Relationship between alkanes hydroxylase gene and analysis of aliphatic compounds

Aim and Todayhydrocarboncontaminationisa majorenvironmental problem. Petroleum hydrocarbons are mix compounds divided into four groups: saturates, aromatics, resins and asphalten. Among various phase of crude-oil, alkane with mediumchain(C10-C20) are favorable substrate that are rapidlydegraded, although short chain alkanesare verytoxic whilelong chain(C20-C40)oneshave low solubility in water that reduce bioavailability andmakeresistant to biodegradation. In this research, for the isolation of aliphatic degrading bacteria samplingwas performedin petroleum reservoir waste water in Tehran, Kerman and Semnan and also soil contaminated tohydrocarbon. Alkane degrading bacteria were isolated by enrichment in Bushnell-Hass medium with hexadecane as sole source of carbon and energy. Alkane hydroxylase gene wasidentified all strain by PCR with specific primers. Inthis study,15strainswere isolated from bacterialde composition of aliphatic compounds, and only one of them, i.e. P2, did not growon thealiphaticcompounds(Hexadecane as the solecarbon source). Thismeansthere isnodegradationofhydrocarbonsbythis bacteriawill take place by this bacteria;butother strainswereable to growonhexadecaneandalkanehydroxylasegenewasconfirmed byPCR. This experimentshowsthatbacteriahave theability to degradealkanes whichmusthad alkaneshydroxylasegene,so,lack of this genecauses indissoluble of the aliphaticcompounds.