Isolation and characterization of an atrazine-degrading Rhodococcus sp. strain MB-P1 from contaminated soil

Aims:  The aim of this study is to isolate and characterize organisms capable of utilizing high concentration atrazine from the contaminated sites.
Methods and Results:  A selective enrichment was used for isolating atrazine-degrading organisms from the contaminated sites resulting in isolation of an efficient atrazine-degrading organism designated as strain MB-P1. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing, total cellular fatty acid analysis and physiological and biochemical tests, strain MB-P1 was identified as a member of genus Rhodococcus . High performance liquid chromatography was performed to identify the atrazine degradation intermediates demonstrating that the degradation proceeds via formation of 'de-ethylatrazine' and 'de-isopropylatrazine'. Further, plasmid curing by SDS method showed atrazine-degrading gene(s) to be plasmid-encoded.
Conclusions:  We have successfully isolated a Rhodococcus sp. strain MB-P1 which is capable of utilizing atrazine as sole source of carbon and energy at very high concentrations of 1000 ppm. The pathway for degradation of atrazine has also been determined. The metabolic gene(s) responsible for atrazine degradation was found to be plasmid-encoded.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  Rhodococcus sp. strain MB-P1 could be used as an ideal model system for in-situ degradation and restoration of ecological niches which are heavily contaminated with atrazine.     

Nitrogen control of atrazine utilization in Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP

Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP uses the herbicide atrazine as the sole nitrogen source. We have devised a simple atrazine degradation assay to determine the effect of other nitrogen sources on the atrazine degradation pathway. The atrazine degradation rate was greatly decreased in cells grown on nitrogen sources that support rapid growth of Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP compared to cells cultivated on growth-limiting nitrogen sources. The presence of atrazine in addition to the nitrogen sources did not stimulate degradation. High degradation rates obtained in the presence of ammonium plus the glutamine synthetase inhibitor MSX and also with an Nas(-) mutant derivative grown on nitrate suggest that nitrogen regulation operates by sensing intracellular levels of some key nitrogen-containing metabolite. Nitrate amendment in soil microcosms resulted in decreased atrazine mineralization by the wild-type strain but not by the Nas(-) mutant. This suggests that, although nitrogen repression of the atrazine catabolic pathway may have a strong impact on atrazine biodegradation in nitrogen-fertilized soils, the use of selected mutant variants may contribute to overcoming this limitation.     

Evidence of atrazine mineralization in a soil from the Nile Delta: Isolation of Arthrobacter sp. TES6, an atrazine-degrading strain

The s-triazine herbicide atrazine was rapidly mineralized (i.e., about 60% of ¹⁴C-ring-labelled atrazine released as ¹⁴CO₂ within 21 days) by an agricultural soil from the Nile Delta (Egypt) that had been cropped with corn and periodically treated with this herbicide. Seven strains able to degrade atrazine were isolated by enrichment cultures of this soil. DNA fingerprint and phylogenetic studies based on 16S rRNA analysis showed that the seven strains were identical and belonged to the phylogeny of the genus Arthrobacter (99% similarity with Arthrobacter sp. AD38, EU710554). One strain, designated Arthrobacter sp. strain TES6, degraded atrazine and mineralized the ¹⁴C-chain-labelled atrazine. However, it was unable to mineralize the ¹⁴C-ring-labelled atrazine. Atrazine biodegradation ended in a metabolite that co-eluted with cyanuric acid in HPLC. This was consistent with its atrazine-degrading genetic potential, shown to be dependent on the trzN, atzB, and atzC gene combination. Southern blot analysis revealed that the three genes were located on a large plasmid of about 175 kb and clustered on a 22-kb SmaI fragment. These results reveal for the first time the adaptation of a North African agricultural soil to atrazine mineralization and raise interesting questions about the pandemic dispersion of the trzN, atzBC genes among atrazine-degrading bacteria worldwide.     

