Es wurden Versuche für die ungesättigte Zone duchgeführt, um das Verhalten kleinerer Einträge an Benzen, Toluen und Xylen im Oberboden anschätzen zu können. In einem Vorversuch wurde der Verteilungskoeffizient Gas-Wasser für verschiedene Wässer bestimmt. Der Einfluss der Temperatur hatte einen größeren Einfluss als der Chemismus des Wassers. Die Sorption wurde ermittelt und zeigte sich als ein über sechs Größenordnungen linearer Prozess. Sie ist abhängig vom Humusgehalt. Versuche zur Desorption zeigen Unterschiede zwischen den Aromaten. Xylen desorbiert am langsamsten. Fünf, z.T. mehrmonatige Versuche mit einem großen Laborlysimeter (60 cm Durchmesser, 2 m Länge) zeigten, dass die Korngröße die Diffusion und dichtebedingte Konvektion der gasförmigen Aromaten beeinflusst. Diese Vorgänge sind für den schnellen Transport verantwortlich. Das Sickerwasser bewegt sich deutlich langsamer, transportiert aber die größeren BTX-Mengen. Humushaltige Böden können den Transport in tiefere Bereiche aufgrund von Sorption deutlich reduzieren. Mikrobieller Abbau lässt sich über den Sauerstoffverbrauch nachweisen.

Es wurden Versuche für die ungesättigte Zone duchgeführt, um das Verhalten kleinerer Einträge an Benzen, Toluen und Xylen im Oberboden anschätzen zu können. In einem Vorversuch wurde der Verteilungskoeffizient Gas-Wasser für verschiedene Wässer bestimmt. Der Einfluss der Temperatur hatte einen größeren Einfluss als der Chemismus des Wassers. Die Sorption wurde ermittelt und zeigte sich als ein über sechs Größenordnungen linearer Prozess. Sie ist abhängig vom Humusgehalt. Versuche zur Desorption zeigen Unterschiede zwischen den Aromaten. Xylen desorbiert am langsamsten. Fünf, z.T. mehrmonatige Versuche mit einem großen Laborlysimeter (60 cm Durchmesser, 2 m Länge) zeigten, dass die Korngröße die Diffusion und dichtebedingte Konvektion der gasförmigen Aromaten beeinflusst. Diese Vorgänge sind für den schnellen Transport verantwortlich. Das Sickerwasser bewegt sich deutlich langsamer, transportiert aber die größeren BTX-Mengen. Humushaltige Böden können den Transport in tiefere Bereiche aufgrund von Sorption deutlich reduzieren. Mikrobieller Abbau lässt sich über den Sauerstoffverbrauch nachweisen.

Benzene is chemically stable as it has no substituents which can be biochemically attacked and a well-known toxic contaminant whose anaerobic degradation pathway is still not fully resolved. As only a very few anaerobic benzene-mineralizing pure cultures have been described yet, research was usually done with enrichment cultures dominated by specific organisms capable of benzene degradation under different electron acceptor conditions. Remarkable progress has been made in recent years with regard to the initial mechanism of benzene transformation especially on the putative genes that are involved in anaerobic carboxylation of benzene and the benzoyl-CoA central pathway. Many phylotypes described to be primary benzene degraders in anaerobic enrichment cultures at various electron acceptor conditions belong to the Peptococcaceae. Here, the thesis focused on characterizing the structure and function of anaerobic benzene-mineralizing microbial communities enriched from two hydrocarbon-contaminated sites: hydrocarbon-contaminated sediment from Ogoni in Niger Delta of Nigeria and a benzene-contaminated aquifer in Zeitz (Germany). The Niger Delta is one of the world’s most damaged ecosystem mainly due to hydrocarbon exploration accidents. The natural attenuation potential of Niger Delta subsurface sediment for anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation was investigated using benzene as a model compound under iron-reducing, sulfate-reducing, and methanogenic conditions. Benzene was slowly mineralized under iron-reducing conditions using Fe(III) chelated with nitrilotriacetic acid, or poorly crystalline Fe(III) oxyhydroxides as electron acceptors, analyzed by measurement of 13CO2 produced from added 13C-labelled benzene. The highest mineralization rates were observed in microcosms amended with Fe(III) oxyhydroxides while microcosms amended with Fe(III) nitrilotriacetic acid produced methane. Abundant phylotypes were affiliated to Betaproteobacteriales, Ignavibacteriales, Desulfuromonadales, and Methanosarcinales of the genera Methanosarcina and Methanothrix, illustrating that the enriched benzene mineralizing communities were diverse and may contain more than a single benzene degrader. The study underpins the importance of microbial ecosystem services in contaminant degradation as a sustainable environmental means of mitigating harmful chemicals. Benzene degradation pathways in a benzene-mineralizing, nitrate-reducing enrichment culture from Zeitz was investigated. Benzene mineralization was dependent on the presence of nitrate and correlated to enrichment of a Peptococcaceae phylotype only distantly related to known anaerobic benzene degraders of this family. Its relative abundance decreased after benzene mineralization had terminated, while other abundant taxa - Ignavibacteriaceae, Rhodanobacteraceae and Brocadiaceae - slightly increased. Generally, the microbial community remained diverse despite amendment of benzene as single organic carbon source, suggesting complex trophic interactions between different functional groups. A subunit of the putative anaerobic benzene carboxylase (AbcA) previously detected in Peptococcaceae was identified by metaproteomic analysis suggesting that benzene was activated by carboxylation. Detection of proteins involved in anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) indicates that benzene mineralization was accompanied by Anammox, facilitated by nitrite accumulation and the presence of ammonium in the growth medium. The results suggest that benzene was activated by carboxylation and further assimilated by a novel Peptococcaceae phylotype and confirm the hypothesis that Peptococcaceae are important anaerobic benzene degraders. Only a few benzene mineralizing anaerobes have been isolated to date. In an attempt using classical isolation techniques to isolate benzene-mineralizing pure cultures from a benzene-mineralizing nitrate-reducing microbial community, two consortia were gained under nitrate-reducing conditions spiked separately with acetate and benzene as sole sources of carbon and energy with media containing ammonium or without ammonium. Both consortia – Bz4 (with ammonium) and Bz7 (without ammonium) - mineralized 13C-labelled acetate under anoxic conditions at 3.3 and 2.7 µM day-1, respectively, revealed by analysis of evolved 13CO2. However, only Bz4 mineralized 13C-labelled benzene (0.298 µM benzene mineralized day-1) generated up to 960.2 ± 0.3 ‰ ẟ13C-CO2 during 184 days while producing only slight amounts of nitrite (4.60 ± 0.004 µM). By 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was determined that the isolated cultures were not pure cultures but still contained several different phylotypes. The gained Bz4 consortium that mineralized benzene under anoxic conditions can be further purified and explored for their metabolic potentials.:Acknowledgments ………………………………………………………................. ii Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………… iii Dissertation Summary ……………………………………………………………… vi Dissertation Zusammenfassung …………………………………………………… viii List of Tables ………………………………………………………………………… x List of Figures ……………………………………………………………………….. xi List of Appendices ………………………………………………………………….. xiii Abbreviations .………………………………………………………….................... xv Chapter 1: Introduction and Research Objectives ……………………………… 1 1.1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………… 2 1.2 Aims and Objectives ………………………………………………….... 4 Chapter 2: Anaerobic Benzene Degradation by Microbial Communities and Pure Cultures …… 6 2.1 Anaerobic benzene degradation – a brief introduction ...…………… 7 2.2 Anaerobic benzene degradation under different electron acceptor conditions … 9 2.2.1 Benzene degradation under methanogenic conditions ……… 9 2.2.2 Benzene degradation under sulfate-reducing conditions …… 14 2.2.3 Benzene degradation under nitrate-reducing conditions …… 20 2.2.4 Benzene degradation under iron-reducing conditions ……… 25 2.3 Anaerobic benzene degradation by pure cultures ………………… 26 2.4 Anaerobic benzene activation mechanisms and associated genes……………… 28 2.4.1 Hydroxylation of benzene …………………………………….… 30 2.4.2 Methylation of benzene ………………………………..………… 34 2.4.3 Carboxylation of benzene ……………………………....………. 34 2.5 Benzoyl-CoA central metabolic pathways ………………………… 37 2.6 Syntrophic interactions in benzene-degrading communities ……… 42 2.7 Prospects for the future ……..……………………………………………… 43 Chapter 3: Anaerobic Benzene Mineralization by Natural Microbial Communities from Niger Delta …………………………………………………………………........... 44 3.1 Introduction …………………………………………………………..... 45 3.2 Materials and Methods ……………………………………………….. 46 3.2.1 Chemicals ………………………………………………………... 46 3.2.2 Site description and sampling procedure ……………………… 47 3.2.3 Setup of enrichment cultures …………………………………… 47 3.2.4 Chemical and microscopic analysis …………………………… 48 3.2.5 Microbial community analysis …………………………………… 49 3.3 Results and Discussion …………………………………………………. 50 3.3.1 Mineralization of benzene at different electron-acceptor conditions …………... 50 3.3.2 Microbial community structure at different electron-acceptor conditions ……... 53 3.4 Conclusion ………………………………………….…………………… 61 Chapter 4: Structure and Functional Capacity of a Benzene-mineralizing, and Nitrate-reducing Microbial Community ……………………………………………......... 