Simultaneous Growth on Citrate Reduces the Effects of Iron Limitation during Toluene Degradation in Pseudomonas

Rhizoremediation has been suggested as an attractive bioremediation strategy for the effective breakdown of pollutants in soil. The presence of plant root exudates such as organic acids, sugars, and amino acids that may serve as carbon sources or biosynthetic building blocks and the limited bioavailability of iron may influence the degradation of pollutants in the rhizosphere. To test the effect of such compounds on hydrocarbon degradation, trace concentrations of yeast extract or mixtures of organic acids and amino acids were added to continuous cultures of Pseudomonas putida mt2 and P. putida WCS358 (TOL) growing on toluene. By addition of these compounds increased growth yields and higher specific growth rates on toluene were obtained. The effects of iron limitation on the substrate utilization pattern of both strains were tested by growing the strains on a mixture of toluene and the readily degradable carbon source citrate while the iron concentration was varied. Simultaneous use of both substrates under carbon-limited as well as iron-limited conditions was observed. Growth yields were less reduced and iron requirement was lower during iron-limited growth in the toluene + citrate grown cultures compared to cultures in which toluene was used as the sole carbon source. The kinetic properties of the cells for toluene degradation were less hampered by the lack of iron when citrate was used as an additional carbon source. The results indicate that the availability of low concentrations of natural organic compounds, such as produced in the rhizosphere, may positively influence the degradative performance of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria.