Degradation of methyl bromide by methanotrophic bacteria in cell suspensions and soils

What can we learn from commercial insecticides? Efficacy, toxicity, environmental impacts, and future developments

Worldwide pesticide usage was estimated in up to 3.5 million tons in 2020. The number of approved products varies among different countries, however, in Brazil, there are nearly 5000 of such products available. Among them, insecticides correspond to a group of mounting importance for controlling crop pests and disease-associated vectors in public health. Unfortunately, resistance to commercially approved insecticides is commonly observed, limiting the use of these products. Thus, the search for more effective and environmentally friendly products is both a challenge and a necessity since several insecticides are no longer allowed in many countries. In this review, we discuss the historical strategies used in the development of modern insecticides, including chemical structure alterations, mechanism of action and their impact on insecticidal activity. The environmental impact of each pesticide class is also discussed, with persistence data and activity on non-target organisms, along with the human toxicological effect. By tracing the historical route of discovery and development of blockbuster pesticides like DDT, pyrethroids and organophosphates, we also aim to categorize and relate the successful chemical alterations and novel pesticide development strategies that resulted in safer alternatives. A brief discussion on the Brazilian registration procedure and a perspective of insecticides currently approved in the country was also included.

Volatile Gas Production by Methyl Halide Transferase: An In Situ Reporter Of Microbial Gene Expression In Soil

Traditional visual reporters of gene expression have only very limited use in soils because their outputs are challenging to detect through the soil matrix. This severely restricts our ability to study time-dependent microbial gene expression in one of the Earth's largest, most complex habitats. Here we describe an approach to report on dynamic gene expression within a microbial population in a soil under natural water levels (at and below water holding capacity) via production of methyl halides using a methyl halide transferase. As a proof-of-concept application, we couple the expression of this gas reporter to the conjugative transfer of a bacterial plasmid in a soil matrix and show that gas released from the matrix displays a strong correlation with the number of transconjugant bacteria that formed. Gas reporting of gene expression will make possible dynamic studies of natural and engineered microbes within many hard-to-image environmental matrices (soils, sediments, sludge, and biomass) at sample scales exceeding those used for traditional visual reporting.

Stable Carbon Isotope Fractionation during Bacterial Acetylene Fermentation: Potential for Life Detection in Hydrocarbon-Rich Volatiles of Icy Planet(oid)s

We report the first study of stable carbon isotope fractionation during microbial fermentation of acetylene (C2H2) in sediments, sediment enrichments, and bacterial cultures. Kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) averaged 3.7 ± 0.5‰ for slurries prepared with sediment collected at an intertidal mudflat in San Francisco Bay and 2.7 ± 0.2‰ for a pure culture of Pelobacter sp. isolated from these sediments. A similar KIE of 1.8 ± 0.7‰ was obtained for methanogenic enrichments derived from sediment collected at freshwater Searsville Lake, California. However, C2H2 uptake by a highly enriched mixed culture (strain SV7) obtained from Searsville Lake sediments resulted in a larger KIE of 9.0 ± 0.7‰. These are modest KIEs when compared with fractionation observed during oxidation of C1 compounds such as methane and methyl halides but are comparable to results obtained with other C2 compounds. These observations may be useful in distinguishing biologically active processes operating at distant locales in the Solar System where C2H2 is present. These locales include the surface of Saturn's largest moon Titan and the vaporous water- and hydrocarbon-rich jets emanating from Enceladus.

KEY WORDS

Acetylene-Fermentation-Isotope fractionation-Enceladus-Life detection.

