Identification and analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)-biodegrading bacterial strains in Shanghai

As one of China's great metropolises, Shanghai is vulnerable to various forms of industrial and agricultural contamination associated with its development. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are man-made chemicals that never existed in nature until the 1900s when they started to be released into the environment. PCBs are hazardous environmental contaminants that bind strongly to soil. In this study, four soil samples were screened for the presence of PCB-degrading bacteria. The 16 S rDNAs were amplified from those genomes and the products (~1.5 kb) were purified and sequenced for the isolation and identification of bacterial species. Four Pseudomonas strains (strain 1-212 from sample 1; strain 2-241 from sample 2; strain 3-318 from sample 3; and strain 4-150 from sample 4) were selected for analysis by HPLC. Setting the content of the biphenyl in CK as 100%, the biphenyl contents was 2.32% in 1-212, 73.11% in 2-241, 69.83% in 3-318, and 86.16% in 4-150. The results of this study suggest directions for future research, including genetic screening, cloning and restructuring, and provide guidance for the cultivation of PCBs-degrading bacteria.