Biodegradation of nicosulfuron by a novel Alcaligenes faecalis strain ZWS11

A bacterial strain ZWS11 was isolated from sulfonylurea herbicide-contaminated farmland soil and identified as a potential nicosulfuron-degrading bacterium. Based on morphological and physicochemical characterization of the bacterium and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence, strain ZWS11 was identified as Alcaligenes faecalis. The effects of the initial concentration of nicosulfuron, inoculation volume, and medium pH on degradation of nicosulfuron were investigated. Strain ZWS11 could degrade 80.56% of the initial nicosulfuron supplemented at 500.0 mg/L under the conditions of pH 7.0, 180 r/min and 30°C after incubation for 6 days. Strain ZWS11 was also capable of degrading rimsulfuron, tribenuron-methyl and thifensulfuron-methyl. Four metabolites from biodegradation of nicosulfuron were identified, which were 2-aminosulfonyl-N, N-dimethylnicotinamide (M1), 4, 6-dihydroxypyrimidine (M2), 2-amino-4, 6-dimethoxypyrimidine (M3) and 2-(1-(4,6-dimethoxy-pyrimidin-2-yl)-ureido)-N,N-dimethyl-nicotinamide (M4). Among the metabolites detected, M2 was reported for the first time. Possible biodegradation pathways of nicosulfuron by strain ZWS11 were proposed. The degradation proceeded mainly via cleavage of the sulfonylurea bridge, O-dealkylation, and contraction of the sulfonylurea bridge by elimination of a sulfur dioxide group. The results provide valuable information for degradation of nicosulfuron in contaminated environments.     

Bioaccumulation characterization of uranium by a novel Streptomyces sporoverrucosus dwc-3

The biosorption mechanisms of uranium on an aerobic bacterial strain Streptomyces sporoverrucosus dwc-3, isolated from a potential disposal site for (ultra-)low uraniferous radioactive waste in Southwest China, were evaluated by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and enhanced proton backscattering spectrometry (EPBS). Approximately 60% of total uranium at an initial concentration of 10 mg/L uranium nitrate solution could be absorbed on 100 mg S. sporoverrucosus dwc-3 with an adsorption capacity of more than 3.0 mg/g (wet weight) after 12 hr at room temperature at pH 3.0. The dynamic biosorption process of S. sporoverrucosus dwc-3 for uranyl ions was well described by a pseudo second-order model. S. sporoverrucosus dwc-3 could accumulate uranium on cell walls and within the cell, as revealed by SEM and TEM analysis as well as EDX spectra. XPS and FT-IR analysis further suggested that the absorbed uranium was bound to amino, phosphate and carboxyl groups of the cells. Additionally, PIXE and EPBS results confirmed that ion exchange also contributed to the adsorption process of uranium.     

Biodegradation of pendimethalin by Bacillus subtilis Y3

A bacterium strain Y3,capable of efficiently degrading pendimethalin,was isolated from activated sludge and identified as Bacillus subtilis according to its phenotypic features and 16 S rRNA phylogenetic analysis.This strain could grow on pendimethalin as a sole carbon source and degrade 99.5%of 100 mg/L pendimethalin within 2.5 days in batch liquid culture,demonstrating a greater efficiency than any other reported strains.Three metabolic products,6-aminopendimethalin,5-amino-2-methyl-3-nitroso-4-(pentan-3-ylamino) benzoic acid,and 8-amino-2-ethyl-5-(hydroxymethyl)-1,2-dihydroquinoxaline-6-carboxylic acid,were identified by HPLC-MS/MS,and a new microbial degradation pathway was proposed.A nitroreductase catalyzing nitroreduction of pendimethalin to 6-aminopendimethalin was detected in the cell lysate of strain Y3.The cofactor was nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH) or more preferably nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NADH).The optimal temperature and pH for the nitroreductase were 30℃ and 7.5,respectively.Hg~(2+),Ni~(2+),Pb~(2+),Co~(2+),Mn~(2+) Cu~(2+),Ag~+,and EDTA severely inhibited the nitroreductase activity,whereas Fe~(2+),Mg~(2+),and Ca~(2+) enhanced it.This study provides an efficient pendimethalin-degrading microorganism and broadens the knowledge of the microbial degradation pathway of pendimethalin.     

