Microcosm enrichment of biphenyl-degrading microbial communities from soils and sediments
- GBF National Research Inst. for Biotechnology, Braunschweig (Germany). Dept. of Microbiology
- Univ. Gent, Ghent (Belgium). Lab. voor Microbiologie
A microcosm enrichment approach was employed to isolate bacteria which are representative of long-term biphenyl-adapted microbial communities. Growth of microorganisms was stimulated by incubating soil and sediment samples from polluted and nonpolluted sites with biphenyl crystals. After 6 months, stable population densities between 8 {times} 10{sup 9} and 2 {times} 10{sup 11} CFU/ml were established in the microcosms, and a large percentage of the organisms were able to grow on biphenyl-containing minimal medium plates. A total of 177 biphenyl-degrading strains were subsequently isolated and characterized by their ability to grow on biphenyl in liquid culture and to accumulate a yellow meta cleavage product when they were sprayed with dihydroxy-biphenyl. Isolates were identified by using a polyphasic approach, including fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis, 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of whole-cell proteins, and genomic fingerprinting based on sequence variability in the 16S-23S ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer region. In all of the microcosms, isolates identified as Rhodococcus opacus dominated the cultivable microbial community, comprising a cluster of 137 isolates with very similar FAME profiles (Euclidean distances, <10) and identical 16S rRNA gene sequences.
- OSTI ID:
- 642345
- Journal Information:
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 64, Issue 8; Other Information: PBD: Aug 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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