Microbial consumption of atmospheric isoprene in a temperate forest soil

Isoprene (2-methyl-1,3 butadiene) is a low-molecular-weight hydrocarbon emitted in large quantities to the atmosphere by vegetation and plays a large role in regulating atmospheric chemistry. Until now, the atmosphere has been considered the only significant sink for isoprene. However, in this study we performed both in situ and in vitro experiments with soil from a temperate forest near Ithaca, N.Y., that indicate that the soil provides a sink for atmospheric isoprene and that the consumption of isoprene is carried out by microorganisms. Consumption occurred rapidly in field chambers (672.60 +/- 30.12 to 2,718.36 +/- 86.40 pmol gdw day) (gdw is grams [dry weight] of soil; values are means +/- standard deviations). Subsequent laboratory experiments confirmed that isoprene loss was due to biological processes: consumption was stopped by autoclaving the soil; consumption rates increased with repeated exposure to isoprene; and consumption showed a temperature response consistent with biological activity (with an optimum temperature of 30 degrees C). Isoprene consumption was diminished under low oxygen conditions (120 +/- 7.44 versus 528.36 +/- 7.68 pmol gdw day under ambient O(2) concentrations) and showed a strong relationship with soil moisture. Isoprene-degrading microorganisms were isolated from the site, and abundance was calculated as 5.8 x 10 +/- 3.2 x 10 cells gdw. Our results indicate that soil may provide a significant biological sink for atmospheric isoprene.

Bacterial community analysis of shallow groundwater undergoing sequential anaerobic and aerobic chloroethene biotransformation

At Department of Energy Site 300, beneficial hydrocarbon cocontaminants and favorable subsurface conditions facilitate sequential reductive dechlorination of trichloroethene (TCE) and rapid oxidation of the resultant cis-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) upon periodic oxygen influx. We assessed the geochemistry and microbial community of groundwater from across the site. Removal of cis-DCE was shown to coincide with oxygen influx in hydrocarbon-containing groundwater near the source area. Principal component analysis of contaminants and inorganic compounds showed that monitoring wells could be differentiated based upon concentrations of TCE, cis-DCE, and nitrate. Structurally similar communities were detected in groundwater from wells containing cis-DCE, high TCE, and low nitrate levels. Bacteria identified by sequencing 16S rRNA genes belonged to seven phylogenetic groups, including Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma- and Deltaproteobacteria, Nitrospira, Firmicutes and Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Bacteroidetes (CFB). Whereas members of the Burkholderiales and CFB group were abundant in all wells (10(4)-10(9) 16S rRNA gene copies L(-1)), quantitative PCR showed that Alphaproteobacteria were elevated (>10(6) L(-1)) only in wells containing hydrocarbon cocontaminants. The study shows that bacterial community structure is related to groundwater geochemistry and that Alphaproteobacteria are enriched in locales where cis-DCE removal occurs.

Methylosarcina lacus sp. nov., a methanotroph from Lake Washington, Seattle, USA, and emended description of the genus Methylosarcina

An obligately methanotrophic bacterial strain, LW14T, isolated from the sediment of Lake Washington, Seattle, USA, is described taxonomically. The isolate is an aerobic, Gram-negative, non-motile bacterium capable of growth on methane, and possesses type I intracytoplasmic membranes (i.e. it is a type I methanotroph). The strain possesses particulate methane monooxygenase (MMO) and has no soluble MMO. Formaldehyde is assimilated via the ribulose monophosphate cycle. The isolate grows within a pH range of 4–8, with the optimum between pH 5·5 and 6·5. The cellular fatty acid profile is dominated by C16 :  ω18c, C16 : 1 ω7c and C16 : 1 ω5t fatty acids. The DNA G+C content is 53·3±0·4 mol%. On the basis of sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, isolate LW14T is related most closely to representatives of the genus Methylosarcina. However, DNA–DNA hybridization analysis reveals only a distant relationship between isolate LW14T and the previously described Methylosarcina species. On the basis of its phenotypic and genotypic characteristics, LW14T represents a novel species of the genus Methylosarcina, for which the name Methylosarcina lacus sp. nov. is proposed, with LW14T (=ATCC BAA-1047T=JCM 13284T) as the type strain.