Biodegradation of indole by a newly isolated Cupriavidus sp. SHE

Indole, a typical nitrogen heterocyclic aromatic pollutant, is extensively spread in industrial wastewater. Microbial degradation has been proven to be a feasible approach to remove indole, whereas the microbial resources are fairly limited. A bacterial strain designated as SHE was isolated and found to be an efficient indole degrader. It was identified as Cupriavidus sp. according to 16S rRNA gene analysis. Strain SHE could utilize indole as the sole carbon source and almost completely degrade 100 mg/L of indole within 24 hr. It still harbored relatively high indole degradation capacity within pH 4–9 and temperature 25°C–35°C. Experiments also showed that some heavy metals such as Mn^2 +, Pb^2 + and Co^2 + did not pose severe inhibition on indole degradation. Based on high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrum analysis, isatin was identified as a minor intermediate during the process of indole biodegradation. A major yellow product with m/z 265.0605 (C₁₅H₈N₂O₃) was generated and accumulated, suggesting a novel indole conversion pathway existed. Genome analysis of strain SHE indicated that there existed a rich set of oxidoreductases, which might be the key reason for the efficient degradation of indole. The robust degradation ability of strain SHE makes it a promising candidate for the treatment of indole containing wastewater.     

Biodegradation of 3,5-dimethyl-2,4-dichlorophenol in saline wastewater by newly isolated Penicillium sp. yz11-22N2

In this study,the performance of 3,5-dimethyl-2,4-dichlorophenol(DCMX) degradation by a screened strain was investigated.18 S r DNA and the neighbor-joining method were used for identification of the isolated strain.The results of phylogenetic analysis and scanning electron micrographs showed that the most probable identity of the screened strain should be Penicillium sp.Growth characteristics of Penicillium sp.and degradation processes of DCMX were examined.Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the inoculated DCMX solution was recorded,which supported the capacity of DCMX degradation by the screened Penicillium sp.Under different salinity conditions,the highest growth rate and removal efficiency for DCMX were obtained at p H 6.0.The removal efficiency decreased from 100%to 66% when the DCMX concentration increased from 5 to 60 mg/L,respectively.Using a Box–Behnken design,the maximum DCMX removal efficiency was determined to be 98.4%.With acclimation to salinity,higher removal efficiency could be achieved.The results demonstrate that the screened Penicillium sp.has the capability for degradation of DCMX.     

Uptake of radioiodide by Paenibacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Burkholderia sp. and Rhodococcus sp. isolated from a boreal nutrient-poor bog

Radionuclides, like radioiodine(~(129)I), may escape deep geological nuclear waste repositories and migrate to the surface ecosystems. In surface ecosystems, microorganisms can affect their movement. Iodide uptake of six bacterial strains belonging to the genera Paenibacillus,Pseudomonas, Burkholderia and Rhodococcus isolated from an acidic boreal nutrient-poor bog was tested. The tests were run in four different growth media at three temperatures. All bacterial strains removed iodide from the solution with the highest efficiency shown by one of the Paenibacillus strains with 99% of iodide removed from the solution in one of the used growth media. Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus and one of the two Paenibacillus strains showed highest iodide uptake in 1% yeast extract with maximum values for the distribution coefficient(K_d) ranging from 90 to 270 L/kg DW. The Burkholderia strain showed highest uptake in 1% Tryptone(maximum K_d170 L/kg DW). The Paenibacillus strain V0-1-LW showed exceptionally high uptake in 0.5% peptone + 0.25% yeast extract broth(maximum K_d 1,000,000 L/kg DW). Addition of 0.1% glucose to the 0.5% peptone + 0.25% yeast extract broth reduced iodide uptake at 4℃ and 20℃ and enhanced iodide uptake at 37℃ compared to the uptake without glucose. This indicates that the uptake of glucose and iodide may be competing processes in these bacteria. We estimated that in in situ conditions of the bog,the bacterial uptake of iodide accounts for approximately 0.1%–0.3% of the total sorption of iodide in the surface, subsurface peat, gyttja and clay layers.     

Comparative cytotoxicity of nanoparticles and ions to Escherichia coli in binary mixtures

The objective of this study was to understand toxicity of mixture of nanoparticles (NPs) (ZnO and TiO₂) and their ions to Escherichia coli. Results indicated the decrease in percentage growth of E. coli with the increase in concentration of NPs both in single and mixture setups. Even a small concentration of 1 mg/L was observed to be significantly toxic to E. coli in binary mixture setup (exposure concentration: 1 mg/L ZnO and 1 mg/L TiO₂; 21.15% decrease in plate count concentration with respect to control). Exposure of E. coli to mixture of NPs at 1000 mg/L (i.e., 1000 mg/L ZnO and 1000 mg/L TiO₂) resulted in 99.63% decrease in plate count concentration with respect to control. Toxic effects of ions to E. coli were found to be lesser than their corresponding NPs. The percentage growth reduction was found to be 36% for binary mixture of zinc and titanium ions at the highest concentration (i.e., 803.0 mg/L Zn and 593.3 mg/L Ti where ion concentrations are equal to the Zn ions present in 1000 mg/L ZnO NP solution and Ti^+ 4 ions present in 1000 mg/L TiO₂ NP solution). Nature of mixture toxicity of the two NPs to E. coli was found to be antagonistic. The alkaline phosphatase (Alp) assay indicated that the maximum damage was observed when E. coli was exposed to 1000 mg/L of mixture of NPs. This study tries to fill the knowledge gap on information of toxicity of mixture of NPs to bacteria which has not been reported earlier.     

Variation in assimilable organic carbon formation during chlorination of Microcystis aeruginosa extracellular organic matter solutions

This study investigated the chlorination of Microcystis aeruginosa extracellular organic matter(EOM) solutions under different conditions, to determine how the metabolites produced by these organisms affect water safety and the formation of assimilable organic carbon(AOC). The effects of chlorine dosages, coagulant dosage, reaction time and temperature on the formation of AOC were investigated during the disinfection of M.aeruginosa metabolite solutions. The concentration of AOC followed a decreasing and then increasing pattern with increasing temperature and reaction time. The concentration of AOC decreased and then increased with increasing chlorination dosage, followed by a slight decrease at the highest level of chlorination. However, the concentration of AOC decreased continuously with increasing coagulant dosage. The formation of AOC can be suppressed under appropriate conditions. In this study, chlorination at 4 mg/L, combined with a coagulant dose of 40 mg/L at 20°C over a reaction time of 12 hr, produced the minimum AOC.     

Bio-remediation of acephate–Pb(II) compound contaminants by Bacillus subtilis FZUL-33

Removal of Pb~(2+)and biodegradation of organophosphorus have been both widely investigated respectively. However, bio-remediation of both Pb~(2+)and organophosphorus still remains largely unexplored. Bacillus subtilis FZUL-33, which was isolated from the sediment of a lake, possesses the capability for both biomineralization of Pb~(2+)and biodegradation of acephate. In the present study, both Pb~(2+)and acephate were simultaneously removed via biodegradation and biomineralization in aqueous solutions.Batch experiments were conducted to study the influence of p H, interaction time and Pb~(2+)concentration on the process of removal of Pb2+. At the temperature of 25°C, the maximum removal of Pb~(2+)by B. subtilis FZUL-33 was 381.31 ± 11.46 mg/g under the conditions of p H 5.5, initial Pb~(2+)concentration of 1300 mg/L, and contact time of 10 min. Batch experiments were conducted to study the influence of acephate on removal of Pb~(2+)and the influence of Pb2+on biodegradation of acephate by B. subtilis FZUL-33. In the mixed system of acephate–Pb2+, the results show that biodegradation of acephate by B. subtilis FZUL-33 released PO43+, which promotes mineralization of Pb2+. The process of biodegradation of acephate was affected slightly when the concentration of Pb2+was below 100 mg/L. Based on the results, it can be inferred that the B. subtilis FZUL-33 plays a significant role in bio-remediation of organophosphorus-heavy metal compound contamination.     

Achieving partial nitrification by inhibiting the activity of Nitrospira-like bacteria under high-DO conditions in an intermittent aeration reactor

It is generally accepted that a low dissolved oxygen(DO) concentration is more beneficial for achieving partial nitrification than high-DO. In this study, partial nitrification was not established under low-DO conditions in an intermittent aeration reactor for treating domestic wastewater. During the operational period of low-DO conditions(DO: 0.3 ±0.14 mg/L), stable complete nitrification was observed. The abundance of Nitrospira-like bacteria, which were the major nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, increased from 1.03 × 10~6to2.64 × 10~6cells/m L. At the end of the low-DO period, the batch tests showed that high-DO concentration(1.5, 2.0 mg/L) could inhibit nitrite oxidation, and enhance ammonia oxidation. After switching to the high-DO period(1.8 ± 0.32 mg/L), partial nitrification was gradually achieved. Nitrospira decreased from 2.64 × 10~6 to 8.85 × 10~5cells/m L. It was found that suddenly switching to a high-DO condition could inhibit the activity and abundance of Nitrospira-like bacteria, resulting in partial nitrification.     

