scholarly journals Microbial Degradation of Pyridine: a Complete Pathway in Arthrobacter sp. Strain 68b Deciphered

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vida Časaitė ◽  
Rūta Stanislauskienė ◽  
Justas Vaitekūnas ◽  
Daiva Tauraitė ◽  
Rasa Rutkienė ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Pyridine and its derivatives constitute the majority of heterocyclic aromatic compounds that occur largely as a result of human activities and contribute to environmental pollution. It is known that they can be degraded by various bacteria in the environment; however, the degradation of unsubstituted pyridine has not yet been completely resolved. In this study, we present data on the pyridine catabolic pathway in Arthrobacter sp. strain 68b at the level of genes, enzymes, and metabolites. The pyr gene cluster, responsible for the degradation of pyridine, was identified in a catabolic plasmid, p2MP. The pathway of pyridine metabolism consisted of four enzymatic steps and ended by the formation of succinic acid. The first step in the degradation of pyridine proceeds through a direct ring cleavage catalyzed by a two-component flavin-dependent monooxygenase system, encoded by pyrA (pyridine monooxygenase) and pyrE genes. The genes pyrB, pyrC, and pyrD were found to encode (Z)-N-(4-oxobut-1-enyl)formamide dehydrogenase, amidohydrolase, and succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, respectively. These enzymes participate in the subsequent steps of pyridine degradation. The metabolites of these enzymatic reactions were identified, and this allowed us to reconstruct the entire pyridine catabolism pathway in Arthrobacter sp. 68b. IMPORTANCE The biodegradation pathway of pyridine, a notorious toxicant, is relatively unexplored, as no genetic data related to this process have ever been presented. In this paper, we describe the plasmid-borne pyr gene cluster, which includes the complete set of genes responsible for the degradation of pyridine. A key enzyme, the monooxygenase PyrA, which is responsible for the first step of the catabolic pathway, performs an oxidative cleavage of the pyridine ring without typical activation steps such as reduction or hydroxylation of the heterocycle. This work provides new insights into the metabolism of N-heterocyclic compounds in nature.

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (13) ◽  
pp. 3784-3793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent J. J. Martin ◽  
William W. Mohn

ABSTRACT We have cloned and sequenced the dit gene cluster encoding enzymes of the catabolic pathway for abietane diterpenoid degradation by Pseudomonas abietaniphila BKME-9. Thedit gene cluster is located on a 16.7-kb DNA fragment containing 13 complete open reading frames (ORFs) and 1 partial ORF. The genes ditA1A2A3 encode the α and β subunits and the ferredoxin of the dioxygenase which hydroxylates 7-oxodehydroabietic acid to 7-oxo-11,12-dihydroxy-8,13-abietadien acid. The dioxygenase mutant strain BKME-941 (ditA1::Tn5) did not grow on nonaromatic abietanes, and transformed palustric and abietic acids to 7-oxodehydroabietic acid in cell suspension assays. Thus, nonaromatic abietanes are aromatized prior to further degradation. Catechol 2,3-dioxygenase activity of xylEtranscriptional fusion strains showed induction of ditA1and ditA3 by abietic, dehydroabietic, and 7-oxodehydroabietic acids, which support the growth of strain BKME-9, as well as by isopimaric and 12,14-dichlorodehydroabietic acids, which are diterpenoids that do not support the growth of strain BKME-9. In addition to the aromatic-ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase genes, thedit cluster includes ditC, encoding an extradiol ring cleavage dioxygenase, and ditR, encoding an IclR-type transcriptional regulator. Although ditR is not strictly required for the growth of strain BKME-9 on abietanes, aditR::Kmr mutation in aditA3::xylE reporter strain demonstrated that it encodes an inducer-dependent transcriptional activator of ditA3. An ORF with sequence similarity to genes encoding permeases (ditE) is linked with genes involved in abietane degradation.


