Evolved aniline catabolism in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus during continuous culture of river water.

Adaptation of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus from river water to aniline depends on the dynamics of parent and mutant populations. The parent, Acinetobacter strain DON26 phenotype Ani0, was common in river water and assimilated aniline effectively at micromolar concentrations, but was inhibited at higher concentrations of aniline. The Ani0 phenotype was also characterized by a broad specificity for oxidation of chloroanilines by aniline-induced cells. The mutant Ani+ phenotype was represented by DON2, isolated from a population of less than 100 cells ml-1 in a mixed river water culture, and by DON261, isolated during continuous culture of DON26. Ani+ strains assimilated aniline at a greater maximum specific rate than the parent and were able to grow at concentrations of aniline greater than 16 mM. These strains cooxidized phenol after growth at high aniline concentrations, but showed reduced activity toward chloroanilines. These changes plus kinetic data, oxygen uptake data, and the results of auxanography indicate that the mutant has an increased activity and altered specificity of the initial enzyme in the aniline catabolic pathway. The parent strain, DON26, was at a selective advantage relative to the mutant at low concentrations of aniline, but was replaced by the mutant when aniline concentrations increased. Adaptation of the mixed river water community to aniline involved selection of both phenotypes. Reversion of the Ani+ to Ani0 phenotype occurred at a frequency of 10(-2) in the absence of aniline selection. Plasmid content was not altered during either acquisition or loss of the Ani+ phenotype. Adaptive changes in Acinetobacter spp. populations illustrate important differences in the catabolic activities of natural and pollutant selected strains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)