Bioinformatic Approaches Including Predictive Metagenomic Profiling Reveal Characteristics of Bacterial Response to Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination in Diverse Environments.

Microbial remediation of oil polluted habitats remains one of the foremost methods for restoration of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated environments. The development of effective bioremediation strategies however, require an extensive understanding of the resident microbiome of these habitats. Recent developments such as high-throughput sequencing has greatly facilitated the advancement of microbial ecological studies in oil polluted habitats. However, effective interpretation of biological characteristics from these large datasets remain a considerable challenge. In this study, we have implemented recently developed bioinformatic tools for analyzing 65 16S rRNA datasets from 12 diverse hydrocarbon polluted habitats to decipher metagenomic characteristics of the resident bacterial communities. Using metagenomes predicted from 16S rRNA gene sequences through PICRUSt, we have comprehensively described phylogenetic and functional compositions of these habitats and additionally inferred a multitude of metagenomic features including 255 taxa and 414 functional modules which can be used as biomarkers for effective distinction between the 12 oil polluted sites. Additionally, we show that significantly over-represented taxa often contribute to either or both, hydrocarbon degradation and additional important functions. Our findings reveal significant differences between hydrocarbon contaminated sites and establishes the importance of endemic factors in addition to petroleum hydrocarbons as driving factors for sculpting hydrocarbon contaminated bacteriomes.

Kinetics of nutrient enhanced crude oil degradation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa AKS1 and Bacillus sp. AKS2 isolated from Guwahati refinery, India.

Bacterial degradation of crude oil in response to nutrient treatments has been vastly studied. But there is a paucity of information on kinetic parameters of crude oil degradation. Here we report the nutrient stimulated kinetic parameters of crude oil degradation assessed in terms of CO2 production and oil removal by Pseudomonas aeruginosa AKS1 and Bacillus sp. AKS2. The hydrocarbon degradation rate of P. aeruginosa AKS1 in oil only amended sediment was 10.75 ± 0.65 µg CO2-C g(-1) sediment day(-1) which was similar to degradation rate in sediments with no oil. In presence of both inorganic N & P, the degradation rate increased to 47.22 ± 1.32 µg CO2-C g(-1) sediment day(-1). The half-saturation constant (Ks) and maximum degradation rate (Vmax) for P. aeruginosa AKS1 under increasing N and saturating P concentration were 13.57 ± 0.53 µg N g(-1) sediment and 39.36 ± 1.42 µg CO2-C g(-1) sediment day(-1) respectively. The corresponding values at increasing P and a constant N concentration were 1.60 ± 0.13 µg P g(-1) sediment and 43.90 ± 1.03 µg CO2-C g(-1) sediment day(-1) respectively. Similarly the degradation rate of Bacillus sp. AKS2 in sediments amended with both inorganic nutrients N & P was seven fold higher than the rates in oil only or nutrient only treated sediments. The Ks and Vmax estimates of Bacillus sp. AKS2 under increasing N and saturating P concentration were 9.96 ± 1.25 µg N g(-1) sediment and 59.96 ± 7.56 µg CO2-C g(-1) sediment day(-1) respectively. The corresponding values for P at saturating N concentration were 0.46 ± 0.24 µg P g(-1) sediment and 63.63 ± 3.54 µg CO2-C g(-1) sediment day(-1) respectively. The rates of CO2 production by both isolates were further stimulated when oil concentration was increased above 12.5 mg g(-1) sediment. However, oil degradation activity declined at oil concentration above 40 mg g(-1) sediment when treated with constant nutrient: oil ratio. Both isolates exhibited alkane hydroxylase activity but aromatic degrading catechol 1, 2-dioxygenase and catechol 2, 3-dioxygenase activities were shown by P. aeruginosa AKS1 only.

Draft Genome Sequence of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Enterobacter cloacae Strain S1:CND1, Isolated from Crude Oil-Contaminated Soil from the Noonmati Oil Refinery, Guwahati, Assam, India.

We report here the 4.57-Mb draft genome sequence of hydrocarbon-degrading Enterobacter cloacae strain S1:CND1 isolated from oil-contaminated soil in Guwahati, India. S1:CND1 contains 4,205 coding sequences and has a G+C content of 57.45%. This is the first report of the genome sequence of an E. cloacae adapted to an oil-contaminated environment.

Draft Genome Sequence of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Staphylococcus saprophyticus Strain CNV2, Isolated from Crude Oil-Contaminated Soil from the Noonmati Oil Refinery, Guwahati, Assam, India.

Here, we report the 2.6 Mb draft genome sequence of hydrocarbon-degrading Staphylococcus saprophyticus strain CNV2, isolated from oil-contaminated soil in Guwahati, India. CNV2 contains 2,545 coding sequences and has a G+C content of 33.2%. This is the first report of the genome sequence of an S. saprophyticus adapted to an oil-contaminated environment.