Isolation, Characterization, and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation Potential of Aerobic Bacteria from Marine Macrofaunal Burrow Sediments and Description ofLutibacterium anuloederansgen. nov., sp. nov., andCycloclasticus spirillensussp. nov

Abstract

Two new polyaromatic hydrocarbon-degrading marine bacteria have been isolated from burrow wall sediments of benthic macrofauna by using enrichments on phenanthrene. Strain LC8 (from a polychaete) and strain M4-6 (from a mollusc) are aerobic and gram negative and require sodium chloride (>1%) for growth. Both strains can use 2- and 3-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as their sole carbon and energy sources, but they are nutritionally versatile. Physiological and phylogenetic analyses based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequences suggest that strain M4-6 belongs to the genus Cycloclasticus and represents a new species, Cycloclasticus spirillensus sp. nov. Strain LC8 appears to represent a new genus and species,Lutibacterium anuloederans gen. nov., sp. nov., within theSphingomonadaceae. However, when inoculated into sediment slurries with or without exogenous phenanthrene, only L. anuloederans appeared to sustain a significant phenanthrene uptake potential throughout a 35-day incubation. In addition, onlyL. anuloederans appeared to enhance phenanthrene degradation in heavily contaminated sediment from Little Mystic Cove, Boston Harbor, Boston, Mass.

Relative importance of macrofaunal burrows for the microbial mineralization of pyrene in marine sediments: impact of macrofaunal species and organic matter quality

“…Microbial communities collected in marine macrofaunal burrows have also been reported to be highly species-specific (Steward et al 1996). Further, Chung & King (2001) discovered 2 previously unidentified marine bacterial species residing in burrow-wall sediment of the polychaete Nereis virens and the mussel Mya arenaria. Both bacterial species were able to use PAHs as their sole carbon source, but with different efficiency.…”

Obligate oil-degrading marine bacteria

“…dieselolei [10], C. pugetii [11], and C. oligotrophus [12], and more nutritionally versatile species with less restricted substrate profiles, like A. venustensis and C. spirillensus [9,13]. The three other genera of the OHCB group, despite being represented by numerous members, are monophyletic and represented by the three type species Oleiphilus messinensis [14], Oleispira antarctica [15] and Thalassolituus oleivorans [16].…”

“…Organisms analysed so far exhibit features typical of oligotrophic bacteria [43,**44]. The most detailed studies, carried out with C. oligotrophus, have shown that the cytoplasm of this small bacterium is very dilute, with a dry mass per cell 7-8 times lower than that of E. coli, but a DNA content of up to 14% dry weight, which contrasts the value of 2% for E. coli [13,43].…”

Hydrocarbon Degradation and Bacterial Community Responses During Remediation of Sediment Artificially Contaminated with Heavy Oil

“…Zhao et al, 2009;Shao et al, 2010 , Erythrobacter sp. Chung andKing, 2001;Liu, 2013 , Idiomarina sp. Zhao et al, 2009;Kleinsteuber et al, 2006 and Alcaligenes sp.…”