Metabolic regulation and chromosomal localization of carbaryl degradation pathway in Pseudomonas sp. strains C4, C5 and C6

Metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas bharatica CSV86T to degrade Carbaryl (1-naphthyl-N-methylcarbamate) via the salicylate-catechol route

Pseudomonas bharatica CSV86T displays the unique property of preferential utilization of aromatic compounds over simple carbon sources like glucose and glycerol and their co-metabolism with organic acids. Well-characterized growth conditions, aromatic compound metabolic pathways and their regulation, genome sequence, and advantageous eco-physiological traits (indole acetic acid production, alginate production, fusaric acid resistance, organic sulfur utilization, and siderophore production) make it an ideal host for metabolic engineering. Strain CSV86T was engineered for Carbaryl (1-naphthyl-N-methylcarbamate) degradation via salicylate-catechol route by expression of a Carbaryl hydrolase (CH) and a 1-naphthol 2-hydroxylase (1NH). Additionally, the engineered strain exhibited faster growth on Carbaryl upon expression of the McbT protein (encoded by the mcbT gene, a part of Carbaryl degradation upper operon of Pseudomonas sp. C5pp). Bioinformatic analyses predict McbT to be an outer membrane protein, and Carbaryl-dependent expression suggests its probable role in Carbaryl uptake. Enzyme activity and protein analyses suggested periplasmic localization of CH (carrying transmembrane domain plus signal peptide sequence at the N-terminus) and 1NH, enabling compartmentalization of the pathway. Enzyme activity, whole-cell oxygen uptake, spent media analyses, and qPCR results suggest that the engineered strain preferentially utilizes Carbaryl over glucose. The plasmid-encoded degradation property was stable for 75-90 generations even in the absence of selection pressure (kanamycin or Carbaryl). These results indicate the utility of P. bharatica CSV86T as a potential host for engineering various aromatic compound degradation pathways.IMPORTANCEThe current study describes engineering of Carbaryl metabolic pathway in Pseudomonas bharatica CSV86T. Carbaryl, a naphthalene-derived carbamate pesticide, is known to act as an endocrine disruptor, mutagen, cytotoxin, and carcinogen. Removal of xenobiotics from the environment using bioremediation faces challenges, such as slow degradation rates, instability of the degradation phenotype, and presence of simple carbon sources in the environment. The engineered CSV86-MEC2 overcomes these disadvantages as Carbaryl was degraded preferentially over glucose. Furthermore, the plasmid-borne degradation phenotype is stable, and presence of glucose and organic acids does not repress Carbaryl metabolism in the strain. The study suggests the role of outer membrane protein McbT in Carbaryl transport. This work highlights the suitability of P. bharatica CSV86T as an ideal host for engineering aromatic pollutant degradation pathways.

Life Within a Contaminated Niche: Comparative Genomic Analyses of an Integrative Conjugative Element ICEnahCSV86 and Two Genomic Islands From Pseudomonas bharatica CSV86T Suggest Probable Role in Colonization and Adaptation

