UC Santa Barbara

Petroleum and natural gas, constituting 4% of global GDP, are vital to the economy but pose environmental risks, as evidenced by numerous oil spills, including over 44 since the 1969 Santa Barbara incident. These spills have released more than 10,000 barrels of oil into U.S. waters, disrupting marine ecosystems. Biodegradation is explored as a solution to mitigate the persistent hydrocarbon presence. Microbial alkane degradation, inspired by post-Deepwater Horizon spill applications, enhances oil breakdown by introducing hydroxyl groups to aid microbial action, despite challenges from hydrocarbon chemical inertness. Oxygenase enzymes, crucial for generating reactive oxygen species, play a pivotal role in overcoming this obstacle, with prosthetic groups like flavins actively participating in these redox reactions. This thesis investigates flavin-mediated long-chain (LC) alkane degradation, focusing on LadA and AlmA enzymes from Geobacillus thermodenitrificans NG80-2 and Acinetobacter sp. (DSM 17874) respectively, to elucidate their enzymatic mechanisms and metabolic roles. By shedding light on these mechanisms, the study contributes to the development of effective bioremediation strategies for oil spill mitigation, advancing environmental sustainability efforts. Furthermore, genome mining of the aerobic microbial degradation of alkanes in obligate hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria, such as Alcanivorax jadensis, seeks to unveil genetic origins concerning a novel natural product observed when pyruvate serves as a sole carbon source.