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Nijenhuis I, Stollberg R, Lechner U. Anaerobic microbial dehalogenation and its key players in the contaminated Bitterfeld-Wolfen megasite. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2018; 94:4828323. [PMID: 29385441 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiy012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The megasite Bitterfeld-Wolfen is highly contaminated as a result of accidents and because of dumping of wastes from local chemical industries in the last century. A variety of contaminants including chlorinated ethenes and benzenes, hexachlorohexanes and chlorinated dioxins can still be found in the groundwater and (river) sediments. Investigations of the in situ microbial transformation of organohalides have been performed only over the last two decades at this megasite. In this review, we summarise the research on the activity of anaerobic dehalogenating bacteria at the field site in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, focusing on chlorinated ethenes, monochlorobenzene and chlorinated dioxins. Various methods and concepts were applied including ex situ cultivation and isolation, and in situ analysis of hydrochemical parameters, compound-specific stable isotope analysis of contaminants, 13C-tracer studies and molecular markers. Overall, biotransformation of organohalides is ongoing at the field site and Dehalococcoides mccartyi species play an important role in the detoxification process in the Bitterfeld-Wolfen region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivonne Nijenhuis
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Reiner Stollberg
- Department of Groundwater Remediation, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ute Lechner
- Institute of Biology/Microbiology Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3, 06120 Halle, Germany
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Puentes Jácome LA, Edwards EA. A switch of chlorinated substrate causes emergence of a previously undetected native Dehalobacter population in an established Dehalococcoides-dominated chloroethene-dechlorinating enrichment culture. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2018; 93:4569067. [PMID: 29088371 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fix141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chlorobenzenes are soil and groundwater pollutants of concern that can be reductively dehalogenated by organohalide-respiring bacteria from the genera Dehalococcoides and Dehalobacter. The bioaugmentation culture KB-1® harbours Dehalococcoides mccartyi spp. that reductively dehalogenate trichloroethene to ethene. It contains more than 30 reductive dehalogenase genes; some of them are highly similar to genes found in the chlorobenzene-respiring Dehalococcoides mccartyi strain CBDB1. We explored the chlorobenzene dehalogenation capability of the KB-1 enrichment culture using 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (1,2,4-TCB). We achieved adaptation of KB-1 to 1,2,4-TCB that is dehalogenated to a mixture of dichlorobenzenes, and subsequently to monochlorobenzene and benzene. Surprisingly, a native Dehalobacter population, and not a Dehalococcoides population, couples the dechlorination of 1,2,4-TCB to growth achieving an average yield of 1.1 ± 0.6 × 1013 cells per mole of Cl- released. Interestingly, the dechlorination of 1,2,4-TCB occurs alongside the complete dechlorination of trichloroethene to ethene in cultures fed both electron acceptors. Dehalobacter was not previously identified as a major player in KB-1, but its ecological niche was favoured by the introduction of 1,2,4-TCB. Based on 16S rRNA phylogeny, Dehalobacter populations seem to cluster into specialised clades, and are likely undergoing substrate specialisation as a strategy to reduce competition for electron acceptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luz A Puentes Jácome
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E5, Canada
| | - Elizabeth A Edwards
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E5, Canada.,Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
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Jiang B, Jin N, Xing Y, Su Y, Zhang D. Unraveling uncultivable pesticide degraders via stable isotope probing (SIP). Crit Rev Biotechnol 2018; 38:1025-1048. [DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2018.1427697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Bo Jiang
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science & Technology Beijing, Beijing, PR China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science & Technology Beijing, Beijing, PR China
| | - Naifu Jin
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Yi Xing
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science & Technology Beijing, Beijing, PR China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science & Technology Beijing, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yuping Su
- Environmental Science and Engineering College, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Dayi Zhang
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
- Environmental Science and Engineering College, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, PR China
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PR China
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Solden L, Lloyd K, Wrighton K. The bright side of microbial dark matter: lessons learned from the uncultivated majority. Curr Opin Microbiol 2016; 31:217-226. [PMID: 27196505 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2016.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Revised: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Microorganisms are the most diverse and abundant life forms on Earth. Yet, in many environments, only 0.1-1% of them have been cultivated greatly hindering our understanding of the microbial world. However, today cultivation is no longer a requirement for gaining access to information from the uncultivated majority. New genomic information from metagenomics and single cell genomics has provided insights into microbial metabolic cooperation and dependence, generating new avenues for cultivation efforts. Here we summarize recent advances from uncultivated phyla and discuss how this knowledge has influenced our understanding of the topology of the tree of life and metabolic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Solden
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Karen Lloyd
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
| | - Kelly Wrighton
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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Schmidt M, Wolfram D, Birkigt J, Ahlheim J, Paschke H, Richnow HH, Nijenhuis I. Iron oxides stimulate microbial monochlorobenzene in situ transformation in constructed wetlands and laboratory systems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2014; 472:185-193. [PMID: 24291561 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.10.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2013] [Revised: 10/30/2013] [Accepted: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Natural wetlands are transition zones between anoxic ground and oxic surface water which may enhance the (bio)transformation potential for recalcitrant chloro-organic contaminants due to the unique geochemical conditions and gradients. Monochlorobenzene (MCB) is a frequently detected groundwater contaminant which is toxic and was thought to be persistent under anoxic conditions. Furthermore, to date, no degradation pathways for anoxic MCB removal have been proven in the field. Hence, it is important to investigate MCB biodegradation in the environment, as groundwater is an important drinking water source in many European countries. Therefore, two pilot-scale horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetlands, planted and unplanted, were used to investigate the processes in situ contributing to the biotransformation of MCB in these gradient systems. The wetlands were fed with anoxic MCB-contaminated groundwater from a nearby aquifer in Bitterfeld, Germany. An overall MCB removal was observed in both wetlands, whereas just 10% of the original MCB inflow concentration was detected in the ponds. In particular in the gravel bed of the planted wetland, MCB removal was highest in summer season with 73 ± 9% compared to the unplanted one with 40 ± 5%. Whereas the MCB concentrations rapidly decreased in the transition zone of unplanted gravel to the pond, a significant MCB removal was already determined in the anoxic gravel bed of the planted system. The investigation of hydro-geochemical parameters revealed that iron and sulphate reduction were relevant redox processes in both wetlands. In parallel, the addition of ferric iron or nitrate stimulated the mineralisation of MCB in laboratory microcosms with anoxic groundwater from the same source, indicating that the potential for anaerobic microbial degradation of MCB is present at the field site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Schmidt
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Diana Wolfram
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jan Birkigt
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jörg Ahlheim
- Department of Groundwater Remediation, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Heidrun Paschke
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hans-Hermann Richnow
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ivonne Nijenhuis
- Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany.
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Liang X, Devine CE, Nelson J, Sherwood Lollar B, Zinder S, Edwards EA. Anaerobic conversion of chlorobenzene and benzene to CH4 and CO2 in bioaugmented microcosms. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2013; 47:2378-85. [PMID: 23360185 DOI: 10.1021/es3043092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Chlorobenzene is a widespread groundwater contaminant found at many industrial sites. Reductive dechlorination of chlorobenzene requires input of electron donor and results in problematic accumulation of benzene, which is more toxic than chlorobenzene. We hypothesized that coupling a culture capable of reductive dechlorination of chlorobenzene to benzene with a second benzene-degrading methanogenic culture would completely detoxify chlorobenzene. To this end, active chlorobenzene-dechlorinating microcosms that were producing benzene were inoculated with a previously described enriched methanogenic benzene-degrading consortium. The combination resulted in the transformation of chlorobenzene via benzene to the nontoxic degradation products, CO2 and CH4. Sustainable degradation of chlorobenzene and benzene was observed in the microcosms and was further confirmed by shifts in the carbon isotopic ratios of chlorobenzene and benzene during degradation. Moreover, we could show that benzene derived electrons fueled chlorobenzene dechlorination removing the need to provide exogenous electron donor. The results have promising implications for sustainable bioremediation of sites contaminated with chlorinated benzenes and benzene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoming Liang
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON M5S 3E5, Canada
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