Marine hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria

Several marine bacteria that specialize in the degradation of hydrocarbons have been isolated from polluted seawater around the world. Some of these bacteria can use exclusively hydrocarbons as growth substrates and are known as obligate hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria’ (OHCB). Marine hydrocarbon- degrading bacteria are not only powerful tools for ioremediation but also an extraordinary archive of mono and dioxygenases, oxidases, dehydrogenases and other enzymatic activities with several applications in regio- and stereo- selective biosynthesis. Furthermore, marine hydrocarbon degrading microorganisms often synthesize very peculiar compounds related to their adaptation to grow in hydrocarbon- rich environments, such as bio- detergents with high emulsifying activity and polymeric storage substances of industrial interest. This chapter describes in detail the features and the most interesting products of this subset of hydrocarbon- degrading bacteria.