Comparative genomic and functional analyses revealed the presence of three genomic islands (GIs, >50 Kb size): ICEnahCSV86, Pseudomonas bharatica genomic island-1 (PBGI-1), and PBGI-2 in the preferentially aromatic-degrading soil bacterium, Pseudomonas bharatica CSV86^T. Site-specific genomic integration at or near specific transfer RNAs (tRNAs), near-syntenic structural modules, and phylogenetic relatedness indicated their evolutionary lineage to the type-4 secretion system (T4SS) ICEclc family, thus predicting these elements to be integrative conjugative elements (ICEs). These GIs were found to be present as a single copy in the genome and the encoded phenotypic traits were found to be stable, even in the absence of selection pressure. ICEnahCSV86 harbors naphthalene catabolic (nah-sal) cluster, while PBGI-1 harbors Co-Zn-Cd (czc) efflux genes as cargo modules, whereas PBGI-2 was attributed to as a mixed-function element. The ICEnahCSV86 has been reported to be conjugatively transferred (frequency of 7 × 10^–8/donor cell) to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia CSV89. Genome-wide comparative analyses of aromatic-degrading bacteria revealed nah-sal clusters from several Pseudomonas spp. as part of probable ICEs, syntenic to conjugatively transferable ICEnahCSV86 of strain CSV86^T, suggesting it to be a prototypical element for naphthalene degradation. It was observed that the plasmids harboring nah-sal clusters were phylogenetically incongruent with predicted ICEs, suggesting genetic divergence of naphthalene metabolic clusters in the Pseudomonas population. Gene synteny, divergence estimates, and codon-based Z-test indicated that ICEnahCSV86 is probably derived from PBGI-2, while multiple recombination events masked the ancestral lineage of PBGI-1. Diversifying selection pressure (dN-dS = 2.27–4.31) imposed by aromatics and heavy metals implied the modular exchange-fusion of various cargo clusters through events like recombination, rearrangement, domain reshuffling, and active site optimization, thus allowing the strain to evolve, adapt, and maximize the metabolic efficiency in a contaminated niche. The promoters (Pnah and Psal) of naphthalene cargo modules (nah, sal) on ICEnahCSV86 were proved to be efficient for heterologous protein expression in Escherichia coli. GI-based genomic plasticity expands the metabolic spectrum and versatility of CSV86^T, rendering efficient adaptation to the contaminated niche. Such isolate(s) are of utmost importance for their application in bioremediation and are the probable ideal host(s) for metabolic engineering.

Insights into the microbial degradation and biochemical mechanisms of carbamates

Carbamate compounds are commonly applied in agricultural sectors as alternative options to the recalcitrant organochlorine pesticides due to their easier breakdown and less persistent nature. However, the large-scale use of carbamates also leads to toxic environmental residues, causing severe toxicity in various living systems. The toxic effects of carbamates are due to their inhibitor activity against the acetylchlolinesterase enzyme. This enzyme is crucial for neurotransmission signaling in living beings. Hence, from the environmental point of view, the elimination of carbamates is a worldwide concern and priority. Microbial technology can be deliberated as a potential tool that can work efficiently and as an ecofriendly option for the dissipation of carbamate insecticides from contaminated environments by improving biodegradation processes via metabolic activities of microorganisms. A variety of bacterial and fungal species have been isolated and characterized and are capable of degrading a broad range of carbamates in soil and water environments. In addition, microbial carbamate hydrolase genes (mcd, cehA, cahA, cfdJ, and mcbA) were strongly implicated in the evolution of new metabolic functions and carbamate hydrolase enzymes. However, the accurate localization and appropriate functions of carbamate hydrolase enzymes/genes are very limited. To explore the information on the degradation routes of carbamates and promote the application of biodegradation, a study of molecular techniques is required to unlock insights regarding the degradation specific genes and enzymes. Hence, this review discusses the deep understanding of carbamate degradation mechanisms with microbial strains, metabolic pathways, molecular mechanisms, and their genetic basis in degradation.

Heterologous expression and exploration of the enzymatic properties of the carbaryl hydrolase CarH from a newly isolated carbaryl-degrading strain

Carbaryl is the representative of carbamate insecticide. As an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, it poses potential threat to humans and other non-target organisms. Agrobacterium sp. XWY-2, which could grow with carbaryl as the sole carbon source, was isolated and characterized. The carH gene, encoding a carbaryl hydrolase, was cloned from strain XWY-2 and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). CarH was able to hydrolyze carbamate pesticides including carbaryl, carbofuran, isoprocarb, propoxur and fenobucarb efficiently, while it hydrolyzed oxamyl and aldicarb poorly. The optimal pH of CarH was 8.0 and the optimal temperature was 30 ℃. The apparent Km and kcat values of CarH for carbaryl were 38.01 ± 2.81 μM and 0.33 ± 0.01 s-1, respectively. The point mutation experiment demonstrated that His341, His343, His346, His416 and D437 are the key sites for CarH to hydrolyze carbaryl.

