Mineral phosphate solubilization (MPS) microorganisms are important for their provision of orthophosphate anions for plant growth promotion activity in soil. In this study, we applied a functional metagenomic approach to identify this trait directly from the microbiome in barley rhizosphere soil that had not received P fertilizer over a 15-year period. A fosmid system was used to clone the metagenome of which 18,000 clones (∼666 Mb of DNA) was screened for MPS. Functional assays and High Performance Liquid Chromatography analysis recognized gluconic acid production and MPS activity in the range 24.8–77.1 mmol/L and 27.6–38.16 μg/mL, respectively, when screened in an Escherichia coli host (at frequency of one MPS-positive clone hit per 114 Mb DNA tested). The MPS clones (with average insert size of ∼37 kb) were analysed by 454 Roche sequencing and annotated. A number of genes/operons with homology to Phosphorous (P) uptake, regulatory and solubilization mechanisms were identified, linking the MPS function to the uncultivated microbiome present in barley rhizosphere soil.
Aims: Pseudomonas fluorescens F113Rifpcb is a genetically engineered rhizosphere bacterium with the potential to degrade polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). F113Rifpcbgfp and F113L::1180gfp are biosensor strains capable of detecting PCB bioavailability and biodegradation. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the use of alginate beads as a storage, delivery and containment system for use of these strains in PCB contaminated soils.
Methods and Results: The survival and release of Ps. fluorescens F113Rifpcb from alginate beads were evaluated. Two Ps. fluorescens F113‐based biosensor strains were encapsulated, and their ability to detect 3‐chlorobenzoate (3‐CBA) and 3‐chlorobiphenyl (3‐CBP) degradation in soil was assessed. After 250 days of storage, 100% recovery of viable F113Rifpcb cells was possible. Amendments to the alginate formulation allowed for the timed release of the inoculant. Encapsulation of the F113Rifpcb cells provided a more targeted approach for the inoculation of plants and resulted in lower inoculum populations in the bulk soil, which may reduce the risk of unintentional spread of these genetically modified micro‐organisms in the environment. Encapsulation of the biosensor strains in alginate beads did not interfere with their ability to detect either 3‐CBA or 3‐CBP degradation. In fact, detection of 3‐CBP degradation was enhanced in encapsulated biosensors.
Conclusions: Alginate beads are an effective storage and delivery system for PCB degrading inocula and biosensors.
Significance and Impact of the Study: Pseudomonas fluorescens F113Rifpcb and the F113 derivative PCB biosensor strains have excellent potential for detecting and bioremediation of PCB contaminated soils. The alginate bead delivery system could facilitate the application of these strains as biosensors.
In order to monitor the fate of genetically manipulated fluorescent pseudomonads following release into the environment, a lacZY transposable cassette, lacking antibiotic resistance genes, was constructed using a pUT suicide plasmid delivery system. The resulting plasmid, pUTLacZY, can be easily used to generate lacZY marked pseudomonads without having to use antibiotic resistance determinants. The lacZY transposon generates random, stable transcriptional/translational fusions on integration into the target genome. Pseudomonas fluorescens strain F113 was marked with lacZY and was unaltered with respect to ecological fitness in the rhizosphere. Although lateral gene transfer of the chromosomally integrated lacZY marker could be detected in vitro, it was not detected in rhizosphere microcosms.
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