Abstract
A bacterium able to grow at the expense of some isomers in a commercial surfactant preparation consisting of branched-chain dodecylbenzenesulphonate was isolated (W51), and it was identified as a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain. A faster growing derivative was selected (W51D) after enrichment in batch culture under microaerobic conditions, using the surfactant as the sole source of carbon and energy. Strain W51D is the first microorganism reported to degrade at least 70% of a branched-chain alkylbenzenesulphonate mixture and to be resistant to high concentrations of this surfactant. The ability to degrade the surfactant was shown to be transferred by conjugation to other P. aeruginosa strains and to an Escherichia coli strain.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abril, M.-A., Michán, C., Timmis, K.N., & Ramos, J.L. 1989 Regulator and enzyme specificities of the TOL plasmid-encoded upper pathway for degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons and expansion of the substrate range of the pathway. Journal of Bacteriology 171, 6782–6790.
Alexander, M. 1973 Nonbiodegradable and other recalcitrant molecules. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 15, 611–647.
Boyer, H.B., & Roulland-Dussoix, D. 1969 A complementation analysis of the restriction and modification of DNA in Escherichia coli. Journal of Molecular Biology 4, 459–472.
Burlage, R.S., Hooper, S.W., & Sayler, G.S. 1989 The TOL (pWWO) catabolic plasmid. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 55, 1323–1328.
Cain, R.B. 1987 Biodegradation of anionic surfactants. Biochemical Society Transactions 15 (supplement), 7–22.
Cain, R.B. 1994 Biodegradation of detergents. Current Opinions in Biotechnology 5, 266–274.
Costerton, J.W., Lewandowski, Z., DeBeer, D., Caldwell, D., Korber, D., & James, G. 1994 Biofilms, the customized microniche. Journal of Bacteriology 176, 2137–2142.
Dodgson, K.S., & White, G.F. 1983 Some microbial enzymes involved in the biodegradaton of sulfated surfactants. Topics in Enzyme and Fermentation Biotechnology 7, 90–155.
Eckhardt, T. 1978 A rapid method for the identification of plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid in bacteria. Plasmid 1, 584–588.
Fall, R.R., Brown, J.L., & Schaeffer, T.L. 1979 Enzyme recruitment allows the biodegradation of recalcitrant branched hydrocarbons by Pseudomonas citronellolis. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 38, 715–722.
Frantz, B., & Chakrabarty, A.M. 1986 Degradative plasmids in Pseudomonas. In The Bacteria. Volume X. The Biology of Pseudomonas. ed Sokatch, J.R., & Ornston, L.N., pp. 265–293. Orlando, FL: Academic Press Inc.
Greek, B.F. 1991 Sales of detergents growing despite recession. Chemical Engineering News 69, 25–52.
Hayashi, K. 1975 A rapid determination of sodium dodecyl sulfate with methylene blue. Analytical Biochemistry 67, 503–506.
Jiménez, L., Breen, A., Thomas, N., Federle, T.W., & Sayler, G.S. 1991 Mineralization of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate by a fourmember aerobic bacterial consortium. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 57, 1566–1569.
Kertesz, M.A., Kölbener, P., Stockinger, H., Beil, S., & Cook, A.M. 1994 Desulfonation of linear alkylbenzenesulphonate surfactants and related compounds in bacteria. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 60, 2296–2303.
Marqués, S., & Ramos, J.L. 1993 Transcriptional control of the Pseudomonas putida TOL plasmid catabolic pathways. Molecular Microbiology 9, 923–929.
Miller, J.H. 1972 Experiments in molecular genetics. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
Nickel, J.C., Ruseska, I., Wright, J.B., & Costerton, J.W. 1985 Tobramycin resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells growing as a biofilm on urinary catheter material. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 27, 619–624.
Noel, K.D., Sánchez, A., Fernández, L., Leemans, J., & Cevallos, M.A. 1984 Rhizobium phaseoli symbiotic mutants with transposon Tn5 insertions. Journal of Bacteriology 158, 148–155.
Payne, W.J., & Feisal, V.E. 1963 Bacterial utilization of dodecyl sulfate and dodecylbenzene sulfonate. Applied Microbiology 11, 339–344.
Pirnik, M.P. 1977 Microbial oxidation of methyl branched alkanes. Critical Reviews in Microbiology 5, 413–422.
Ramos-González, M.-I., Duque, E., & Ramos, J.L. 1991 Conjugational transfer of recombinant DNA in cultures and in soils: Host range of Pseudomonas putida TOL plasmids. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 57, 3020–3027.
Rosenberg, C., Casse-Delbart, F., Dusha, I., David, M., & Boucher, C. 1982 Megaplasmid in the plant-associated bacteria Rhizobium meliloti and Pseudomonas solanacearum. Journal of Bacteriology 150, 402–406.
Schaeffer, T.L., Cantwell, S.G., Brown, J.L., Watt, D.S., & Fall, R.R. 1979 Microbial growth on hydrocarbons: terminal branching inhibits biodegradation. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 38, 742–746.
Sigoillot, J.-C., & Nguyen, M.-H. 1992 Complete oxidation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate by bacterial communities selected from coastal seawater. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 58, 1308–1312.
Smith, M.R. 1990 The biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons by bacteria. Biodegradation 1, 191–206.
Swisher, R.D. 1963 Biodegradation of ABS in relation to chemical structure. Journal of Water Pollution Control Federation 35, 877–892.
Thomas, O.R.T., & White, G.F. 1991 Immobilization of the surfactant-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas C12B in polyacrylamide gel. III Biodegradation specificity for raw surfactants and industrial wastes. Enzyme and Microbial Technology 13, 338–343.
Worsey, M.J., & Williams, P.A. 1975 Metabolism of toluene and the xylenes by Pseudomonas putida (arvilla) mt-2 Evidence for a new function of the TOL plasmid. Journal of Bacteriology 127, 7–13.
Zhang, Y., & Miller, R.M. 1992 Enhancement of octadecane dispersion and biodegradation by a Pseudomonas rhamnolipid surfactant. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 58, 3276–3282.
Additional information
G. Soberón-Chávez and J. Campos are with the Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apdo Postal 510-3, Cuernavaca, Mor. 62250, México.A. Hädour and L. Ramos are with Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Protesor Albareda 1, Granada 18008, España. J. Ortigoza is with Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Apdo. Postal 42-186. México D.F. 11340. México.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Soberón-Chávez, G., Campos, J., Haïdour, A. et al. Selection and preliminary characterization of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain mineralizing selected isomers in a branchedchain dodecylbenzenesulphonate mixture. World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology 12, 367–372 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00340213
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00340213