, but showed good de novo biosynthesis of other lipid constituents. The large amount of hydrocarbons in the crop suggests that the alimentary canal may serve as an outlet for the overflow of PPG hydrocarbons, or as a route for the directed clearance of hydrocarbons from the PPG.These results confirm and enlarge the model proposed for hydrocarbon circulation in C. niger. They are synthesized by the fat body, released to the hemolymph and transported to the cuticle and the PPG. The PPG hydrocarbons are applied to the cuticle by self-grooming, but can also be cleared via the alimentary canal. Partial emptying of the PPG may facilitate the admixing of recognition cues that the ant may acquire from nestmates by trophallaxis. The reason for the dissimilarity in hydrocarbon composition between the PPG and the cuticle is not yet clear; it may be due to secretions from additional glands, or reflect deviant hydrocarbon transport mechanisms between the PPG and the cuticle.     

Botryococcus braunii: a rich source for hydrocarbons and related ether lipids

This paper presents a review on Botryococcus braunii, a cosmopolitan green colonial microalga characterised by a considerable production of lipids, notably hydrocarbons. Strains like wild populations of this alga differ in the type of hydrocarbons they synthesise and accumulate: (1) n-alkadienes and trienes, (2) triterpenoid botryococcenes and methylated squalenes, or (3) a tetraterpenoid, lycopadiene. In addition to hydrocarbons and some classic lipids, these algae produce numerous series of characteristic ether lipids closely related to hydrocarbons. This review covers the algal biodiversity, the chemical structures and biosynthesis of hydrocarbons and ether lipids and the biotechnological studies related to hydrocarbon production.     

Cuticular hydrocarbons of Chagas disease vectors in Mexico

Capillary gas-liquid chromatography was used to analyse the cuticular hydrocarbons of three triatomine species, Triatoma dimidiata, T. barberi and Dipetalogaster maxima, domestic vectors of Chagas disease in Mexico. Mixtures of saturated hydrocarbons of straight and methyl-branched chains were characteristic of the three species, but quantitatively different. Major methylbranched components mostly corresponded to different saturated isomers of monomethyl, dimethyl and trimethyl branched hydrocarbons ranging from 29 to 39 carbon backbones. Sex-dependent, quantitative differences in certain hydrocarbons were apparent in T. dimidiata.     

Purification of adult Drosophila melanogaster lipophorin and its role in hydrocarbon transport

Lipophorin was isolated from homogenized adult Drosophila melanogaster. It is stained by Sudan Black and has a native molecular mass of 640 kD and a density of 1.12 g/ml. It consists of two glycosylated apoproteins of 240 and 75 kDa. Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry showed that lipophorins isolated separately from virgin 3-day-old male and female flies were associated with specific hydrocarbons, and that these were the same hydrocarbons found in male and female cuticles, respectively. Moreover, a pool of internal hydrocarbons was demonstrated for the first time, with chain lengths similar to those of the cuticular pool. Studies on the fate of the hydrocarbons synthesized de novo after topical applications of radiolabelled fatty acid precursors showed a decrease of the internal pool of hydrocarbons with time, concomitant with an increase of the cuticular pool. These results suggest that hydrocarbons synthesized at an internal site, possibly in oenocytes, may be transported to the cuticle of the flies by lipophorin. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter)细菌降解石油烃的研究进展

不动杆菌属细菌分布广泛,作为重要的石油烃降解者,在乳化和降解石油烃、降低石油烃生物毒性等方面有重要作用。本文概述了不动杆菌属细菌对烷烃、芳香烃等石油烃组分的降解,总结了该属细菌中已发现的烷烃氧化酶和芳香烃氧化酶,综述了该属细菌所分泌的表面活性剂的类型和乳化机理,讨论了固定化对该属细菌降解石油烃的影响,展望了该属细菌降解石油烃的应用前景。基于此,作者认为探索不动杆菌属细菌降解石油烃的详细机理和途径、发现关键酶、寻找遗传工具、构建基因工程菌、发掘环境友好的固定化材料,应是未来的研究重点及热点。     

白蚁表皮碳氢化合物研究进展

近年来, 固相微萃取等现代技术的使用显著促进了白蚁表皮碳氢化合物研究的开展。至今, 已有约29种白蚁的表皮碳氢化合物组分得到鉴定, 分属于木白蚁科、 鼻白蚁科、 原白蚁科和白蚁科, 其组分主要为正烷烃、 含有不同数量甲基的支链烷烃及少量烯烃。白蚁表皮碳氢化合物不仅具有一定的科、 属特异性, 大多数种类还具备特有组分, 表明其可作为种间识别的指标。表皮碳氢化合物组分在种内个体识别方面的作用, 在低等白蚁中多获得了支持性结果, 但也有研究认为在这些种类中表皮碳氢化合物不是种内个体识别（同巢个体识别）的唯一指标。发现其与品级分化的相关是近年来白蚁表皮碳氢化合物研究的重要进展。有些种类表皮碳氢化合物的年消长与生殖蚁的分化有关; 而另一些种类生殖蚁含有表皮碳氢化合物特有组分, 其含量与生殖蚁的生殖状态有关, 提示其可能在品级分化中发挥重要作用。作为研究白蚁品级分化和维持机理的新方向, 表皮碳氢化合物值得进一步研究探索。     

