Selection and identification of polyaromatic hydrocarbon degrading bacteria

There are many industries which produces large amount of poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Bioremediation of PAHs contaminated environment needs to be done because of the carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of PAHs. Five marine bacterial isolates from Indonesian territory which had high potential for PAHs (phenanthrene and pyrene) degradation were analyzed. Five strains, named M2292, M128, C318, C19 and C15, have been identified by 16S rDNA sequence analysis and were identified as Ochrobactrum oryzae (99% homology with NR_042417.1), Bacillus subtilis (99 % homology with HQ851067.1), Bacillus subtilis (99 % homology with JN587510.1), Bacillus subtilis (100 % homology with JN587510.1) and Bacillus pumilus (99% homology with JN315777.1), respectively. The initial dioxygenase genes of the five PAH-degrading bacteria were investigated and revealed that all the isolates possessed the nidA and nahAc gene encoding the initial dioxygenase required for pyrene and phenanthrene degradation.