Diesel oil and PCB-degrading psychrotrophic bacteria isolated from Antarctic seawaters (Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea)

Domenico, Maria De; Giudice, Angelina Lo; Michaud, Luigi; Saitta, Marcello; Bruni, Vivia

doi:10.3402/polar.v23i2.6275

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In temperate zones, microbial activities impact the toxicity and mobility of these environmental contaminants (8,37), but their role in the transformations of pollutants at high latitudes remains largely unexplored. Research to date has focused on the biodegradation of petroleum products (20,45), with little attention to the importance of polar microbes in the degradation of other types of organic contaminants (39,62) or the transformations of metals. This lack of information may become critical since high-latitude ecosystems are currently undergoing major alteration due to environmental changes, which in turn may greatly affect the cycling of contaminants (38).…”

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confidence: 99%

Potential for Mercury Reduction by Microbes in the High Arctic

Poulain

Chadhain

Ariya

et al. 2007

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The contamination of polar regions due to the global distribution of anthropogenic pollutants is of great concern because it leads to the bioaccumulation of toxic substances, methylmercury among them, in Arctic food chains. Here we present the first evidence that microbes in the high Arctic possess and express diverse merA genes, which specify the reduction of ionic mercury [Hg(II)] to the volatile elemental form [Hg(0)]. The sampled microbial biomass, collected from microbial mats in a coastal lagoon and from the surface of marine macroalgae, was comprised of bacteria that were most closely related to psychrophiles that had previously been described in polar environments. We used a kinetic redox model, taking into consideration photoredox reactions as well as mer-mediated reduction, to assess if the potential for Hg(II) reduction by Arctic microbes can affect the toxicity and environmental mobility of mercury in the high Arctic. Results suggested that mer-mediated Hg(II) reduction could account for most of the Hg(0) that is produced in high Arctic waters. At the surface, with only 5% metabolically active cells, up to 68% of the mercury pool was resolved by the model as biogenic Hg(0). At a greater depth, because of incident light attenuation, the significance of photoredox transformations declined and merA-mediated activity could account for up to 90% of Hg(0) production. These findings highlight the importance of microbial redox transformations in the biogeochemical cycling, and thus the toxicity and mobility, of mercury in polar regions.

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confidence: 99%

Potential for Mercury Reduction by Microbes in the High Arctic

Poulain

Chadhain

Ariya

et al. 2007

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…The occurrence of Actinobacteria members in cold habitats has been often reported as being independent of contamination, as they are generally present to a similar degree in pristine and contaminated sites (Whyte et al 2002;Labbè et al 2007). Cold-adapted hydrocarbon-degrading members in this genus have been previously isolated from marine Antarctic areas, and their biodegradative potential has often been established (Yakimov et al 1999(Yakimov et al , 2004De Domenico et al 2004). According to the results of phylogenetic determination, it is possible to assume that only two Rhodococcus species were isolated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biosurfactant production by Arctic and Antarctic bacteria growing on hydrocarbons

et al. 2015

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The risk of hydrocarbon contamination in marine polar areas is constantly increasing. Autochthonous bacteria, due to their ability to cope and survive under extreme environmental conditions, can play a fundamental role in the hydrocarbon degradation. The degradation process is often enhanced by the production of biosurfactant molecules. The present study reports for the first time on the isolation of biosurfactant-producing bacteria from Arctic and Antarctic shoreline sediments. A total of 199 psychrotolerant bacterial isolates were obtained from hydrocarbonamended (with crude or diesel oil) microcosms. A total of 18 isolates were selected for their ability to grow in the presence of crude oil and produce biosurfactants, as it was revealed by the production of good E 24 values (C50 %) and/or reduction in the surface tension (under 30 mN/m). The positive response of the isolates to both tests suggests a possible production of biosurfactants with emulsifying and interfacial activities. Biosurfactant-producing isolates were mainly affiliated to the genera Rhodococcus (14 isolates), followed by Pseudomonas (two isolates), Pseudoalteromonas (one isolate) and Idiomarina (one isolate). Thin-layer chromatography of biosurfactant crude extracts revealed that the majority of the selected isolates were able to produce glycolipidic surfactants. Our results enlarge the knowledge, which is still poor and fragmentary, on biosurfactant producers from polar areas and indicate marine polar sediments as a source of bacteria with potential applications in the remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated cold environments.

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“…Two psychrotrophic bacterial strains (B11 and B15) isolated from seawater of Ross Sea (Antarctica) representing marine variants of the bacterium Rhodococcus fascians have been found to effectively utilize PCBs as sole carbon source at 4 and 20 C (De Domenico et al 2004). The authors have pointed bacteria isolates from cold environments such as marine realm of Antarctic could be better suited for in situ bioremediation of persistent PCBs in both temperate and cold marine environments than their mesophilic counterparts.…”

Section: Biodegradation Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls In Marine Enviromentioning

confidence: 99%