甲氰菊酯降解菌JQL4-5的分离鉴定及降解特性研究

从农药厂废水处理池的活性污泥中分离到1株能以甲氰菊酯为唯一碳源生长的细菌,命名为JQL4-5.根据其生理生化特征和16S rDNA(GenBank Accession No.DQ177525)序列相似性分析,将该菌株鉴定为鞘氨醇单胞菌属(Sphingomonas sp.).该菌株在24h内对20 mg/L的甲氰菊酯的降解率达到99.8%.降解甲氰菊酯的最适温度为30℃,pH为7.0,降解速率与初始接种量呈正相关.酶的定域试验表明,降解甲氰菊酯的酶为胞内酶.     

Sediment pollution characteristics and in situ control in a deep drinking water reservoir

Sediment pollution characteristics, in situ sediment release potential, and in situ inhibition of sediment release were investigated in a drinking water reservoir. Results showed that organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in sediments increased from the reservoir mouth to the main reservoir. Fraction analysis indicated that nitrogen in ion exchangeable form and NaOH-extractable P (Fe/Al-P) accounted for 43% and 26% of TN and TP in sediments of the main reservoir. The Risk Assessment Code for metal elements showed that Fe and Mn posed high to very high risk. The results of the in situ reactor experiment in the main reservoir showed the same trends as those observed in the natural state of the reservoir in 2011 and 2012; the maximum concentrations of total OC, TN, TP, Fe, and Mn reached 4.42 mg/L, 3.33 mg/L, 0.22 mg/L, 2.56 mg/L, and 0.61 mg/L, respectively. An in situ sediment release inhibition technology, the water-lifting aerator, was utilized in the reservoir. The results of operating the water-lifting aerator indicated that sediment release was successfully inhibited and that OC, TN, TP, Fe, and Mn in surface sediment could be reduced by 13.25%, 15.23%, 14.10%, 5.32%, and 3.94%, respectively.     

Differences in nitrite-oxidizing communities and kinetics in a brackish environment after enrichment at low and high nitrite concentrations

Nitrite accumulation in shrimp ponds can pose serious adverse effects to shrimp production and the environment.This study aims to develop an effective process for the enrichment of ready-to-use nitrite-oxidizing bacteria(NOB)inocula that would be appropriate for nitrite removal in brackish shrimp ponds.To achieve this objective,the effects of nitrite concentrations on NOB communities and nitrite oxidation kinetics in a brackish environment were investigated.Moving-bed biofilm sequencing batch reactors and continuous moving-bed biofilm reactors were used for the enrichment of NOB at various nitrite concentrations,using sediment from brackish shrimp ponds as seed inoculum.The results from NOB population analysis with quantitative polymerase chain reaction(q PCR)show that only Nitrospira were detected in the sediment from the shrimp ponds.After the enrichment,both Nitrospira and Nitrobacter coexisted in the reactors controlling effluent nitrite at 0.1 and 0.5 mg-NO_2~--N/L.On the other hand,in the reactors controlling effluent nitrite at 3,20,and 100 mg-NO_2~--N/L,Nitrobacter outcompeted Nitrospira in many orders of magnitude.The half saturation coefficients(Ks)for nitrite oxidation of the enrichments at low nitrite concentrations(0.1 and 0.5 mg-NO_2~--N/L)were in the range of 0.71–0.98 mg-NO_2~--N/L.In contrast,the Ksvalues of NOB enriched at high nitrite concentrations(3,20,and 100 mg-NO_2~--N/L)were much higher(8.36–12.20 mg-NO_2~--N/L).The results suggest that the selection of nitrite concentrations for the enrichment of NOB inocula can significantly influence NOB populations and kinetics,which could affect the effectiveness of their applications in brackish shrimp ponds.     

