Burkholderia sp. strain LB400 is one of the most potent aerobic polychlorobiphenyl (PCB)-degrading microorganisms that have been characterized. Its PCB-dioxygenating activity originates predominantly or exclusively from the biphenyl dioxygenase encoded by its bph gene cluster. Analysis of the dioxygenation products of several di- to pentachlorinated biphenyls formed by this enzyme revealed a co...

An improved, rapid method for polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) extraction from lipid rich matrices and determination by GC-MS is presented. PCBs accumulate in the environment, can be extremely persistent, and health complications including neurotoxic effects have been reported. Thus, monitoring these persistent organic pollutants seems prudent. The analytical procedure for PCB assessment from environme...

An interlaboratory study was conducted to validate a gas chromatographic (GC) method for determination of 21 organochlorine pesticides, 6 pyrethroid pesticides, and 7 polychlorobiphenyl (PCB) congeners in milk, beef fat, fish, and eggs. The method was performed at low contamination levels, which represent relevant contents in food, and is an extension of the European standard (method NF-EN-1528...

INTRODUCTION The aims of the present study are to assess the temporal trends of organochlorine compounds (OCs) concentrations and total serum burdens from birth until adolescence and the influence of breastfeeding in these temporal trends. METHODS In 1997 two birth cohort studies were set up in Ribera d'Ebre (N=102) and the island of Menorca (N=482), Spain. Concentrations (ng/mL) of OCs [pent...

Burkholderia xenovorans LB400, Cupriavidus necator H850, and Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KF707 are bacterial strains able to mineralize biphenyl and to co-oxidize many of its halogenated derivatives (PCBs). Only strain LB400 also mineralizes a few mono- and dichlorobiphenyls, due to the presence of a functioning chlorocatechol pathway. Here, we used a Tn5-based minitransposon shuttle system t...

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-dependent, basic helix-loop-helix Per-ARNTSim (PAS) containing transcription factor that can bind and be activated by structurally diverse chemicals, including the toxic environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). As no experimentally determined structures of the AhR ligand binding domain (LBD) are available and previous ...