Monitoring bioremediation of atrazine in soil microcosms using molecular tools

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 172; pp. 108 - 115
• Main Authors: Sagarkar, Sneha, Mukherjee, Shinjini, Nousiainen, Aura, Björklöf, Katarina, Purohit, Hemant J., Jørgensen, Kirsten S., Kapley, Atya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Arthrobacter; Atrazine; Atrazine - metabolism; atzA; Base Sequence; Bioaugmentation; Biodegradation of pollutants; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Biostimulation; Biotechnology; Decontamination. Miscellaneous; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environment and pollution; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; genes; Genes, Bacterial; Herbicides - metabolism; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; microbial communities; microorganisms; Molecular Sequence Data; Molecular tools; monitoring; Natural attenuation; Nocardioides; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; prediction; quantitative polymerase chain reaction; Soil - chemistry; Soil and sediments pollution; soil ecology; Soil Microbiology; Soil Pollutants - metabolism; trzN; Maharashtra; Asia; India; trzN; Natural attenuation; atzA; Biostimulation; Molecular tools; Bioaugmentation; Atrazine; Agricultural chemical product; Soil pollution; Chemical pollution; Decontamination; Gene; Investigation method; Selfpurification; Bioremediation; Organic compounds; Biodegradation; Pollutant behavior; Pesticides; Endocrine disruptor; Herbicide; Carcinogen; Surveillance; Triazine derivatives; Molecular biology
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.07.048

Molecular tools in microbial community analysis give access to information on catabolic potential and diversity of microbes. Applied in bioremediation, they could provide a new dimension to improve pollution control. This concept has been demonstrated in the study using atrazine as model pollutant. Bioremediation of the herbicide, atrazine, was analyzed in microcosm studies by bioaugmentation, biostimulation and natural attenuation. Genes from the atrazine degrading pathway atzA/B/C/D/E/F, trzN, and trzD were monitored during the course of treatment and results demonstrated variation in atzC, trzD and trzN genes with time. Change in copy number of trzN gene under different treatment processes was demonstrated by real-time PCR. The amplified trzN gene was cloned and sequence data showed homology to genes reported in Arthrobacter and Nocardioides. Results demonstrate that specific target genes can be monitored, quantified and correlated to degradation analysis which would help in predicting the outcome of any bioremediation strategy. ► Degradation of herbicide, atrazine. ► Comparison of bioremediation via bioaugmentation, biostimulation and natural attenuation. ► Gene profile analysis in all treatments. ► Variation in trzN gene numbers correlated to degradation efficiency. ► Cloning and sequence analysis of trzN gene demonstrates very high homology to reported gene. This study demonstrates the use of molecular tools in bioremediation to monitor and track target genes; correlates the results with degradation and thereby predicts the efficiency of treatment.