Toxic effect of sodium perfluorononyloxy-benzenesulfonate on Pseudomonas stutzeri in aerobic denitrification, cell structure and gene expression

Highlights

• OBS inhibited the growth of P. stutzeri and destroyed its structure.

• OBS was toxic to the aerobic denitrification process of P. stutzeri.

• OBS induced the production of ROS in P. stutzeri.

• OBS affected the expression of key genes involved in denitrification and SOD.

Abstract

The toxicities of sodium perfluorononyloxy-benzenesulfonate (OBS) to animals and plants are similar to those of perfluorooctane sulfonate. However, the mechanism of its toxicity to aerobic denitrifying bacteria is still unclear. In the present study, the ecotoxicity of OBS on an aerobic denitrifying strain, Pseudomonas stutzeri, was evaluated. The results showed that a dosage of OBS clearly affected the growth and aerobic denitrification of P. stutzeri. When compared with an unamended control, the degradation efficiency of the total nitrogen decreased by 30.13% during exposure to 200 mg/L of OBS, and the complete degradation time of nitrate-nitrogen was delayed by 4 h. The lactate dehydrogenase and superoxide dismutase produced by the bacteria increased with the concentration of OBS, and reactive oxygen species were also detected by confocal laser scanning microscope imaging. Transmission electron microscope imaging revealed chromosome deformation of the cells and damage to cell content; moreover, outer membrane vesicles were secreted from the bacteria, which was the important detoxification mechanism of P. stutzeri to OBS. Expression of the genes involved in aerobic nitrification and oxidative stress were also changed under OBS stress, which further confirmed the toxicity of OBS to P. stutzeri. This study reveals the environmental exposure risk of OBS from the perspective of microorganisms.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Sodium perfluorononyloxy-benzenesulfonate / Aerobic denitrification / Pseudomonas stutzeri / Ecotoxicity / ROS / Persist organic pollutants / Toxicity / Denitrification / Microbiology

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20201388) and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1391-9 and is accessible for authorized users.

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