Description of toluene inhibition of methyl bromide biodegradation in seawater and isolation of a marine toluene oxidizer that degrades methyl bromide

Methyl bromide (CH3Br) and methyl chloride (CH3Cl) are important precursors for destruction of stratospheric ozone, and oceanic uptake is an important component of the biogeochemical cycle of these methyl halides. In an effort to identify and characterize the organisms mediating halocarbon biodegradation, we surveyed the effect of potential cometabolic substrates on CH3Br biodegradation using a 13CH3Br incubation technique. Toluene (160 to 200 nM) clearly inhibited CH3Br and CH3Cl degradation in seawater samples from the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Southern Oceans. Furthermore, a marine bacterium able to co-oxidize CH3Br while growing on toluene was isolated from subtropical Western Atlantic seawater. The bacterium, Oxy6, was also able to oxidize o-xylene and the xylene monooxygenase (XMO) pathway intermediate 3-methylcatechol. Patterns of substrate oxidation, lack of acetylene inhibition, and the inability of the toluene 4-monooxygenase (T4MO)-containing bacterium Pseudomonas mendocina KR1 to degrade CH3Br ruled out participation of the T4MO pathway in Oxy6. Oxy6 also oxidized a variety of toluene (TOL) pathway intermediates such as benzyl alcohol, benzylaldehyde, benzoate, and catechol, but the inability of Pseudomonas putida mt-2 to degrade CH3Br suggested that the TOL pathway might not be responsible for CH3Br biodegradation. Molecular phylogenetic analysis identified Oxy6 to be a member of the family Sphingomonadaceae related to species within the Porphyrobacter genus. Although some Sphingomonadaceae can degrade a variety of xenobiotic compounds, this appears to be the first report of CH3Br degradation for this class of organism. The widespread inhibitory effect of toluene on natural seawater samples and the metabolic capabilities of Oxy6 indicate a possible link between aromatic hydrocarbon utilization and the biogeochemical cycle of methyl halides.

Environmental fate of methyl bromide as a soil fumigant

The great variation among results of recent experiments measuring the total emission of MeBr from fields implies that many factors influence MeBr transport and transformation in the soil-water-air system and its ultimate loss from the soil surface. It has been demonstrated that variables related to application methods (e.g., injection depth, use and type of surface tarp), soil properties (e.g., water content, bulk density, soil organic matter), and climatic conditions (e.g.. air temperature, wind speed, barometric pressure) have pronounced effects on MeBr volatilization following soil injection. The following conclusions can be drawn from this experimental information. Tarping consistently, increased the residence time and concentration of MeBr residing in the soil. Prolonged retention of MeBr in the soil resulted in more extensive degradation and reduced cumulative emissions. Research indicates that the polyethylene film typically used for the surface cover is relatively permeable to MeBr and allows significant emissions compared to virtually impermeable plastic films. This effect is more pronounced during periods of high temperature. Soil type, soil water content, and bulk density are important factors affecting MeBr transport and transformation in soil, which ultimately affect volatilization. The total volatilization from a soil with high organic matter content may be drastically reduced relative to that from a low organic matter soil. Amendment of the surface soil with organic matter or nucleophilic compounds that promote increased degradation may offer another method for reducing volatilization. MeBr volatilization may also be decreased by increasing soil water content and bulk density, mainly because of the reduced gas-phase diffusion resulting from reduced soil air-filled porosity. To minimize volatilization, MeBr should be applied during periods of cool temperature, injected relatively deep in organic-rich, moist soil, and the soil surface packed and tarped immediately after the application. Depending on site-specific conditions, a new high-barrier plastic should be used. Injecting MeBr during periods of warm temperature, at a shallow depth in dry, loose soil without the use of low-permeability plastic barriers, will likely result in maximum volatilization rates and therefore should be discouraged. Before adopting any new emission reduction technology, the pest control characteristics of the new methodology should be assessed under soil and environmental conditions typical of the region to optimize efficacy while minimizing environmental contamination. There is considerable current scientific evidence indicating that eliminating MeBr use for soil fumigation may not have a significant impact on stratospheric ozone depletion. Management practices can and have been developed that essentially eliminate atmospheric emissions of MeBr and other fumigant compounds following soil application. Some scientists have suggested that there are natural buffers and various unknown sources of MeBr that make it impossible to ascertain that eliminating soil fumigation with MeBr will significantly improve stratospheric ozone levels. It is quite certain, however, that the phase-out will make it much more difficult for growers to economically provide an adequate and healthful food supply in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. As the phase-out date approaches, there remains a great need for information about MeBr and stratospheric ozone depletion. Stratospheric ozone must be protected, but recent experiments suggest that it can be protected while still allowing MeBr to be used for soil fumigation. A new approach may be warranted in which state and federal regulations recognize that every chemical is a potential environmental contaminant, depending on the properties of the chemical and the environmental conditions prevailing following its application. Ideally, regulations should incorporate incentives to develop technology that minimizes the likelihood that a chemical becomes an environmental and/or public health problem. Rather than instituting an irrevocable ban, allowing for a suspension of chemical use until the appropriate technology is developed to control the undesirable characteristic(s) of the chemical use would provide much more flexibility to growers and may enhance environmental protection by adopting a proactive approach in which growers, chemical manufacturers, regulators, and the public can have confidence.

