Isolation from Agricultural Soil and Characterization of a Sphingomonas sp. Able To Mineralize the Phenylurea Herbicide Isoproturon

ABSTRACT A soil bacterium (designated strain SRS2) able to metabolize the phenylurea herbicide isoproturon, 3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (IPU), was isolated from a previously IPU-treated agricultural soil. Based on a partial analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and the cellular fatty acids, the strain was identified as a Sphingomonas sp. within the α-subdivision of the proteobacteria. Strain SRS2 was able to mineralize IPU when provided as a source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. Supplementing the medium with a mixture of amino acids considerably enhanced IPU mineralization. Mineralization of IPU was accompanied by transient accumulation of the metabolites 3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1-methylurea, 3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-urea, and 4-isopropyl-aniline identified by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, thus indicating a metabolic pathway initiated by two successive N-demethylations, followed by cleavage of the urea side chain and finally by mineralization of the phenyl structure. Strain SRS2 also transformed the dimethylurea-substituted herbicides diuron and chlorotoluron, giving rise to as-yet-unidentified products. In addition, no degradation of the methoxy-methylurea-substituted herbicide linuron was observed. This report is the first characterization of a pure bacterial culture able to mineralize IPU.

[1]  J. Aamand,et al.  Mineralization of 2,4-D, mecoprop, isoproturon and terbuthylazine in a chalk aquifer. , 2001, Pest management science.

[2]  E. Shaw,et al.  Degradation of Substituted Phenylurea Herbicides byArthrobacter globiformis Strain D47 and Characterization of a Plasmid-Associated Hydrolase Gene,puhA , 2001, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[3]  S. R. Sørensen,et al.  Analysing transformation products of herbicide residues in environmental samples. , 2001, Water research.

[4]  J. Swings,et al.  Sphingomonas alaskensis sp. nov., a dominant bacterium from a marine oligotrophic environment. , 2001, International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology.

[5]  M. Jurado-Expósito,et al.  Spatial variability in the degradation rate of isoproturon in soil. , 2001, Environmental pollution.

[6]  S. El-Fantroussi.  Enrichment and Molecular Characterization of a Bacterial Culture That Degrades Methoxy-Methyl Urea Herbicides and Their Aniline Derivatives , 2000, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[7]  J. Aamand,et al.  Mecoprop, isoproturon, and atrazine in and above a sandy aquifer: vertical distribution of mineralization potential. , 2000 .

[8]  D. Balkwill,et al.  Ecology, physiology, and phylogeny of deep subsurface Sphingomonas sp , 1999, Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[9]  J. Munch,et al.  A model for the formation and degradation of bound residues of the herbicide 14C-isoproturon in soil. , 1999, Chemosphere.

[10]  B. Berger.  Factors influencing transformation rates and formation of products of phenylurea herbicides in soil. , 1999, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[11]  K. Schramm,et al.  Determination photostability of selected agrochemicals in water and soil. , 1999, Chemosphere.

[12]  P. Mary,et al.  Total counts, culturable and viable, and non‐culturable microflora of a French mineral water: a case study , 1999, Journal of applied microbiology.

[13]  A. Walker,et al.  Rapid biodegradation of diuron and other phenylurea herbicides by a soil bacterium , 1999 .

[14]  N. H. Spliid,et al.  Occurrence of pesticides in Danish shallow ground water. , 1998, Chemosphere.

[15]  Walker,et al.  Isolation of isoproturon‐degrading bacteria from treated soil via three different routes , 1998, Journal of applied microbiology.

[16]  B. Berger.  Parameters influencing biotransformation rates of phenylurea herbicides by soil microorganisms , 1998 .

[17]  P. J. Chilton,et al.  Potential for aerobic isoproturon biodegradation and sorption in the unsaturated and saturated zones of a chalk aquifer , 1998 .

[18]  J. Lester,et al.  Sources of organic micropollutants to lowland rivers , 1998 .