Application of internal standard method in recombinant luminescent bacteria test

Mercury and its organic compounds have been of severe concern worldwide due to their damage to the ecosystem and human health. The development of effective and affordable technology to monitor and signal the presence of bioavailable mercury is an urgent need. The Mer gene is a mercury-responsive resistant gene, and a mercury-sensing recombinant luminescent bacterium using the Mer gene was constructed in this study. The mer operon from marine Pseudomonas putida strain SP1 was amplified and fused with prompterless luxCDABE in the pUCD615 plasmid within Escherichia coli cells, resulting in pTHE30–E. coli. The recombinant strain showed high sensitivity and specificity. The detection limit of Hg^2 + was 5 nmol/L, and distinct luminescence could be detected in 30 min. Cd^2 +, Cu^2 +, Zn^2 +, Ca^2 +, Pb^2 +, Mg^2 +, Mn^2 +, and Al^3 + did not interfere with the detection over a range of 10^− 5–1 mM. Application of recombinant luminescent bacteria testing in environmental samples has been a controversial issue: especially for metal-sensing recombinant strains, false negatives caused by high cytotoxicity are one of the most important issues when applying recombinant luminescent bacteria in biomonitoring of heavy metals. In this study, by establishing an internal standard approach, the false negative problem was overcome; furthermore, the method can also help to estimate the suspected mercury concentration, which ensures high detection sensitivity of bioavailable Hg^2 +.     

Photoelectrochemical performance of birnessite films and photoelectrocatalytic activity toward oxidation of phenol

Birnessite films on fluorine-doped tin oxide(FTO) coated glass were prepared by cathodic reduction of aqueous KMnO_4. The deposited birnessite films were characterized with X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.The photoelectrochemical activity of birnessite films was investigated and a remarkable photocurrent in response to visible light was observed in the presence of phenol, resulting from localized manganese d–d transitions. Based on this result, the photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of phenol was investigated. Compared with phenol degradation by the electrochemical oxidation process or photocatalysis separately, a synergetic photoelectrocatalytic degradation effect was observed in the presence of the birnessite film coated FTO electrode.Photoelectrocatalytic degradation ratios were influenced by film thickness and initial phenol concentrations. Phenol degradation with the thinnest birnessite film and initial phenol concentration of 10 mg/L showed the highest efficiency of 91.4% after 8 hr. Meanwhile, the kinetics of phenol removal was fit well by the pseudofirst-order kinetic model.     

Enhanced methane production in an anaerobic digestion and microbial electrolysis cell coupled system with co-cultivation of Geobacter and Methanosarcina

The anaerobic digestion(AD)and microbial electrolysis cell(MEC)coupled system has been proved to be a promising process for biomethane production.In this paper,it was found that by co-cultivating Geobacter with Methanosarcina in an AD–MEC coupled system,methane yield was further increased by 24.1%,achieving to 360.2 m L/g-COD,which was comparable to the theoretical methane yield of an anaerobic digester.With the presence of Geobacter,the maximum chemical oxygen demand(COD)removal rate(216.8 mg COD/(L·hr))and current density(304.3 A/m_3)were both increased by 1.3 and 1.8 fold compared to the previous study without Geobacter,resulting in overall energy efficiency reaching up to 74.6%.Community analysis demonstrated that Geobacter and Methanosarcina could coexist together in the biofilm,and the electrochemical activities of both were confirmed by cyclic voltammetry.Our study observed that the carbon dioxide content in total gas generated from the AD reactor with Geobacter was only half of that generated from the same reactor without Geobacter,suggesting that Methanosarcina may obtain the electron transferred from Geobacter for the reduction of carbon dioxide to methane.Taken together,Geobacter not only can improve the performance of the MEC system,but also can enhance methane production.     

Denitrification and biofilm growth in a pilot-scale biofilter packed with suspended carriers for biological nitrogen removal from secondary effluent

Tertiary denitrification is an effective method for nitrogen removal from wastewater. A pilot-scale biofilter packed with suspended carriers was operated for tertiary denitrification with ethanol as the organic carbon source. Long-term performance, biokinetics of denitrification and biofilm growth were evaluated under filtration velocities of 6, 10 and 14 m/hr. The pilot-scale biofilter removed nitrate from the secondary effluent effectively, and the nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N) removal percentage was 82%, 78% and 55% at the filtration velocities of 6, 10 and 14 m/hr, respectively. At the filtration velocities of 6 and 10 m/hr, the nitrate removal loading rate increased with increasing influent nitrate loading rates, while at the filtration velocity of 14 m/hr, the removal loading rate and the influent loading rate were uncorrelated. During denitrification, the ratio of consumed chemical oxygen demand to removed NO₃-N was 3.99–4.52 mg/mg. Under the filtration velocities of 6, 10 and 14 m/hr, the maximum denitrification rate was 3.12, 4.86 and 4.42 g N/(m²·day), the half-saturation constant was 2.61, 1.05 and 1.17 mg/L, and the half-order coefficient was 0.22, 0.32 and 0.24 (mg/L)^1/2/min, respectively. The biofilm biomass increased with increasing filtration velocity and was 2845, 5124 and 7324 mg VSS/m² at filtration velocities of 6, 10 and 14 m/hr, respectively. The highest biofilm density was 44 mg/cm³ at the filtration velocity of 14 m/hr. Due to the low influent loading rate, biofilm biomass and thickness were lowest at the filtration velocity of 6 m/hr.     

