Characterization of the biochemistry and physiology of hydrocarbon degradation pathways by stable isotope-based approaches

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Hans Hermann Richnow
• Subject Area: Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology
• Term: from 2009 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 72004890

The main objective of our project is to elucidate the isotope fractionation pattern upon anaerobic degradation pathways for several aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, continuing work started in the first phase of the SPP 1319. The biochemical mechanism of the first step of the respective degradation pathway, involving the cleavage of a carbon-hydrogen bond, will be characterized by a combined analysis of hydrogen and carbon isotope fractionation. As we concentrated in the first phase of the SPP 1319 on ethylbenzene, toluene and short-chain alkanes as target compounds, we will focus in the second phase on long-chain alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and alkylated phenols. Subsequently, we try to correlate fractionation pattern and amino acid sequences of enzymes catalyzing the isotope fractionating reaction. The combined results may enable us to specifically detect and quantify the anaerobic degradation of several aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons in the environment. A second topic of our project is to elucidate the mechanism of benzene activation under anoxic conditions, a still open reaction, and to resolve syntrophic processes in our benzene-degrading enrichment culture by stable-isotope based approaches. Generally, we will cooperate in our project with several partners of the SPP 1319 in an interdisciplinary international network.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1319: Biological Transformations without Oxygen: From the Molecular to the Global Scale
• Participating Person: Dr. Carsten Vogt