Occurrence of Dehalococcoides and Reductive Dehalogenase Genes in Microcosms, a Constructed Wetland and Groundwater from a Chlorinated Ethene Contaminated Field Site as Indicators for In Situ Reductive Dehalogenation

Mészáros, Éva; Imfeld, Gwenaël; Nikolausz, Marcell; Nijenhuis, Ivonne

Occurrence of Dehalococcoides and Reductive Dehalogenase Genes in Microcosms, a Constructed Wetland and Groundwater from a Chlorinated Ethene Contaminated Field Site as Indicators for In Situ Reductive Dehalogenation

2013

Mészáros, Éva | Imfeld, Gwenaël | Nikolausz, Marcell | Nijenhuis, Ivonne

Thus far, members of the genus Dehalococcoides are the only microorganisms known to dehalogenate chlorinated ethenes to ethene and thereby detoxify these common groundwater pollutants. Therefore, it is important to characterize the taxonomic and functional diversity of these key microorganisms and their reductive dehalogenase (RDase) genes in contaminated aquifers for assessing the natural attenuation potential. Little is known about the diversity of RDase genes under field conditions or in laboratory systems under selective pressure during dechlorination activities. Here, we evaluate the diversity of Dehalococcoides sp. and three RDase genes in groundwater as well as in water from a constructed wetland and microcosms setup with contaminated groundwater from the same field site in Bitterfeld (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany). The presence and relative abundance of Pinellas and Cornell subgroups of Dehalococcoides was evaluated by a novel direct sequencing method, which revealed that all sequences were identical and affiliated to the Pinellas subgroup. Contrarily, our results showed remarkable differences at the functional gene level between the systems. Of the vinyl chloride reductase genes, vcrA was detected in samples from the groundwater, wetland, and microcosms, whereas bvcA was only found in wetland and microcosm samples. The trichloroethene dehalogenase gene, tceA could not be detected at all, although complete dehalogenation activity of higher chlorinated ethenes was observed. Our study demonstrates that although the Dehalococcoides 16S rRNA gene sequences retrieved from the investigated systems were identical, the RDase gene diversity varied among the systems, according to the spectrum of the chlorinated ethenes present.

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