62 4.1 Introduction …………………………………………………………..... 63 4.2 Materials and methods ……………………………………………..... 64 4.2.1 Chemicals ………………………………………………………... 64 4.2.2 Microcosm setup and sampling ………………………………… 64 4.2.3 Chemical and physiochemical analyses ……………………… 66 4.2.4 Amplicon and metagenome sequencing ……………………… 67 4.2.5 Protein mass spectrometry ……………………………………. 67 4.2.6 Metaproteome analysis ………………………………………… 68 4.2.7 Cloning and sequencing of putative nitric oxide dismutase (nod) genes ………. 68 4.2.8 Data availability …………………………………………………… 69 4.3 Results …………………………………………………………………………. 70 4.3.1 Benzene mineralization under nitrate-reducing conditions …… 70 4.3.2 Changes in microbial diversity during benzene mineralization . 71 4.3.3 Metaproteome composition ……………………………………… 74 4.3.4 Presence of putative nitric oxide dismutase genes (nod) ……. 76 4.4 Discussion ……………………………………………………………... 76 4.4.1 Putative pathways for nitrate reduction coupled with benzene mineralization … 76 4.4.2 Elucidation of the benzene activation step ……………………… 78 4.4.3 Benzoyl-CoA central pathway ……………………………………. 79 4.4.4 Peptococcacea as putative primary benzene degraders ……… 80 4.4.5 Metabolic function of Anammox bacteria in the community …… 81 Chapter 5: Consortia Dominated by Gammaproteobacteria Isolated from a Denitrifying Benzene-degrading Enrichment Culture and their Capacity to Mineralize Benzene...................... 83 5.1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………… 84 5.2 Materials and methods ………………………………………………… 85 5.2.1 Chemicals ………………………………………………………… 85 5.2.2 Isolation procedure …………………………………………………… 85 5.2.3 Mineralization and nitrite analyses ……………………..……… 86 5.2.4 Genomic DNA extraction and 16S rRNA gene sequencing … 87 5.3 Results …………………………………………………………………. 87 5.4 Discussions …………………………………………………………… 91 Chapter 6: General Conclusions and Outlook …..……………………………… 95 6.1 Conclusions and novelty of the research …………………………… 96 6.2 Ignavibacteriales as benzene degrading consortia under iron-reducing conditions 96 6.3 Insights into benzene activation via carboxylation by Peptococcaceae … 97 6.4 Unraveling growth of Anammox bacteria during benzene mineralization … 98 6.5 Study significance ……………………………………………………… 99 6.6 General outlook ………………………………………………………… 100 References ………………………………………………………………………… 101 Appendices ………………………………………………………………………… 120 Contributions of other Authors …………………………………………………… 160

In this study, a well biofilm-forming bacterial strain was isolated from oil contaminated water and sediment samples collected in petroleum storage Duc Giang, Hanoi. It was identified as Paracoccus sp. DG25 and registered in the GenBank database with the accession numbers KJ608354. Several biophysical and bio-chemical conditions for the biofilm formation of the strain were estimated such as pH, temperature, carbon sources and nitrogen sources. As the results the biofilm forming capacity was highest at pH 7, 37 oC, on maltose and supplemented with KNO3. Using these optimal conditions, the formed biofilm degraded 76.07 % of pyrene after 7 day-incubation, with the initial concentration of 300 ppm by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. To our knowledge, there is rare publication on pyrene degradation by biofilm-forming bacteria. Therefore, the obtained results show that biofilm formed the strain Paracoccus sp. DG25 may considerably increase the degrading efficiency of pyrene and may lead to a new approach to treat polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons containing in petroleum oil contaminated water in Vietnam. / Trong nghiên cứu này, từ các mẫu đất và nước nhiễm dầu lấy tại kho xăng Đức Giang, Hà Nội, chúng tôi đã phân lập được chủng vi khuẩn có khả năng tạo màng sinh học tốt. Chủng vi khuẩn này đã được phân loại và định tên là Paracoccus sp. DG25 với số đăng ký trên ngân hàng Gen là KJ608354. Chúng tôi cũng đã nghiên cứu một số điều kiện hóa lý ảnh hưởng tới khả năng hình thành màng sinh học như pH, nhiệt độ, nguồn Carbon và nguồn Nitơ. Kết quả cho thấy, chủng DG25 có khả năng tạo màng tốt nhất ở các điều kiện pH 7, 37 oC, nguồn Carbon là maltose và nguồn Nitơ là KNO3. Sử dụng các điều kiện tối ưu này để tạo màng và đánh giá khả năng phân hủy pyrene của màng tạo thành. Bằng phương pháp sắc ký lỏng cao áp, chúng tôi đã đánh giá được hàm lượng pyrene bị phân hủy sau 7 ngày nuôi tĩnh bởi màng sinh học của chủng DG25 lên tới 76,07 % với nồng độ ban đầu là 300 ppm. Cho tới nay, chưa có nhiều công bố về hiệu quả phân hủy pyrene của các chủng vi khuẩn tạo màng sinh học. Do vậy, kết quả đạt được này mở ra khả năng sử dụng màng tạo thành bởi chủng DG25 để nâng cao hiệu quả phân hủy pyren và có thể mở ra phương pháp mới nhằm xử lý các hợp chất hydrocarbon thơm có trong nước ô nhiễm dầu ở Việt Nam.

