Engineering and characterization of dehalogenase enzymes from Delftia acidovorans in bioremediation of perfluorinated compounds

Per- and Polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of synthetic compounds that have fluorine substituted for hydrogen in several or all locations and are globally categorized as PFCs (perfluorochemicals; commonly called fluorinated chemicals). These compounds have unique chemical and...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Synthetic and systems biotechnology Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 671 - 676
Main Authors:	Harris, Jackson D., Coon, Collin M., Doherty, Megan E., McHugh, Eamon A., Warner, Margaret C., Walters, Conley L., Orahood, Olivia M., Loesch, Abigail E., Hatfield, David C., Sitko, John C., Almand, Erin A., Steel, J. Jordan
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	China Elsevier B.V 01-06-2022 KeAi Publishing KeAi Communications Co., Ltd
Subjects:	Bioengineering Bioremediation Delftia acidovorans iGEM Original PFAS Bioengineering Bioremediation Delftia acidovorans iGEM-international Genetic Engineered Machine PFAS iGEM iGEM-international Genetic Engineered Machine, DeHa- Dehalogenase
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Per- and Polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of synthetic compounds that have fluorine substituted for hydrogen in several or all locations and are globally categorized as PFCs (perfluorochemicals; commonly called fluorinated chemicals). These compounds have unique chemical and physical properties that enable their use in non-stick surfaces, fire-fighting efforts, and as slick coatings. However, recent concerns over the health effects of such compounds, specifically perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOA, PFOS; PFOA/S), have led to increased attention and research by the global community into degradation methods. In this study, soil samples from PFAS-contamination sites were cultured and screened for microbes with PFOA/S degradation potential, which led to the identification of Delftia acidovorans. It was found that D. acidovorans isolated from PFAS-contaminated soils was capable of growth in minimal media with PFOA as a sole carbon resource, and an observable fluoride concentration increase was observed when cells were exposed to PFOA. This suggests potential activity of a dehalogenase enzyme that may be of use in PFOA or PFAS microbial remediation efforts. Several associated haloacid dehalogenases have been identified in the D. acidovorans genome and have been engineered for expression in Escherichia coli for rapid production and purification. These enzymes have shown potential for enzymatic defluorination, a significant step in biological degradation and removal of PFOA/S from the environment. We hypothesize that bioremediation of PFAS using naturally occurring microbial degradation pathways may represent a novel approach to remove PFAS contamination.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Contributed equally to this work as first author.
ISSN:	2405-805X 2405-805X
DOI:	10.1016/j.synbio.2022.02.005