Investigation of the potential of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius to transform dibenzothiophene: Final report

Technical Report · Wed Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6292275

Krawiec, S; Montenecourt, B S

Archaebacteria including S. acidocaldarius appear genetically unstable and while some cultures of S. acidocaldarius may have the capacity to transform DBT the results remain unclear. A legitimate interpretation from the observations presented in this Report is that the phenotypic character of S. acidocaldarius changed during the course of the project. Because the environment in which the organism was subcultured was constant, the differences in phenotype would appear to be genetic. Culturing in the presence of 2% pristane plus DBT may be a sufficiently powerful form of selection to account for the apparent shift from DBT-sensitivity to DBT-adaptation and then from DBT-adaptation to DBT-resistance. However, any genetic change might be enhanced by an astonishing hypervariability which may possess uniquely archaebacterial features. The evidence for hypermutability comes largely from the Halobacteria. Any desulfurization process involving an Archaebacterium should include explicit means of maintaining and demonstrating the phenotypic stability of the organism which mediates the desired process. The possibility that S. acidocaldarius can degrade DBT remains tentative. 24 refs., 22 figs., 5 tabs.

• Research Organization: Lehigh Univ., Bethlehem, PA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC22-83PC63046
• OSTI ID: 6292275
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/63046-T1; ON: DE87009898
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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