Ageing of atrazine in manure amended soils assessed by bioavailability to Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP

Animal manure is applied to agricultural land in areas of high livestock production. In the present study, we evaluated ageing of atrazine in two topsoils with and without addition of manure and in one subsoil. Ageing was assessed as the bioavailability of atrazine to the atrazine mineralizing bacteria Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP. Throughout an ageing period of 90 days bioavailability was investigated at days 1, 10, 32, 60 and 90, where ~10⁸ cells g^?1 of the ADP strain was inoculated to the ¹⁴C-atrazine exposed soil and ¹⁴CO₂ was collected over 7 days as a measure of mineralized atrazine. Even though the bioavailable residue decreased in all of the three soils as time proceeded, we found that ageing occurred faster in the topsoils rich in organic carbon than in subsoil. For one topsoil rich in organic carbon content, Simmelkær, we observed a higher degree of ageing when treated with manure. Contrarily, sorption experiments showed less sorption to Simmelkær treated with manure than the untreated soil indicating that sorption processes are not the only mechanisms of ageing. The other topsoil low in organic carbon content, Ringe, showed no significant difference in ageing between the manure-treated and untreated soil. The present study illustrates that not simply the organic carbon content influences adsorption and ageing of atrazine in soil but the origin and composition of organic matter plays an important role.     

假单胞菌菌株CTN-3对百菌清污染土壤的生物修复

百菌清被美国环境保护署列为优先控制污染物,利用微生物的降解作用修复被污染的土壤、清除环境中的污染物等具有重要的现实意义.假单胞菌(Pseudomonas sp.)菌株CTN-3是一株从污染土壤中分离得到的百菌清降解菌,考察了其在实验室条件下对百菌清污染土壤的生物修复能力及其影响因素.结果表明:降解菌株在灭菌土壤中的降解效果略好于未灭菌土壤;在外源添加降解菌106 CFU·g-1、温度15 ～ 30℃和pH5.8～8.3条件下,该菌株能有效降解土壤中10 ～200 mg·kg-1的百菌清.菌株CTN-3在百菌清污染土壤的生物修复中具有良好的应用前景.     

Simultaneous degradation of atrazine and phenol by Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP: effects of toxicity and adaptation

The strain Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP is able to degrade atrazine as a sole nitrogen source and therefore needs a single source for both carbon and energy for growth. In addition to the typical C source for Pseudomonas, Na(2)-succinate, the strain can also grow with phenol as a carbon source. Phenol is oxidized to catechol by a multicomponent phenol hydroxylase. Catechol is degraded via the ortho pathway using catechol 1,2-dioxygenase. It was possible to stimulate the strain in order to degrade very high concentrations of phenol (1,000 mg/liter) and atrazine (150 mg/liter) simultaneously. With cyanuric acid, the major intermediate of atrazine degradation, as an N source, both the growth rate and the phenol degradation rate were similar to those measured with ammonia as an N source. With atrazine as an N source, the growth rate and the phenol degradation rate were reduced to approximately 35% of those obtained for cyanuric acid. This presents clear evidence that although the first three enzymes of the atrazine degradation pathway are constitutively present, either these enzymes or the uptake of atrazine is the bottleneck that diminishes the growth rate of Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP with atrazine as an N source. Whereas atrazine and cyanuric acid showed no significant toxic effect on the cells, phenol reduces growth and activates or induces typical membrane-adaptive responses known for the genus Pseudomonas. Therefore Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP is an ideal bacterium for the investigation of the regulatory interactions among several catabolic genes and stress response mechanisms during the simultaneous degradation of toxic phenolic compounds and a xenobiotic N source such as atrazine.     

Natural Pseudomonas sp. strain N3 in artificial soil microcosms

The lightning-competent Pseudomonas sp. strain N3, recently isolated from soil, has been used to study the extent of natural electrotransformation (NET) or lightning transformation as a horizontal gene transfer mechanism in soil. The variation of electrical fields applied to the soil with a laboratory-scale lightning system provides an estimate of the volume of soil affected by NET. Based on the range of the electric field that induces NET of Pseudomonas strain N3, the volume of soil, where NET could occur, ranges from 2 to 950 m(3) per lightning strike. The influence of DNA parameters (amount, size, and purity) and DNA soil residence time were also investigated. NET frequencies (electrotransformants/recipient cells) ranged from 10(-8) for cell lysate after 1 day of residence in soil to 4 x 10(-7) with a purified plasmid added immediately before the lightning. The electrical field gradient (in kilovolts per cm) also played a role as NET frequencies ranging from 1 x 10(-5) at 2.3 kV/cm to 1.7 x 10(-4) at 6.5 kV/cm.     