海洋石油降解微生物及其降解机理

微生物修复作为一种新型环保的生物修复技术,已成为海洋石油污染生物修复的核心技术。对海洋石油降解微生物的种类即细菌、蓝藻、真菌以及藻类进行了总结,对微生物对石油烃的降解途径与降解机理进行了综述。微生物降解烷烃的过程包括末端氧化、烷基氢过氧化物以及环己烷降解3种形式。微生物对芳香烃的降解是通过芳香烃被氧化酶氧化导致苯环开环来实现的。微生物对多环芳烃的降解是在单加氧酶或双加氧酶的催化作用下被最终降解为二氧化碳和水而被分解。并对影响石油烃降解微生物的因素包括温度、营养物质等因素进行了分析。     

专一营养与兼性甲烷氧化菌降解氯代烃的研究现状、动力学分析及展望

生物修复技术被认为是氯代烃类污染物处理处置的最有效途径之一,而甲烷氧化菌在该领域表现出较大的应用潜力。近期研究发现,突破了仅能利用单碳化合物的局限,兼性甲烷氧化菌能够利用多种底物降解氯代烃,这一独特的新陈代谢特性,使其在污染物生物处置领域逐渐受到关注。结合本课题组研究成果,对甲烷氧化菌降解氯代烃进行了全面总结,主要包括:分析了不同菌株(纯菌株和混合菌株)对不同氯代烃的降解效果;比较了不同类型甲烷单加氧酶在不同底物体系中的活性表达和催化特性;总结了模型菌株甲基弯菌Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b降解氯代烃的动力学特性;概述了兼性甲烷氧化菌株降解氯代烃的特性及其应用潜力;最后讨论了甲烷氧化菌降解氯代烃存在的问题及未来发展方向。     

Structure of a Natural Microbial Community in a Nitroaromatic Contaminated Groundwater Is Altered during Biodegradation of Extrinsic,but Not Intrinsic Substrates

A BSTRACTThis study demonstrates microbial community changes over time in a nitroaromatic-contaminated groundwater upon amendment with hydrocarbons previously unknown to the microbial community (extrinsic) and hydrocarbons previously known to the microbial community (intrinsic). Sealed flasks, shaken and incubated at 25 degrees C, containing contaminated groundwater and salts were amended twice with extrinsic hydrocarbons including phenol, benzoic acid, and naphthalene, and intrinsic hydrocarbons including 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) and para-nitrotoluene ( p-NT). Microbial growth, biodegradation, and community structure changes measured by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) targeting catechol-2,3-dioxygenase (C23O) genes were monitored over time. All amended substrates were biodegraded after both substrate amendments except for 2,4-DNT, which was only partially degraded after the second amendment. Unique microbial communities were developed in flasks amended with phenol, benzoic acid, and naphthalene. However, in the flasks amended with intrinsic hydrocarbons the microbial community remained similar to the unamended control flasks. The relative amount of C23O genes detected by qPCR correlated with the biodegradation of phenol and naphthalene but not with 2,4-DNT. The results showed that a selection for microorganisms capable of catabolizing extrinsic hydrocarbons naturally and initially present in the nitroaromatic-contaminated groundwater occurred. However, growth-linked biodegradation of added intrinsic hydrocarbons was not selective.     

Methyl-branched hydrocarbons, major components of the waxy material coating the embryos of the viviparous cockroach Diploptera punctata

The viviparous cockroach Diploptera punctata carries a wax-coated batch of embryos in a brood sac. When the embryos are expelled into saline, flakes of wax from the surface of the embryos float to the surface. In contrast, embryos of the ovoviviparous species such as Rhyparobia maderae are not nourished by the mother during embryogenesis and do not have a copious waxy coating. As a first step in determining the function of this copious wax layer on the batch of embryos of D. punctata, its composition was compared to that of the waxy material on the outer cuticular surface of the mother (female cuticle) by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major lipid class on the embryos was hydrocarbons with lesser amounts of wax esters and long-chain alcohols. Hydrocarbons from both sources had similar elution times and chemical composition, but were markedly different in the amounts of the major methyl-branched hydrocarbon components. A mixture of 3,X-dimethyl alkanes were 44% of the hydrocarbons on the embryos and were only 29% on the female cuticle. However, trimethylalkanes were only 22% of the hydrocarbons on the embryos and were 34% of the hydrocarbons on the female cuticle. The major hydrocarbons from both sources were mixtures of methyl-branched alkanes with backbones of 33 and 35 carbon atoms. Methyl-branched tritriacontanes were 59% of embryo and 35% of female cuticular hydrocarbons; methyl-branched pentatriacontanes were 19% of embryo and 42% of female hydrocarbons. The difference in proportions of the similar hydrocarbons on the outer cuticular surface of the female and those covering the embryos may suggest that the evolution of copious nutrient secretion for the embryos was accompanied by selection for a mixture of hydrocarbons that prevents water loss by the embryos and protects them against invasion by microorganisms without preventing the movement of nutrient fluid into the embryos.     

Behavioral Activity of Hydrocarbons Emitted by Honeybee Waggle Dancers

Waggle-dancing honeybee foragers emit four hydrocarbons that have been shown to stimulate colony foraging by reactivating experienced foragers and increasing the number of recruitment dances. These hydrocarbons, the alkanes tricosane and pentacosane, and the alkenes (Z)-9-tricosene and (Z)-9-pentacosene, are part of the array of social insects cuticular lipids which have been well studied in the context of nestmate recognition. This study seeks to determine which of the dance hydrocarbons produce the behavioral responses of forager bees by using a binary choice behavioral assay for attraction or repulsion to the volatile phase of the dance compounds. We found no significant deviation from random choice for single dance compounds and pairs of compounds, but bees were significantly attracted to a mixture of the three compounds (Z)-9-tricosene, tricosane, and pentacosane. These results suggest synergy among the waggle-dance hydrocarbons, which was unexpected based on previous research where, in the context of nestmate recognition, alkenes have been shown to play a key role in eliciting behavioral responses. Synergy among the waggle-dance hydrocarbons may provide specificity that facilitates adaptive, context-specific behavioral responses to this subset of cuticular hydrocarbons.     

In vitro uptake and transfer of chlorinated hydrocarbons among human lipoproteins

The uptake, distribution, and exchange of chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides (dieldrin and chlordecone) and biphenyls (2,4,5-2',4',5'-hexachlorobiphenyl and 3-chlorobiphenyl) among human lipoproteins was examined by fluorescence quenching, gel filtration, and ultrafiltration. The chlorinated hydrocarbons were rapidly taken up from solution or silica particles by lipoproteins. The distribution of chlorinated hydrocarbons among the lipoproteins was independent of the amount taken up by the lipoproteins. The partition coefficient for each lipoprotein and the serum concentration of individual lipoproteins determined the distribution pattern of chlorinated hydrocarbons among lipoproteins. The chlorinated hydrocarbons attached to albumin or one of the lipoproteins were rapidly transferred to all other lipoproteins. The exchange was complete in less than one minute. The role of rapid exchange of chlorinated hydrocarbons among lipoproteins in removal of these chemicals from blood and distribution to other tissues is discussed.     

Hydrocarbon-released nestmate aggression in the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, following encounters with insect prey

Argentine ants, Linepithema humile, were attacked by their nestmates following contact with a particular prey item, the brown-banded cockroach, Supella longipalpa. Contact with prey, as brief as 2 min, provoked nestmate aggression. Argentine ants contaminated with hydrocarbons extracted from S. longipalpa also released nestmate aggression behavior similar to that released by the whole prey item, confirming the involvement of hydrocarbons. In contrast to S. longipalpa, little or no nestmate aggression was induced by other ant prey from diverse taxa. A comparison of prey hydrocarbon profiles revealed that all hydrocarbons of S. longipalpa were very long chain components with 33 or more carbons, while other prey had either less, or none, of the very long chain hydrocarbons of 33 carbons or greater. We identified the hydrocarbons of S. longipalpa and some new groups of long chain hydrocarbons of L. humile. The majority of S. longipalpa hydrocarbons were 35 and 37 carbons in length with one to three methyl branches, and closely resembled two previously unidentified groups of compounds from L. humile of similar chain length. The hydrocarbons of S. longipalpa and L. humile were compared and their role in the Argentine ant nestmate recognition is discussed.     

Surface-active compounds and their role in the access to hydrocarbons in Gordonia strains

Three new bacterial strains (M22, BS25 and BS29) belonging to the Gordonia genus were isolated from a site chronically contaminated by diesel. Those Gordonia strains were able to grow using a wide range of straight and branched aliphatic hydrocarbons as carbon and energy sources and to produce at least two classes of surface-active compounds. Emulsifying agents were released in the culture medium when bacteria grew both on hydrocarbons and water-soluble substrates. Cell-bound biosurfactants, which reduce the surface tension, were produced on hydrocarbons; however, their production was significantly lower on water soluble substrates. The relationship of growth phase, surface-active compound production and cell-surface properties was analyzed in kinetic experiments on hydrocarbons. Gordonia sp. BS29 synthesized, and released extracellularly, bioemulsans during the exponential phase with n-hexadecane as carbon and energy source. The production of biosurfactants started in the exponential phase and their concentration increased during the following linear growth. Furthermore, the adhesion of bacterial cells to hydrocarbons decreased during growth. Our results led us to hypothesize a change in the mode by which Gordonia cells access the substrate during growth on hydrocarbons.