title: Biodegradation and conversion of alkanes and crude oil by a marine Rhodococcus sp.
abstract: A hydrocarbon degrader isolated from a chronically oil-polluted marine site was identified as Rhodococcus sp. on the basis of morphology, fatty acid methyl ester pattern, cell wall analysis, biochemical tests and G + C content of DNA. It degraded up to 50% of the aliphatic fraction of Assam crude oil, in seawater supplemented with 35 mM nitrogen as urea and 0.1 mM phosphorus as dipotassium hydrogen orthophosphate, after 72 h at 30 degrees C and 150 revolutions per minute. The relative percentage of intracellular fatty acid was higher in hydrocarbon-grown cells compared to fructose-grown cells. The fatty acids C16, C16:1, C18 and C18:1 were constitutively present regardless of the growth substrate. In addition to these constitutive acids, other intracellular fatty acids varied in correlation to the hydrocarbon chain length supplied as a substrate. When grown on odd carbon number alkanes, the isolate released only monocarboxylic acids into the growth medium. On even carbon number alkanes only dicarboxylic acids were produced.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biochemical Sciences, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pant
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003470:Culture Media; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D009821:Oils / Q000378:metabolism*; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D003470:Culture Media; D005227:Fatty Acids; D009821:Oils; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical