JBR Journal of Interdisciplinary Medicine and Dental Sciences

Stable Isotope Probing

 Stable isotope probing (SIP) uses heavy isotopes to identify and track contaminant fate to evaluate whether biodegradation is occurring at a site. Here, we describe how SIP works in a typical study, outline its advantages and limitations, briefly walk through reporting and background values, introduce a case study use at a petroleum hydrocarbon site, and summarize suggested guidelines for use in other studies. Stable isotope probing (SIP) is used to conclusively determine whether in situ biodegradation of a contaminant is occurring. The “probe” is a synthesized version of the contaminant compound composed of the heavier stable isotope (e.g., 13C, 15N) rather than the more common light isotope of that element (e.g., 12C, 14N). The heavy isotope serves as the “label” to track the environmental fate of the contaminant and determine if biodegradation is occurring.     Data generated from SIP approaches can be used to establish whether biodegradation of a specific contaminant can or does occur at a site. Depending on which approach is used, SIP techniques can also provide additional information that ranges from identification of broad groups of microorganisms through to identification of specific organisms, genes, and enzymes involved in a particular biodegradation process. These data can be used to simply demonstrate the occurrence of a particular biodegradation process. Data from SIP analyses can also be used to confirm the effectiveness of existing remediation processes or aid in the design of remediation approaches.

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