title: A PCR-based assay for the detection of anaerobic naphthalene degradation.
abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are widespread environmental pollutants of considerable risk to human health. The aerobic degradation of PAH via oxygenase reactions has been studied for several decades. In contrast, it was not until very recent that the first key enzyme involved in anaerobic PAH degradation, the dearomatizing 2-naphthoyl-CoA reductase, was isolated and characterized. In this work, a PCR-based functional assay was developed to detect microorganisms that have the ability to anaerobically degrade naphthalene, as a model for larger PAH. The degenerative oligonucleotide probes introduced here amplified a highly conserved region of the gene encoding 2-naphthoyl-CoA reductase (Ncr) in numerous sulfate-reducing pure cultures and environmental enrichments. The assay provides the first molecular tool for monitoring the anaerobic degradation of a model PAH.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biology II - Microbiology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Brandon E L
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gissibl
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kümmel
authors.forename: Hans-Hermann
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Richnow
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boll
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001419:Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000378:metabolism*; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D009281:Naphthalenes; C031721:naphthalene; D010088:Oxidoreductases
keywords: 2-naphthoyl-CoA reductase; PCR-based assay; anaerobic aromatic degradation; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons