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Objectives: To evaluate Pseudomonas monteilii strain PN1 for the removal efficiency of P-nitrophenol (PNP) in soils and its growth promotion of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings under drought and saline-alkali stress., Results: PN1 can survive in soils contaminated with PNP dosage between 90 and 155 mg/kg and considerably improved the removal PNP efficiency in soils. Drought and saline-alkali stress reduced maize seedling growth (root length, shoot height and dry or fresh weight) and improved the antioxidant enzyme activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline (PRO) contents. However, maize seedlings treated with PN1 remarkably promoted their growth compared with the control. The reduction in antioxidant enzyme activities and MDA and PRO contents was significant. This result may be correlated to the increased tolerance of maize seedlings to drought and saline-alkali stress., Conclusions: Application of P. monteilii PN1 can be an extremely useful approach for the development of bioinoculants in improving plant tolerance to several abiotic stresses and removing PNP in soils to ensure secure crop production.

The success of bioaugmentation processes for the remediation of groundwater contamination relies on effective transport of the injected microorganisms in a subsurface environment. Biosurfactants potentially affect bacterial attachment and transport behavior in porous media. Although saponins as biosurfactants are abundant in nature, their influence on bacterial transport in groundwater systems remains unknown. In this research, tank visual-transport experiments, breakthrough curve monitoring, and surface property measurement were performed to evaluate the effects of saponins on the transport of Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 cells, which were used as a model bacterium in saturated sand. Results show that the 0.1% saponins could effectively facilitated the AN-1 secondary transport and the addition of saponins decreased the hydrophobicity of AN-1 and sand. The role of the promotion of saponins was more dominant than that of the inhibition of ions on AN-1 transport in a saturated porous medium when ions and saponins coexisted. The interactions between AN-1 and sand grains with saponins and ions were explained in accordance with the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory.

Influence of granular size and groundwater flow rate on transport of Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 in saturated porous media was non-invasively and visually investigated with a novel imaging technique based on our previously established green fluorescent protein-tagging approach. AN-1 was transported faster than water was. The finer the media were, the greater the enhancement of bacterial velocity was. Mass recovery (MR) increased, while deposition rate coefficient (K c ) decreased, with increasing granular size. Similar and linear trends of MR and K c , respectively, were quantitatively observed with increasing water flow rate. The images revealed that the initial shape of bacterial plume after injection was a narrow strip along the injection well and an ellipsoid in the lower part of the injection well in medium and coarse sand, respectively. Bacterial plume migrated horizontally in medium sand, but shifted slightly downward in coarse sand. Under similar conditions, the fluorescent area carrying AN-1 in medium sand was larger than that carrying AN-1 in coarse sand during the same period. The visualisation method of this study captured both the movement of free-state and retained bacteria that adhered to sediments. A continuous biological zone composed of planktonic and retained AN-1 was observed. These findings are significant for actual bioremediation., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The formation and activity of aniline-degrading biofilms developed by the psychrotrophic Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 were studied for the in situ remediation of contaminated aquifer using in-well bioreactor of groundwater circulating wells (GCWs). Biofilms grown in mineral salt medium with aniline exhibited tolerance to high concentrations of aniline. In aniline degradation rate, AN-1 biofilms exhibited slight differences compared with planktonic cells. The effectiveness and bio-implication of AN-1 biofilms in GCWs were investigated to treat aniline-contaminated aquifer. The results demonstrate that AN-1 biofilms survived the GCWs treatment process with high aniline-degrading efficiency. This system provides a novel environmentally friendly technology for the in situ bioremediation of low-volatile contaminants.

The recently isolated aniline-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 was tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) to investigate its bioaugmentation potential against anilinecontaminated groundwater through microcosm experiments. The survival and cellular response of GFP-tagged AN-1 introduced in a lab-scale aquifer corresponded directly with aniline consumption. During the process, the GFP-tagged AN-1 biomass increased from 7.52 × 10⁵ cells/ml to 128 × 10⁵ cells/ml and the degradation rate of aniline was 6.04 mg/l/h. GFP-tagged AN-1 was moderately hydrophobic (41.74%-47.69%) when treated with 20- 100 mg/l aniline and exhibited relatively strong hydrophobicity (55.25%-65.78%) when the concentration of aniline was ≥100 mg/l. The membrane permeability of AN-1 increased followed by a rise in aniline below 100 mg/l and was invariable with aniline above 100 mg/l. Pyrosequencing analysis showed that the relative abundance of Proteobacteria (accounted for 99.22% in the non-bioaugmentation samples) changed to 89.23% after bioaugmentation with GFP-tagged AN-1. Actinobacteria increased from 0.29% to 2.01%, whereas the abundance of Firmicutes barely changed. These combined findings demonstrate the feasibility of removing aniline in aquifers by introducing the strain AN-1 and provide valuable information on the changes in the diversity of dominant populations during bioaugmentation.

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) are of great environmental concern because of their widespread occurrence in groundwater and soil, posing an increasing threat to human health. The aerobic denitrifying BTEX-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas thivervalensis MAH1 was isolated from BTEX-contaminated sediment under nitrate-reducing conditions. The degradation rates of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene by strain MAH1 were 4.71, 6.59, 5.64, and 2.59 mg·L⁻¹day⁻¹, respectively. The effects of sodium citrate, nitrate, and NaH2PO4 on improving BTEX biodegradation were investigated, and their optimum concentrations were 0.5 g·L⁻¹, 100 mg·L⁻¹, and 0.8 mmol·L⁻¹, respectively. Moreover, MAH1, which has nirS and nosZ genes, removed ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite at 2.49 mg NH(4)(+)-N·L⁻¹·h⁻¹, 1.50 mg NO(3)(-)-N·L⁻¹·h⁻¹, and 0.83 mg NO(2)(-)-N·L⁻¹·h⁻¹, respectively. MAH1 could help in mitigating the pollution caused by nitrogen amendments for biostimulation. This study highlighted the feasibility of using MAH1 for the bioremediation of BTEX-contaminated sites.

Objective: To investigate the remediation efficiency of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated soils by the combination of a bioemulsifying protein, AlnA, and alfalfa expressing bphC. Result: The combination of AlnA and transgenic alfalfa promoted PCB soil remediation through the pot experiments. The removal rates of tri-PCBs (PCB 16/PCB 32 and PCB 31/PCB 28) and tetra-PCB (PCB 49) in transgenic alfalfa/AlnA treatment were 3.6-, 1.1-, and 2-fold higher than in transgenic alfalfa treatment alone. Analysis of gene copy number revealed that the PCB-degrading gene, bphC, of Pseudomonas-like bacterial populations in transgenic alfalfa/AlnA treatment increased 1.5-fold compared with that of unplanted soils. Bacterial community Illumina sequencing showed Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter, and Sphingomonas positively correlated with the removal rates of PCBs. Conclusions: PCB removal was unrelated to bacterial community diversity but positively correlated with their specific degraders and bphC gene expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is a hazardous contaminant when dispersed into soil. It is toxic to plants and further decreases the efficiency of phytoremediation. To improve plant tolerance to Cd, applying plant-associated bacteria is an effective way. This work aimed to determine the effect of a plant growth promoting bacterium Pseudomonas monteilii strain PN1 on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) growth, Cd phytoextraction, and bacterial communities in rhizosphere. A pot trail was performed with alfalfa planted in soil containing Cd at various concentrations and drenched with PN1 suspension. Plants and soil were sampled for biochemical and microbial analyses. Results showed that alfalfa growth was negatively correlated with Cd concentration. However, PN1 inoculation enhanced the growth of alfalfa, and augmented the capacity of Cd phytoextraction. Phytohormone (indole-3-acetic acid) production and antioxidant enzymatic activities (guaiacol peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase), and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase activities of alfalfa were enhanced, which indicated PN1 might mitigate Cd stress. There was a negative impact of Cd on the rhizosphere bacterial communities. However, PN1 can restore the bacterial community in Cd contaminated soil to a certain level. Relative abundance of beneficial bacteria in soil increased and their interactions were strengthened in the presence of PN1 under Cd stress, which was indicated by increased alfalfa growth. All the activities on alfalfa and bacteria in soil facilitated the adaptability of plant-bacteria systems to Cd stress. Thus, the association of alfalfa with PN1 can be a potential biological system for in-situ remediating Cd-contaminated soil. [Display omitted] • PN1 enhanced alfalfa growth by elevating enzymatic activities and IAA production. • PN1 augmented the capacity of Cd phytoextraction from soils. • PN1 resulted in heavy-metal-tolerant bacteria and PGPB enriched in soils. • The association of alfalfa with PN1 can be a potential candidate for in situ remediation of Cd-contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]