Li, Jibing and Luo, Chunling and Song, Mengke and Dai, Qing and Jiang, Longfei and Zhang, Dayi and Zhang, Gan (2017) Biodegradation of Phenanthrene in Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Wastewater Revealed by Coupling Cultivation-Dependent and -Independent Approaches. Environmental Science and Technology, 51 (6). pp. 3391-3401. ISSN 0013-936X
2016_EST_Phenanthrene_SIP.pdf - Accepted Version
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Abstract
The indigenous microorganisms responsible for degrading phenanthrene (PHE) in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-contaminated wastewater were identified by DNA-based stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP). In addition to the well-known PHE degraders Acinetobacter and Sphingobium, Kouleothrix and Sandaracinobacter were found, for the first time, to be directly responsible for indigenous PHE biodegradation. Additionally, a novel PHE degrader, Acinetobacter tandoii sp. LJ-5, was identified by DNA-SIP and direct cultivation. This is the first report and reference to A. tandoii involved in the bioremediation of PAHs-contaminated water. A PAH-RHDα gene involved in PHE metabolism was detected in the heavy fraction of (13)C treatment, but the amplification of PAH-RHDα gene failed in A. tandoii LJ-5. Instead, the strain contained catechol 1,2-dioxygenase and the alpha/beta subunits of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase, indicating use of the β-ketoadipate pathway to degrade PHE and related aromatic compounds. These findings add to our current knowledge on microorganisms degrading PHE by combining cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent approaches and provide deeper insight into the diversity of indigenous PHE-degrading communities.