Adsorption of the cyanobacterial hepatotoxin microcystin-LR by a low-cost activated carbon from the seed husks of the pan-tropical tree, Moringa oleifera.

A low-cost activated carbon from the pan-tropical multipurpose tree Moringa oleifera removes the cyanobacterial hepatotoxin microcystin-LR in quantitative amounts from water in batch adsorption trials. The potential of M. oleifera seed husk carbon for cyanobacterial toxin removal in drinking water treatment in tropical countries is discussed.

Metabolism of styrene by Rhodococcus rhodochrous NCIMB 13259.

Rhodococcus rhodochrous NCIMB 13259 grows on styrene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and benzene as sole carbon sources. Simultaneous induction tests with cells grown on styrene or toluene showed high rates of oxygen consumption with toluene cis-glycol and 3-methylcatechol, suggesting the involvement of a cis-glycol pathway. 3-Vinylcatechol accumulated when intact cells were incubated with styrene in the presence of 3-fluorocatechol to inhibit catechol dioxygenase activity. Experiments with 18O2 showed that 3-vinylcatechol was produced following a dioxygenase ring attack. Extracts contained a NAD-dependent cis-glycol dehydrogenase, which converted styrene cis-glycol to 3-vinylcatechol. Both catechol 1,2- and 2,3-dioxygenase activities were present, and these were separated from each other and from the activities of cis-glycol dehydrogenase and 2-hydroxymuconic acid semialdehyde hydrolase by ion-exchange chromatography of extracts. 2-Vinylmuconate accumulated in the growth medium when cells were grown on styrene, apparently as a dead-end product, and extracts contained no detectable muconate cycloisomerase activity. 3-Vinylcatechol was cleaved by catechol 2,3-dioxygenase to give a yellow compound, tentatively identified as 2-hydroxy-6-oxoocta-2,4,7-trienoic acid, and the action of 2-hydroxymuconic acid semialdehyde hydrolase on this produced acrylic acid. A compound with the spectral characteristics of 2-hydroxypenta-2,4-dienoate was produced by the action of 2-hydroxymuconic acid semialdehyde hydrolase on the 2,3-cleavage product of 3-methylcatechol. Extracts were able to transform 2-hydroxypenta-2,4-dienoate and 4-hydroxy-2-oxopentanoate into acetaldehyde and pyruvate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Biotransformations catalyzed by the genus Rhodococcus.

Rhodococci display a diverse range of metabolic capabilities and they are a ubiquitous feature of many environments. They are able to degrade short-chain, long-chain, and halogenated hydrocarbons, and numerous aromatic compounds, including halogenated and other substituted aromatics, heteroaromatics, hydroaromatics, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. They possess a wide variety of pathways for degrading and modifying aromatic compounds, including dioxygenase and monooxygenase ring attack, and cleavage of catechol by both ortho- and meta-routes, and some strains possess a modified 3-oxoadipate pathway. Biotransformations catalyzed by rhodococci include steroid modification, enantioselective synthesis, and the transformation of nitriles to amides and acids. Tolerance of rhodococci to starvation, their frequent lack of catabolite repression, and their environmental persistence make them excellent candidates for bioremediation treatments. Some strains can produce poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate)s, others can accumulate cesium, and still others are the source of useful enzymes such as phenylalanine dehydrogenase and endoglycosidases. Other actual or potential applications of rhodococci include desulfurization of coal, bioleaching, use of their surfactants in enhancement of oil recovery and as industrial dispersants, and the construction of biosensors.