9504383 Taylor This project is on research to improve the bioremediation of halogenated compounds by increasing the expression and activity of the soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) enzyme in methanotrophic bacteria. The strategy is to culture wild-type and mutant strains of bacteria in various copper, nitrogen, and oxygen environments, while monitoring sMMO and nitrogenase expression and activity. The co-oxidation rates of a variety of environmental pollutants will be quantified for selected strains, with attention to the influence of nitrogen limitation. These pollutants include halogenated ethanes, halomethanes and selected pesticides. Finally, the expression and activity patterns will be related to the environmental conditions by a model which will be used to develop reactor designs. ***
