Microcystin-LR biodegradation by Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05

A promising bacterial strain for biodegrading microcystin-LR (MC-LR) as the sole carbon and nitrogen source was successfully isolated from Lake Dianchi, China. The strain was identified as Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05, which was the first isolated MCs-biodegrading Sphingopyxis sp. in China. The average biodegradation rate of MC-LR by Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05 was 28.8 mg·L⁻¹ per day, which was apparently higher than those of other bacteria reported so far. The optimal temperature and pH for both strain USTB-05 growth and MC-LR biodegradation were 30°C and 7.0, respectively. The release of MC-LR from the cyanobacterial cells collected from Lake Guishui and the biodegradation of MC-LR by both strain and cell-free extract (CE) were investigated. The results indicated that MC-LR with the initial concentration of 4.0 mg·L⁻¹ in water was biodegraded by Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05 within 4 d, while MC-LR with the initial concentration of 28.8 mg·L⁻¹ could be completely removed in 3 h by CE of Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05 containing 350 mg·L⁻¹ protein. During enzymatic biodegradation of MC-LR, two intermediate metabolites and a dead-end product were observed on an HPLC chromatogram. Moreover, the similar scanning profiles of MC-LR and its metabolic products indicate that the Adda side-chain of MC-LR was kept intact in all products.