Isolation and characterization of a high-efficiency soil atrazine-degrading Arthrobacter sp. strain

Atrazine has been a pollutant of great environmental concern due to its high potential to contaminate soil and waters. In north China, atrazine has widely applied in corn fields and is still in use. Isolation of a high-efficiency atrazine degrader whose degradation ability is not inhibited by organic matters and fertilziers in the soils is of practical importance for bioremediation of contaminated soils. A bacterial strain (DAT1) capable of utilizing atrazine as a sole nitrogen source for growth was isolated from an agricultural soil in Hebei Province, China. The strain DAT1 was identified as an Arthrobacter species and harbored degradation genes trzN, atzB and atzC on plasmid DNA. The strain demonstrated a very high efficiency of atrazine biodegradation with a broad optimum pH and temperature ranges and could be enhanced by addition of both carbon and nitrogen sources, suggesting its huge potential for remediation of atrazine-contaminated sites. This work might provide some new insights on atrazine remediation and contributes to the limited pool of knowledge on the function of Arthrobacter species.

► We isolate a high-efficiency atrazine-degrading Arthrobacter species.
► The strain had broad optimum pH and temperature ranges.
► Carbon and nitrogen sources could promote its growth.