Characterization of propargyl bromide transformation in soil

Propargyl bromide is being investigated for its potential as a soil fumigant. Characterization of the fate of propargyl bromide in soil is important in determining both efficacy and the threat of environmental contamination. These experiments investigated some of the factors affecting the rate of propargyl bromide degradation in soil and quantified some of the products formed as a result of propargyl bromide degradation in four soils of differing composition and at three initial propargyl bromide concentrations. In all soils at all initial propargyl bromide concentrations, equimolar formation of Br- was observed during propargyl bromide degradation, but little propargyl alcohol (product of hydrolysis) was formed. The apparent first-order degradation coefficient (k) increased with decreasing initial propargyl bromide concentration in all soils, but the mass degraded per unit time increased with increasing propargyl bromide concentration. The rate of propargyl bromide degradation increased with increasing soil organic matter content, and the k value was correlated to the organic carbon content of the soil (correlation coefficient > 0.97 for all concentrations). Repeated application of propargyl bromide did not increase the rate of propargyl bromide degradation in soil. Addition of Br- did not affect the rate of propargyl bromide transformation in soil, so accumulation of Br- in the soil is not expected to impede propargyl bromide degradation.

Consumption of tropospheric levels of methyl bromide by C(1) compound-utilizing bacteria and comparison to saturation kinetics

Pure cultures of methylotrophs and methanotrophs are known to oxidize methyl bromide (MeBr); however, their ability to oxidize tropospheric concentrations (parts per trillion by volume [pptv]) has not been tested. Methylotrophs and methanotrophs were able to consume MeBr provided at levels that mimicked the tropospheric mixing ratio of MeBr (12 pptv) at equilibrium with surface waters ( approximately 2 pM). Kinetic investigations using picomolar concentrations of MeBr in a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) were performed using strain IMB-1 and Leisingeria methylohalidivorans strain MB2(T) - terrestrial and marine methylotrophs capable of halorespiration. First-order uptake of MeBr with no indication of threshold was observed for both strains. Strain MB2(T) displayed saturation kinetics in batch experiments using micromolar MeBr concentrations, with an apparent K(s) of 2.4 microM MeBr and a V(max) of 1.6 nmol h(-1) (10(6) cells)(-1). Apparent first-order degradation rate constants measured with the CSTR were consistent with kinetic parameters determined in batch experiments, which used 35- to 1 x 10(7)-fold-higher MeBr concentrations. Ruegeria algicola (a phylogenetic relative of strain MB2(T)), the common heterotrophs Escherichia coli and Bacillus pumilus, and a toluene oxidizer, Pseudomonas mendocina KR1, were also tested. These bacteria showed no significant consumption of 12 pptv MeBr; thus, the ability to consume ambient mixing ratios of MeBr was limited to C(1) compound-oxidizing bacteria in this study. Aerobic C(1) bacteria may provide model organisms for the biological oxidation of tropospheric MeBr in soils and waters.

