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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Molecular probes and bioluminescent reporters in ecological optimization of biodegradation. (FY 91 aasert). Annual report, 1 June 1993-31 May 1994

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7100756

The goal of the research supported by this grant is to determine the role that biosurfactants and synthetic surfactants play in enhancing the bioavailability of sorbed or immiscible-phase aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs.) in particulate media. Increased bioavailability is assessed in terms of increased PAH-degrader population densities (nah gene frequencies) and their activities including the rate and/or extent of biodegradation and degradative gene expression as measured by bioluminescence response and mRNA levels. To achieve the proposed goal, bacterial strains containing specific degradative genes and bioluminescent reporter systems are being used to monitor the effectiveness of surfactants for enhancing the biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbon contaminants in environmental simulations. These genetic marker systems allow for the quantitation of degradative gene frequency and activity. Construction of an improved bioluminescent reporter strain for PAH degradation is currently underway. This approach involves incorporation of a transposon containing the lower naphthalene pathway promoter fused to the lux genes (nah-lux) into the bacterial chromosome resulting in a stable gene fusion present as a single copy per cell.

Research Organization:
Tennessee Univ., Knoxville, TN (United States). Center for Environmental Biotechnology
OSTI ID:
7100756
Report Number(s):
AD-A-284170/8/XAB; CNN: F49620-92-J-0333
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English