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Anaerobic biotransformation of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers by Dehalococcoides species and an enrichment culture

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Abstract

The biotransformation of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCH) by two Dehalococcoides mccartyi strains (195 and BTF08) and an enrichment culture was investigated and compared to conversion by the obligate anaerobic strain Clostridium pasteurianum strain DSMZ 525. The D. mccartyi strains preferentially transformed γ-HCH over α-HCH and δ-HCH isomers while β-HCH biotransformation was not significant. In case of the enrichment culture, γ-HCH was preferentially transformed over the δ-HCH, β-HCH and α-HCH isomers. Major observed metabolites in both cases were tetrachlorocyclohexene and as end products monochlorobenzene (MCB) and benzene. Dechlorination of the γ-HCH isomer was linked to an increase in cell numbers for strain 195. γ-HCH transformation was linked to considerable carbon stable isotope fractionation with the enrichment factor εc = − 5.5 ± 0.8‰ for D. mccartyi strain 195, εc = − 3.1 ± 0.4‰ for the enrichment culture and εc = − 4.1 ± 0.6‰ for co-metabolic transformation by C. pasteurianum.

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Acknowledgements

We thank to Ursula Gunther, Stephanie Hinke and Falk Bratfisch for the technical support. Safdar Bashir was supported by University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan and the Helmholtz Impulse and Networking Fund through Helmholtz Interdisciplinary Graduate School for Environmental Research (HIGRADE). This study was further funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Project INTIME 02WU1221), Germany, and Ministry of Science and Technology, Israel (BMBF-MOST).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany

    Safdar Bashir, Kevin Kuntze, Carsten Vogt & Ivonne Nijenhuis

  2. Institute of Soil and Environmental Science, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan

    Safdar Bashir

  3. Isodetect GmbH, Deutscher Platz 5b, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Kevin Kuntze

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  1. Safdar Bashir
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Correspondence to Ivonne Nijenhuis.

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Bashir, S., Kuntze, K., Vogt, C. et al. Anaerobic biotransformation of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers by Dehalococcoides species and an enrichment culture. Biodegradation 29, 409–418 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-018-9838-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-018-9838-9

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