Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Simultaneous biodegradation of creosote-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by a pyrene-degrading Mycobacterium

  • Applied Microbial and Cell Physiology
  • Published:
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 March 2008

This article has been updated

Abstract

When incubated with a creosote-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) mixture, the pyrene-degrading strain Mycobacterium sp. AP1 acted on three- and four-ring components, causing the simultaneous depletion of 25% of the total PAHs in 30 days. The kinetics of disappearance of individual PAHs was consistent with differences in aqueous solubility. During the incubation, a number of acid metabolites indicative of distinctive reactions carried out by high-molecular-weight PAH-degrading mycobacteria accumulated in the medium. Most of these metabolites were dicarboxylic aromatic acids formed as a result of the utilization of growth substrates (phenanthrene, pyrene, or fluoranthene) by multibranched pathways including meta- and ortho-ring-cleavage reactions: phthalic acid, naphthalene-1,8-dicarboxylic acid, phenanthrene-4,5-dicarboxylic acid, diphenic acid, Z-9-carboxymethylenefluorene-1-carboxylic acid, and 6,6′-dihydroxy-2,2′-biphenyl dicarboxylic acid. Others were dead-end products resulting from cometabolic oxidations on nongrowth substrates (fluorene meta-cleavage product). These results contribute to the general knowledge of the biochemical processes that determine the fate of the individual components of PAH mixtures in polluted soils. The identification of the partially oxidized compounds will facilitate to develop analytical methods to determine their potential formation and accumulation in contaminated sites.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Change history

  • 01 March 2008

    The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The presentation of Table 2 contains an error. The correct version is given below.

References

  • Arias L, Bauzá J, Tobella J, Vila J, Grifoll M (2007) A microcosm system and an analytical protocol to assess PAH degradation and metabolite formation in soils. Biodegradation (in press), doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-007-9148-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouchez M, Blanchet D, Bardin V, Haeseler F, Vandecasteele J-P (2000) Efficiency of defined strains and of soil consortia in the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures. Biodegradation 10:429–435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cerniglia CE (2000) Recent advances in the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Mycobacterium species. The utilization of bioremediation to reduce soil contamination: problems and solutions. In: Šašek V, Glaser JA, Baveye P (eds) NATO science series. IV Earth and environmental sciences. vol. 19. Kluwer, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Cerniglia CE (1992) Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Biodegradation 3:351–368

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dean-Ross D, Moody J, Cerniglia CE (2002) Utilization of mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by bacteria isolated from contaminated sediment. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 41:1–7

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández P, Grifoll M, Solanas AM, Bayona JM, Albaigés J (1992) Bioassay-directed chemical analysis of genotoxic components in coastal marine sediments. Environ Sci Technol 26:817–829

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grifoll M, Selifonov SA, Chapman PJ (1994) Evidence for a novel pathway in the degradation of fluorene by Pseudomonas sp. strain F274. Appl Environ Microbiol 60:2438–2449

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grifoll M, Selifonov SA, Gatlin CV, Chapman PJ (1995) Actions of a versatile fluorene-degrading bacterial isolate on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Appl Environ Microbiol 61:3711–3723

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ho Y, Jackson M, Yang Y, Mueller JG, Pritchard PH (2000) Characterization of fluoranthene- and pyrene-degrading bacteria isolated from PAH-contaminated soil and sediments. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 24:100–112

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kanaly RA, Harayama S (2000) Biodegradation of high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by bacteria. J Bacteriol 182:2059–2067

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kästner M (2000) Degradation of aromatic and polyaromatic compounds. In: Rehm HJ, Reed G, Pühler A, Stadler P (eds) Environmental processes II: soil decontamination, biotechnology. vol. 11b. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim YH, Freeman JP, Moody JD, Engesser KH, Cerniglia CE (2005) Effects of pH on the degradation of phenanthrene and pyrene by Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 67:275–285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kweon O, Kim S-J, Jones RC, Freeman JP, Adjei MD, Edmonson RD, Cerniglia CE (2007) A polyomic approach to elucidate the fluoranthene-degradative pathway in Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1. J Bacteriol 189:4635–4647

