Rhodococcus wratislaviensis strain 9: An efficient p-nitrophenol degrader with a great potential for bioremediation

A Gram-positive bacterium, Rhodococcus wratislaviensis strain 9, was isolated from groundwater contaminated with nitrophenolics and trichloroethene following enrichment culture technique. The cells of strain 9 grown on LB broth (uninduced) degraded 720 μM p-nitrophenol (PNP) within 12 h, and utilized as a source of carbon and energy. Orthogonal experimental design analysis to determine optimal conditions for biodegradation of PNP showed that pH had a significant positive effect (P ≤ .05) on bacterial degradation of PNP, while glucose, di- and tri-nitrophenols exhibited significant negative effect. Cell-free extracts obtained from PNP-grown culture that contained 20 μg mL−1 protein degraded 90% of 720 μM PNP within 5 h of incubation. Two-dimensional protein analysis revealed differential expression of the oxygenase component of PNP monooxygenase and an elongation factor Tu in PNP-grown cells, but not in those grown on glucose. The strain 9 remediated laboratory wastewater containing 900 μM PNP efficiently within 14 h, indicating its great potential in bioremediation of PNP-contaminated waters.