Conserved Metabolic and Evolutionary Themes in Microbial Degradation of Carbamate Pesticides

Carbamate pesticides are widely used as insecticides, nematicides, acaricides, herbicides and fungicides in the agriculture, food and public health sector. However, only a minor fraction of the applied quantity reaches the target organisms. The majority of it persists in the environment, impacting the non-target biota, leading to ecological disturbance. The toxicity of these compounds to biota is mediated through cholinergic and non-cholinergic routes, thereby making their clean-up cardinal. Microbes, specifically bacteria, have adapted to the presence of these compounds by evolving degradation pathways and thus play a major role in their removal from the biosphere. Over the past few decades, various genetic, metabolic and biochemical analyses exploring carbamate degradation in bacteria have revealed certain conserved themes in metabolic pathways like the enzymatic hydrolysis of the carbamate ester or amide linkage, funnelling of aryl carbamates into respective dihydroxy aromatic intermediates, C1 metabolism and nitrogen assimilation. Further, genomic and functional analyses have provided insights on mechanisms like horizontal gene transfer and enzyme promiscuity, which drive the evolution of degradation phenotype. Compartmentalisation of metabolic pathway enzymes serves as an additional strategy that further aids in optimising the degradation efficiency. This review highlights and discusses the conclusions drawn from various analyses over the past few decades; and provides a comprehensive view of the environmental fate, toxicity, metabolic routes, related genes and enzymes as well as evolutionary mechanisms associated with the degradation of widely employed carbamate pesticides. Additionally, various strategies like application of consortia for efficient degradation, metabolic engineering and adaptive laboratory evolution, which aid in improvising remediation efficiency and overcoming the challenges associated with in situ bioremediation are discussed.

Microbial Degradation of Naphthalene and Substituted Naphthalenes: Metabolic Diversity and Genomic Insight for Bioremediation

Low molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like naphthalene and substituted naphthalenes (methylnaphthalene, naphthoic acids, 1-naphthyl N-methylcarbamate, etc.) are used in various industries and exhibit genotoxic, mutagenic, and/or carcinogenic effects on living organisms. These synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) or xenobiotics are considered as priority pollutants that pose a critical environmental and public health concern worldwide. The extent of anthropogenic activities like emissions from coal gasification, petroleum refining, motor vehicle exhaust, and agricultural applications determine the concentration, fate, and transport of these ubiquitous and recalcitrant compounds. Besides physicochemical methods for cleanup/removal, a green and eco-friendly technology like bioremediation, using microbes with the ability to degrade SOCs completely or convert to non-toxic by-products, has been a safe, cost-effective, and promising alternative. Various bacterial species from soil flora belonging to Proteobacteria (Pseudomonas, Pseudoxanthomonas, Comamonas, Burkholderia, and Novosphingobium), Firmicutes (Bacillus and Paenibacillus), and Actinobacteria (Rhodococcus and Arthrobacter) displayed the ability to degrade various SOCs. Metabolic studies, genomic and metagenomics analyses have aided our understanding of the catabolic complexity and diversity present in these simple life forms which can be further applied for efficient biodegradation. The prolonged persistence of PAHs has led to the evolution of new degradative phenotypes through horizontal gene transfer using genetic elements like plasmids, transposons, phages, genomic islands, and integrative conjugative elements. Systems biology and genetic engineering of either specific isolates or mock community (consortia) might achieve complete, rapid, and efficient bioremediation of these PAHs through synergistic actions. In this review, we highlight various metabolic routes and diversity, genetic makeup and diversity, and cellular responses/adaptations by naphthalene and substituted naphthalene-degrading bacteria. This will provide insights into the ecological aspects of field application and strain optimization for efficient bioremediation.

A simple "turn-on" fluorescence sensor for salicylaldehyde skeleton based on switch of PET-AIE effect

The selective detection of salicylaldehyde skeleton is of great significance in phytochemistry and biological research but rarely reported. In this research, a simple and highly selective "turn-on" fluorescence sensor (CDB-Am) for salicylaldehyde skeleton was developed based on switch of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) and aggregation-induced emission (AIE). CDB-Am bearing amino-cyanodistyrene structure responded to salicylaldehyde in the range of 3.1 to 40 μM with a detection limit of 0.94 μM. The sensing process of formation of Schiff-base adduct CDB-SA was confirmed by ¹H NMR, MS, and FT-IR spectra, revealing that a recovered AIE property accounted for the turn-on fluorescence response of CDB-Am and the intramolecular hydrogen bonding played a crucial role in the disruption of PET process. This sensing ability was successfully applied for both fluorescence qualitative test of salicylaldehyde skeleton on TLC analysis and quantitative detection of salicylaldehyde skeleton with good accuracy in the root bark of Periploca sepium, suggesting the extensive applications in phytochemistry and traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Furthermore, CDB-Am exhibited the first excellent fluorescence imaging ability in detecting salicylaldehyde skeleton in a living system. This work supplied a new strategy of preparing a novel "turn-on" fluorescence probe for detecting salicylaldehyde skeleton in complex environments and living bodies.

