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Community structure and PAH ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase genes of a marine pyrene-degrading microbial consortium

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Abstract

Marine microbial consortium UBF, enriched from a beach polluted by the Prestige oil spill and highly efficient in degrading this heavy fuel, was subcultured in pyrene minimal medium. The pyrene-degrading subpopulation (UBF-Py) mineralized 31 % of pyrene without accumulation of partially oxidized intermediates indicating the cooperation of different microbial components in substrate mineralization. The microbial community composition was characterized by culture dependent and PCR based methods (PCR-DGGE and clone libraries). Molecular analyses showed a highly stable community composed by Alphaproteobacteria (84 %, Breoghania, Thalassospira, Paracoccus, and Martelella) and Actinobacteria (16 %, Gordonia). The members of Thalasosspira and Gordonia were not recovered as pure cultures, but five additional strains, not detected in the molecular analysis, that classified within the genera Novosphingobium, Sphingopyxis, Aurantimonas (Alphaproteobacteria), Alcanivorax (Gammaproteobacteria) and Micrococcus (Actinobacteria), were isolated. None of the isolates degraded pyrene or other PAHs in pure culture. PCR amplification of Gram-positive and Gram-negative dioxygenase genes did not produce results with any of the cultured strains. However, sequences related to the NidA3 pyrene dioxygenase present in mycobacterial strains were detected in UBF-Py consortium, suggesting the representative of Gordonia as the key pyrene degrader, which is consistent with a preeminent role of actinobacteria in pyrene removal in coastal environments affected by marine oil spills.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (VEM2004-08-556, CGL2007-64199/BOS, CGL2010-22068-C02-02), Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen (FWO-Vlaanderen) project G.0371.06, EU project BACSIN KBBE-2007-3.3-02, KULeuven OT project OT10/03 and by a fellowship (to S. G.) from FPU Programme. M. G. and J. V. are members of the Xarxa de Referència d’R + D + I (XRB) of the Generalitat de Catalunya.

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  1. Department of Microbiology, University of Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Sara Gallego, Joaquim Vila, Margalida Tauler, José María Nieto & Magdalena Grifoll

  2. Division of Soil and Water Management, Catholic University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, 3001, Leuven, Belgium

    Philip Breugelmans & Dirk Springael

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  1. Sara Gallego
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Gallego, S., Vila, J., Tauler, M. et al. Community structure and PAH ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase genes of a marine pyrene-degrading microbial consortium. Biodegradation 25, 543–556 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-013-9680-z

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