2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 3304-3308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio L. G. Arenghi ◽  
Davide Berlanda ◽  
Enrica Galli ◽  
Guido Sello ◽  
Paola Barbieri

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas stutzeri OX1 meta pathway genes for toluene and o-xylene catabolism were analyzed, and loci encoding phenol hydroxylase, catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, 2-hydroxymuconate semialdehyde dehydrogenase, and 2-hydroxymuconate semialdehyde hydrolase were mapped. Phenol hydroxylase converted a broad range of substrates, as it was also able to transform the nongrowth substrates 2,4-dimethylphenol and 2,5-dimethylphenol into 3,5-dimethylcatechol and 3,6-dimethylcatechol, respectively, which, however, were not cleaved by catechol 2,3-dioxygenase. The identified gene cluster displayed a gene order similar to that of thePseudomonas sp. strain CF600 dmp operon for phenol catabolism and was found to be coregulated by thetou operon activator TouR. A hypothesis about the evolution of the toluene and o-xylene catabolic pathway inP. stutzeri OX1 is discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Julieta Solís-González ◽  
Lilianha Domínguez-Malfavón ◽  
Martín Vargas-Suárez ◽  
Itzel Gaytán ◽  
Miguel Ángel Cevallos ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe molecular mechanisms underlying the biodegradation ofN-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), a widely used industrial solvent that produces skin irritation in humans and is teratogenic in rats, are unknown.Alicycliphilussp. strain BQ1 degrades NMP. By studying a transposon-tagged mutant unable to degrade NMP, we identified a six-gene cluster (nmpABCDEF) that is transcribed as a polycistronic mRNA and encodes enzymes involved in NMP biodegradation.nmpAand the transposon-affected genenmpBencode anN-methylhydantoin amidohydrolase that transforms NMP to γ-N-methylaminobutyric acid; this is metabolized by an amino acid oxidase (NMPC), either by demethylation to produce γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or by deamination to produce succinate semialdehyde (SSA). If GABA is produced, the activity of a GABA aminotransferase (GABA-AT), not encoded in thenmpgene cluster, is needed to generate SSA. SSA is transformed by a succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSDH) (NMPF) to succinate, which enters the Krebs cycle. The abilities to consume NMP and to utilize it for growth were complemented in the transposon-tagged mutant by use of thenmpABCDgenes. Similarly,Escherichia coliMG1655, which has two SSDHs but is unable to grow in NMP, acquired these abilities after functional complementation with these genes. In wild-type (wt) BQ1 cells growing in NMP, GABA was not detected, but SSA was present at double the amount found in cells growing in Luria-Bertani medium (LB), suggesting that GABA is not an intermediate in this pathway. Moreover,E. coliGABA-AT deletion mutants complemented withnmpABCDgenes retained the ability to grow in NMP, supporting the possibility that γ-N-methylaminobutyric acid is deaminated to SSA instead of being demethylated to GABA.IMPORTANCEN-Methylpyrrolidone is a cyclic amide reported to be biodegradable. However, the metabolic pathway and enzymatic activities for degrading NMP are unknown. By developing molecular biology techniques forAlicycliphilussp. strain BQ1, an environmental bacterium able to grow in NMP, we identified a six-gene cluster encoding enzymatic activities involved in NMP degradation. These findings set the basis for the study of new enzymatic activities and for the development of biotechnological processes with potential applications in bioremediation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vytautas Petkevičius ◽  
Justas Vaitekūnas ◽  
Jonita Stankevičiūtė ◽  
Renata Gasparavičiūtė ◽  
Rolandas Meškys

