Potential of Endophytic Bacterium Paenibacillus sp. PHE-3 Isolated from Plantago asiatica L. for Reduction of PAH Contamination in Plant Tissues

Xuezhu Zhu, Li Jin, Kai Sun, Shuang Li, Wanting Ling and Xuelin Li
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Xuezhu Zhu: Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Li Jin: Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Kai Sun: Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Shuang Li: Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Wanting Ling: Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Xuelin Li: Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China

IJERPH, 2016, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-12

Abstract: Endophytes are ubiquitous in plants, and they may have a natural capacity to biodegrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In our study, a phenanthrene-degrading endophytic Paenibacillus sp. PHE-3 was isolated from P. asiatica L. grown in a PAH-contaminated site. The effects of environmental variables on phenanthrene biodegradation by strain PHE-3 were studied, and the ability of strain PHE-3 to use high molecular weight PAH (HMW-PAH) as a sole carbon source was also evaluated. Our results indicated that pH value of 4.0–8.0, temperature of 30 °C–42 °C, initial phenanthrene concentration less than 100 mg·L ?1 , and some additional nutrients are favorable for the biodegradation of phenanthrene by strain PHE-3. The maximum biodegradation efficiency of phenanthrene was achieved at 99.9% after 84 h cultivation with additional glutamate. Moreover, the phenanthrene biodegradation by strain PHE-3 was positively correlated with the catechol 2,3-dioxygenase activity (? = 0.981, p < 0.05), suggesting that strain PHE-3 had the capability of degrading HMW-PAHs. In the presence of other 2-, 3-ringed PAHs, strain PHE-3 effectively degraded HMW-PAHs through co-metabolism. The results of this study are beneficial in that the re-colonization potential and PAH degradation performance of endophytic Paenibacillus sp. PHE-3 may be applied towards reducing PAH contamination in plants.

Keywords: phenanthrene; PAHs; biodegradation; endophytic bacterium; co-metabolism; catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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