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Quantifizierung des postmortalen RNA-Status im Gehirn mittels Real-time-PCR: Ein Beitrag zur Bestimmung der Leichenliegezeit Der postmortale Nukleinsäureabbau verläuft unterschiedlich: während DNA im Allgemeinen als stabil angesehen wird und erst mit Einsetzen von Fäulniserscheinungen stärkerer Degradation unterliegt, wird RNA mit dem Sistieren der Kreislauftätigkeit relativ rasch abgebaut. Eine Reihe von Studien hat aber gezeigt, dass RNA in bestimmten Geweben eine höhere Stabilität besitzt als ursprünglich angenommen. Dies könnte Bedeutung für die molekulare Medizinforschung besitzen, die auf Genexpressionsstudien in postmortalem Gewebe angewiesen ist. Außerdem könnte eine Quantifizierung der RNA-Degradation z.B. durch Real-time-PCR zur Eingrenzung der Leichenliegezeit genutzt werden. In dieser Studie wurde ein quantitativer Vergleich verschiedener sog. Haushaltsgene (u.a. GAPDH, ß-Actin, FASN) in Gehirngewebe mit einer Leichenliegezeit zwischen 0 und 96 Stunden und unter alternativen Ansätzen zur reversen Transkription (oligo-(dT)-Primer mit und ohne sog. Anker, Random Hexamer Primer) durchgeführt. Zunächst erfolgten systematische Untersuchungen zur Effektivität der RNA-Isolierung, reversen Transkription und der PCR im Hinblick auf eine möglichst präzise Quantifizierung. Es zeigte sich, dass die Resultate der Real-time-PCR ein Maß für die ursprünglich in der Probe vorhandene mRNA-Menge darstellen. Weiterhin stellte sich heraus, dass eine deutliche und evtl. auch zur Liegezeitbestimmung nutzbare RNA-Degradation erst nach 24h einsetzt. Ein wesentlicher Unterschied zwischen Random- und oligo-(dT)-priming der reversen Transkription war dabei nicht festzustellen. Diese Ergebnisse belegen zum einen, dass RNA im frühen postmortalen Intervall relativ stabil ist und als Substrat für quantitative Untersuchungen dienen kann, zum anderen, dass ein zeitabhängiger Abbau besteht, der eine Eingrenzung der Leichenliegezeit z.B. mittels Grenzwerten in ein frühes und mittleres Postmortalintervall zulässt. / Quantification of the postmortem RNA-status in human brain by means of real-time-PCR: A contribution to the determination of the postmortem interval The postmortem degradation of nucleic acid proceeds differently: whereas DNA is generally considered as stable and is only subject to stronger degradation with the beginning of putrefaction, RNA degrades very fast when the circulation is suspended. A series of studies, however, has shown that RNA has a greater stability in certain tissues than originally expected. This could be important for molecular medical research which is dependent on gene expression studies using postmortem tissue. Furthermore, the quantification of RNA-degradation by means of real-time-PCR could be used for the limitation of the postmortem interval. In this study, a quantitative comparison has been made between different so-called housekeeping-genes (e.g. GAPDH, ß-Actin, FASN) in human brain and a postmortem interval between 0 and 96 hours. Different alternative approaches have been used for the reverse transcription (oligo-(dT)-Primer with and without Anker, Random Hexamer Primer). At first, systematic examinations concerning the effectiveness of RNA isolation, reverse transcription and PCR have been undertaken with regard to a preferably exact quantification. It turned out that the results of the real-time-PCR represent a measure for the mRNA amount originally present in the specimen. Moreover, it emerged that a clear RNA degradation, which could possibly be used for the determination of the postmortem interval, begins after 24 hours. An important difference between random and oligo-(dT) priming of the reverse transcription could not be stated. These results demonstrate, on the one hand, that RNA is relatively stable during the early postmortem interval so that it can serve as substrate for quantitative examinations. On the other hand, it is shown that a time-dependent degradation exists which allows a limitation of the postmortem interval into an early and middle postmortem interval by means of threshold values for example.

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