Antarctic freshwater ecosystems are especially vulnerable to human impacts. Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that have a long lifetime in the environment.Despite their use having either been phased out or restricted, they are still found in nature, also inremote areas. Once in the environment, the fate of PCBs is strictly linked to bacteria which representthe first step in the transfer of toxic compounds to higher trophic levels. Data on PCB-oxidizing bacteria from polar areas are still scarce and fragmented. In this study, the occurrence of PCB-oxidizingcold-adapted bacteria was evaluated in water and sediment of four coastal lakes at Edmonson Point(Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica). After enrichment with biphenyl, 192 isolates were obtainedwith 57 of them that were able to grow in the presence of the PCB mixture Aroclor 1242, as the solecarbon source. The catabolic gene bphA, as a proxy for PCB degradation potential, was harbored by37 isolates (out of 57), mainly affiliated to the genera Salinibacterium, Arthrobacter (among Actinobacteria) and Pusillimonas (among Betaproteobacteria). Obtained results enlarge our current knowledge oncold-adapted PCB-oxidizing bacteria and pose the basis for their potential application as a valuableeco-friendly tool for the recovery of PCB-contaminated cold sites
A first glimpse on cold-adapted PCB-oxidizing bacteria in EdmonsonPoint lakes (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica)
PAPALE M;LO GIUDICE A
Secondo
;RAPPAZZO AC;AZZARO M;
2022
Abstract
Antarctic freshwater ecosystems are especially vulnerable to human impacts. Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that have a long lifetime in the environment.Despite their use having either been phased out or restricted, they are still found in nature, also inremote areas. Once in the environment, the fate of PCBs is strictly linked to bacteria which representthe first step in the transfer of toxic compounds to higher trophic levels. Data on PCB-oxidizing bacteria from polar areas are still scarce and fragmented. In this study, the occurrence of PCB-oxidizingcold-adapted bacteria was evaluated in water and sediment of four coastal lakes at Edmonson Point(Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica). After enrichment with biphenyl, 192 isolates were obtainedwith 57 of them that were able to grow in the presence of the PCB mixture Aroclor 1242, as the solecarbon source. The catabolic gene bphA, as a proxy for PCB degradation potential, was harbored by37 isolates (out of 57), mainly affiliated to the genera Salinibacterium, Arthrobacter (among Actinobacteria) and Pusillimonas (among Betaproteobacteria). Obtained results enlarge our current knowledge oncold-adapted PCB-oxidizing bacteria and pose the basis for their potential application as a valuableeco-friendly tool for the recovery of PCB-contaminated cold sitesI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.