title: Isolation and characterization of two aerobic bacterial strains that completely degrade ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE).
abstract: Two bacterial strains, E1 and E2, isolated from gasoline-polluted soil completely degraded ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), as the sole source of carbon and energy, at specific rates of about 80 mg g(-1) and 58 mg g(-1) of cell protein day(-1), respectively. On the basis of morphological and phenotypic characteristics, strain E1 was tentatively identified as Comamonas testosteroni and strain E2 as belonging to Centre for Disease Control group A-5. The inhibitory effect of metyrapone on the degradative ability of both strains was the first evidence indicating the involvement of a soluble cytochrome P-450 in the cleavage of the ETBE ether bond. This observation was confirmed by spectrophotometric analysis of reduced cell extracts that gave, in the presence of carbon monoxide, a major absorbance peak at about 450 nm. Both strains were also able to degrade, as the sole source of carbon and energy, ETBE's major metabolic intermediates (tert-butyl alcohol and tert-butyl formate) and other gasoline oxygenates (methyl tert-butyl ether and tert-amyl methyl ether). The degradation rates varied considerably, with both strains exhibiting a preferential activity for ETBE's metabolic intermediates.
authors.affiliation: Université de Technologie de Compiègne, Génie Chimique, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kharoune
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kharoune
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lebeault
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pauss
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D001420:Bacteria, Aerobic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D005019:Ethyl Ethers / Q000378:metabolism*; D005561:Formates / Q000378:metabolism; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000378:metabolism; D008797:Metyrapone / Q000494:pharmacology; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D014106:Tosylarginine Methyl Ester / Q000378:metabolism; D020002:tert-Butyl Alcohol / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D005019:Ethyl Ethers; D005561:Formates; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D012989:Soil Pollutants; C043243:methyl tert-butyl ether; C098546:ethyl tert-butyl ether; D014106:Tosylarginine Methyl Ester; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D020002:tert-Butyl Alcohol; D008797:Metyrapone