Open AccessAcquisition of the ability for Rhodopseudomonas palustris to degrade chlorinated benzoic acids as the sole carbon source
Author(s) -
Oda Yasuhiro,
Vries Ynte P.,
Forney Larry J.,
Gottschal Jan C.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2001.tb00891.x
Subject(s) - rhodopseudomonas palustris , biology , carbon source , rhodopseudomonas , substrate (aquarium) , benzoic acid , degradation (telecommunications) , microbiology and biotechnology , benzoates , bacteria , biochemistry , food science , ecology , genetics , organic chemistry , telecommunications , chemistry , computer science
Three strains of Rhodopseudomonas palustris were isolated from phototrophic enrichment cultures containing 3‐chlorobenzoate (3‐CBA) and benzoate (BA). These new strains as well as several previously described strains of R. palustris were tested in this study and shown to degrade 3‐CBA if grown in media that contained BA as a co‐substrate. All of the pure cultures that originally required BA for the degradation of 3‐CBA acquired the ability to degrade 3‐CBA as the sole carbon source after long periods of incubation that ranged from 1 to 3 months. After this adaptation period, the 3‐CBA‐degrading capabilities of all variants were stable, and the rates of 3‐CBA degradation were significantly enhanced as compared to the parental strains. Furthermore, the variants had also acquired the ability to metabolize 2‐ and 4‐CBA as sole carbon sources indicating that the enhanced ability to metabolize 3‐CBA was accompanied by an expanded ability to metabolize chlorinated benzoates. These data indicate that acquisition of the ability to degrade 3‐CBA may be rather common among strains of R. palustris and mutations that confer the ability to metabolize 3‐CBA may provide a selective advantage to R. palustris under specific environmental conditions.