[19]  W. Schüssler,et al.  Surface water pollution by herbicides from effluents of waste water treatment plants. , 1998, Chemosphere.

[20]  D. Balkwill,et al.  Taxonomic study of aromatic-degrading bacteria from deep-terrestrial-subsurface sediments and description of Sphingomonas aromaticivorans sp. nov., Sphingomonas subterranea sp. nov., and Sphingomonas stygia sp. nov. , 1997, International journal of systematic bacteriology.

[21]  S. Lehr,et al.  Metabolism of isoproturon in soils originating from different agricultural management systems and in cultures of isolated soil bacteria , 1996 .

[22]  A. Kettrup,et al.  Detection and Identification of the Herbicide Isoproturon and its Metabolites in Field Samples After a Heavy Rainfall Event , 1996 .

[23]  H. Kohler,et al.  Complete microbial degradation of both enantiomers of the chiral herbicide mecoprop [(RS)-2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)propionic acid] in an enantioselective manner by Sphingomonas herbicidovorans sp. nov , 1996, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[24]  L. Cox,et al.  Evidence for the accelerated degradation of isoproturon in soils , 1996 .

[25]  M. Mohammadi,et al.  Description of chlorophenol-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strains KF1T, KF3, and NKF1 as a new species of the genus Sphingomonas, Sphingomonas subarctica sp. nov. , 1996, International journal of systematic bacteriology.

[26]  M. Schiavon,et al.  Study on the mineralization and degradation of isoproturon in three soils , 1996 .

[27]  D. White,et al.  The genus Sphingomonas: physiology and ecology. , 1996, Current opinion in biotechnology.

[28]  A. Boudou,et al.  Effects of the phenylurea herbicide isoproturon on periphytic diatom communities in freshwater indoor microcosms. , 1996, Environmental pollution.

[29]  J. Thompson,et al.  CLUSTAL W: improving the sensitivity of progressive multiple sequence alignment through sequence weighting, position-specific gap penalties and weight matrix choice. , 1994, Nucleic acids research.

[30]  W. Traunspurger,et al.  A method to assess the toxicity of pollutants on anaerobic microbial degradation activity in sediments , 1994 .

[31]  M. Sabar,et al.  Changes in the concentrations of isoproturon and its degradation products in soil and soil solution during incubation at two temperatures , 1994 .

[32]  K. Timmis,et al.  16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence characterization and phylogenetic analysis of a dibenzo‐p‐dioxin‐degrading isolate within the new genus Sphingomonas , 1993 .

[33]  N. Ito,et al.  Enhancement by non-mutagenic pesticides of GST-P positive hepatic foci development initiated with diethylnitrosamine in the rat. , 1993, Cancer letters.

[34]  H. Wilkes,et al.  Metabolism of dibenzo-p-dioxin by Sphingomonas sp. strain RW1 , 1992, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[35]  H. Ridgway,et al.  Identification and catabolic activity of well-derived gasoline-degrading bacteria from a contaminated aquifer , 1990, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[36]  S. Bhunya,et al.  Genotoxic effect of isoproturon (herbicide) as revealed by three mammalian in vivo mutagenic bioassays. , 1990, Indian journal of experimental biology.

[37]  E. Geldreich,et al.  A new medium for the enumeration and subculture of bacteria from potable water , 1985, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[38]  S. Wright,et al.  The persistence and metabolism of isoproturon in soil , 1983 .

[39]  J. Bollag,et al.  Adsorption and transformation of four substituted anilines in soil , 1978 .

[40]  G. Engelhardt,et al.  Purification and properties of an aryl acylamidase of Bacillus sphaericus, catalyzing the hydrolysis of various phenylamide herbicides and fungicides. , 1973, Applied microbiology.

[41]  G. Engelhardt,et al.  Degradation of linuron and some other herbicides and fungicides by a linuron-inducible enzyme obtained from Bacillus sphaericus. , 1971, Applied microbiology.