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Degradation of 4-bromophenol by Ochrobactrum sp. HI1 isolated from desert soil: pathway and isotope effects

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Abstract

Anthropogenic activities have introduced elevated levels of brominated phenols to the environment. These compounds are associated with toxic and endocrine effects, and their environmental fate is of interest. An aerobic strain Ochrobactrum sp. HI1 was isolated from soils in the vicinity of a bromophenol production plant and tested for its ability to degrade 4-bromophenol (4-BP). A ring hydroxylation pathway of degradation was proposed, using the evidence from degradation intermediates analysis and multi-element (C, Br, H) compound-specific isotope analysis. Benzenetriol and 4-bromocatechol were detected during degradation of 4-bromophenol. Degradation resulted in a normal carbon isotope effect (εC = −1.11 ± 0.09‰), and in insignificant bromine and hydrogen isotope fractionation. The dual C–Br isotope trend for ring hydroxylation obtained in the present study differs from the trends expected for reductive debromination or photolysis. Thus, the isotope data reported herein can be applied in future field studies to delineate aerobic biodegradation processes and differentiate them from other natural attenuation processes.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the United States - Israel Binational Science Foundation, BSF Grant Number 2014374. RG fellowship was supported by the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. AAT was funded by the National Research Service Award Institutional Training Grant (T32 ES018827) and the USDA ISE Program (Grant # 2010-51160-21070).

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Author notes

  1. Alicia A. Taylor

    Present address: Exponent®, Inc., 15375 SE 30th Place, Suite 250, Bellevue, WA, 98007, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84990, Sede Boqer Campus, Israel

    Rotem Golan, Zeev Ronen & Anat Bernstein

  2. Geological Survey of Israel, 30 Malkhei Israel St., 95501, Jerusalem, Israel

    Faina Gelman

  3. School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, 100 E. Boyd Street, SEC 710, Norman, OK, 73019, USA

    Tomasz Kuder

  4. Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Alicia A. Taylor

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  1. Rotem Golan
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Correspondence to Anat Bernstein.

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Golan, R., Gelman, F., Kuder, T. et al. Degradation of 4-bromophenol by Ochrobactrum sp. HI1 isolated from desert soil: pathway and isotope effects. Biodegradation 30, 37–46 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-018-9860-y

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