Unraveling the molecular basis of 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate biodegradation by Gordonia sp. NB4-1Y

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Since their introduction in the 1950s, fluorinated organic compounds have become pervasive in our environment. Thanks to their chemical and thermal stability, fluorinated chemicals are used to manufacture polymers found in an amazing array of consumer products such as Teflon, GoreTex, ScotchGuard, fire-fighting foams and many others. Once believed to be safe, we have come to learn over the last two decades that some of these fluorinated chemicals do indeed exhibit toxic effects and are difficult to biodegrade. It is also now known that this class of compound can be found in air, soil, water, groundwater, and humans and animals all around the world, even in the high Arctic. The goal of this work is to become more familiar with microorganisms such as bacteria that have the capacity to convert these molecules into non-toxic products. To do this, we will examine the molecular biology of a soil bacterium that has shown activity against a fluorinated sulfonate with the long-term goal of developing bioremediation tools through a better understanding of the ecological processes involved in the biodegradation of this class of chemicals. Currently, the majority of work in this field is focussed on detecting and measuring the quantities of fluorinated chemicals in humans, animals and the environment. Further, much work is being done with monitoring the fate of fluorinated chemicals in sewage treatment facilities. This work is novel as we are close to unravelling the mechanisms behind metabolic pathways responsible for biodegradation of a specific fluorinated compound in a pure bacterial culture. This research is important for the development of tools to remediate contaminated environments and to provide additional evidence to policymakers responsible for regulating the production and use of fluorinated chemicals.