Skip to main content
Publications | Persons | Institutes | Projects
[ report an error in this record ]basket (0): add | show Print this page

Microbial oil-degradation under mild hydrostatic pressure (10 MPa): which pathways are impacted in piezosensitive hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria?
Scoma, A.; Barbato, M.; Hernandez-Sanabria, E.; Mapelli, F.; Daffonchio, D.; Borin, S.; Boon, N. (2016). Microbial oil-degradation under mild hydrostatic pressure (10 MPa): which pathways are impacted in piezosensitive hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria? NPG Scientific Reports 6: 23526. dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep23526
In: Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group). Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 2045-2322; e-ISSN 2045-2322, more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keyword
    Marine/Coastal

Authors  Top 
  • Scoma, A., more
  • Barbato, M.
  • Hernandez-Sanabria, E., more
  • Mapelli, F.
  • Daffonchio, D.
  • Borin, S.
  • Boon, N., more

Abstract
    Oil spills represent an overwhelming carbon input to the marine environment that immediately impacts the sea surface ecosystem. Microbial communities degrading the oil fraction that eventually sinks to the seafloor must also deal with hydrostatic pressure, which linearly increases with depth. Piezosensitive hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria are ideal candidates to elucidate impaired pathways following oil spills at low depth. In the present paper, we tested two strains of the ubiquitous Alcanivorax genus, namely A. jadensis KS_339 and A. dieselolei KS_293, which is known to rapidly grow after oil spills. Strains were subjected to atmospheric and mild pressure (0.1, 5 and 10?MPa, corresponding to a depth of 0, 500 and 1000?m, respectively) providing n-dodecane as sole carbon source. Pressures equal to 5 and 10?MPa significantly lowered growth yields of both strains. However, in strain KS_293 grown at 10?MPa CO2 production per cell was not affected, cell integrity was preserved and PO43- uptake increased. Analysis of its transcriptome revealed that 95% of its genes were downregulated. Increased transcription involved protein synthesis, energy generation and respiration pathways. Interplay between these factors may play a key role in shaping the structure of microbial communities developed after oil spills at low depth and limit their bioremediation potential.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors