Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Microbial characterization of toluene-degrading denitrifying consortia obtained from terrestrial and marine ecosystems

  • Applied microbial and all physiology
  • Published:
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The degradation characteristics of toluene coupled to nitrate reduction were investigated in enrichment culture and the microbial communities of toluene-degrading denitrifying consortia were characterized by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) technique. Anaerobic nitrate-reducing bacteria were enriched from oil-contaminated soil samples collected from terrestrial (rice field) and marine (tidal flat) ecosystems. Enriched consortia degraded toluene in the presence of nitrate as a terminal electron acceptor. The degradation rate of toluene was affected by the initial substrate concentration and co-existence of other hydrocarbons. The types of toluene-degrading denitrifying consortia depended on the type of ecosystem. The clone RS-7 obtained from the enriched consortium of the rice field was most closely related to a toluene-degrading and denitrifying bacterium, Azoarcus denitrificians (A. tolulyticus sp. nov.). The clone TS-11 detected in the tidal flat enriched consortium was affiliated to Thauera sp. strain S2 (T. aminoaromatica sp. nov.) that was able to degrade toluene under denitrifying conditions. This indicates that environmental factors greatly influence microbial communities obtained from terrestrial (rice field) and marine (tidal flat) ecosystems.

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
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aenson DA, Boguski MS, Lipman OJ, Ostell J, Ouellet BF, Rapp BA, Wheeler DL (1999) GenBank. Nucleic Acids Res 27:12–17

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ashworth RA, Howe GB, Mullins ME, Rogers TN (1987) Air–water partitioning coefficients of organics in dilute aqueous solutions. J Hazard Mater 18:25–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beller HR, Grbic-Galic D, Reinhard M (1992) Microbial degradation of toluene under sulfate-reducing conditions and the influence of iron on the process. Appl Environ Microbiol 58:786–793

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beller HR, Spormann AM, Sharma PK, Cole JR, Reinhard M (1996) Isolation and characterization of a novel toluene-degrading, sulfate-reducing bacterium. Appl Environ Microbiol 62:1188–1196

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bin L, Verseveld HWV, Roling WFM (2002) Microbial aspects of anaerobic BTEX degradation. Biomed Environ Sci 15:130–144

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bond PL, Hugenholtz P, Keller J, Blackall LL (1995) Bacterial community structures of phosphate-removing and non-phosphate-removing activated sludges from sequencing batch reactors. Appl Environ Microbiol 61:1910–1916

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costello AM, Lidstrom ME (1999) Molecular characterization of functional and phylogentic genes from natural populations of methanotrophs in lake sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol 65:5066–5074

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham JA, Rahme H, Hopkins GD, Lebron C, Reinhard M (2001) Enhanced in situ bioremediation of BTEX-contaminated groundwater by combined injection of nitrate and sulfate. Environ Sci Technol 35:1663–1670

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dang H, Lovell CR (2002) Numerical dominance and phlotype diversity of marine Rhodobacter species during early colonization of submerged surfaces in coastal marine waters as determined by 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Appl Environ Microbiol 64:496–504

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunbar J, Barns SM, Ticknor LO, Kuske CR (2002) Empirical and theoretical bacterial diversity in four Arizona soils. Appl Environ Microbiol 68:3035–3045

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eilers H, Pernthaler J, Glockner FO, Amann R (2000) Culturability and in situ abundance of pelagic bacteria from the North Sea. Appl Environ Microbiol 66:3044–3051

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzelez JM, Moran MA (1997) Numerical dominance of a group of marine bacteria in the α-subclass of the class Proteobacteria in coastal seawater. Appl Environ Microbiol 63:4237–4242

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzelez JM, Mayer F, Moran MA, Hodson RE, Whitman (1997) Sagittula stellata gen. nov., sp. nov., a lignin-transforming bacterium from a coastal environment. Int J Syst Bacteriol 47:773–7801

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzelez JM, Kiene RP, Moran MA (1999) Transformation of sulfur compounds by an abundant lineage of marine bacteria in the α-subclass of the class Proteobacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 65:3810–3819

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kwon S, Go S, Kang H, Ryu J, Jo J (1997) Phylogenetic analysis of Erwinia species based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. Int J Syst Bacteriol 47:1061–1067

