Microorganisms--degraders of polychlorinated biphenyls

Four strains belonging to the genus Bacillus, capable of degrading polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), were isolated by screening the collection strains of soil bacteria, degrading a organochlorine pesticide, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCCH). A method for production of tritium-labeled PCB was developed. Consumption and degradation of PCB by the soil bacterial strains selected were studied using tritium-labeled PCB and GLC. It was demonstrated that PCB are degradable both in culture media and under in model soil samples.     

磁性纳米颗粒介导分离技术筛选土壤中多氯联苯降解菌及其降解特性

【背景】磁性纳米颗粒介导分离(magnetic nanoparticle-mediated isolation, MMI)技术是近年来发展起来的一种无须底物标记就能从复杂菌群中分离活性功能微生物的方法,目前尚无研究报道该技术应用于难降解污染物3,3′,4,4′-四氯联苯(3,3′,4,4′-tetrachlorobiphenyl, PCB77)。【目的】从土壤中筛选PCB77活性降解菌并研究其污染物降解特性。【方法】利用磁性纳米颗粒(magnetic nanoparticles, MNPs)富集原位活性PCB77降解菌群,通过高通量测序分析细菌群落变化,经平板筛选得到PCB77降解菌,并研究其对多氯联苯和多溴联苯醚的降解特性。【结果】基于MMI技术获取的富集培养液能够高效地转化PCB77,与对照组相比底物降解效率从6%提升至79.3%,同时该富集培养液中细菌物种多样性显著降低,群落组成发生明显变化。从对照组和MMI处理组中分别筛选到PCB77降解菌红球菌CT2和类芽孢杆菌MT2,发现红球菌为对照组中唯一的优势物种,而MMI处理组的优势物种由红球菌和类芽孢杆菌共同组成。菌株MT2对PCB...     

Degradation of Aroclor 1221 and survival of strains in soil microcosms

Three bacterial strains able to use different aromatic compounds as the sole carbon and energy source were tested for their potential to degrade Aroclor 1221 in soil microcosms when present in mixed culture. Disappearance of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), occurrence of metabolites, release of chloride, and survival of the laboratory-selected strains were investigated under different conditions. In principle, complete mineralization of various congeners of Aroclor 1221, a technical mixture of PCBs, by the mixed culture was possible. The autochthonous microflora negatively affected the degradation due to formation of a toxic compound from 4-chlorobenzoate. 4-Chlorobenzoate was produced by one of the added strains, Pseudomonas sp. JHK, during degradation of 4-chlorobiphenyl. The unknown metabolite of 4-chlorobenzoate led to a rapid decrease in viable counts of the laboratory-selected strains in the soil microcosm.Correspondence to: J. Havel     

Biodegradation of Phenanthrene by Pseudomonas Bacteria Bearing Rhizospheric Plasmids in Model Plant–Microbial Associations

The consumption of phenanthrene in soil by model plant–microbial associations including natural and transconjugant plasmid-bearing rhizospheric strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens and P. aureofaciens degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was studied. It was shown that phytoremediation of soil polluted with phenanthrene in the rhizosphere of barley (Hordeum sativum L.) was inefficient in the absence of the degrading strains. Inoculation of barley seeds with both natural and transconjugant plasmid-bearing Pseudomonas strains able to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) protected plants from the phytotoxic action of phenanthrene and favored its degradation in soil. Rape (Brassica napus L.) was shown to be an appropriate sentinel plant, sensitive to phenanthrene, which can be used for testing the efficiency of phenanthrene degradation in soil. Biological testing with the use of sensitive rape plants can be applied for estimation of the efficiency of phyto/bioremediation of PAH-polluted soils.     

降解1,3-二甲基-2-咪唑烷酮细菌的分离及功能评价

[背景] 1,3-二甲基-2-咪唑烷酮（1,3-Dimethyl-2-Imidazolidinone,DMI）作为一种强极性非质子溶剂,在生产和应用过程的环境中有稳定残留问题,存在安全隐患。[目的] 分离筛选具有降解DMI能力的微生物菌株,为清除环境中残留的DMI提供优良的微生物菌种资源。[方法] 从DMI生产区域土壤采集样品分离DMI抗性微生物,采用形态学及分子生物学鉴定确定其分类地位,并对DMI降解能力进行测定。[结果] 分离到最高能够耐受5%（体积分数） DMI的微生物菌株,形态学及分子生物学鉴定初步表明获得的菌株DT-1和DT-2为贝莱斯芽孢杆菌（Bacillus velezensis）;全细胞及细胞提取液均具有降解DMI的能力;其中菌株DT-1及其细胞提取液对1%（体积分数） DMI的降解率分别达到48%和68%。[结论] 从DMI生产区域土壤中分离到具有DMI降解能力的芽孢杆菌,不但可为DMI污染的微生物治理提供优良微生物资源,而且扩展了人们对芽孢杆菌生物学功能的认识。     

Alginate beads as a storage, delivery and containment system for genetically modified PCB degrader and PCB biosensor derivatives of Pseudomonas fluorescens F113

Aims: Pseudomonas fluorescens F113Rifpcb is a genetically engineered rhizosphere bacterium with the potential to degrade polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). F113Rifpcbgfp and F113L::1180gfp are biosensor strains capable of detecting PCB bioavailability and biodegradation. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the use of alginate beads as a storage, delivery and containment system for use of these strains in PCB contaminated soils. Methods and Results: The survival and release of Ps. fluorescens F113Rifpcb from alginate beads were evaluated. Two Ps. fluorescens F113‐based biosensor strains were encapsulated, and their ability to detect 3‐chlorobenzoate (3‐CBA) and 3‐chlorobiphenyl (3‐CBP) degradation in soil was assessed. After 250 days of storage, 100% recovery of viable F113Rifpcb cells was possible. Amendments to the alginate formulation allowed for the timed release of the inoculant. Encapsulation of the F113Rifpcb cells provided a more targeted approach for the inoculation of plants and resulted in lower inoculum populations in the bulk soil, which may reduce the risk of unintentional spread of these genetically modified micro‐organisms in the environment. Encapsulation of the biosensor strains in alginate beads did not interfere with their ability to detect either 3‐CBA or 3‐CBP degradation. In fact, detection of 3‐CBP degradation was enhanced in encapsulated biosensors. Conclusions: Alginate beads are an effective storage and delivery system for PCB degrading inocula and biosensors. Significance and Impact of the Study: Pseudomonas fluorescens F113Rifpcb and the F113 derivative PCB biosensor strains have excellent potential for detecting and bioremediation of PCB contaminated soils. The alginate bead delivery system could facilitate the application of these strains as biosensors.     

Biodegradation of crude oil by soil microorganisms in the tropic

Five microorganisms, three bacteria and two yeasts, capable of degrading Tapis light crude oil were isolated from oil-contaminated soil in Bangkok, Thailand. Soil enrichment culture was done by inoculating the soil in mineral salt medium with 0.5% v/v Tapis crude oil as the sole carbon source. Crude oil biodegradation was measured by gas chromatography method. Five strains of pure microorganisms with petroleum degrading ability were isolated: three were bacteria and the other two were yeasts. Candida tropicalis strains 7Y and 15Y were identified as efficient oil degraders. Strain 15Y was more efficient, it was able to reduce 87.3% of the total petroleum or 99.6% of n-alkanes within the 7-day incubation period at room temperature of 25 ± 2 °C.     

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.     

Biodegradation of PCBs in two-phase partitioning bioreactors following solid extraction from soil

This article demonstrates the feasibility of a novel process concept for the remediation of PCB contaminated soil. The proposed process consists of PCB extraction from soil using solid polymer beads, followed by biodegradation of the extracted PCBs in a solid-liquid two-phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB), where PCBs are delivered from the polymer beads to the degrading organisms. The commercially available thermoplastic polymer Hytrel was used to extract Aroclor 1242 from contaminated artificial soil in bench scale experiments. Initial PCB contamination levels of 100 and 1,000 mg kg(-1) could be reduced to 32% +/- 1 to 41% +/- 7 of the initial value after 48 h mixing in the presence of a mobilizing agent at polymer-to-soil ratios of 1% (w/w) and 10% (w/w). The decrease of detectable PCBs in the soil was consistent with an increase of PCBs in the polymer beads. It was further shown that Aroclor 1242 could be delivered to the PCB degrading organism Burkholderia xenovorans LB400 in a solid-liquid TPPB via Hytrel beads. A total of 70 mg Aroclor 1242 could be degraded in a 1 L solid-liquid TPPB within 80 h of operation.     

Insecticide applications to soil contribute to the development of Burkholderia mediating insecticide resistance in stinkbugs

Some soil Burkholderia strains are capable of degrading the organophosphorus insecticide, fenitrothion, and establish symbiosis with stinkbugs, making the host insects fenitrothion‐resistant. However, the ecology of the symbiotic degrading Burkholderia adapting to fenitrothion in the free‐living environment is unknown. We hypothesized that fenitrothion applications affect the dynamics of fenitrothion‐degrading Burkholderia, thereby controlling the transmission of symbiotic degrading Burkholderia from the soil to stinkbugs. We investigated changes in the density and diversity of culturable Burkholderia (i.e. symbiotic and nonsymbiotic fenitrothion degraders and nondegraders) in fenitrothion‐treated soil using microcosms. During the incubation with five applications of pesticide, the density of the degraders increased from less than the detection limit to around 10⁶/g of soil. The number of dominant species among the degraders declined with the increasing density of degraders; eventually, one species predominated. This process can be explained according to the competitive exclusion principle using V_max and K_m values for fenitrothion metabolism by the degraders. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of representative strains isolated from the microcosms and evaluated their ability to establish symbiosis with the stinkbug Riptortus pedestris. The strains that established symbiosis with R. pedestris were assigned to a cluster including symbionts commonly isolated from stinkbugs. The strains outside the cluster could not necessarily associate with the host. The degraders in the cluster predominated during the initial phase of degrader dynamics in the soil. Therefore, only a few applications of fenitrothion could allow symbiotic degraders to associate with their hosts and may cause the emergence of symbiont‐mediated insecticide resistance.     

Response of a chlorophenols degrading mixed culture to changing loads of phenol,chlorophenol and cresols

Summary A phenol and solvents degrading mixed culture from soil and sludge supplemented with Pseudomonas sp. strain B13 which harbors genes coding the sequence for chlorocatechol breakdown was acclimated to monochlorophenol degradation. Pyrocatechase activity was used as an indicator for the adaptation status of the culture.In the fully acclimated culture, strain B13 was partially replaced by hybrid strains which had acquired the chlorocatechol degrading sequence. This culture degraded changing loads of phenol, chlorophenols and cresols without accumulation of DOC (dissolved organic carbon). When high cresol concentrations were supplied simultaneously with the chlorophenols, strains were enriched which degrade cresols and 3-methylbenzoate via ortho-cleavage pathway.     

Degradation of phenanthrene,fluorene and fluoranthene by pure bacterial cultures

Summary Bacterial mixed cultures able to degrade the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) phenanthrene, fluorene and fluoranthene, were obtained from soil using conventional enrichment techniques. From these mixed cultures three pure strains were isolated:Pseudomonas paucimobilis degrading phenanthrene;P. vesicularis degrading fluorene andAlcaligenes denitrificans degrading fluoranthene. The maximum rates of PAH degradation ranged from 1.0 mg phenanthrene/ml per day to 0.3 mg fluoranthene/ml per day at doubling times of 12 h to 35 h for growth on PAH as sole carbon source. The protein yield during PAH degradation was about 0.25 mg/mg C for all strains. Maximum PAH oxidation rates and optimum specific bacterial growth were obtained near pH 7.0 and 30°C. After growth entered the stationary phase, no dead end-products of PAH degradation could be detected in the culture fluid.     

Microbiological characterization of a fuel-oil contaminated site including numerical identification of heterotrophic water and soil bacteria

Seven soil samples and seven groundwater samples from a site contaminated with fuel-oil were investigated using several chemical and microbiological techniques. In soil samples, 500 to 7,500 mg/kg of total hydrocarbons were found. These samples contained no n-alkanes but iso- and branched chain alkanes. No polychlorinated biphenyls could be detected. Microbiological investigations included estimations of total cell counts, viable cell counts on different media, and numbers of methylotrophic, denitrifying, sulphate reducing, anaerobic (with the exception of methanogenic organisms), and hydrocarbon degrading bacteria. Viable and hydrocarbon degrading bacteria were found in all samples. A total of 1,366 pure cultures was characterized morphologically and physiologically and identified by numerical identification using a data base of more than 4,000 reference strains. Groundwater samples were dominated by gram-negative bacteria of the generaPseudomonas, Comamonas, Alcaligenes, andAcinetobacter, which were also found in soil samples. In addition, more grampositive bacteria belonging to the generaArthrobacter, Nocardia, andBacillus could be isolated from soil samples.     

