Bacterial Degradation in PDF
Hydrocarbon Degrading Bacteria-Taxonomy & Facts of Bacteria.
Brief facts
Bacteria
generally degraders in aquatic systems such as oceans, ponds and other water
reservoir. They also possess diverse metabolic pathways which is not seen in fungi
which allows them to utilize most recalcitrant petroleum hydrocarbons.
- Bacterial degradation of
aromatic compounds can be divided into three steps:
1. modification and conversion of
the many different compounds into a few central aromatic intermediates (ring-fission
substrates); this step is referred as peripheral pathway and
involves considerable modification of the ring and/or perhaps elimination of
substituent groups;
2. oxidative ring cleavage by
dioxygenases, which are responsible for the oxygenolytic ring cleavage of
dihdyroxylated aromatic compounds (catechol, protocatechuate, gentisate);
3. further degradation of the
non-cyclic, non-aromatic ring-fission products to intermediates of central
metabolic pathways.
- Long-chain hydrocarbons (C10-C18)
can be used rapidly by many high G+C Gram-positive bacteria. Only a few
bacteria can oxidize C2-C8 hydrocarbons. Degradation
of n-alkanes requires activation of the inert substrates by
molecular oxygen with
help of oxygenases by three possible ways that are associated with
membranes:
1. Monooxygenase attacks at the end
producing alkan-1-ol:
R-CH3 + O2 + NAD(P)H + H+ → R-CH2OH
_ NAD(P)+ + H2
2. Dioxygenase attack produces the
hydroperoxides, which are reduced to yield also alkan-1-ol:
R-CH3 + O2 → R-CH2OOH + NAD(P)H + H+
→ R-CH2OH + NAD(P)+ + H2O
3. Rarely, subterminal oxidation at
C2 by monooxygenase yields secondary alcohols.
- It is important to keep in
mind that many strains within one species of bacteria usually exist.
Usually, only some of strains are capable of hydrocarbon degradation and
some of strains can cause opportunistic infections in humans and animals.
List of bacterial genera
important in oil bioremediation
Actinobacteria
Brevibacteriaceae
Dermabacteraceae
- Brachybacterium
B. phenoliresistens was isolated from an oil-contaminated coastal
sand sample ( Ref.).
Dietziaceae
Cellulomonadaceae
Intrasporangiaceae
- Janibacter
Implicated in degradation of polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs) ( Ref.).
- Terrabacter
Implicated in degradation of polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine
sediments ( Ref.).
Corynebacteriaceae
Gordoniaceae
Nocardioidaceae
- Nocardioides
Most species are free-living in soil and water. Some species can
utilize polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other pollutants ( Ref.).
- Rhodococcus
Some species can utilize polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH) and other
pollutants ( Ref.).
Nocardiaceae
·
Cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria can play important role in oil-degrading consoria by not only
oxydizing oil components but also by providing microbial community with nitrogen
Bacteroidetes/
Chlorobi group
Deinococcus-Thermus
- Thermaceae
- Thermus
Aerobic rods found in warm water (40-79 C°) such as hot springs, hot
water tanks, and thermally polluted rivers; can degrade crude oil (Ref.).
Thermotogae
Firmicutes
- Bacillaceae
Endospore-producing; mostly saprophytes from soil, but a few are insect or animal
parasites or pathogens.
- Bacillus
Common in soil; several species (B. subtilis, B. cereus
and others) were shown to use naphthalene, pyrene and other aromatics (Ref.).
- Geobacillus
Endospore-forming, thermophilic bacteria capable of utilizing long-chain alkanes
(Ref.).
- Staphylococcaceae
- Staphylococcus
Some species are opportunistic pathogens of humans and animals. Pathways
of utilization of phenanthrene and other aromatic compounds by these
organisms was studied (Ref.).
Proteobacteria
- Alphaproteobacteria Comprised
mostly of two major phenotypes: purple non-sulfur bacteria and aerobic
bacteriochlorophyll-containing bacteria.
Written
by -Safar Mohammad Khan,Green Apple Environmental Technologies