Biodegradation of Alpha-Hexachlorocyclohexane by a Bacterium Isolated from Polluted Soil

Huntjens, J. L. M.; Brouwer, W.; Grobben, Karin; Jansma, Okke; Scheffer, F.; Zehnder, Alexander J. B.

doi:10.1007/978-94-009-2807-7_118

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The four HCH isomers differ in their susceptibility to microbial degradation. A number of laboratory and field studies have shown that the α-, γ-, and δ-isomers are readily mineralized by aerobic microorganisms ( − ). β-HCH was found to be the most persistent isomer to microbial degradation under aerobic conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotransformation of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-Hexachlorocyclohexane under Methanogenic Conditions

Middeldorp

Jaspers

Zehnder

et al. 1996

Environ. Sci. Technol.

Self Cite

102

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During the production of the pesticide lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane; γ-HCH), large quantities of byproducts, like the α-, β-, and δ-HCH isomers, were discarded at dump sites. β-HCH was found to be extremely persistent in the environment under aerobic conditions. We studied the degradation of this isomer under methanogenic conditions in a flow-through column packed with polluted sediment. β-HCH was completely removed in this system. Chlorobenzene was detected in the effluent as a product. A β-HCH transforming anaerobic enrichment culture was obtained in batch cultures by using the column material as inoculum. δ-2,3,4,5-Tetrachlorocyclohexene is proposed as an intermediate during transformation, while benzene and chlorobenzene were formed as stable end products. The enrichment culture was also able to dechlorinate α-HCH at a comparable rate and γ- and δ-HCH at lower rates. Dechlorination was inhibited by the addition of vancomycin, but not by the addition of bromoethanesulfonic acid. Pasteurization inhibited dechlorination completely. This is the first detailed description of the biodegradation of β-HCH, including intermediate and end product identification, under defined anaerobic conditions.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biotransformation of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-Hexachlorocyclohexane under Methanogenic Conditions

Middeldorp

Jaspers

Zehnder

et al. 1996

Environ. Sci. Technol.

Self Cite

102

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…(31) and Escherichia coli (7) have been isolated and described as possessing only the ability to transform ␥-HCH to 2,3,4,5,6-pentachloro-1-cyclohexene (␥-PCCH). In addition, ␣-HCH has been, like lindane, observed to degrade under aerobic conditions in soil (1,2), which subsequently was used as inoculum for isolating a ␣-HCH-degrading aerobe identified as Pseudomonas vesicularis (10). Recently, Nagasawa et al (20) reported the isolation from an upland experimental contaminated field (28) of a bacterial strain, classified as Sphingomonas paucimobilis SS86, which used ␥-HCH as the sole source of carbon and energy.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We cannot conclude from our experiments whether soil bacteria capable of degrading ␥-HCH are totally lacking or present at a very low frequency or whether the concentration of the chlorinated pesticide compound in agricultural applications remains too low to permit an effective selective pressure. For instance, previous reports demonstrate that a biodegradation activity was detected in some of the soils which had experienced higher concentrations of ␥-HCH (10,28). In these cases, the competent bacteria were successfully isolated, identified, and genetically investigated (11).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Isolation and characterization of a novel gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading bacterium

et al. 1996

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The natural biotic capacity of soils to degrade ␥-hexachlorocyclohexane (␥-HCH, lindane) was estimated using an enrichment technique based on the ability of soil bacteria to develop on synthetic media and degrade the xenobiotic compound, used as the sole source of carbon and energy. Bacterial inocula from relatively highly contaminated soils (from wood treatment factories) were found to promote efficiently the degradation of ␥-HCH, which subsequently permitted isolation of a competent ␥-HCH-degrading microorganism. The decrease of ␥-HCH concurrently with the release of chloride ions and the production of CO 2 demonstrated the complete mineralization of ␥-HCH mediated by the isolate. This was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses showing that degradation subproducts of ␥-HCH included an unidentified tetrachlorinated compound and subsequently 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene and 2,5-dichlorophenol. The two linA-and linB-like genes coding, respectively, for a ␥-HCH dehydrochlorinase and a dehalogenase were characterized by using a PCR strategy based on sequence homologies with previously published sequences from Sphingomonas paucimobilis UT26. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the linA-like region revealed the presence of a 472-bp open reading frame exhibiting high homology with the linA gene from S. paucimobilis, while a preliminary study also indicated strong homology among the two linB genes. All enzymes involved in the ␥-HCH degradative pathway appear to be extracellular and encoded by genes located on the chromosome, although numerous cryptic plasmids have been detected.

show abstract

“…Biodegradation of a-HCH under aerobic conditions can proceed rapidly (Bachmann et al 1988;Huntjens et al 1988). However, soil samples contaminated with HCH-isomers taken from a wastedisposal site in The Netherlands, which were incubated as soil-slurries in end-over-end mixing systems, showed a much lower biodegradation rate (Rijnaarts et al 1990).…”

Section: Biodegradation At Very Low Substrate Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Versatility of soil column experiments to study biodegradation of halogenated compounds under environmental conditions

et al. 1992

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soil column experiments were performed to obtain insight in the different biological and physico-chemical processes affecting biodegradation of halogenated compounds under natural conditions in a water infiltration site. Lower chlorinated aromatic compounds could be degraded under aerobic conditions, whereas highly chlorinated compounds and chlorinated aliphatic compounds were mainly transformed under anaerobic conditions. Microorganisms which derive energy from reductive dechlorination were enriched and characterized. It was found that microbes could adapt to using chlorinated benzenes by evolution of new enzyme specificities and by exchange of genetic material. For halogenated pollutants, which are generally hydrophobic, sorption processes control the concentration available for biodegradation. The effects of very low concentrations of halogenated compounds on their biodegradability are described. The use of isolated bacterial strains to enhance biodegradation was evaluated with respect to their temperature-related activity and to their adhesion properties.

show abstract

Biodegradation of Alpha-Hexachlorocyclohexane by a Bacterium Isolated from Polluted Soil

Cited by 8 publications

References 4 publications

Biotransformation of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-Hexachlorocyclohexane under Methanogenic Conditions

Biotransformation of α-, β-, γ-, and δ-Hexachlorocyclohexane under Methanogenic Conditions

Isolation and characterization of a novel gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading bacterium

Versatility of soil column experiments to study biodegradation of halogenated compounds under environmental conditions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About