Degradation of Microcystin-RR by Sphingomonas sp. CBA4 isolated from San Roque reservoir (Córdoba - Argentina).
We report the aerobic biodegradation of Microcystin-RR (MC-RR) by a bacterial strain isolated from San Roque reservoir (Córdoba - Argentina). This bacterium was identified as Sphingomonas sp. (CBA4) on the basis of 16S rDNA sequencing. The isolated strain was capable of degrading completely MC-RR (200 mug l(-1)) within 36 h. We have found evidence that MC-RR biodegradation pathway by this Sphingomonas sp. strain would start by demethylating MC-RR, affording an intermediate product, which is finally biodegraded by this strain within 72 h. Our results confirm that certain environmental bacteria, living in the same habitat as toxic cyanobacteria, have the capability to perform complete biodegradation of MC, leading to natural bioremediation of waterbodies. The bacterium reported here presents genetic homologies with other strains that degrade MC-LR. However, initial demethylation of MC-RR has been not described previously, raising questions on the probable presence of different biodegradation pathways for different MC variants.
Valeria
Amé María
AM
Universidad Nacional de Córdoba - CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Dto. Bioquímica Clínica - CIBICI. Cdad. Universitaria, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina.
Ricardo
Echenique José
EJ
Stephan
Pflugmacher
P
Alberto
Wunderlin Daniel
WD
D000332:Aerobiosis; D001118:Argentina; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D008387:Marine Toxins; D052998:Microcystins / Q000378:metabolism*; D020578:Sphingomonas / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D014871:Water Microbiology
D008387:Marine Toxins; D052998:Microcystins; C063855:microcystin RR