This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Chakraborty, R.
Right arrow Articles by Coates, J. D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Chakraborty, R.
Right arrow Articles by Coates, J. D.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Chakraborty, R.
Right arrow Articles by Coates, J. D.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 2005, p. 8649-8655, Vol. 71, No. 12
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.12.8649-8655.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Anaerobic Degradation of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene Compounds by Dechloromonas Strain RCB

Romy Chakraborty, Susan M. O'Connor, Emily Chan, and John D. Coates*

Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720

Received 28 April 2005/ Accepted 6 September 2005

Dechloromonas strain RCB has been shown to be capable of anaerobic degradation of benzene coupled to nitrate reduction. As a continuation of these studies, the metabolic versatility and hydrocarbon biodegradative capability of this organism were investigated. The results of these revealed that in addition to nitrate, strain RCB could alternatively degrade benzene both aerobically and anaerobically with perchlorate or chlorate [(per)chlorate] as a suitable electron acceptor. Furthermore, with nitrate as the electron acceptor, strain RCB could also utilize toluene, ethylbenzene, and all three isomers of xylene (ortho-, meta-, and para-) as electron donors. While toluene and ethylbenzene were completely mineralized to CO2, strain RCB did not completely mineralize para-xylene but rather transformed it to some as-yet-unidentified metabolite. Interestingly, with nitrate as the electron acceptor, strain RCB degraded benzene and toluene concurrently when the hydrocarbons were added as a mixture and almost 92 µM total hydrocarbons were oxidized within 15 days. The results of these studies emphasize the unique metabolic versatility of this organism, highlighting its potential applicability to bioremediative technologies.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720. Phone: (510) 643-8455. Fax: (510) 642-4995. E-mail: jcoates{at}nature.berkeley.edu.


Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 2005, p. 8649-8655, Vol. 71, No. 12
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.12.8649-8655.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Carmona, M., Zamarro, M. T., Blazquez, B., Durante-Rodriguez, G., Juarez, J. F., Valderrama, J. A., Barragan, M. J. L., Garcia, J. L., Diaz, E. (2009). Anaerobic Catabolism of Aromatic Compounds: a Genetic and Genomic View. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 73: 71-133 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kim, J. M., Le, N. T., Chung, B. S., Park, J. H., Bae, J.-W., Madsen, E. L., Jeon, C. O. (2008). Influence of Soil Components on the Biodegradation of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and o-, m-, and p-Xylenes by the Newly Isolated Bacterium Pseudoxanthomonas spadix BD-a59. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 7313-7320 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Weelink, S. A. B., Tan, N. C. G., ten Broeke, H., van den Kieboom, C., van Doesburg, W., Langenhoff, A. A. M., Gerritse, J., Junca, H., Stams, A. J. M. (2008). Isolation and Characterization of Alicycliphilus denitrificans Strain BC, Which Grows on Benzene with Chlorate as the Electron Acceptor. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 6672-6681 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Strapoc, D., Picardal, F. W., Turich, C., Schaperdoth, I., Macalady, J. L., Lipp, J. S., Lin, Y.-S., Ertefai, T. F., Schubotz, F., Hinrichs, K.-U., Mastalerz, M., Schimmelmann, A. (2008). Methane-Producing Microbial Community in a Coal Bed of the Illinois Basin. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 2424-2432 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kasai, Y., Takahata, Y., Manefield, M., Watanabe, K. (2006). RNA-Based Stable Isotope Probing and Isolation of Anaerobic Benzene-Degrading Bacteria from Gasoline-Contaminated Groundwater.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 3586-3592 [Abstract] [Full Text]