ABSTRACTMicrobial degradation of 2-hydroxypyridine usually results in the formation of a blue pigment (nicotine blue). In contrast, theBurkholderiasp. strain MAK1 bacterium utilizes 2-hydroxypyridine without the accumulation of nicotine blue. This scarcely investigated degradation pathway presumably employs 2-hydroxypyridine 5-monooxygenase, an elusive enzyme that has been hypothesized but has yet to be identified or characterized. The isolation of the mutant strainBurkholderiasp. MAK1 ΔP5 that is unable to utilize 2-hydroxypyridine has led to the identification of a gene cluster (designatedhpd) which is responsible for the degradation of 2-hydroxypyridine. The activity of 2-hydroxypyridine 5-monooxygenase has been assigned to a soluble diiron monooxygenase (SDIMO) encoded by a five-gene cluster (hpdA,hpdB,hpdC,hpdD, andhpdE). A 4.5-kb DNA fragment containing all five genes has been successfully expressed inBurkholderiasp. MAK1 ΔP5 cells. We have proved that the recombinant HpdABCDE protein catalyzes the enzymatic turnover of 2-hydroxypyridine to 2,5-dihydroxypyridine. Moreover, we have confirmed that emerging 2,5-dihydroxypyridine is a substrate for HpdF, an enzyme similar to 2,5-dihydroxypyridine 5,6-dioxygenases that are involved in the catabolic pathways of nicotine and nicotinic acid. The proteins and genes identified in this study have allowed the identification of a novel degradation pathway of 2-hydroxypyridine. Our results provide a better understanding of the biodegradation of pyridine derivatives in nature. Also, the discovered 2-hydroxypyridine 5-monooxygenase may be an attractive catalyst for the regioselective synthesis of variousN-heterocyclic compounds.IMPORTANCEThe degradation pathway of 2-hydroxypyridine without the accumulation of a blue pigment is relatively unexplored, as, to our knowledge, no genetic data related to this process have ever been presented. In this paper, we describe genes and enzymes involved in this little-studied catabolic pathway. This work provides new insights into the metabolism of 2-hydroxypyridine in nature. A broad-range substrate specificity of 2-hydroxypyridine 5-monooxygenase, a key enzyme in the degradation, makes this biocatalyst attractive for the regioselective hydroxylation of pyridine derivatives.


2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minggen Cheng ◽  
Qiang Meng ◽  
Youjian Yang ◽  
Cuiwei Chu ◽  
Qing Chen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Due to the extensive use of chloroacetanilide herbicides over the past 60 years, bacteria have evolved catabolic pathways to mineralize these compounds. In the upstream catabolic pathway, chloroacetanilide herbicides are transformed into the two common metabolites 2-methyl-6-ethylaniline (MEA) and 2,6-diethylaniline (DEA) through N-dealkylation and amide hydrolysis. The pathway downstream of MEA is initiated by the hydroxylation of aromatic rings, followed by its conversion to a substrate for ring cleavage after several steps. Most of the key genes in the pathway have been identified. However, the genes involved in the initial hydroxylation step of MEA are still unknown. As a special aniline derivative, MEA cannot be transformed by the aniline dioxygenases that have been characterized. Sphingobium baderi DE-13 can completely degrade MEA and use it as a sole carbon source for growth. In this work, an MEA degradation-deficient mutant of S. baderi DE-13 was isolated. MEA catabolism genes were predicted through comparative genomic analysis. The results of genetic complementation and heterologous expression demonstrated that the products of meaX and meaY are responsible for the initial step of MEA degradation in S. baderi DE-13. MeaXY is a two-component flavoprotein monooxygenase system that catalyzes the hydroxylation of MEA and DEA using NADH and flavin mononucleotide (FMN) as cofactors. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis confirmed that MeaXY hydroxylates MEA and DEA at the para-position. Transcription of meaX was enhanced remarkably upon induction of MEA or DEA in S. baderi DE-13. Additionally, meaX and meaY were highly conserved among other MEA-degrading sphingomonads. This study fills a gap in our knowledge of the biochemical pathway that carries out mineralization of chloroacetanilide herbicides in sphingomonads. IMPORTANCE Much attention has been paid to the environmental fate of chloroacetanilide herbicides used for the past 60 years. Microbial degradation is considered an important mechanism in the degradation of these compounds. Bacterial degradation of chloroacetanilide herbicides has been investigated in many recent studies. Pure cultures or consortia able to mineralize these herbicides have been obtained. The catabolic pathway has been proposed, and most key genes involved have been identified. However, the genes responsible for the initiation step (from MEA to hydroxylated MEA or from DEA to hydroxylated DEA) of the downstream pathway have not been reported. The present study demonstrates that a two-component flavin-dependent monooxygenase system, MeaXY, catalyzes the para-hydroxylation of MEA or DEA in sphingomonads. Therefore, this work finds a missing link in the biochemical pathway that carries out the mineralization of chloroacetanilide herbicides in sphingomonads. Additionally, the results expand our understanding of the degradation of a special kind of aniline derivative.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (8) ◽  
pp. 2919-2927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Gescher ◽  
Wael Ismail ◽  
Ellen Ölgeschläger ◽  
Wolfgang Eisenreich ◽  
Jürgen Wörth ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Benzoate, a strategic intermediate in aerobic aromatic metabolism, is metabolized in various bacteria via an unorthodox pathway. The intermediates of this pathway are coenzyme A (CoA) thioesters throughout, and ring cleavage is nonoxygenolytic. The fate of the ring cleavage product 3,4-dehydroadipyl-CoA semialdehyde was studied in the β-proteobacterium Azoarcus evansii. Cell extracts contained a benzoate-induced, NADP+-specific aldehyde dehydrogenase, which oxidized this intermediate. A postulated putative long-chain aldehyde dehydrogenase gene, which might encode this new enzyme, is located on a cluster of genes encoding enzymes and a transport system required for aerobic benzoate oxidation. The gene was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the maltose-binding protein-tagged enzyme was purified and studied. It is a homodimer composed of 54 kDa (without tag) subunits and was confirmed to be the desired 3,4-dehydroadipyl-CoA semialdehyde dehydrogenase. The reaction product was identified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy as the corresponding acid 3,4-dehydroadipyl-CoA. Hence, the intermediates of aerobic benzoyl-CoA catabolic pathway recognized so far are benzoyl-CoA; 2,3-dihydro-2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl-CoA; 3,4-dehydroadipyl-CoA semialdehyde plus formate; and 3,4-dehydroadipyl-CoA. The further metabolism is thought to lead to 3-oxoadipyl-CoA, the intermediate at which the conventional and the unorthodox pathways merge.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4374
Author(s):  
Giovanna Menduti ◽  
Alessandra Vitaliti ◽  
Concetta Rosa Capo ◽  
Daniele Lettieri-Barbato ◽  
Katia Aquilano ◽  
...  

Succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) is a mitochondrial enzyme, encoded by ALDH5A1, mainly involved in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) catabolism and energy supply of neuronal cells, possibly contributing to antioxidant defense. This study aimed to further investigate the antioxidant role of SSADH, and to verify if common SNPs of ALDH5A1 may affect SSADH activity, stability, and mitochondrial function. In this study, we used U87 glioblastoma cells as they represent a glial cell line. These cells were transiently transfected with a cDNA construct simultaneously harboring three SNPs encoding for a triple mutant (TM) SSADH protein (p.G36R/p.H180Y/p.P182L) or with wild type (WT) cDNA. SSADH activity and protein level were measured. Cell viability, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial morphology, membrane potential (ΔΨ), and protein markers of mitochondrial stress were evaluated upon Paraquat treatment, in TM and WT transfected cells. TM transfected cells show lower SSADH protein content and activity, fragmented mitochondria, higher levels of peroxidized lipids, and altered ΔΨ than WT transfected cells. Upon Paraquat treatment, TM cells show higher cell death, lipid peroxidation, 4-HNE protein adducts, and lower ΔΨ, than WT transfected cells. These results reinforce the hypothesis that SSADH contributes to cellular antioxidant defense; furthermore, common SNPs may produce unstable, less active SSADH, which could per se negatively affect mitochondrial function and, under oxidative stress conditions, fail to protect mitochondria.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (4) ◽  
pp. 1293-1304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Jebbar ◽  
Linda Sohn-Bösser ◽  
Erhard Bremer ◽  
Théophile Bernard ◽  
Carlos Blanco

