title: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation coupled to methanogenesis.
abstract: Baltimore Harbor (Baltimore, MD) sediments were utilized to initiate anaerobic enrichment cultures with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the absence of supplementary electron acceptors. Cultures amended with naphthalene and phenanthrene exhibited sustained, transferable degradation of the PAHs. Bromoethanesulfonic acid, a selective inhibitor of methanogenesis, inhibited the degradation of 200 microM: naphthalene and phenanthrene; molecular characterization based on 16S rRNA sequences confirmed that methanogenic Archaea were eliminated, thus providing evidence that methanogenesis is involved in the degradation pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA. changw@umbi.umd.edu
authors.forename: Wook
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Youngsoon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Um
authors.forename: Tracey R Pulliam
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Holoman
mesh_terms: D000476:Alkanesulfonates / Q000494:pharmacology; D001105:Archaea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D008828:Microbiological Techniques / Q000379:methods; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000476:Alkanesulfonates; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C002634:ethane sulfonate; D008697:Methane