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Isolation and characterization of tetrachloroethylene- and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene-dechlorinating propionibacteria

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Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

Two rapidly growing propionibacteria that could reductively dechlorinate tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cis-DCE) to ethylene were isolated from environmental sediments. Metabolic characterization and partial sequence analysis of their 16S rRNA genes showed that the new isolates, designated as strains Propionibacterium sp. HK-1 and Propionibacterium sp. HK-3, did not match any known PCE- or cis-DCE-degrading bacteria. Both strains dechlorinated relatively high concentrations of PCE (0.3 mM) and cis-DCE (0.52 mM) under anaerobic conditions without accumulating toxic intermediates during incubation. Cell-free extracts of both strains catalyzed PCE and cis-DCE dechlorination; degradation was accelerated by the addition of various electron donors. PCE dehalogenase from strain HK-1 was mediated by a corrinoid protein, since the dehalogenase was inactivated by propyl iodide only after reduction by titanium citrate. The amounts of chloride ions (0.094 and 0.103 mM) released after PCE (0.026 mM) and cis-DCE (0.05 mM) dehalogenation using the cell-free enzyme extracts of both strains, HK-1 and HK-3, were stoichiometrically similar (91 and 100%), indicating that PCE and cis-DCE were fully dechlorinated. Radiotracer studies with [1,2-14C] PCE and [1,2-14C] cis-DCE indicated that ethylene was the terminal product; partial conversion to ethylene was observed. Various chlorinated aliphatic compounds (PCE, trichloroethylene, cis-DCE, trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloropropane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, and vinyl chloride) were degraded by cell-free extracts of strain HK-1.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant [Research for Promoting Technological Seeds (A), no. 01-044] from the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Applied Sciences, College of Environmental Technology, Graduate School of Engineering, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1 Mizumoto, Muroran, 050-8585, Hokkaido, Japan

    Young-Cheol Chang, Kaori Ikeutsu & Shintaro Kikuchi

  2. Department of Research, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu, 400-8511, Japan

    Tadashi Toyama

  3. Biotechnology Lab, BK Company R&D Center, Jeonbuk 579-879, and Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 361-763, Republic of Korea

    DuBok Choi

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  1. Young-Cheol Chang
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  2. Kaori Ikeutsu
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Correspondence to Young-Cheol Chang or DuBok Choi.

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Chang, YC., Ikeutsu, K., Toyama, T. et al. Isolation and characterization of tetrachloroethylene- and cis-1,2-dichloroethylene-dechlorinating propionibacteria. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 38, 1667–1677 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-011-0956-1

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