Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Isolation of Native Soil Microorganisms with Potential for Breaking Down Biodegradable Plastic Mulch Films Used in Agriculture
Published on: May 10, 2013
Biodegradation of microcystin-LR using acclimatized bacteria isolated from different units of the drinking water
Pratik Kumar1, Krishnamoorthy Hegde1, Satinder Kaur Brar1
1INRS-ETE, Université du Québec, 490, Rue de la Couronne, Québec, G1K 9A9, Canada.
Abstract:
Bacterial community isolated from different units of a Drinking Water Treatment Plant (DWTP) including pre-ozonation unit (POU), the effluent-sludge mixture of the sedimentation unit (ESSU) and top-sand layer water sample from the filtration unit (TSFU) were acclimatized separately in the microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR)-rich environment to evaluate MC-LR biodegradation. Maximum biodegradation efficiency of 97.2 ± 8.7% was achieved by the acclimatized-TSFU bacterial community followed by 72.1 ± 6.4% and 86.2 ± 7.3% by acclimatized-POU and acclimatized-ESSU bacterial community, respectively. Likewise, the non-acclimatized bacterial community showed similar biodegradation efficiency of 71.1 ± 7.37%, 86.7 ± 3.19% and 94.35 ± 10.63% for TSFU, ESSU and POU, respectively, when compared to the acclimatized ones. However, the biodegradation rate increased 1.5-folds for acclimatized versus non-acclimatized conditions. The mass spectrometry studies on MC-LR degradation depicted hydrolytic linearization of cyclic MC-LR along with the formation of small peptide fragments including Adda molecule that is linked to the reduced toxicity (qualitative toxicity analysis). This was further confirmed quantitatively by using Rhizobium meliloti as a bioindicator. The acclimatized-TSFU bacterial community comprised of novel MC-LR degrading strains, Chryseobacterium sp. and Pseudomonas fragi as confirmed by 16S rRNA sequencing.
More Related Videos
14:20Measuring the Osmotic Water Permeability Coefficient Pf of Spherical Cells: Isolated Plant Protoplasts as an Example
Published on: October 8, 2014
07:31Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice
Published on: January 7, 2019
Related Concept Videos
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Water and Mineral Acquisition
Measurement: Standard Units
Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
The Water Cycle
Tonicity in Plants