[3] “Marquez suggests that the two species be united under the same name since they are heterotypic synonyms due to phenotypic and phylogenetic traits.”[3] In 2011, Hamdan & Fuller discovered that Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclastus, die when exposed to the chemical dispersant COREXIT EC9500A used to treat the Deepwater Horizon oilspill.
[2] Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus cells do not contain cytochrome P450, which is the key enzyme for degrading aromatic rings, a major component of petroleum hydrocarbons.
[2] Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus cells can grow in aerobic liquid medium culture and form colonies on agar, showing that they are not obligate anaerobes.
[6] Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus cells degrade hydrocarbons and excrete osmoprotectant ectoine (Site du Genoscope).
They also excrete Petrobactin, “a bis-catechol α-hydroxy acid siderophore that readily undergoes a light-mediated decarboxylation reaction when bound to Fe(III).”[7] Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclastus degrade petroleum hydrocarbons, including those found in oceanic oil spills.
[4] In their tests, Hamdan and Fuller (2011) obtained data suggesting that, “hydrogen-degrading bacteria are inhibited by chemical dispersants, and that the use of dispersants has the potential to diminish the capacity of the environment to bioremediate spills.” Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus are able to grow in liquid culture and on agar plates, where they produced beige colonies.
The ability to grow in heterogeneous environments could prove beneficial for scientists seeking new, bacterial based, techniques for oceanic oil spill clean up.