This Article Full Text (PDF) Other Versions of this Article: AEM.02837-06v1 73/10/3159    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Uyttebroek, M. Articles by Springael, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Uyttebroek, M. Articles by Springael, D. Agricola Articles by Uyttebroek, M. Articles by Springael, D.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/AEM.02837-06
Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of cultures enriched from acidic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-contaminated soil for growth on pyrene at low pH

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

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: dirk.springael{at}biw.kuleuven.be.

	Abstract

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 pH 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 DGGE 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. 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.

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]