Bioremediation of Aroclor 1242 by a consortium culture in marine sediment microcosm

Plant terpenes have proven to be effective in stimulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) biodegradation in soil systems. However, data on the application of plant terpenes in marine sediments contaminated with PCBs remains limited. The aim of this study was to ascertain the roles of a PCB degrading consortium and plant terpenes in stimulation of PCB biodegradation in marine sediments. The consortium culture 1-2Mix (strains 1-2M and 1-2T in commensalism), a utilizer of biphenyl and a natural substrate was enriched and isolated from marine sediments from the Busan coast, South Korea. PCB degradation by this culture was shown to be more effectively induced by tangerine peel extract than other known substrates (limonene, pinene, and cymene). Coastal sediment microcosms inoculated with 1-2Mix were set up to elucidate the effect of the consortium and plant terpenes on degradation of Aroclor 1242. After four weeks, the highest removal rates of PCBs, compared with the control (autoclaved sediment and no inoculation of 1-2Mix), were observed in order of the inducers tested; biphenyl (71.1%), tangerine peel extract (69.5%), surfactant (66.0%), and limonene (63.0%). Bioaugmentation effect was doubled in the presence of natural substrates such as tangerine peel extract and limonene, indicating effectiveness of these substrates in biostimulation. It was concluded that the tangerine peel extract could replace biphenyl as a feasible induction substrate for effective remediation of PCBs in the marine sediment.     

Bacterial Communities of Polychlorinated Biphenyls Polluted Soil Around an E-waste Recycling Workshop

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination that has resulted from the recycling of electronic power capacitors and transformers could lead to deterioration in soil quality and high ecological risk. As microorganisms are generally considered to be the best indicators of soil pollution, the diversity of bacterial communities in the soil around an e-waste recycling workshop in the Taizhou e-waste recycling area of China was studied using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The results indicated that the PCBs content in the soil decreased with increasing distance from the recycling workshop. Moreover, a gradual change in soil bacteria diversity along the PCBs pollution gradient was observed. Furthermore, the predominance of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes was found on the basis of sequence analysis and some highly similar subsequences of microorganisms were also found to be closely related to the catabolism of PCBs and other organic compounds. In a word, our results indicated that PCBs pollutants had an evident impact on the structure of the soil microbial community and the enriched microbes might serve to decompose PCBs in soil.     

Isolation and Characterization of a Mixed Culture That Degrades Polychlorinated Biphenyls

A mixed culture composed of two Pseudomonas strains, designated as KKL101 and KKS102, was isolated from soil. This mixed culture had an enhanced ability to degrade various polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which include highly chlorinated components. They did not grow individually on the mineral salts medium supplemented with a highly chlorinated PCB (PCB48, a mixture of mainly tetrachlorobiphenyl) and biphenyl. When the spent medium of KKL101 was added to the washed cell preparation of KKS102, however, the latter grew on these carbon sources, producing yellow compounds which were identified as metabolic intermediates of the carbon sources, biphenyl and PCBs. These results suggest that KKL101 produces a growth factor(s) essential for KKS102 to grow on PCBs and that the growth of KKL101 is supported by the metabolic intermediates produced by KKS102. It appears that these two bacterial strains have a symbiotic relationship. From the analysis of the degradation products of various PCB congeners, it was found that strain KKS102 degrades a wide range of PCBs which have been considered to be refractory to biological degradation.     

Microbiological characterization of a coke oven contaminated site and evaluation of its potential for bioremediation

The soil microbial population of a coke oven site was investigated in order to evaluate its potential for bioremediation. The study was carried out in soil samples with distinct polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination levels, comparing the population profiles constituted by total heterotrophic and PAH-utilizing strains. Isolation of degrading strains was performed with phenanthrene or pyrene as sole carbon sources. The ability to degrade other PAHs, such as anthracene, fluorene and fluoranthene was also investigated. The results showed a reduction of 30% in species diversity and microbial density drops one order of magnitude in contaminated samples. Furthermore, the number of PAH-utilizing colonies was higher in the contaminated area and about 20% of the isolates were able to degrade phenanthrene and pyrene, while this value decreased to 0.15% in uncontaminated samples. Three PAH-degrader strains were identified as: CDC gr. IV C-2, Aeromonas sp. and Pseudomonas vesicularis. The ability of these strains to degrade other PAHs was also investigated.     

Catabolic characteristics of biphenyl-utilizing isolates which cometabolize PCBs

As there are at least three types of bacteria involved in the aerobic mineralization of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), this study was undertaken to determine what catabolic features are lacking in biphenyl-degraders and to determine if chlorobenzoate- and chloroacetate-utilizing bacteria are as indigenous to soil as biphenyl-degraders. Bacteria were tested for their ability to utilize chlorinated acids and to cometabolize Aroclor 1254 and dibenzo-p-dioxane (dioxin). The broad and variable substrate specificity of the biphenyl dioxygenase among strains was noted by the range of <1 to 53% cometabolism of total PCB congeners and by the oxidation of dioxin, which was not a growth substrate. Growth on chloroalkanoic acids was more frequent with 2-chloropropionate (87% of all strains), 3-chloropropionate (72%), 4-chlorobutyrate (66%), and less frequent (28%) withtrans-3-chlorocrotonate. However, only one strain,Pseudomonas fluorescens K3, could utilize chloroacetate. No biphenyl-utilizers grew on 2- or 4-chlorobenzoate, and only five strains grew on 3-chlorobenzoate. Acetate and benzoate-utilizers were found in all three soils tested at levels near 10⁶/g, whereas chloroacetate- or chlorobenzoate-utilizers were not detected. The inability of biphenyl-degraders to dehalogenate the products of PCB cometabolism is clearly unrelated to metabolism of saturated chloroaliphatic acids, with the notable exception of chloroacetate, since most strains grew on them. Thus, the inability to utilize chloroacetate, a central intermediate in the meta fission pathway, may be relevant to the incomplete catabolism of PCBs by biphenyl-utilizers.     

Remediation of PCBs in soil by surfactant washing and biodegradation in the wash by Pseudomonas sp. LB400

Solutions from the washing of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated soil with a variety of commercial nonionic or anionic surfactants were incubated with Pseudomonas sp. LB400 in an attempt to remediate the soil and destroy the PCBs. Nonionic surfactants washed more PCBs from the soil (up to 89%) but inhibited their biodegradation. Anionic surfactants washed less PCBs from the soil but were more effective in biodegradation tests, removing up to 67% of total PCBs.     

Potential for plant growth promotion by a consortium of stress‐tolerant 2,4‐dinitrotoluene‐degrading bacteria: isolation and characterization of a military soil

The presence of explosives in soils and the interaction with drought stress and nutrient limitation are among the environmental factors that severely affect plant growth on military soils. In this study, we seek to isolate and identify the cultivable bacteria of a 2,4‐dinitrotoluene (DNT) contaminated soil (DS) and an adjacent grassland soil (GS) of a military training area aiming to isolate new plant growth‐promoting (PGP) and 2,4‐DNT‐degrading strains. Metabolic profiling revealed disturbances in Ecocarbon use in the bare DS; isolation of cultivable strains revealed a lower colony‐forming‐unit count and a less diverse community associated with DS in comparison with GS. New 2,4‐DNT‐tolerant strains were identified by selective enrichments, which were further characterized by auxanography for 2,4‐DNT use, resistance to drought stress, cold, nutrient starvation and PGP features. By selecting multiple beneficial PGP and abiotic stress‐resistant strains, efficient 2,4‐DNT‐degrading consortia were composed. After inoculation, consortium UHasselt Sofie 3 with seven members belonging to Burkholderia, Variovorax, Bacillus, Pseudomonas and Ralstonia species was capable to successfully enhance root length of Arabidopsis under 2,4‐DNT stress. After 9 days, doubling of main root length was observed. Our results indicate that beneficial bacteria inhabiting a disturbed environment have the potential to improve plant growth and alleviate 2,4‐DNT stress.