Biodegradation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene by Ralstonia eutropha JMP134

MONTI MARIELA R.; SMANIA ANDREA M.; ARGARAÑA CARLOS E.; GONZÁLEZ BERNARDO

Bariloche-Argentina

Congreso; XXXIX Reunión Anual de SAIB; 2003

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) is a priority pollutant used as intermediate in the synthesis of explosives and polyurethane foams. Although it is resistant to biological treatment, strains that mineralize this compound has been isolated. Burkholderia cepacia strain DNT was the first described bacteria able to grow in 2,4-DNT, and its biodegradation pathway has been extensively studied. Ralstonia eutropha JMP134 can grow in several chlorinated aromatic compounds. Furthermore, this bacterium utilizes nitrobenzene, 3-nitrophenol and 2-chloro-5-nitrophenol as sole carbon, nitrogen and energy source by a recently elucidated reductive pathway. Because of the demonstrated metabolic versatility of R. eutropha, the objective of our research was to investigate if this strain was also able to degrade 2,4-DNT. In this work, we report that R. eutropha can grow in media with 2,4-DNT as sole carbon, nitrogen and energy source under aerobic conditions. Chemical analysis confirmed the degradation of 2,4-DNT and the generation of N02. R. eutropha genome analysis indicated the presence of several genes homologous to those encoding the biodegradative pathway described in B. cepacea. We are performing experiments to know if R. eutropha use the same 2,4-DNT degradation pathway as B. cepacia.