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Langbehn A, Steinhart H (1994) Determination of organic acids and ketones in contaminated soils. J High Resolut Chromat 17:293–298

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • López Z, Vila J, Grifoll M (2005) Metabolism of fluoranthene by mycobacterial strains isolated by their capacity of growing in fluoranthene and pyrene. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 32:455–464

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • López Z, Vila J, Minguillón C, Grifoll M (2006) Metabolism of fluoranthene by Mycobacterium sp. strain AP1. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 70:747–756

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lotfabat SK, Gray MR (2002) Kinetics of biodegradation of mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 60:361–365

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer S, Cartellieri S, Steinhart H (1999) Simultaneous determination of PAHs (N,S,O) and their degradation products in creosote-contaminated soils. Method development, validation, and application to hazardous waste sites. Anal Chem 71:4023–4029

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niqui-Arroyo JL, Bueno-Montes M, Posada-Baquero R, Ortega-Calvo JJ (2006) Electrokinetic enhancement of phenanthrene biodegradation in creosote-polluted clay soil. Environ Pollut 142:326–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ortega-Calvo JJ, Alexander M (1994) Roles of bacterial attachment and spontaneous partitioning in the biodegradation of naphthalene intially present in nonaqueous-phase liquids. Appl Environ Microbiol 60:2643–2646

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peters CA, Knightes CD, Brown DG (1999) Long-term composition dynamics of PAH-containing NAPLs and implications for risk assessment. Environ Sci Technol 33:4499–4507

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rehmann K, Hertkorn N, Kettrup AA (2001) Fluoranthene metabolism in Mycobacterium sp. strain KR20: identity of pathway intermediates during degradation and growth. Microbiology 147:2783–2794

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarzenbach RP, Gschwend PM, Imboden DM (1993) Environmental organic chemisty. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Selifonov SA, Grifoll M, Eaton RW, Chapman PJ (1995) Oxidation of naphthenoaromatic and methyl-substituted aromatic compounds by naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenase. Appl Environ Microbiol 62:507–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiehm A, Fritzche C (1995) Utilization of solubilized and crystalline mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by a Mycobacterium sp. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 42:964–968

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vila J, López Z, Sabaté J, Minguillón C, Solanas AM, Grifoll M (2001) Identification of a novel metabolite in the degradation of pyrene by Mycobacterium sp. strain AP1. Actions of the isolate on two- and three-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Appl Environ Microbiol 67:497–5505

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Support for this research was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Environment (grants 057/2004/3, 1.2-270/2005/3-B, and 392/2006/3-1.2) and Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (grant VEM2004-08556). The authors from the University of Barcelona are members of the Centre de Referència en Biotecnologia (CeRBa), which receives funding from the Generalitat de Catalunya. We are grateful to Asunción Marín (Serveis Científico-Tècnics, Universitat de Barcelona) for the acquisition of GC-MS data.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Zaira López

    Present address: Departamento Ciencias Médicas y de la Vida, Centro Universitario de la Ciénega, Universidad de Guadalajara, Ocotlán, Jalisco, México

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament de Microbiologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Zaira López, Joaquim Vila & Magdalena Grifoll

  2. Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología, C.S.I.C., Apartado 1052, 41080, Seville, Spain

    José-Julio Ortega-Calvo

Authors
  1. Zaira López
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joaquim Vila
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. José-Julio Ortega-Calvo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Magdalena Grifoll
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Magdalena Grifoll.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

López, Z., Vila, J., Ortega-Calvo, JJ. et al. Simultaneous biodegradation of creosote-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by a pyrene-degrading Mycobacterium . Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 78, 165–172 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-007-1284-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-007-1284-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation