@article {1421,
	title = {Biodegradation of low concentrations of 1,2-dibromoethane in groundwater is enhanced by phenol.},
	journal = {Appl Microbiol Biotechnol},
	volume = {98},
	year = {2014},
	month = {2014 Feb},
	pages = {1329-38},
	abstract = {<p>The lead scavenger 1,2-dibromoethane (EDB), a former additive to leaded gasoline, is a common groundwater contaminant, yet not much knowledge is available for its targeted bioremediation, especially under in situ conditions. The study site was an aviation gas spill site, which, although all hydrocarbons and most of the EDB were remediated in the mid-1990s, still exhibits low levels of EDB remaining in the groundwater (about 11 \&mu;g EDB/l). To evaluate the effect of phenol on biostimulation of low concentration of EDB, microcosms were established from an EDB-contaminated aquifer. After 300 days at environmentally relevant conditions (12\&thinsp;\&plusmn;\&thinsp;2 \&deg;C, static incubation), EDB was not significantly removed from unamended microcosms compared to the abiotic control. However, in treatments amended with phenol, up to 80 \% of the initial EDB concentration had been degraded, while added phenol was removed completely. Microbial community composition in unamended and phenol-amended microcosms remained unchanged, and Polaromonas sp. dominated both types of microcosms, but total bacterial abundance and numbers of the gene for phenol hydroxylase were higher in phenol-amended microcosms. Dehalogenase, an indicator suggesting targeted aerobic biodegradation of EDB, was not detected in either treatment. This finding suggests phenol hydroxylase, rather than a dehalogenation reaction, may be responsible for 1,2-dibromoethane oxidation under in situ conditions. In addition, biostimulation of EDB is possible through the addition of low levels of phenol in aerobic groundwater sites.</p>
},
	keywords = {Bacteria, Biota, Ethylene Dibromide, Groundwater, Metabolic Networks and Pathways, Phenol, Water Pollutants},
	issn = {1432-0614},
	doi = {10.1007/s00253-013-4963-1},
	author = {Baek, Kyunghwa and Wang, Meng and McKeever, Robert and Rieber, Kahlil and Park, Chul and N{\"u}sslein, Klaus}
}
@article {726,
	title = {Biodegradation of ethylene dibromide (1,2-dibromoethane [EDB]) in microcosms simulating in situ and biostimulated conditions.},
	journal = {J Hazard Mater},
	volume = {209-210},
	year = {2012},
	month = {2012 Mar 30},
	pages = {92-8},
	abstract = {Although 1,2-dibromoethane (EDB) is a common groundwater contaminant, there is the lack of knowledge surrounding EDB biodegradation, especially under aerobic conditions. We have performed an extensive microcosm study to investigate the biodegradation of EDB under simulated in situ and biostimulated conditions. The materials for soil microcosms were collected from an EDB-contaminated aquifer at the Massachusetts Military Reservation in Cape Cod, MA. This EDB plume has persisted for nearly 40 years in both aerobic and anaerobic EDB zones of the aquifer. Microcosms were constructed under environmentally relevant conditions (field EDB and DO concentrations; incubated at 12{\textdegree}C). The results showed that natural attenuation occurred under anaerobic conditions but not under aerobic conditions, explaining why aerobic EDB contamination is so persistent. EDB degradation rates were greater under biostimulated conditions for both the aerobic and anaerobic microcosms. Particularly for aerobic biostimulation, methane-amended microcosms degraded EDB, on average, at a first order rate eight times faster than unamended microcosms. The best performing replicate achieved an EDB degradation rate of 7.0 yr(-1) (half-life (t(1/2))=0.10 yr). Residual methane concentrations and the emergence of methanotrophic bacteria, measured by culture independent bacterial analysis, provided strong indications that EDB degradation in aerobic methane-amended microcosms occurred via cometabolic degradation. These results indicate the potential for enhanced natural attenuation of EDB and that methane could be considered co-substrate for EDB bioremediation for the EDB-contaminated groundwater in aerobic zone.},
	keywords = {Aerobiosis, Anaerobiosis, Biodegradation, Environmental, Ethylene Dibromide, Water Microbiology, Water Pollutants, Chemical},
	issn = {1873-3336},
	doi = {10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.12.067},
	author = {McKeever, Robert and Sheppard, Diane and N{\"u}sslein, Klaus and Baek, Kyung-Hwa and Rieber, Khalil and Ergas, Sarina J and Forbes, Rose and Hilyard, Mark and Park, Chul}
}
@article {747,
	title = {Broad-spectrum antibacterial activity by a novel abiogenic peptide mimic.},
	journal = {Microbiology},
	volume = {152},
	year = {2006},
	month = {2006 Jul},
	pages = {1913-8},
	abstract = {The human-mediated use and abuse of classical antibiotics has created a strong selective pressure for the rapid evolution of antibiotic resistance. As resistance levels rise, and the efficacy of classical antibiotics wanes, the intensity of the search for alternative antimicrobials has increased. One class of molecules that has attracted much attention is the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). They exhibit broad-spectrum activity, they are potent and they are widespread as part of the innate defence system of both vertebrates and invertebrates. However, peptides are complex molecules that suffer from proteolytic degradation. The ability to capture the essential properties of antimicrobial peptides in simple easy-to-prepare molecules that are abiotic in origin and non-proteolytic offers many advantages. Mechanistic and structural knowledge of existing AMPs was used to design a novel compound that mimics the biochemical activity of an AMP. This report describes the development and in vitro characterization of a small peptide mimic that exhibited quick-acting and selective antibacterial activity against a broad range of bacteria, including numerous clinically relevant strains, at low MIC values.},
	keywords = {Anti-Bacterial Agents, Drug Design, Humans, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Peptides},
	issn = {1350-0872},
	doi = {10.1099/mic.0.28812-0},
	author = {N{\"u}sslein, Klaus and Arnt, Lachelle and Rennie, Jason and Owens, Cullen and Tew, Gregory N}
}