High-solids anaerobic mono-digestion of riverbank grass under thermophilic conditions

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of high-solids anaerobic mono-digestion of riverbank grass under thermophilic conditions, focusing on the effects of the strength and the amount of inoculum. Ensiled grass was inoculated with three different inocula; inoculum from liquid anaerobic digester (LI), inoculum from dry anaerobic digester (DI), and mixture of LI and DI (MI), at feedstock-to-inoculum ratio (FIR) of 1, 2 and 4. The ensiling process of riverbank grass reduced moisture content (p > 0.05), while the hemicellulose content was significantly increased from 30.88% to 35.15% (p < 0.05), on dry matter basis. The highest methane production was at an FIR of 2 with MI (167 L/kg VS_added), which was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than with DI, but not significant compared to LI (p > 0.05). At an FIR of 4, digesters inoculated with LI and DI failed to produce methane, whereas 135 L_CH4/kg VS_added was obtained with MI. The kinetic studies showed that at an FIR of 1 with LI and MI, the inoculum had less of effects on the hydrolysis rate constant (0.269 day^− 1 and 0.245 day^− 1) and methane production (135 versus 149 L/kg VS_added); rather, it affected the lag phase. In a thermophilic HS-AD of riverbank grass, the mixture of inoculum with low and high total solids content (TS) helps increase the TS of inoculum and digestion process. An FIR of 2 was deducted to be the limit for a better startup time and higher volumetric productivity of methane.     

A screening assay for thyroid hormone signaling disruption based on thyroid hormone-response gene expression analysis in the frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus

Amphibian metamorphosis provides a wonderful model to study the thyroid hormone (TH) signaling disrupting activity of environmental chemicals, with Xenopus laevis as the most commonly used species. This study aimed to establish a rapid and sensitive screening assay based on TH-response gene expression analysis using Pelophylax nigromaculatus, a native frog species distributed widely in East Asia, especially in China. To achieve this, five candidate TH-response genes that were sensitive to T3 induction were chosen as molecular markers, and T3 induction was determined as 0.2 nmol/L T3 exposure for 48 hr. The developed assay can detect the agonistic activity of T3 with a lowest observed effective concentration of 0.001 nmol/L and EC50 at around 0.118–1.229 nmol/L, exhibiting comparable or higher sensitivity than previously reported assays. We further validated the efficiency of the developed assay by detecting the TH signaling disrupting activity of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a known TH signaling disruptor. In accordance with previous reports, we found a weak TH agonistic activity for TBBPA in the absence of T3, whereas a TH antagonistic activity was found for TBBPA at higher concentrations in the presence of T3, showing that the P. nigromaculatus assay is effective for detecting TH signaling disrupting activity. Importantly, we observed non-monotonic dose-dependent disrupting activity of TBBPA in the presence of T3, which is difficult to detect with in vitro reporter gene assays. Overall, the developed P. nigromaculatus assay can be used to screen TH signaling disrupting activity of environmental chemicals with high sensitivity.     

Biodegradation of N,N-dimethylacetamide by Rhodococcus sp. strain B83 isolated from the rhizosphere of pagoda tree

The biodegradation characteristic and potential metabolic pathway for removal of environmental N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) by Rhodococcus sp. strain B83 was studied. Rhodococcus sp. strain B83 was isolated from the rhizosphere of a pagoda tree and proved capable of utilizing DMAC as sole source of carbon and nitrogen. Batch culture studies showed that strain B83 could tolerate up to 25 g/L DMAC and showed distinct growth on possible catabolic intermediates except for acetate. The nitrogen balance analysis revealed that approximately 71% of the initial nitrogen was converted to organic nitrogen. DMAC degradation has led to accumulation of acetate and organic nitrogen, meanwhile traces of nitrate and ammonia was build-up but without nitrite. The growth of strain B83 could be inhibited by adding exogenous acetate. By means of the assay of enzymatic degradation of DMAC, several catabolic intermediates at different intervals were observed and identified. Based on the results obtained from culture solution and enzymatic degradation assay, a detailed pathway is proposed for DMAC biodegradation.