title: A Mycobacterium strain with extended capacities for degradation of gasoline hydrocarbons.
abstract: A bacterial strain (strain IFP 2173) was selected from a gasoline-polluted aquifer on the basis of its capacity to use 2,2, 4-trimethylpentane (isooctane) as a sole carbon and energy source. This isolate, the first isolate with this capacity to be characterized, was identified by 16S ribosomal DNA analysis, and 100% sequence identity with a reference strain of Mycobacterium austroafricanum was found. Mycobacterium sp. strain IFP 2173 used an unusually wide spectrum of hydrocarbons as growth substrates, including n-alkanes and multimethyl-substituted isoalkanes with chains ranging from 5 to 16 carbon atoms long, as well as substituted monoaromatic hydrocarbons. It also attacked ethers, such as methyl t-butyl ether. During growth on gasoline, it degraded 86% of the substrate. Our results indicated that strain IFP 2173 was capable of degrading 3-methyl groups, possibly by a carboxylation and deacetylation mechanism. Evidence that it attacked the quaternary carbon atom structure by an as-yet-undefined mechanism during growth on 2,2,4-trimethylpentane and 2,2-dimethylpentane was also obtained.
authors.affiliation: Département Microbiologie, Institut Français du Pétrole, 92852 Rueil-Malmaison, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Solano-Serena
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marchal
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Casarégola
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vasnier
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lebeault
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Vandecasteele
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003470:Culture Media; D003510:Cyclohexanes / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D005742:Gasoline; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D009795:Octanes / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D003510:Cyclohexanes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D005742:Gasoline; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D009795:Octanes; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D014873:Water Pollutants; C045798:2,2,4-trimethylpentane