Isolation and characterization of Arthrobacter sp. strain MCM B-436, an atrazine-degrading bacterium, from rhizospheric soil

Atrazine is one of the most environmentally prevalent s-triazine-ring herbicides. The widespread use of atrazine and its toxicity necessitates search for remediation technology. As atrazine is still used in India as a major herbicide, exploration of atrazine-degrading bacterial community is of immense importance. Considering lack of reports on well characterized atrazine-degrading bacterial cultures from India and wide diversity and density of microorganisms in rhizosphere, soil sample from rhizosphere of atrazine-resistant plant was studied. Arthrobacter sp. strain isolated in this investigation utilizes atrazine as the sole nitrogen source. In addition, the bacterium degrades other triazines such as ametryn, cyanizine, propazine and simazine. PCR analysis confirms the presence of atzBCD and triazine hydrolase (trzN) genes on chromosomal DNA. Sequencing of the trzN gene reveals high sequence similarity with trzN from Nocardioides sp. C190. An inducible and intracellular atrazine chlorohydrolase enzyme was isolated and partially purified from this isolate. This study confirms the presence of atrazine-degrading microbial population in Indian soils and could be used efficiently for remediation of contaminated soils. Presence of trzN gene indicates possible presence of bacterial community with more efficient and novel enzymatic capabilities. Comparison of enzyme and gene structure of this isolate with other geographically distinct atrazine-degrading strains will help us in the better understanding of gene transfer and evolution.     

阿特拉津降解菌Acinetobacter sp. DNS32对无机氮源的响应

【目的】研究Acinetobacter sp.DNS32的生长、阿特拉津降解能力和降解基因转录水平的表达对无机氮素的响应关系,为菌株的工程应用提供指导与理论基础。【方法】以Acinetobactersp.DNS32为对象,采用摇瓶法研究菌株在阿特拉津培养基中菌株生长情况及降解能力对外加硝态氮与铵态氮的响应关系,利用荧光定量PCR技术检测DNS32降解基因表达量对外加无机氮源的响应关系。【结果】外加无机氮源可以促进DNS32菌株的生长,提高阿特拉津降解能力,无机氮源对DNS32菌株的trzN、atzB和atzC 3种降解基因表达均有促进作用,加入无机氮源的试验处理中DNS32菌株trzN基因的表达量最高可达对照的11.252±2.408倍,推断DNS32菌株的这3种降解基因所编码的酶是稳定表达的组成酶。【结论】DNS32降解阿特拉津不受"氮饥饿"诱导机制调控,且无机氮源的存在对菌株的生长与降解有促进作用,因此菌株在土壤修复实践中具有广阔的应用前景。     

Metabolism of 2-, 3- and 4-hydroxybenzoates by soil isolates Alcaligenes sp. strain PPH and Pseudomonas sp. strain PPD

Pseudomonas sp. strain PPD and Alcaligenes sp. strain PPH isolated from soil by enrichment culture technique utilize 2-, 3- and 4-hydroxybenzoates as the sole source of carbon and energy. The degradation pathways were elucidated by performing whole-cell O(2) uptake, enzyme activity and induction studies. Depending on the mixture of carbon source and the preculture condition, strain PPH was found to degrade 2-hydroxybenzoate either via the catechol or gentisate route and has both salicylate 1-hydroxylase and salicylate 5-hydroxylase. Strain PPD utilizes 2-hydroxybenzoate via gentisate. Both strains degrade 3- and 4-hydroxybenzoate via gentisate and protocatechuate, respectively. Enzymes were induced by respective hydroxybenzoate. Growth pattern, O(2) uptake and enzyme activity profiles on the mixture of three hydroxybenzoates as a carbon source suggest coutilization by both strains. When 3- or 4-hydroxybenzoate grown culture was used as an inoculum, strain PPH failed to utilize 2-hydroxybenzoate via catechol, indicating the modulation of the metabolic pathways, thus generating metabolic diversity.     

