Expanding the Tool Box: Environmental Metabolomics Improves Decision Making and Management of Contaminated (Superfund) Sites

项目摘要/摘要 代谢组学是一种相对较新的分子生物学工具，它高度地利用了 灵敏的仪器，用于测量生物体内存在的所有有机小分子 样本。当代的MBT依赖于定量PCR，并测量存在和 参与优先排毒的关键细菌(如脱卤球菌属)的丰度 污染物，如氯化乙烯；然而，目前的工具不能告知 实际的现场脱氯活性。代谢组学测量的是直接相关的小分子 对于活跃的新陈代谢，并提供了对微生物群落功能和健康的关键见解。 氯化乙烯是影响超级基金网站的最常见污染物之一。 解毒可由呼吸有机卤化物的细菌(如脱卤球菌类)通过 逐步还原脱氯为环境友好的乙烯；然而，降解 在有毒和致癌的中间体顺-1，2-二氯乙烯(CDCE)时，工艺经常停滞不前 和氯乙烯(Vc)。在当代监测制度中应用的MBTS不能预测 出现停滞，需要进行代价高昂的补救策略更改。实验室 实验证明，代谢组学可以区分健康的微生物群和病态的微生物群。 微生物群，并预测降解停滞或何时发生乙烯生成。一辆带着这些的MBT 功能将极大地降低总体项目成本和管理时间，简化 实施最有希望的补救措施，有助于及早关闭网站，从而成为 对补救行业有价值的资产，给美国纳税人带来实实在在的好处。这个 拟议的研究将证明代谢组学方法作为一种 补救行业的预测和诊断监测工具，并制定一条道路，以实现 这种MBT的商业化。

Project Summary/Abstract Metabolomics is a relatively novel Molecular Biological Tool (MBT), which employs highly sensitive instrumentation to obtain a measure of all small organic molecules present in a biological sample. Contemporary MBTs rely on quantitative PCR and measure the presence and abundance of keystone bacteria (e.g., Dehalococcoides) involved in the detoxification of priority contaminants such as chlorinated ethenes; however, the current tools fall short of informing about actual in situ dechlorination activity. Metabolomics measures small molecules that directly relate to active metabolism, and provides key insights into microbial community function and health. Chlorinated ethenes are among the most common contaminants impacting Superfund sites. Detoxification can be achieved by organohalide-respiring bacteria (e.g., Dehalococcoides) via stepwise reductive dechlorination to environmentally benign ethene; however, the degradation process often stalls at the toxic and carcinogenic intermediates cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE) and vinyl chloride (VC). MBTs applied in contemporary monitoring regimes cannot predict the occurrence of stalls, and costly remediation strategy changes are required. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that metabolomics distinguishes healthy microbiomes from “sick” microbiomes and predicts degradation stalls or when ethene formation occurs. An MBT with these capabilities would greatly reduce overall project costs and management time, streamline the implementation of the most promising remedy, contribute to early site closures, and thus be a valuable asset to the remediation industry with tangible benefits to the U.S. tax payer. The proposed study will demonstrate the value and utility of the metabolomics approach as a prognostic and diagnostic monitoring tool for the remediation industry, and develop a path towards commercialization of this MBT.