Effects of soil and water content on methyl bromide oxidation by the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea

Little information exists on the potential of NH(3)-oxidizing bacteria to cooxidize halogenated hydrocarbons in soil. A study was conducted to examine the cooxidation of methyl bromide (MeBr) by an NH(3)-oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosomonas europaea, under soil conditions. Soil and its water content modified the availability of NH(4)(+) and MeBr and influenced the relative rates of substrate (NH(3)) and cosubstrate (MeBr) oxidations. These observations highlight the complexity associated with characterizing soil cooxidative activities when soil and water interact to differentially affect substrate and cosubstrate availabilities.

Chloromethane stimulates growth of Methylomicrobium album BG8 on methanol

Studies were performed to determine if the growth of Methylomicrobium album BG8 on methanol could be enhanced through the provision of chloromethane. M. album BG8 was found to be able to oxidize chloromethane via the particulate methane monooxygenase with an apparent K(s) of 11+/-3 microM and V(max) of 15+/-0.6 nmol (min mg protein)(-1). When up to 2.6 mM chloromethane was provided with 5 mM methanol, methanotrophic growth was significantly enhanced in comparison to the absence of chloromethane, indicating that methanotrophs can utilize chloromethane to support growth, although it could not serve as a sole growth substrate. [(14)C]chloromethane was found to be oxidized to [(14)C]CO(2) as well as incorporated into biomass. These results indicate that reactions previously thought to be cometabolic may actually provide some benefit to methanotrophs and that these cells can use multiple compounds to enhance growth.

Oxidation of methyl halides by the facultative methylotroph strain IMB-1

Washed cell suspensions of the facultative methylotroph strain IMB-1 grown on methyl bromide (MeBr) were able to consume methyl chloride (MeCl) and methyl iodide (MeI) as well as MeBr. Consumption of >100 microM MeBr by cells grown on glucose, acetate, or monomethylamine required induction. Induction was inhibited by chloramphenicol. However, cells had a constitutive ability to consume low concentrations (<20 nM) of MeBr. Glucose-grown cells were able to readily oxidize [(14)C]formaldehyde to (14)CO(2) but had only a small capacity for oxidation of [(14)C]methanol. Preincubation of cells with MeBr did not affect either activity, but MeBr-induced cells had a greater capacity for [(14)C]MeBr oxidation than did cells without preincubation. Consumption of MeBr was inhibited by MeI, and MeCl consumption was inhibited by MeBr. No inhibition of MeBr consumption occurred with methyl fluoride, propyl iodide, dibromomethane, dichloromethane, or difluoromethane, and in addition cells did not oxidize any of these compounds. Cells displayed Michaelis-Menten kinetics for the various methyl halides, with apparent K(s) values of 190, 280, and 6,100 nM for MeBr, MeI, and MeCl, respectively. These results suggest the presence of a single oxidation enzyme system specific for methyl halides (other than methyl fluoride) which runs through formaldehyde to CO(2). The ease of induction of methyl halide oxidation in strain IMB-1 should facilitate its mass culture for the purpose of reducing MeBr emissions to the atmosphere from fumigated soils.

Halomethane:bisulfide/halide ion methyltransferase, an unusual corrinoid enzyme of environmental significance isolated from an aerobic methylotroph using chloromethane as the sole carbon source