Transport of mevalonate by Pseudomonas sp. strain M.

Pseudomonas sp. M, isolated from soil by elective culture on R,S-mevalonate as the sole source of carbon, possessed an inducible transport system for mevalonate. This high-affinity system had a pH optimum of 7.0, a temperature optimum of 30 degrees C, a Km for R,S-mevalonate of 88 microM, and a V max of 26 nmol of mevalonate transported per min/mg of cells (dry weight). Transport was energy dependent since azide, cyanide, or m-chlorophenylhydrazone caused complete cessation of transport activity. Transport of mevalonate was highly substrate specific. Of the 16 structural analogs of mevalonate tested, only acetoacetate, mevinolin, and mevaldehyde significantly inhibited transport. Growth of cells on mevalonate induced transport activity by 40- to 65-fold over that observed in cells grown on alternate carbon sources. A biphasic pattern for cell growth, as well as for induction of mevalonate transport activity, was observed when mevalonate was added to a culture actively growing on glucose. The induction of transport activity under these conditions began within 30 min after the addition of mevalonate and reached 60% of maximal activity during phase I. A further increase in mevalonate transport activity occurred during phase II of growth. Glucose was the preferred carbon source for growth during phase I, whereas mevalonate was preferred during phase II. Only one isomer of the R,S-mevalonate mixture appeared to be utilized, since growth ceased after 45 to 50% of the total mevalonate was depleted from the medium. However, nearly 30% of the preferred mevalonate isomer was depleted from the medium during phase I without significant metabolism to CO2. These results suggest that mevalonate or a mevalonate catabolite may accumulate in cells of Pseudomonas sp. M during phase I and that glucose metabolism may inhibit or repress the expression of enzymes further along the mevalonate catabolic pathway.     

Molybdate reduction by Pseudomonas sp. strain DRY2

Aims: To isolate and characterize a potent molybdenum‐reducing bacterium. Methods and Results: A minimal salt medium supplemented with 10 mmol l^?1 molybdate, glucose (1·0%, w/v) as a carbon source and ammonium sulfate (0·3%, w/v) as a nitrogen source was used in the screening process. A molybdenum‐reducing bacterium was isolated and tentatively identified as Pseudomonas sp. strain DRY2 based on carbon utilization profiles using Biolog GN plates and partial 16S rDNA molecular phylogeny. Strain DRY2 produced 2·4, 3·2 and 6·2 times more molybdenum blue compared to Serratia marcescens strain DRY6, Enterobacter cloacae strain 48 and Eschericia coli K12, respectively. Molybdate reduction was optimum at 5 mmol l^?1 phosphate. The optimum molybdate concentration that supported molybdate reduction at 5 mmol l^?1 phosphate was between 15 and 25 mmol l^?1. Molybdate reduction was optimum at 40°C and at pH 6·0. Phosphate concentrations higher than 5 mmol l^?1 strongly inhibited molybdate reduction. Inhibitors of electron transport system such as antimycin A, rotenone, sodium azide and cyanide did not inhibit the molybdenum‐reducing enzyme activity. Chromium, copper, mercury and lead inhibited the molybdenum‐reducing activity. Conclusions: A novel molybdenum‐reducing bacterium with high molybdenum reduction capacity has been isolated. Significance and Impact of the Study: Molybdenum is an emerging global pollutant that is very toxic to ruminants. The characteristics of this bacterium suggest that it would be useful in the bioremediation of molybdenum pollutant.     

