Application of ~(15)N Stable Isotope Probing to Identify Hexahydro-1,3,5- 15(Abstract) Trinitro-1,3,5-Triazine (RDX)-Degrading Microorganisms

摘要

Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) is a heterocyclic nitramine explosive commonly detected in soils and groundwater at army ammunition plants and other mili- tary sites. RDX is toxic and a possible human carcinogen. While RDX biodegradation has been reported under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and several RDX degrading isolates have been reported, microorganisms that are active for RDX biodegradation in-situ remain unidentified. With different ~(13)C-labeled substrates, a new technique, called stable isotope probing (SIP), has allowed researchers to identify metabolically active microorganisms in complex engineered and natural systems. However, N-based SIP has 15 not been applied to identify microorganisms capable of degrading nitrogen-containing compounds, like RDX.