Evolution of a pathway for chlorobenzene metabolism leads to natural attenuation in contaminated groundwater

ABSTRACT: Complete metabolism of chlorinated benzenes is not a feature that is generally found in aerobic bacteria but is thought to be due to a novel recombination of two separate gene clusters. Such a recombination could be responsible for adaptation of a natural microbial community in response to contamination with synthetic chemicals. This hypothesis was tested in a chlorobenzene (CB)-contaminated aquifer. CB-degrading bacteria from a contaminated site were characterized for a number of years by examining a combination of growth characteristics and DNA-DNA hybridization, PCR, and DNA sequence data. The genetic information obtained for the CB pathway of the predominant microorganism, Ralstonia sp. strain JS705, revealed a unique combination of (partially duplicated) genes for chlorocatechol degra

SUBMITTER: van der Meer JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC106626 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature