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Published on: October 2, 2012
Assessing the role of alkane hydroxylase genotypes in environmental samples by competitive PCR
S Heiss-Blanquet1, Y Benoit, C Maréchaux
1Département de Biotechnologie et Chimie de la Biomasse, Institut Français du Pétrole, Rueil-Malmaison, France. Senta.Blanquet@ifp.fr
Aims:
A molecular tool for extensive detection of prokaryotic alkane hydroxylase genes (alkB) was developed. AlkB genotypes involved in the degradation of short-chain alkanes were quantified in environmental samples in order to assess their occurrence and ecological importance.
Methods And Results:
Four primer pairs specific for distinct clusters of alkane hydroxylase genes were designed, allowing amplification of alkB-related genes from all tested alkane-degrading strains and from six of seven microcosms. For the primer pair detecting alkB genes related to the Pseudomonas putida GPo1 alkB gene and the one targeting alkB genes of Gram-positive strains, both involved in short-chain alkane degradation (
Conclusions:
Predominance of alkB genotypes depends on the ecosystem and environmental conditions, but alkane exposure generally leads to an increase of both studied genotypes.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
The study illustrates the distribution of two different alkB genotypes in two types of ecosystems, and highlights their respective roles in the environment.