ABSTRACT To understand the mechanisms of ectoine-induced osmoprotection in Sinorhizobium meliloti, a proteomic examination of S. meliloti cells grown in minimal medium supplemented with ectoine was undertaken. This revealed the induction of 10 proteins. The protein products of eight genes were identified by using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Five of these genes, with four other genes whose products were not detected on two-dimensional gels, belong to the same gene cluster, which is localized on the pSymB megaplasmid. Four of the nine genes encode the characteristic components of an ATP-binding cassette transporter that was named ehu, for ectoine/hydroxyectoine uptake. This transporter was encoded by four genes (ehuA, ehuB, ehuC, and ehuD) that formed an operon with another gene cluster that contains five genes, named eutABCDE for ectoine utilization. On the basis of sequence homologies, eutABCDE encode enzymes with putative and hypothetical functions in ectoine catabolism. Analysis of the properties of ehuA and eutA mutants suggests that S. meliloti possesses at least one additional ectoine catabolic pathway as well as a lower-affinity transport system for ectoine and hydroxyectoine. The expression of ehuB, as determined by measurements of UidA activity, was shown to be induced by ectoine and hydroxyectoine but not by glycine betaine or by high osmolality.


Author(s):  
Thamer Y. Mutter ◽  
Gerben J. Zylstra

Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 grows on the two related compounds dibenzofuran (DBF) and dibenzo- p -dioxin (DXN) as the sole source of carbon. Previous work by others (P.V. Bunz, R. Falchetto, and A.M. Cook. Biodegradation 4:171-8, 1993, doi: 10.1007/BF00695119) identified two upper pathway meta cleavage product hydrolases (DxnB1 and DxnB2) active on the DBF upper pathway metabolite 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-hexa-2,4-dienoate. We took a physiological approach to determine the role of these two enzymes in the degradation of DBF and DXN by RW1. Single knockouts of either plasmid located dbfB1 or chromosome located dbfB2 had no effect on RW1 growth on either DBF or DXN. However, a double knockout lost the ability to grow on DBF but still grew normally on DXN demonstrating that DbfB1 and DbfB2 are the only hydrolases involved in the DBF upper pathway. Using a transcriptomic-guided approach we identified a constitutively expressed third hydrolase encoded by the chromosomally located SWIT0910 gene. Knockout of SWIT0910 resulted in a strain that no longer grows on DXN but still grows normally on DBF. Thus the DbfB1 and DbfB2 hydrolases function in the DBF but not the DXN catabolic pathway and the SWIT0190 hydrolase functions in the DXN but not the DBF catabolic pathway. Importance S. wittichii RW1 is one of only a few strains known to grow on DXN as the sole course of carbon. Much of the work deciphering the related RW1 DXN and DBF catabolic pathways has involved genome gazing, transcriptomics, proteomics, heterologous expression, and enzyme purification and characterization. Very little research has utilized physiological techniques to precisely dissect the genes and enzymes involved in DBF and DXN degradation. Previous work by others identified and extensively characterized two RW1 upper pathway hydrolases. Our present work demonstrates that these two enzymes are involved in DBF but not DXN degradation. In addition, our work identified a third constitutively expressed hydrolase that is involved in DXN but not DBF degradation. Combined with our previous work, this means that the RW1 DXN upper pathway involves genes from three very different locations in the genome: an initial plasmid-encoded dioxygenase and a ring cleavage enzyme and hydrolase encoded on opposite sides of the chromosome.


1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 1288-1293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefa M. Alonso ◽  
Amando Garrido-Pertierra

5-Carboxymethyl-2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde (CHMSA) dehydrogenase in the 4-hydroxyphenylacetate meta-cleavage pathway was purified from Pseudomonas putida by gel filtration, anion-exchange, and affinity chromatographies. Sodium dodecyl sulfate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis suggested an approximate tetrameric molecular weight of 200 000. The purified enzyme showed a pH optimum at 7.8. The temperature–activity relationship for the enzyme from 27 to 45 °C showed broken Arrhenius plots with an inflexion at 36–37 °C. Under standard assay conditions, the enzyme acted preferentially with NAD. It could also catalyze the reduction with NADP (which had a higher Km), at 18% of the rate observed for NAD. The following kinetic parameters were found: Km(NAD) = 20.0 ± 3.6 μM, Km(CHMSA) = 8.5 ± 1.8 μM, and Kd(enzyme–NAD complex) = 7.8 ± 2.0 μM. The product NADH acted as a competitive inhibitor against NAD.


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