Degradation of 4-nitroaniline by Stenotrophomonas strain HPC 135

A bacterial strain HPC 135 capable of growing on 4-nitroaniline (NA) as a source of carbon and energy was isolated from contaminated site after enrichment. Experiments revealed that the strain HPC 135 utilized 4NA as analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The presence of acetate as co-substrate did not affect the utilization of 4-nitroaniline by the isolate but cell growth was increased. Oxygen consumption studies demonstrated that strain HPC 135 could utilize various substrates such as 4-chloro-2-nitrophenol, 4-chlorobenzonitrile, 4-nitrophenol as well as 4NA. On partial 16S rDNA sequence analysis, strain HPC 135 showed highest homology with Stenotrophomonas strain based on FASTA program.