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lane DJ, Pace B, Olsen GJ, Stahl DA, Sogin ML, Pace NR (1985) Rapid determination of 16S ribosomal RNA sequences for phylogenetic analysis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 82:6955–6959

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li L, Kato C, Horikoshi K (1999) Bacterial diversity in deep-sea sediment from different depths. Biodivers Conserv 8:659–677

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li L, Kato C, Horikoshi K (1999) Microbial diversity in sediments collected from the deepest cold-seep area, the Japan Trench. Mar Biotechnol 1:391–400

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mechichi T, Stackerbrandt E, Gad’on N, Fuchs G (2002) Phylogenetic and metabolic diversity of bacteria degrading aromatic compounds under denitrifying conditions, and desription of Thauera phenylacetica sp. nov., Thauera aminoaromatica sp. nov., and Azoarcus buckelii sp. nov. Arch Microbiol 178:26–35

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mester KG, Kosson DS (1996) Anaerobic biodegradation of toluene under denitrifying conditions in contaminated groundwater and soil. J Hazard Mater 45:219–232

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muyzer G, De Waal EC, Uitterlinden AG (1993) Profiling of complex microbial populations by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified genes coding for 16S rRNA. Appl Environ Microbiol 59:695–700

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neefs JM, Van de Peer Y, Hendriks L, De Wachter R (1990) Compilation of small ribosomal subunit RNA sequences. Nucleic Acids Res 18:2237–2317

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Noh S-M, Choi J-M, An Y-J, Park S-S, Cho K-S (2003) Anaerobic biodegradation of toluene coupled to sulfate reduction in gasoline-contaminated soils. J Environ Sci Health A 38:1087–1097

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rappe MS, Suzuki MT, Vergin KL, Giovannoni SJ (1998) Phylogenetic diversity of ultraplankton plastid small-subunit rRNA genes recovered in environmental nucleic acid samples from the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts of the United States. Appl Environ Microbiol 64:294–303

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ravenschlag K, Sahm K, Pernthaler J, Amann R (1999) High bacterial diversity in permanently cold marine sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol 65:3982–3989

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stackebrandt E, Kramer I, Swiderski J, Hippe H (1999) Phylogenetic basis for a taxonomic dissection of the genus Clostridium. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol 24:253–258

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Suzuki MT, Haimberger MS, Winfield H, Adair N, Strobel J, Giovannoni SJ (1997) Bacterial diversity among small-subunit rRNA gene clones and cellular isolates from the same seawater sample. Appl Environ Microbiol 63:983–989

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Von Wintzingerode F, Selent B, Hegemann W, Gorbel UB (1999) Phylogenetic analysis of an anaerobic, trichlorobezene-transforming microbial consortium. Appl Environ Microbiol 65:283–286

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yoon JH, Kang SS, Lee KC, Kho YH, Choi SH, Kang KH, Park YH (2001) Bacillus jeotgali sp. nov., isolated from jeotgal, Korean traditional fermented seafood. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 51:1087–1092

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou J, Fries MR, Chee-Sanford JC, Tiedje JM (1995) Phylogenetic analysis of a new group of dentrifiers capable of an aerobic growth on toluene and description of Azoarcus tolulyticus sp. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 45:500–506

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grant number R04-2001-000-00217-0 from the Korea Science & Engineering Foundation. Y.-J.A. was supported in part by the BK21 Project of the Korean Government during the manuscript preparation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science, Konkuk University, 1 Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 143-701, Korea

    Y.-J. An

  2. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ewha Womans University, 11-1 Daehyun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-750, Korea

    Y.-H. Joo, I.-Y. Hong & K.-S. Cho

  3. Department of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Soongsil University, Sangdo-5-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 156-743, Korea

    H.-W. Ryu

Authors
  1. Y.-J. An
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Y.-H. Joo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. I.-Y. Hong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. H.-W. Ryu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. K.-S. Cho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K.-S. Cho.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

An, YJ., Joo, YH., Hong, IY. et al. Microbial characterization of toluene-degrading denitrifying consortia obtained from terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 65, 611–619 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-004-1596-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-004-1596-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation