BACKGROUND Hydrocarbon alkanes, components of major fossil fuels, are considered as next-generation biofuels because their biological production has recently been shown to be possible. However, high-yield alkane production requires robust host cells that are tolerant against alkanes, which exhibit cytotoxicity. In this study, we aimed to improve alkane tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a k...

Rhodococcus sp. strain BCP1 was initially isolated for its ability to grow on gaseous n-alkanes, which act as inducers for the co-metabolic degradation of low-chlorinated compounds. Here, both molecular and metabolic features of BCP1 cells grown on gaseous and short-chain n-alkanes (up to n-heptane) were examined in detail. We show that propane metabolism generated terminal and sub-terminal oxi...

A detailed atmospheric photochemical mechanism which had been previously used in model calculations for developing ozone reactivity scales for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was evaluated by comparing its predictions with measurements of incremental reactivities in an environmental chamber system. An updated version of this mechanism is also described and evaluated. The experiments consisted...

Vibrio furnissii M1 was recently reported to biosynthesize n-alkanes when grown on biopolymers, sugars, or organic acids (M. O. Park, J. Bacteriol. 187:1426-1429, 2005). In the present study, V. furnissii M1 was subjected to genomic analysis and studied biochemically. The sequence of the 16S rRNA gene and repetitive PCR showed that V. furnissii M1 was not identical to other V. furnissii strains...

Whole-cell biosensors offer potentially useful, cost-effective systems for the in-situ monitoring of seawater for hydrocarbons derived from accidental spills. The present work compares the performance of a biosensor system for the detection of alkanes in seawater, hosted in either Escherichia coli (commonly employed in whole-cell biosensors but not optimized for alkane assimilation) or differen...

Surface sediments were collected from various locations of the Mandovi estuary and the Marmugoa harbour. Sediments were analysed for organic carbon (OC), total lipids, n-alkanes concentration and composition. Concentrations of OC, total lipids and n-alkanes varied spatially and ranged from 1 to 2.5%, 176 to 1413 microg/g dry weight (dw) sediments, and 0.8 to 3.2 microg/g dw sediments of the Man...

The potential utilization of cyanobacteria for the biological production of alkanes represents an exceptional system for the next generation of biofuels. Here, we analyzed a diverse group of freshwater and marine cyanobacterial isolates from Indian culture collections for their ability to produce both alkanes and alkenes. Among the 50 cyanobacterial isolates screened, 32 isolates; 14 freshwater...

Anaerobic degradation of alkanes in hydrocarbon-rich environments has been documented and different degradation strategies proposed, of which the most encountered one is fumarate addition mechanism, generating alkylsuccinates as specific biomarkers. However, little is known about the mechanisms of anaerobic degradation of alkanes in oil reservoirs, due to low concentrations of signature metabol...

Libraries of 16S rRNA genes cloned from methanogenic oil degrading microcosms amended with North Sea crude oil and inoculated with estuarine sediment indicated that bacteria from the genera Smithella (Deltaproteobacteria, Syntrophaceace) and Marinobacter sp. (Gammaproteobacteria) were enriched during degradation. Growth yields and doubling times (36 days for both Smithella and Marinobacter) wer...

Introduction A complete lack of natural background signal in body tissues and advantageous MR characteristics like a 100% natual abundance and 84% MR sensitivity in comparison to H qualify fluorinated substrates as preeminent reporter molecules for MRIand MRSinvestigations. Even the simultaneous detection of multiple signals from separate molecules in MRS investigations is facilitated by a wide...