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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2007, p. 3159-3164, Vol. 73, No. 10
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02837-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of Cultures Enriched from Acidic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil for Growth on Pyrene at Low pH{triangledown}

Maarten Uyttebroek,1 Steven Vermeir,1,{dagger} Pierre Wattiau,2 Annemie Ryngaert,3 and Dirk Springael1*

Division Soil and Water Management, Catholic University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium,1 Bacteriology and Immunology, Veterinary and Agrochemical Research Centre, Groeselenberg 99, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium,2 Environmental and Process Technology, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (Vito), Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol, Belgium3

Received 6 December 2006/ Accepted 9 March 2007

Two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soils of pH 2 were successfully used as inoculum to enrich cultures growing on phenanthrene and pyrene at different pHs, including pH 3. Selected pyrene-utilizing cultures obtained at pH 3, pH 5, and pH 7 were further characterized. All showed rapid [14C]pyrene mineralization at pH 3 and pH 5 and grew on pyrene at pH values ranging from 2 to 6. Eubacterial and mycobacterial 16S rRNA gene denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprinting and sequencing indicated that the cultures were dominated by a single bacterium closely related to Mycobacterium montefiorense, belonging to the slow-growing Mycobacterium sp. In contrast, a culture enriched on pyrene at pH 7 from a slightly alkaline soil sampled at the same site was dominated by Pseudomonas putida and a fast-growing Mycobacterium sp. The M. montefiorense-related species dominating the pyrene-utilizing cultures enriched from the acidic soils was also the dominant Mycobacterium species in the acidic soils. Our data indicate that a slow-growing Mycobacterium species is involved in PAH degradation in that culture and show that bacteria able to degrade high-molecular-weight PAHs at low pH are present in acidic PAH-contaminated soil.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division Soil and Water Management, Catholic University of Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 20, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. Phone: (32) 16 321604. Fax: (32) 16 321997. E-mail: dirk.springael{at}biw.kuleuven.be

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 16 March 2007.

{dagger} Present address: Division of Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors, Catholic University of Leuven, de Croylaan 42, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2007, p. 3159-3164, Vol. 73, No. 10
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02837-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Hilyard, E. J., Jones-Meehan, J. M., Spargo, B. J., Hill, R. T. (2008). Enrichment, Isolation, and Phylogenetic Identification of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria from Elizabeth River Sediments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 1176-1182 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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