Variability in Assembly of Degradation Operons for Naphthalene and its derivative, Carbaryl, Suggests Mobilization through Horizontal Gene Transfer

In the biosphere, the largest biological laboratory, increased anthropogenic activities have led microbes to evolve and adapt to the changes occurring in the environment. Compounds, specifically xenobiotics, released due to such activities persist in nature and undergo bio-magnification in the food web. Some of these compounds act as potent endocrine disrupters, mutagens or carcinogens, and therefore their removal from the environment is essential. Due to their persistence, microbial communities have evolved to metabolize them partially or completely. Diverse biochemical pathways have evolved or been assembled by exchange of genetic material (horizontal gene transfer) through various mobile genetic elements like conjugative and non-conjugative plasmids, transposons, phages and prophages, genomic islands and integrative conjugative elements. These elements provide an unlimited opportunity for genetic material to be exchanged across various genera, thus accelerating the evolution of a new xenobiotic degrading phenotype. In this article, we illustrate examples of the assembly of metabolic pathways involved in the degradation of naphthalene and its derivative, Carbaryl, which are speculated to have evolved or adapted through the above-mentioned processes.

Quantitative analysis of genetic associations in the biodegradative pathway of PAHs in wetland sediments of the Bohai coast region

The present study characterized the distribution and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 57 sediment cores collected from estuary and tidal flat wetlands in the Bohai coast region and investigated the molecular degradation mechanism of PAHs. The results showed that the PAH concentrations in estuary sediments were significantly higher than in tidal flat sediments. PAH patterns and pollutant sources were more complicated in estuary sediments. Quantitative response relationships showed that in estuary sediments, the key factors affecting PAH degradation changed from initial dioxygenase genes and C23O to salicylate hydroxylase genes and C23O with an increase in the PAH ring number. In contrast, for tidal flat sediments, the initial dioxygenase genes remained the key factors (nidA and nahAc/nagAc, except only nidA for 5-ring PAHs) related to PAHs with different ring numbers. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis revealed that the lower catechol dioxygenase pathway coupled with the upper pyrene dioxygenase pathway. The total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (TPAH) level across the Bohai coast region was most affected by catechol dioxygenation (catA + C23O). Catechol dioxygenation was directly affected by naphthalene dioxygenation/nahG ((nahAc + nagAc)/nahG), indicating that the interaction within the upper pathway coupled with the lower pathway. In addition, TOC had direct positive effects on catechol dioxygenation and nidA. This study improves our understanding of the biodegradative pathway of PAHs with different ring numbers and the response of PAHs to biotic and abiotic factors.

Genome Analysis of Carbaryl-Degrading Strain Pseudomonas putida XWY-1

Carbaryl was a widely used pesticide in the agriculture industry. The toxicity against non-target organisms and the environmental pollution it caused became the focus of public concern. However, the microbial mechanism of carbaryl degradation was not fully investigated. In the study, we reported the complete genome of the carbaryl-degrading Pseudomonas putida strain XWY-1, which consists of a chromosome (5.9 Mbp) and a plasmid (0.4 Mbp). The carbaryl degradation genes are located on the plasmid. The study on the genome will facilitate to further elucidate the carbaryl degradation and advance the potential biotechnological applications of P. putida strain XWY-1.

