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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2007, p. 6870-6875, Vol. 73, No. 21
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01379-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Biodegradation of Bis(2-Chloroethyl) Ether by Xanthobacter sp. Strain ENV481{triangledown}

Kevin McClay, Charles E. Schaefer, Simon Vainberg, and Robert J. Steffan*

Shaw Environmental, Inc., Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Received 21 June 2007/ Accepted 6 September 2007

Degradation of bis(2-chloroethyl) ether (BCEE) was observed to occur in two bacterial strains. Strain ENV481, a Xanthobacter sp. strain, was isolated by enrichment culturing of samples from a Superfund site located in the northeastern United States. The strain was able to grow on BCEE or 2-chloroethylethyl ether as the sole source of carbon and energy. BCEE degradation in strain ENV481 was facilitated by sequential dehalogenation reactions resulting in the formation of 2-(2-chloroethoxy)ethanol and diethylene glycol (DEG), respectively. 2-Hydroxyethoxyacetic acid was detected as a product of DEG catabolism by the strain. Degradation of BCEE by strain ENV481 was independent of oxygen, and the strain was not able to grow on a mixture of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylenes, other prevalent contaminants at the site. Another bacterial isolate, Pseudonocardia sp. strain ENV478 (S. Vainberg et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:5218-5224, 2006), degraded BCEE after growth on tetrahydrofuran or propane but was not able to grow on BCEE as a sole carbon source. BCEE degradation by strain ENV478 appeared to be facilitated by a monooxygenase-mediated O-dealkylation mechanism, and it resulted in the accumulation of 2-chloroacetic acid that was not readily degraded by the strain.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Shaw Environmental, Inc., 17 Princess Rd., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. Phone: (609) 895-5350. Fax: (608) 895-1858. E-mail: rob.steffan{at}shawgrp.com

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 14 September 2007.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, November 2007, p. 6870-6875, Vol. 73, No. 21
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01379-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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