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Biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in simultaneous phenol and Cr(VI) removal by Acinetobacter guillouiae SFC 500-1A

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Abstract

Bioremediation has emerged as an environmental friendly strategy to deal with environmental pollution. Since the majority of polluted sites contain complex mixtures of inorganic and organic pollutants, it is important to find bacterial strains that can cope with multiple contaminants. In this work, a bacterial strain isolated from tannery sediments was identified as Acinetobacter guillouiae SFC 500-1A. This strain was able to simultaneously remove high phenol and Cr(VI) concentrations, and the mechanisms involved in such process were evaluated. The phenol biodegradation was catalized by a phenol-induced catechol 1,2-dioxygenase through an ortho-cleavage pathway. Also, NADH-dependent chromate reductase activity was measured in the cytosolic fraction. The ability of this strain to reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III) was corroborated by detection of Cr(III) in cellular biomass after the removal process. While phenol did not affect significantly the chromate reductase activity, Cr(VI) was a major disruptor of catechol dioxygenase activity. Nevertheless, this activity was high even in presence of high Cr(VI) concentrations. Our results suggest the potential application of A. guillouiae SFC 500-1A for wastewaters treatment, and the obtained data provide the insights into the removal mechanisms, dynamics, and possible limitations of the bioremediation.

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Acknowledgments

P.S.G and E.A. are members of the research career from Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) (Argentina). O.M.O has a fellowship from CONICET. This work was supported by grants from PPI (SECyT- UNRC), CONICET, MinCyT Córdoba, and PICT (FONCyT). We wish to thank Prof. Virginia Di Palma for English correction of the manuscript.

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We have no conflict of interest. The manuscript has not been submitted to another journal and all authors agree to submit it to Environmental Science and Pollution Research journal. If the manuscript is accepted, the authors will transfer the copyright of the article to the publishers. There are no conflicts of interest between the authors of the manuscript and the organization that financed this investigation. The authors belong to Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, which is a public organization. This research work was not supported by any private financial entity. The funding support is provided by these public organizations: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto (SECyT- UNRC), and Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, Córdoba province (FONCyT, MinCyT). These organizations have been cited in the Acknowledgements section.

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  1. Departamento de Biología Molecular, FCEFQyN, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta 36 Km 601. CP 5800, Río Cuarto, Córdoba, Argentina

    Ornella M. Ontañon, Paola S. González & Elizabeth Agostini

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  1. Ornella M. Ontañon
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  2. Paola S. González
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Correspondence to Paola S. González.

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Ontañon, O.M., González, P.S. & Agostini, E. Biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in simultaneous phenol and Cr(VI) removal by Acinetobacter guillouiae SFC 500-1A. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 13014–13023 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4571-y

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