Isolation and characterisation of Nocardioides sp. SP12, an atrazine-degrading bacterial strain possessing the gene trzN from bulk- and maize rhizosphere soil

We report the characterisation of Nocardioides sp. SP12, an atrazine-degrading bacteria isolated from atrazine-treated bulk- and maize rhizosphere soil. Based on 16S rDNA alignment, strain SP12 showed close phylogenic relationships with Nocardioides sp. C157 and Nocardioides simplex. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of strain SP12 were longer than those of other Nocardioides sp. and present Ala- and Ile-tRNA unlike Actinomycetales. Nocardioides sp. SP12 presents a novel atrazine catabolic pathway combining trzN with atzB and atzC. Atrazine biodegradation ends in a metabolite that co-eluted in HPLC with cyanuric acid. This metabolite shows an absorption spectrum identical to that of cyanuric acid with a maximal absorption at 214.6 nm. The mass of the atrazine metabolite is in concordance with that of cyanuric acid according to mass spectrometry analysis. Quantitative PCR revealed that the ITS sequence of Nocardioides sp. SP12 was at a lower number than the one of trzN in atrazine-treated soil samples. It suggests that trzN could also be present in other atrazine degrading bacteria. The numbers of trzN and ITS sequences of Nocardioides sp. SP12 were higher in the maize rhizosphere than in bulk soil.     

Glyphosate catabolism by Pseudomonas sp. strain PG2982.

The pathway for the degradation of glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) by Pseudomonas sp. PG2982 has been determined by using metabolic radiolabeling experiments. Radiorespirometry experiments utilizing [3-14C]glyphosate revealed that approximately 50 to 59% of the C-3 carbon was oxidized to CO2. Fractionation of stationary-phase cells labeled with [3-14C]glyphosate revealed that from 45 to 47% of the assimilated label is distributed to proteins and that the amino acids methionine and serine are highly labeled. Adenine and guanine received 90% of the C-3 label found in the nucleic acid fraction, and the only pyrimidine base labeled was thymine. These results indicated that C-3 of glyphosate was at some point metabolized to a C-1 compound whose ultimate fate could be both oxidation to CO2 and distribution to amino acids and nucleic acid bases that receive a C-1 group from the C-1-donating coenzyme tetrahydrofolate. Pulse-labeling of PG2982 cells with [3-14C]glyphosate resulted in the isolation of [3-14C]sarcosine as an intermediate in glyphosate degradation. Examination of crude extracts prepared from PG2982 cells revealed the presence of a sarcosine-oxidizing enzyme that oxidizes sarcosine to glycine and formaldehyde. These results indicate that the first step in glyphosate degradation by PG2982 is cleavage of the carbon-phosphorus bond, resulting in the release of sarcosine and a phosphate group. The phosphate group is utilized as a source of phosphorus, and the sarcosine is degraded to glycine and formaldehyde. This pathway is supported by the results of [1,2-14C]glyphosate metabolism studies, which show that radioactivity in the proteins of labeled cells is found only in the glycine and serine residues.     

Secondary substrate utilization of methylene chloride by an isolated strain of Pseudomonas sp.

Secondary substrate utilization of methylene chloride was analyzed by using Pseudomonas sp. strain LP. Both batch and continuously fed reactors demonstrated that this strain was capable of simultaneously consuming two substrates at different concentrations: the primary substrate at the higher concentration (milligrams per liter) and the secondary substrate at the lower concentration (micrograms per liter). The rate of methylene chloride utilization at trace concentrations was greater in the presence of the primary substrate, acetate, than without it. However, when the substrate roles were changed, the acetate secondary substrate utilization rate was less when methylene chloride was present. Thus, substrate interactions are important in the kinetics of secondary substrate utilization. Pseudomonas sp. strain LP showed a preference toward degrading methylene chloride over acetate, whether it was the primary or secondary substrate, providing it was below an inhibitory concentration of ca. 10 mg/liter.     

Biphenyl uptake by psychrotolerant Pseudomonas sp. strain Cam-1 and mesophilic Burkholderia sp. strain LB400

We investigated the uptake of biphenyl by the psychrotolerant, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-degrader, Pseudomonas sp. strain Cam-1 and the mesophilic PCB-degrader, Burkholderia sp. strain LB400. The effects of growth substrates, metabolic inhibitors, and temperature on [14C]biphenyl uptake were studied. Biphenyl uptake by both strains was induced by growth on biphenyl, and was inhibited by dinitrophenol (DNP) and carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), which are metabolic uncouplers. The Vmax and Km for biphenyl uptake by Cam-1 at 22 degrees C were 5.4 +/- 1.7 nmol x min(-1) x (mg of cell protein)(-1) and 83.1 +/- 15.9 micromol x L(-1), respectively. The Vmax and Km for biphenyl uptake by LB400 at 22 degrees C were 3.2 +/- 0.3 nmol x min(-1) x (mg of cell protein(-1)) and 51.5 +/- 9.6 micromol x L(-1), respectively. At 15 degrees C, the maximum rate for biphenyl uptake by Cam-1 and LB400 was 3.1 +/- 0.3 nmol x min(-1) x (mg of cell protein)(-1) and 0.89 +/- 0.1 nmol x min(-1) x (mg of cell protein)(-1), respectively. Thus, the maximum rate for biphenyl uptake by Cam-1 at 15 degrees C was more than 3 times higher than that for LB400.     

Metabolism of phenylbenzoate by Pseudomonas sp. strain TR3

A bacterial isolate, tentatively identified as Pseudomonas sp. strain TR3, was found to utilize the diaryl ester phenylbenzoate as sole source of carbon and energy. This strain has the ability to productively degrade phenylbenzoate and some substituted derivatives by a catabolic sequence which was characterized biochemically. The biodegradation of phenylbenzoate is thus initiated by an inducible esterase, effectively hydrolyzing the diaryl esters to produce stoichiometric amounts of two monoaromatic metabolites, identified as benzoate and phenol in the case of phenylbenzoate. The diaryl ester p-tolylbenzoate was hydrolyzed to yield benzoate and 4-methylphenol while 4-chlorophenylbenzoate gave rise to the production of benzoate and 4-chlorophenol. These monoaromatic catabolites were further degraded via the oxoadipate pathway.     

Degradation of o-toluate by Pseudomonas sp. strain WR401

Abstract A Pseudomonas sp. strain WR401 was isolated for growth on 3-, 4-, and 5-methylsalicylate. The organism was capable of growth on o -toluate. The data on enzyme activities in cell-free extracts, DHB dehydrogenase and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, as well as the cooxidation of the substrate analog 2-chlorobenzoate yielding 3-chlorocatechol indicated a pathway for o -toluate degradation through 6-methyldihydrodihydroxybenzoate, 3-methylcatechol and further through the meta -pathway. In contrast to other toluate dioxygenating enzymes found in m - and p -toluate degrading organisms, strain WR401 was able to dioxygenate a wider range of chlorobenzoates including 2-chlorobenzoate.     

Mineralization of the herbicide atrazine as a carbon source by a Pseudomonas strain.

Strain YAYA6 was isolated from a mixed microbial community that was growing on atrazine as a sole carbon source and formed quantitative amounts of chloride and nitrate. This strain was identified as a member of the true pseudomonad group (RNA group I) and was given the designation DMS 93-99. The growth yield when atrazine was the sole carbon and nitrogen source was 80 g (dry weight) of cells per mol of atrazine, and the cell doubling time was around 11 h. Approximately 20% of [U-ring 14C]atrazine was mineralized during primary degradation of atrazine. After atrazine disappeared from the culture supernatant, mineralization continued until the level of mineralization was more than 50%. Under different experimental conditions 10% of the atrazine supplied initially was converted to cyanuric acid and < 1% was converted to other s-triazines after prolonged incubation. Degradation proceeded via dechlorination and N-dealkylation. Atrazine was degraded until the concentration was circa 0.1 milligrams/liter. We obtained evidence showing that strain YAYA6 has specific uptake mechanisms for atrazine but less specific degradation mechanisms for s-triazines.