Plasmid-mediated catabolism for the removal of xenobiotics from the environment

Pankaj Bhatt; Geeta Bhandari; Kalpana Bhatt; Damini Maithani; Sandhya Mishra; Saurabh Gangola; Rakesh Bhatt; Yaohua Huang; Shaohua Chen

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126618

Plasmid-mediated catabolism for the removal of xenobiotics from the environment

J Hazard Mater. 2021 Oct 15:420:126618. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126618. Epub 2021 Jul 10.

Authors

Pankaj Bhatt¹, Geeta Bhandari², Kalpana Bhatt³, Damini Maithani⁴, Sandhya Mishra¹, Saurabh Gangola⁵, Rakesh Bhatt⁶, Yaohua Huang¹, Shaohua Chen⁷

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510642, China.
² Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Sardar Bhagwan Singh University, Dehradun 248161, Uttarakhand, India.
³ Department of Botany and Microbiology, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar 249404, Uttarakhand, India.
⁴ Department of Microbiology, G.B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology Pantnagar, U.S Nagar, Uttarakhand, India.
⁵ School of Agriculture, Graphic Era Hill University, Bhimtal Campus, 263136, Uttarakhand, India.
⁶ Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, Uttar Pradesh, India.
⁷ State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Microbial Signals and Disease Control, Integrative Microbiology Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China; Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Guangzhou 510642, China. Electronic address: shchen@scau.edu.cn.

PMID: 34329102
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126618

Abstract

The large-scale application of xenobiotics adversely affects the environment. The genes that are present in the chromosome of the bacteria are considered nonmobile, whereas the genes present on the plasmids are considered mobile genetic elements. Plasmids are considered indispensable for xenobiotic degradation into the contaminated environment. In the contaminated sites, bacteria with plasmids can transfer the mobile genetic element into another strain. This mechanism helps in spreading the catabolic genes into the bacterial population at the contaminated sites. The indigenous microbial strains with such degradative plasmids are important for the bioremediation of xenobiotics. Environmental factors play a critical role in the conjugation efficiency, which is involved in the bioremediation of the xenobiotics at the contaminated sites. However, there is still a need for more research to fill in the gaps regarding plasmids and their impact on bioremediation. This review explores the role of bacterial plasmids in the bioremediation of xenobiotics from contaminated environments.

Keywords: Bioremediation; Environment; Microorganisms; Plasmids; Xenobiotics.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Bacteria* / genetics
Biodegradation, Environmental
Plasmids / genetics
Xenobiotics*

Substances

Xenobiotics