Model organism for hydrogen oxidation and used for bioremediation of aromatic compounds. Cupriavidus pinatubonensis JMP134

Ralstonia eutropha strain JMP134. This organism is found in both soil and water and has great potential for use in bioremediation as it is capable of degrading a large list of pollutants including chlorinated aromatic compounds. The bacterium can utilize hydrogen, carbon dioxide, as well as organic compounds for growth and is a model organism for hydrogen oxidation as it can grow on hydrogen as the sole energy source. It was originally isolated due to its ability to degrade the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, which is due to the degradative functions being encoded on a plasmid (pJP4).