title: Stable isotope probing identifies anthracene degraders under methanogenic conditions.
abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are common contaminants in groundwater. The remediation of PAH-contaminated groundwater often involves anaerobic biodegradation. The knowledge about the microorganisms responsible for PAH degradation in anaerobic subsurface environment is still lacking. DNA-based stable isotope probing (SIP) was applied to discover the microorganisms responsible for anaerobic anthracene degradation within microcosms inoculated with aquifer sediment from landfill leachate-contaminated site. Three phylotypes were identified as the degraders, all falling within the phylum Proteobacteria. Two anthracene degraders were classified within the genera Methylibium and Legionella, while another one was an unclassified Rhizobiales species. They all were first linked to PAH degradation. These findings also provide an illustration of the utility of SIP to discover the roles of uncultured microorganisms in PAH-degrading processes.
authors.affiliation: College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
authors.forename: Shuying
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qingfeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shuguang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000873:Anthracenes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D007553:Isotope Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000873:Anthracenes; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; C034020:anthracene; D008697:Methane