Isolation and Utilization of Bacteria for Co-Culture Bio- degradation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls

该奖项将支持加州大学的Dennis D. Focht教授与巴拿马大学的Blanca Hernandez博士合作，分离代谢联苯化合物的细菌。细菌将从巴拿马巴拿马城未经处理的工业和生活废物运河中分离出来，在那里发现了种类繁多的这种生物。分离各种各样的联苯代谢细菌可能导致能够降解环境中的多氯联苯（pcb）的有效组合。多氯联苯是全球生态系统中广泛存在的污染物，对工业化国家的倾倒场构成潜在危害。生物降解是焚烧多氯联苯污染土壤的另一种策略。迄今为止，使用多氯联苯作为生长基质的细菌尚未被分离出来，可能在自然界中不存在。然而，在选择性地分离以联苯为生长底物的细菌方面已经取得了相当大的进展。这些细菌通过分离部分酶系统来部分代谢多氯联苯，同时生长在联苯上，联苯是一种非氯化类似物。通过将Focht教授的专业知识与生物降解相结合，并获得丰富多样的微生物样本，该项目提高了发展中国家研究科学家的能力，并且是互利的，从而实现了发展中国家科学计划的一个重要标准。

This award will support Professor Dennis D. Focht of the University of California in collaboration with Dr. Blanca Hernandez of the University of Panama, for the purpose of isolating bacteria that metabolize biphenyl compounds. Bacteria will be isolated from the untreated industrial and domestic waste canals of Panama City, Panama, where a great diversity of such organisms has been found. Isolation of a wide variety of biphenyl-metabolizing bacteria may lead to efficient combinations capable of degrading even polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the environment. Polychlorinated biphenyls are widespread contaminants in the global ecosystem and represent a potential hazard in dump sites in industrialized countries. Biodegradation represents an alternative strategy to incineration of PCB-contaminated soils. To date, bacteria using PCBs as growth substrates have not been isolated and probably do not exist in nature. Nevertheless, considerable progress has been made in selectively isolating bacteria that use biphenyl as a growth substrate. These bacteria partially metabolize PCBs by isolating part of the enzyme system while growing on biphenyl, the non-chlorinated analog. By combining Professor Focht's expertise with biodegradation, with access to a rich and varied sample of microorganisms, this project enhances the capability of research scientists in a developing country and is of mutual benefit, thus fulfilling an important criterion of the Science in Developing Countries Program.