Molecular mechanisms of fluorinated organic chemical metabolism in bacteria

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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 array of consumer products such as water and grease repellents, fire-fighting foams, and many others. Once believed to be safe, evidence is accumulating that some of these fluorinated chemicals exhibit toxic effects, and are difficult to biodegrade. This class of compound can be found in air, soil, water, groundwater, and bioaccumulate in humans and animals all around the world, even in the high Arctic. Recently, large quantities of fire-fighting foams were used during the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster, illustrating the importance of understanding the environmental fate of these compounds. The goal of this work is to study the microorganisms 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 fluorinated sulfonates 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 unravelling the mechanisms behind metabolic pathways responsible for biodegradation of fluorinated compounds by a pure bacterial culture. Using genome sequencing-based approaches, we are developing tools to detect microorganisms in the environment that are able to biodegrade fluorinated organic compounds. This research is important for the development of tools to remediate contaminated environments, and to provide evidence to policymakers responsible for regulating the production and use of fluorinated chemicals.