A novel dehalogenating/transhalogenating enzyme, halomethane:bisulfide/halide ion methyltransferase, has been isolated from the facultatively methylotrophic bacterium strain CC495, which uses chloromethane (CH(3)Cl) as the sole carbon source. Purification of the enzyme to homogeneity was achieved in high yield by anion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The methyltransferase was composed of a 67-kDa protein with a corrinoid-bound cobalt atom. The purified enzyme was inactive but was activated by preincubation with 5 mM dithiothreitol and 0.5 mM CH(3)Cl; then it catalyzed methyl transfer from CH(3)Cl, CH(3)Br, or CH(3)I to the following acceptor ions (in order of decreasing efficacy): I(-), HS(-), Cl(-), Br(-), NO(2)(-), CN(-), and SCN(-). Spectral analysis indicated that cobalt in the native enzyme existed as cob(II)alamin, which upon activation was reduced to the cob(I)alamin state and then was oxidized to methyl cob(III)alamin. During catalysis, the enzyme shuttles between the methyl cob(III)alamin and cob(I)alamin states, being alternately demethylated by the acceptor ion and remethylated by halomethane. Mechanistically the methyltransferase shows features in common with cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase from Escherichia coli. However, the failure of specific inhibitors of methionine synthase such as propyl iodide, N(2)O, and Hg(2+) to affect the methyltransferase suggests significant differences. During CH(3)Cl degradation by strain CC495, the physiological acceptor ion for the enzyme is probably HS(-), a hypothesis supported by the detection in cell extracts of methanethiol oxidase and formaldehyde dehydrogenase activities which provide a metabolic route to formate. 16S rRNA sequence analysis indicated that strain CC495 clusters with Rhizobium spp. in the alpha subdivision of the Proteobacteria and is closely related to strain IMB-1, a recently isolated CH(3)Br-degrading bacterium (T. L. Connell Hancock, A. M. Costello, M. E. Lidstrom, and R. S. Oremland, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64:2899-2905, 1998). The presence of this methyltransferase in bacterial populations in soil and sediments, if widespread, has important environmental implications.

A corrinoid-dependent catabolic pathway for growth of a Methylobacterium strain with chloromethane

Methylobacterium sp. strain CM4, an aerobic methylotrophic alpha-proteobacterium, is able to grow with chloromethane as a carbon and energy source. Mutants of this strain that still grew with methanol, methylamine, or formate, but were unable to grow with chloromethane, were previously obtained by miniTn5 mutagenesis. The transposon insertion sites in six of these mutants mapped to two distinct DNA fragments. The sequences of these fragments, which extended over more than 17 kb, were determined. Sequence analysis, mutant properties, and measurements of enzyme activity in cell-free extracts allowed the definition of a multistep pathway for the conversion of chloromethane to formate. The methyl group of chloromethane is first transferred by the protein CmuA (cmu: chloromethane utilization) to a corrinoid protein, from where it is transferred to H4folate by CmuB. Both CmuA and CmuB display sequence similarity to methyltransferases of methanogenic archaea. In its C-terminal part, CmuA is also very similar to corrinoid-binding proteins, indicating that it is a bifunctional protein consisting of two domains that are expressed as separate polypeptides in methyl transfer systems of methanogens. The methyl group derived from chloromethane is then processed by means of pterine-linked intermediates to formate by a pathway that appears to be distinct from those already described in Methylobacterium. Remarkable features of this pathway for the catabolism of chloromethane thus include the involvement of a corrinoid-dependent methyltransferase system for dehalogenation in an aerobe and a set of enzymes specifically involved in funneling the C1 moiety derived from chloromethane into central metabolism.

Bacterial oxidation of dibromomethane and methyl bromide in natural waters and enrichment cultures

Bacterial oxidation of 14CH2Br2 and 14CH3Br was measured in freshwater, estuarine, seawater, and hypersaline-alkaline samples. In general, bacteria from the various sites oxidized similar amounts of 14CH2Br2 and comparatively less 14CH3Br. Bacterial oxidation of 14CH3Br was rapid in freshwater samples compared to bacterial oxidation of 14CH3Br in more saline waters. Freshwater was also the only site in which methyl fluoride-sensitive bacteria (e.g., methanotrophs or nitrifiers) governed brominated methane oxidation. Half-life calculations indicated that bacterial oxidation of CH2Br2 was potentially significant in all of the waters tested. In contrast, only in freshwater was bacterial oxidation of CH3Br as fast as chemical removal. The values calculated for more saline sites suggested that bacterial oxidation of CH3Br was relatively slow compared to chemical and physical loss mechanisms. However, enrichment cultures demonstrated that bacteria in seawater can rapidly oxidize brominated methanes. Two distinct cultures of nonmethanotrophic methylotrophs were recovered; one of these cultures was able to utilize CH2Br2 as a sole carbon source, and the other was able to utilize CH3Br as a sole carbon source.

