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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2006, p. 2331-2342, Vol. 72, No. 4
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.4.2331-2342.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB)-Degrading Bacteria Associated with Trees in a PCB-Contaminated Site

Mary Beth Leigh,^1* Petra Prouzová,² Martina Macková,² Tomá Macek,³ David P. Nagle,¹ and John S. Fletcher¹

Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Oklahoma, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, Oklahoma 73019,¹ Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Institute for Chemical Technology, Prague, Technická 3, 16628 Prague, Czech Republic,² Department of Natural Products, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo n. 2, 16610 Prague, Czech Republic³

Received 6 October 2005/ Accepted 12 January 2006

The abundance, identities, and degradation abilities of indigenous polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-degrading bacteria associated with five species of mature trees growing naturally in a contaminated site were investigated to identify plants that enhance the microbial PCB degradation potential in soil. Culturable PCB degraders were associated with every plant species examined in both the rhizosphere and root zone, which was defined as the bulk soil in which the plant was rooted. Significantly higher numbers of PCB degraders (2.7- to 56.7-fold-higher means) were detected in the root zones of Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) and goat willow (Salix caprea) than in the root zones of other plants or non-root-containing soil in certain seasons and at certain soil depths. The majority of culturable PCB degraders throughout the site and the majority of culturable PCB degraders associated with plants were identified as members of the genus Rhodococcus by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Other taxa of PCB-degrading bacteria included members of the genera Luteibacter and Williamsia, which have not previously been shown to include PCB degraders. PCB degradation assays revealed that some isolates from the site have broad congener specificities; these isolates included one Rhodococcus strain that exhibited degradation abilities similar to those of Burkholderia xenovorans LB400. Isolates with broad congener specificity were widespread at the site, including in the biostimulated root zone of willow. The apparent association of certain plant species with increased abundance of indigenous PCB degraders, including organisms with outstanding degradation abilities, throughout the root zone supports the notion that biostimulation through rhizoremediation is a promising strategy for enhancing PCB degradation in situ.

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* Corresponding author. Present address: Center for Microbial Ecology, Michigan State University, 540 Plant and Soil Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824. Phone: (517) 355-0271, ext. 1283. Fax: (517) 353-2917. E-mail: leigh{at}msu.edu.

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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2006, p. 2331-2342, Vol. 72, No. 4
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.72.4.2331-2342.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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