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Study of the Degradation Activity and the Strategies to Promote the Bioavailability of Phenanthrene by Sphingomonas paucimobilis Strain 20006FA

  • Environmental Microbiology
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Abstract

The present study describes the phenanthrene-degrading activity of Sphingomonas paucimobilis 20006FA and its ability to promote the bioavailability of phenanthrene. S. paucimobilis 20006FA was isolated from a phenanthrene-contaminated soil microcosm. The strain was able to grow in liquid mineral medium saturated with phenanthrene as the sole carbon source, showing high phenanthrene elimination (52.9% of the supplied phenanthrene within 20 days). The accumulation of 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid and salicylic acid as major phenanthrene metabolites and the capacity of the strain to grow with sodium salicylate as the sole source of carbon and energy indicated that the S. paucimobilis 20006FA possesses a complete phenanthrene degradation pathway. However, under the studied conditions, the strain was able to mineralize only the 10% of the consumed phenanthrene. Investigations on the cell ability to promote bioavailability of phenanthrene showed that the S. paucimobilis strain 20006FA exhibited low cell hydrophobicity (0.13), a pronounced chemotaxis toward phenanthrene, and it was able to reduce the surface tension of mineral liquid medium supplemented with phenanthrene as sole carbon source. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that: (1) in suspension cultures, cells formed flocks and showed small vesicles on the cell surface and (2) cells were also able to adhere to phenanthrene crystals and to produce biofilms. Clearly, the strain seems to exhibit two different mechanisms to enhance phenanthrene bioavailability: biosurfactant production and adhesion to the phenanthrene crystals.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dipl. Ing. Reiner Hulsch for his help with the bioreactors and Ms. Kort and Dr. Rhiel for their help in performing SEM analysis. This work was supported by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT2006-884) and a DAAD scholar ship for Ms. Bibiana Coppotelli. Coppotelli B. is postdoctoral fellow of CONICET, Ibarrolaza A. is doctoral fellow of CONICET, and Dias R. is a doctoral fellow of CIC-PBA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Fermentaciones Industriales (CINDEFI), UNLP, CCT-La Plata, CONICET, La Plata, 1900, Argentina

    Bibiana M. Coppotelli, Agustin Ibarrolaza, Romina L. Dias, Maria T. Del Panno & Irma S. Morelli

  2. Institut für Chemie und Biologie des Meeres (ICBM), C. v. O., Universität Oldenburg, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany

    Luise Berthe-Corti

  3. CINDEFI, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, UNLP, Calle 50 y 115., La Plata, 1900, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Irma S. Morelli

Authors
  1. Bibiana M. Coppotelli
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  2. Agustin Ibarrolaza
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  3. Romina L. Dias
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  4. Maria T. Del Panno
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  5. Luise Berthe-Corti
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  6. Irma S. Morelli
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Correspondence to Irma S. Morelli.

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Coppotelli, B.M., Ibarrolaza, A., Dias, R.L. et al. Study of the Degradation Activity and the Strategies to Promote the Bioavailability of Phenanthrene by Sphingomonas paucimobilis Strain 20006FA. Microb Ecol 59, 266–276 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-009-9563-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-009-9563-3

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