Strain IMB-1, a novel bacterium for the removal of methyl bromide in fumigated agricultural soils

A facultatively methylotrophic bacterium, strain IMB-1, that has been isolated from agricultural soil grows on methyl bromide (MeBr), methyl iodide, methyl chloride, and methylated amines, as well as on glucose, pyruvate, or acetate. Phylogenetic analysis of its 16S rRNA gene sequence indicates that strain IMB-1 classes in the alpha subgroup of the class Proteobacteria and is closely related to members of the genus Rhizobium. The ability of strain IMB-1 to oxidize MeBr to CO2 is constitutive in cells regardless of the growth substrate. Addition of cell suspensions of strain IMB-1 to soils greatly accelerates the oxidation of MeBr, as does pretreatment of soils with low concentrations of methyl iodide. These results suggest that soil treatment strategies can be devised whereby bacteria can effectively consume MeBr during field fumigations, which would diminish or eliminate the outward flux of MeBr to the atmosphere.

Rapid Consumption of Low Concentrations of Methyl Bromide by Soil Bacteria

A dynamic dilution system for producing low mixing ratios of methyl bromide (MeBr) and a sensitive analytical technique were used to study the uptake of MeBr by various soils. MeBr was removed within minutes from vials incubated with soils and ~10 parts per billion by volume of MeBr. Killed controls did not consume MeBr, and a mixture of the broad-spectrum antibiotics chloramphenicol and tetracycline inhibited MeBr uptake by 98%, indicating that all of the uptake of MeBr was biological and by bacteria. Temperature optima for MeBr uptake suggested a biological sink, yet soil moisture and temperature optima varied for different soils, implying that MeBr consumption activity by soil bacteria is diverse. The eucaryotic antibiotic cycloheximide had no effect on MeBr uptake, indicating that soil fungi were not involved in MeBr removal. MeBr consumption did not occur anaerobically. A dynamic flowthrough vial system was used to incubate soils at MeBr mixing ratios as low as those found in the remote atmosphere (5 to 15 parts per trillion by volume [pptv]). Soils consumed MeBr at all mixing ratios tested. Temperate forest and grassy lawn soils consumed MeBr most rapidly (rate constant [k] = 0.5 min-1), yet sandy temperate, boreal, and tropical forest soils also readily consumed MeBr. Amendments of CH4 up to 5% had no effect on MeBr uptake even at CH4:MeBr ratios of 10(7), and depth profiles of MeBr and CH4 consumption exhibited very different vertical rate optima, suggesting that methanotrophic bacteria, like those presently in culture, do not utilize MeBr when it is at atmospheric mixing ratios. Data acquired with gas flux chambers in the field demonstrated the very rapid in situ consumption of MeBr by soils. Uptake of MeBr at mixing ratios found in the remote atmosphere occurs via aerobic bacterial activity, displays first-order kinetics at mixing ratios from 5 pptv to ~1 part per million per volume, and is rapid enough to account for 25% of the global annual loss of atmospheric MeBr.

Bacterial oxidation of methyl bromide in fumigated agricultural soils

The oxidation of [(sup14)C]methyl bromide ([(sup14)C]MeBr) to (sup14)CO(inf2) was measured in field experiments with soils collected from two strawberry plots fumigated with mixtures of MeBr and chloropicrin (CCl(inf3)NO(inf2)). Although these fumigants are considered potent biocides, we found that the highest rates of MeBr oxidation occurred 1 to 2 days after injection when the fields were tarped, rather than before or several days after injection. No oxidation of MeBr occurred in heat-killed soils, indicating that microbes were the causative agents of the oxidation. Degradation of MeBr by chemical and/or biological processes accounted for 20 to 50% of the loss of MeBr during fumigation, with evasion to the atmosphere inferred to comprise the remainder. In laboratory incubations, complete removal of [(sup14)C]MeBr occurred within a few days, with 47 to 67% of the added MeBr oxidized to (sup14)CO(inf2) and the remainder of counts associated with the solid phase. Chloropicrin inhibited the oxidation of MeBr, implying that use of this substance constrains the extent of microbial degradation of MeBr during fumigation. Oxidation was by direct bacterial attack of MeBr and not of methanol, a product of the chemical hydrolysis of MeBr. Neither nitrifying nor methane-oxidizing bacteria were sufficiently active in these soils to account for the observed oxidation of MeBr, nor could the microbial degradation of MeBr be linked to cooxidation with exogenously supplied electron donors. However, repeated addition of MeBr to live soils resulted in higher rates of its removal, suggesting that soil bacteria used MeBr as an electron donor for growth. To support this interpretation, we isolated a gram-negative, aerobic bacterium from these soils which grew with MeBr as a sole source of carbon and energy.

Inhibition of Methane Oxidation by Methylococcus capsulatus with Hydrochlorofluorocarbons and Fluorinated Methanes

The inhibition of methane oxidation by cell suspensions of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) exposed to hydrochlorofluorocarbon 21 (HCFC-21; difluorochloromethane [CHF(inf2)Cl]), HCFC-22 (fluorodichloromethane [CHFCl(inf2)]), and various fluorinated methanes was investigated. HCFC-21 inhibited methane oxidation to a greater extent than HCFC-22, for both the particulate and soluble methane monooxygenases. Among the fluorinated methanes, both methyl fluoride (CH(inf3)F) and difluoromethane (CH(inf2)F(inf2)) were inhibitory while fluoroform (CHF(inf3)) and carbon tetrafluoride (CF(inf4)) were not. The inhibition of methane oxidation by HCFC-21 and HCFC-22 was irreversible, while that by methyl fluoride was reversible. The HCFCs also proved inhibitory to methanol dehydrogenase, which suggests that they disrupt other aspects of C(inf1) catabolism in addition to methane monooxygenase activity.

Microbial degradation of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (CHCl2F and CHCl2CF3) in soils and sediments

The ability of microorganisms to degrade trace levels of the hydrochlorofluorocarbons HCFC-21 and HCFC-123 was investigated. Methanotroph-linked oxidation of HCFC-21 was observed in aerobic soils, and anaerobic degradation of HCFC-21 occurred in freshwater and salt marsh sediments. Microbial degradation of HCFC-123 was observed in anoxic freshwater and salt marsh sediments, and the recovery of 1,1,1-trifluoro-2-chloroethane indicated the involvement of reductive dechlorination. No degradation of HCFC-123 was observed in aerobic soils. In some experiments, HCFCs were degraded at low (parts per billion) concentrations, raising the possibility that bacteria in nature remove HCFCs from the atmosphere.

Nitric oxide: a synchronizing chemical messenger

Nitric oxide (NO) has been recognized as a ubiquitous chemical messenger in a large number of different biological systems. Its chemical properties make it less specific and less controllable than practically any other neurotransmitter or hormone. In view of this, its extensive biological role as a chemical messenger seems surprising. It is suggested that the biological function of NO evolved early in the anaerobic stage of evolution. In view of its low molecular weight, limited interaction with water, and its electrical neutrality, which allow it to diffuse rapidly through the cytoplasm and biomembranes, it is suggested that the need for NO has been retained by and maintained in eukaryote cells because of its ability to affect many biochemical functions simultaneously, acting primarily as an intracellular synchronizing chemical messenger.