MARPAH · Marine Micro-Algae as Global Reservoir of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degraders
7РП — „Хора“ (Действия „Мария Кюри“)
- Период
- 2008-10-20 → 2011-10-19
- Финансиране от ЕС
- 333 745 €
- Участници
- 1
- Схема
- MC-IOF
Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.
Накратко на български
Морските бактерии се изследват, за да се открият видове, които разграждат замърсители като полицикличните ароматни въглеводороди. Това помага за разработването на по-ефективни методи за почистване на нефтените замърсявания в океаните.
Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.
Резултати накратко
Periodic Report Summary - MARPAH (Marine micro-algae as global reservoir of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degraders)
This Marie Curie project was formulated to identify new species of marine bacteria that degraded polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using microbiological techniques and state of the art molecular methods that included deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) based stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP). In addition to providing greater insight on the identity and functioning of the marine microbial world, this information was anticipated to enhance our design of more efficient ways in cleaning up marine hydrocarbon pollution. The objectives that defined this Marie Curie project are summarized as follows: 1. to discover new species or genera of marine bacteria that could degrade PAHs 2. to determine whether certain species of PAH-degrading bacteria were found associated with particulate matter and infer on their distribution in the world ocean 3. to design experimental protocols to measure PAH degradation in field samples under conditions that simulated natural conditions in the upper ocean surface 4. to learn novel techniques and skills that the fellow would bring back to the return host institution for implementation and to initiate collaborative activities between both host institutions 5. to disseminate the research output from this project at international meetings and in peer-review journals. This Marie Curie fellowship allowed the fellow the opportunity to undertake approximately two initial years of research experience with a research group at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, United States of America. This group had extensive expertise on the use of microbiological and molecular tools to identify PAH-degrading bacteria in environmental samples. Since the fellow arrived at UNC 12 months' ago, he successfully acquired training in conducting DNA-based SIP experiments and other skills which he then applied to the study of PAH-degrading bacteria in the ocean. During this time, the fellow identified novel organisms based on 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) sequencing, and, by the time of this report, he was in the process of systematically characterising these new organisms using phylogenetic, genotypic and phenotypic analyses. To date, this research revealed new insights on the occurrence, distribution and ecology of PAH-degrading bacteria, including the discovery of new genera and species of these organisms, in the ocean.
Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз
Цел на проекта
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are recognised as priority pollutants to the environment and human health because of their poor water solubility, recalcitrance, inherent toxicity and potential to bio-accumulate in higher organisms – EU Water Framework Directive (No. 2000/60/EC). To manage and mitigate the impacts of PAH pollution in the marine environment, it is necessary that we understand the mechanisms involved in their biodegradation. For this, the applicant has identified a previously unrecognised niche – i.e. the surfaces of marine phytoplankton – to which both specialist and generalist PAH-degrading bacteria (PAH-DB) are associated. This new finding is significant for three main reasons: (1) It defines for the first time a physical zone in our oceans that harbours PAH bio-catalytic activity; (2) It suggests that, based on the ubiquity of phytoplankton in our oceans, this pool of biocatalytic activity is widespread and likely to be concentrated within the euphotic zone; and (3) The association of this bacterial catabolic activity with phytoplankton could help government task forces improve on methods to mitigate marine oil and PAH pollution. The aims of this Outgoing International Fellowship are to utilise the expertise offered by the US host (University of North Carolina) in their exclusive use of a unique set of uniformly 13C-labeled PAH compounds coupled with molecular techniques (DNA-SIP, qPCR, DGGE) to identify and quantitatively assess PAH-DB that are specifically associated with phytoplankton species representing the major taxonomic groups. Together with the applicant’s extensive experience, and the skills and techniques (C14 PAH degradation, respirometry etc) offered by the return host (University of Lancaster), these objectives will be accomplished through the initiation of a trans-Atlantic collaboration between the European Union and the USA in a study that for the first time aims to define a link between PAH-DB and marine phytoplankton.
Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).
Участници
- UNIVERSITY OF LANCASTER · LANCASTERКоординаторОбединеното кралство
Връзки
Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз