A 2,2-Dichloropropionic Acid-Degrading Novel Pseudomonas fluorescence Strain Fatsa001: Isolation, Identification, and Characterization

Abstract

There are mounting concerns over the high concentrations of non-biogenic, toxic halogenated organic compounds being liberated into the ecosystem. Therefore, this study's isolation of a novel bacterium from a contaminated stream in Fatsa, Ordu, Turkey, adept in degrading 2,2-dichloropropionic (of 2,2-DCP) is a welcome endeavor. The ability of the bacterial isolate to utilize 2,2-DCP as the sole carbon and energy source was discovered when the bacterium was observed to grow well on liquid minimal media containing 20 mM of 2,2-DCP, showing a doubling time of 14.2 h. The following genetic and biochemical characterizations revealed that the 16S rRNA sequence of the fatsa001strain is identical (99%) to Pseudomonas fluorescence, after which the sequence was deposited in the NCBI GenBank as Pseudomonas sp. strain fatsa001 (MN098848). The halogen-degrading ability of the P. fluorescens fatsa001 bacterium was again confirmed by the PCR data, which showed the presence of a conserved group of amino acids from the group I dehalogenase gene. It worth mentioning here that this is the first report on a P. fluorescence bacterial strain with the ability to degrade toxic 2,2-DCP. The detoxification ability of this bacterium envisages its practicality as an in situ environmental bioremediation agent.