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Evolution of a pathway for chlorobenzene metabolism leads to natural attenuation in contaminated groundwater

ABSTRACT: Complete metabolism of chlorinated benzenes is not a feature that is generally found in aerobic bacteria but is thought to be due to a novel recombination of two separate gene clusters. Such a recombination could be responsible for adaptation of a natural microbial community in response to contamination with synthetic chemicals. This hypothesis was tested in a chlorobenzene (CB)-contaminated aquifer. CB-degrading bacteria from a contaminated site were characterized for a number of years by examining a combination of growth characteristics and DNA-DNA hybridization, PCR, and DNA sequence data. The genetic information obtained for the CB pathway of the predominant microorganism, Ralstonia sp. strain JS705, revealed a unique combination of (partially duplicated) genes for chlorocatechol degradation and genes for a benzene-toluene type of aromatic ring dioxygenase. The organism was detected in CB-polluted groundwater by hybridizing colonies cultivated on low-strength heterotrophic media with probes for the CB pathway. Southern hybridizations performed to determine the organization of the CB pathway genes and the 16S ribosomal DNA indicated that CB-degrading organisms isolated from different wells at the site were identical to JS705. Physiological characterization by the Biolog test system revealed some differences. The genes for the aromatic ring dioxygenase and dihydrodiol dehydrogenase of JS705 were detected in toluene and benzene degraders from the same site. Our results suggest that recent horizontal gene transfer and genetic recombination of existing genes between indigenous microorganisms were the mechanisms for evolution of the catabolic pathway. Evolution of the CB pathway seems to have created the capacity for natural attenuation of CB at the contaminated site.

SUBMITTER: van der Meer JR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC106626 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evolution of a pathway for chlorobenzene metabolism leads to natural attenuation in contaminated groundwater

van der Meer JR Werlen C Nishino SF Spain JC

Applied and environmental microbiology 19981101 11

Complete metabolism of chlorinated benzenes is not a feature that is generally found in aerobic bacteria but is thought to be due to a novel recombination of two separate gene clusters. Such a recombination could be responsible for adaptation of a natural microbial community in response to contamination with synthetic chemicals. This hypothesis was tested in a chlorobenzene (CB)-contaminated aquifer. CB-degrading bacteria from a contaminated site were characterized for a number of years by exami ...[more]

PMID: 9797264

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Project description:The uncontrolled release of the industrial solvent methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane (DCM), has resulted in widespread groundwater contamination in the United States. Here we investigate the role of groundwater bacterial communities in the natural attenuation of DCM at an undisclosed manufacturing site in New Jersey. This study investigates the bacterial community structure of groundwater samples differentially contaminated with DCM to better understand the biodegradation potential of these autochthonous bacterial communities. Bacterial community analysis was completed using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene of groundwater samples (n = 26) with DCM contamination ranging from 0.89 to 9,800,000 ?g/L. Significant DCM concentration-driven shifts in overall bacterial community structure were identified between samples, including an increase in the abundance of Firmicutes within the most contaminated samples. Across all samples, a total of 6,134 unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified, with 16 taxa having strong correlations with increased DCM concentration. Putative DCM degraders such as Pseudomonas, Dehalobacterium and Desulfovibrio were present within groundwater across all levels of DCM contamination. Interestingly, each of these taxa dominated specific DCM contamination ranges respectively. Potential DCM degrading lineages yet to be cited specifically as a DCM degrading organisms, such as the Desulfosporosinus, thrived within the most heavily contaminated groundwater samples. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed aerobic and anaerobic bacterial taxa with DCM-degrading potential were present at the study site. Our 16S rRNA gene survey serves as the first in situ bacterial community assessment of contaminated groundwater harboring DCM concentrations ranging over seven orders of magnitude. Diversity analyses revealed known as well as potentially novel DCM degrading taxa within defined DCM concentration ranges, indicating niche-specific responses of these autochthonous populations. Altogether, our findings suggest that monitored natural attenuation is an appropriate remediation strategy for DCM contamination, and that high-throughput sequencing technologies are a robust method for assessing the potential role of biodegrading bacterial assemblages in the apparent reduction of DCM concentrations in environmental scenarios.

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Evolution of a pathway for chlorobenzene metabolism leads to natural attenuation in contaminated groundwater

Publications

Evolution of a pathway for chlorobenzene metabolism leads to natural attenuation in contaminated groundwater

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