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Biodegradation of Acetochlor and 2-methyl-6-ethylaniline by Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonasfluorescens

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Abstract

Two bacterial strains, Pseudomonas fluorescens KT3 and Bacillus subtilis 2M6E, isolated from soil utilized acetochlor and 2-methyl-6-ethylaniline (2M6E) as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The strain mixture utilized more than 95% acetochlor within 30 h and nearly 100% 2M6E within 24 h from each initial concentration of 100 mg/L. Although B. subtilis 2M6E could not degrade acetochlor, the strain augmented the degradation rate mediated by P. fluorescens KT3. In its degradation process, KT3 converted acetochlor to 2M6E as an intermediate product. Moreover, Bacillus subtilis 2M6E transformed 2M6E into catechol. The enzyme activities involved in the degradation pathways indicated that both strains transformed the chemicals via an ortho-cleavage pathway. The formation of dual-species biofilms and their participation in biodegradation were also investigated. The obtained results showed that the combination of these strains augmented their biofilm-forming capabilities and enhanced the degradation rates of both acetochlor and 2M6E. This study exemplifies the efficient use of mixed cultures of both suspended and biofilm cells in degrading acetochlor and 2M6E.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by Dong Thap University for the research group of environmental science. We are very thankful for all support and encouragement while conducting this research. We are also thankful anonymous reviewers whose suggestions helped improve and clarify this manuscript.

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  1. Dong Thap University, Dong Thap Province, Vietnam

    H. D. Duc & N. T. Oanh

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Correspondence to H. D. Duc.

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Conflicts of interest. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest. Statement on the welfare of animals. This article does not contain any studies involving animals performed by any of the authors.

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Duc, H.D., Oanh, N.T. Biodegradation of Acetochlor and 2-methyl-6-ethylaniline by Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonasfluorescens. Microbiology 88, 729–738 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261719060031

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