Bacteria Genomes - AZOARCUS
Azoarcus
is capable of anaerobic mineralization of ethylbenzene to carbon dioxide
The microorganism Azoarcus is a Gram-negative bacterium that belongs to the beta subclass
of the Proteobacteria.
The environmental
need for the remediation of toluene comes from the potential contamination
that can occur from any gasoline storage tank. Gasoline will sometimes
leak from these tanks, even the underground storage facilities used
at many gas stations. This escaping gasoline will sometimes carry
toluene with it into the water supply. Any wells that tap into a
contaminated aquifer will become unfit for human consumption.
In recent
years, substantial progress has been made in the understanding of
anaerobic degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons. The metabolism of
toluene has mainly been elucidated in denitrifying
Thauera and
Azoarcus strains, and is initiated by the addition of
the methyl carbon of toluene to the double bond of fumarate by benzylsuccinate
synthase.
References:
http://www.efcats.org/pages/Summerschool/Ustron%202004/Posters/Menke.pdf
http://web.umr.edu/~microbio/BIO221_1998/A_tolulyticus.html
Arch. Microbiol. 183:27-36 (2005).
Arch. Microbiol. 178(6):506-516(2002)
 |