title: Functional gene expression of oil-degrading bacteria resistant to hexadecane toxicity.
abstract: Contamination with oil poses a threat to the environment and to human health worldwide. Biological methodologies have proved to be economical, versatile and efficient for the remediation of pollutants. In this paper, a highly efficient oil-degrading bacterial strain USTB-2 was isolated from an oil production well of Dagang oil field in Tianjin, China. The 16S rRNA sequence of USTB-2 showed 100% similarity with that of Bacillus subtilis BSn5. Hexadecane is one of the most important components in petroleum. The half inhibitory ratio (IC₅₀) of hexadecane inhibited organisms, determined by microcalorimetry, was lower in USTB-2 than in B. BSn5. The results indicate that the strain USTB-2 degrades hexadecane to make it less toxic compared with the normal strain. RT-PCR was used to evaluate the expression of oil-degrading enzymes, specifically 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-monooxygenase genes (HPMO). A sharp increase in the expression of HPMO genes was observed for USTB-2, while the expression of HPMO genes in reference strain B. BSn5 remained relatively stable. These methods can be used to study the metabolic potential of microorganisms for in situ oil decontamination.
authors: School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, National "International Cooperation Based on Environment and Energy", Key Laboratory of "Metal and Mine Efficiently Exploiting and Safety" Ministry of Education, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 100083 Beijing, PR China.
authors: Chan
authors: C
authors: Yu
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Yao
authors: Minmin
authors: M
authors: Cai
authors: Fei
authors: F
authors: Wang
authors: Kanaji
authors: K
authors: Masakorala
authors: Haijun
authors: H
authors: Liu
authors: Ruth E
authors: RE
authors: Blake
authors: Serena
authors: S
authors: Doni
authors: Brunello
authors: B
authors: Ceccanti
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002681:China; D015870:Gene Expression; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D061329:Oil and Gas Fields / Q000382:microbiology*; D010578:Petroleum / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; C026252:4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-monooxygenase
keywords: Function genes; Hexadecane; Inhibitory effects; Microcalorimetry; RT-PCR