Isolation of Extremophile Bacteria from Antarctica and the Atacama desert that use energetic materials as energy source (TNT)
Abstract
Detection, cleaning and degradation of explosives is a problem of great worldwide interest. No effective or environmentally friendly strategies have been described to date for the decontamination of energetic materials, like 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) or its derivatives. Bioremediation, the decontamination of environments through the activity of microbial metabolisms, is an ecological approach for the salvaging of contaminated sites. While several organisms have been reported to utilize TNT as a nitrogen source, many less are known to use it as a carbon (energy) or nitrogen source. The discovery of bacteria that can effectively cleave the aromatic ring of TNT, and use its degradation products as carbon/nitrogen source may unravel novel approaches for more effective bioremediation of this energetic material. Antarctica and the Atacama Desert are rich territories with unexplored genetic diversity, with extreme environments that may harbor organisms with novel metabolic properties. Our group has an expertise in the recollection of Antarctic soil samples and the isolation of extremophile bacteria for precise biotechnological applications. Using samples taken from diesel-contaminated sites from King George Island in Antarctica, we have isolated extremophiles that can proliferate using energetic materials as a sole energy source. Among a set of bacteria capable to metabolize TNT we selected two different strains, corresponding to Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas genera, based on their increased capacity of using this energetic material as N and C source and their velocity to degrade it. These preliminary results show promise for the isolation of novel organisms from these extreme environments (Antarctica and Atacama Desert) that can help in more efficient decontamination and detection of environments exposed to energetic materials. In this regard, we propose bioprospecting extreme environments such as Antarctica and the Atacama Desert to discover and evaluate new microbial genes, proteins and/or metabolic routes for their potential to be translated into engineered systems for detection and degradation of explosives. These environments constitute a largely untapped genetic treasure trove, which we propose to unveil using the following tools: - Genomics (Bioinformatics, metabolic pathways characterizations, etc.). - Protein engineering (Target discovery, in-silico mutant design, etc.). - Molecular biology (optimization of the microorganism and characterization).? We will use genomics to evaluate the capacity of culturable/non-culturable microorganisms to degrade energetic materials, and we will assay and model the activity of genes involved in degradation of explosives towards improving their capabilities. Upon completion of this proposal, we will be able to decide whether to translate our findings into an engineered system for biosensing and bioremediating explosive-contaminated soils. Finally, part of this proposal is based on the use of high-throughput sequencing and computational approaches to study biodegradation of explosives, a research strategy scarcely used in this area. Noteworthy, we have secured the commitment and support of the Chilean Army for field campaign logistics, travel, and testing of potential prototypes (facilities to handle explosives).
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 10, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1720156
Entities
People
- Jose Perez-donoso
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army