Divergent dual C-H isotopic fractionation pattern during anaerobic biodegradation of toluene within Aromatoleum species under nitrate-reducing conditions

Toluene is a pollutant frequently detected in contaminated groundwater, mostly due to leakage from underground gasoline storage tanks and pipeline ruptures. Multi-element compound-specific isotope analysis provides a framework to understand transformation processes and design efficient remediation s...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Pinel Cabello, Maria|||0000-0003-0792-9114, Wasmund, Kenneth|||0000-0001-6706-7291, Soder-Walz, Jesica M.|||0000-0002-5253-9898, Vega Paredes, Maria|||0000-0003-1936-8051, Rosell, Mònica|||0000-0003-1563-8595, Marco Urrea, Ernest|||0000-0002-8033-6553
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:301278
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/301278
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124823
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Aromatoleum
Toluene
Benzylsuccinate synthase
Isotope fractionation
Denitrifying bacteria
Descripción
Sumario:Toluene is a pollutant frequently detected in contaminated groundwater, mostly due to leakage from underground gasoline storage tanks and pipeline ruptures. Multi-element compound-specific isotope analysis provides a framework to understand transformation processes and design efficient remediation strategies. In this study, we enriched an anaerobic bacterial culture derived from a BTEX-contaminated aquifer that couples toluene and phenol oxidation with nitrate reduction and the concomitant production of carbon dioxide and biomass. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon data indicated that the toluene-degrading consortium was dominated by an Aromatoleum population (87 ± 2 % relative abundance), and metagenome sequencing confirmed that the genome of this Aromatoleum sp. encoded glycyl-radical enzyme benzylsuccinate synthase (BssABC) and phenylphospate synthase (PpsA1BC) homologous genes involved in the first step of toluene and phenol transformation, respectively. Carbon and hydrogen isotopic fractionation were εbulk, C = - 3.5 ± 0.6 ‰ and εrp, H = - 85 ± 11 ‰, respectively, leading to a dual C-H isotope slope of ΛH/C = 26 ± 2. This value fits with a previously reported value for a consortium dominated by an Azoarcus species (ΛH/C = 19 ± 5) but differs from that reported for Aromatoleum aromaticum (ΛH/C = 14 ± 1), both of which grow with toluene under nitrate-reducing conditions. Overall, this suggests the existence of different BssABC enzymes with different mechanistic motifs even within the same Aromatoleum genus.