Cloning and expression of the carbaryl hydrolase gene mcbA and the identification of a key amino acid necessary for carbaryl hydrolysis

Carbamate hydrolase is the initial and key enzyme for degradation of carbamate pesticides. In the present study, we report the isolation of a carbaryl-degrading strain Pseudomonas sp. XWY-1, the cloning of its carbaryl hydrolase gene (mcbA) and the characterization of McbA. Strain XWY-1 was able to utilize carbaryl as a sole carbon source and degrade it using 1-naphthol as an intermediate. Transposon mutagenesis identified a mutant of XWY-1M that was unable to hydrolyze carbaryl. The transposon-disrupted gene mcbA was cloned by self-formed adaptor PCR, then expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and purified. McbA was able to hydrolyze carbamate pesticides including carbaryl, isoprocarb, fenobucarb, carbofuran efficiently, while it hydrolyzed aldicarb, and propoxur poorly. The optimal pH of McbA was 7.0 and the optimal temperature was 40°C. The apparent K_m and k_cat values of McbA for carbaryl were 77.67±12.31μM and 2.12±0.10s^-1, respectively. Three amino acid residues (His467, His477 and His504) in the predicted polymerase/histidinol phosphatase-like domain were shown to be closely related to the activity of McbA, with His504 being the most important, as a replacement of His504 led to the complete loss of activity. This is the first study to identify key amino acids in McbA.

Compartmentalization of the Carbaryl Degradation Pathway: Molecular Characterization of Inducible Periplasmic Carbaryl Hydrolase from Pseudomonas spp

Pseudomonas sp. strains C5pp and C7 degrade carbaryl as the sole carbon source. Carbaryl hydrolase (CH) catalyzes the hydrolysis of carbaryl to 1-naphthol and methylamine. Bioinformatic analysis of mcbA, encoding CH, in C5pp predicted it to have a transmembrane domain (Tmd) and a signal peptide (Sp). In these isolates, the activity of CH was found to be 4- to 6-fold higher in the periplasm than in the cytoplasm. The recombinant CH (rCH) showed 4-fold-higher activity in the periplasm of Escherichia coli The deletion of Tmd showed activity in the cytoplasmic fraction, while deletion of both Tmd and Sp (Tmd+Sp) resulted in expression of the inactive protein. Confocal microscopic analysis of E. coli expressing a (Tmd+Sp)-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein revealed the localization of GFP into the periplasm. Altogether, these results indicate that Tmd probably helps in anchoring of polypeptide to the inner membrane, while Sp assists folding and release of CH in the periplasm. The N-terminal sequence of the mature periplasmic CH confirms the absence of the Tmd+Sp region and confirms the signal peptidase cleavage site as Ala-Leu-Ala. CH purified from strains C5pp, C7, and rCHΔ(Tmd)a were found to be monomeric with molecular mass of ∼68 to 76 kDa and to catalyze hydrolysis of the ester bond with an apparent K_m and V_max in the range of 98 to 111 μM and 69 to 73 μmol · min^-1 · mg^-1, respectively. The presence of low-affinity CH in the periplasm and 1-naphthol-metabolizing enzymes in the cytoplasm of Pseudomonas spp. suggests the compartmentalization of the metabolic pathway as a strategy for efficient degradation of carbaryl at higher concentrations without cellular toxicity of 1-naphthol.IMPORTANCE Proteins in the periplasmic space of bacteria play an important role in various cellular processes, such as solute transport, nutrient binding, antibiotic resistance, substrate hydrolysis, and detoxification of xenobiotics. Carbaryl is one of the most widely used carbamate pesticides. Carbaryl hydrolase (CH), the first enzyme of the degradation pathway which converts carbaryl to 1-naphthol, was found to be localized in the periplasm of Pseudomonas spp. Predicted transmembrane domain and signal peptide sequences of Pseudomonas were found to be functional in Escherichia coli and to translocate CH and GFP into the periplasm. The localization of low-affinity CH into the periplasm indicates controlled formation of toxic and recalcitrant 1-naphthol, thus minimizing its accumulation and interaction with various cellular components and thereby reducing the cellular toxicity. This study highlights the significance of compartmentalization of metabolic pathway enzymes for efficient removal of toxic compounds.

Simultaneous hydrolysis of carbaryl and chlorpyrifos by Stenotrophomonas sp. strain YC-1 with surface-displayed carbaryl hydrolase

Many sites are often co-contaminated with multiple pesticides. To date, there are no reports on simultaneous degradation of different classes of pesticides by a natural microorganism. In this work, we aim at constructing a live biocatalyst able to simultaneously hydrolyze carbaryl and chlorpyrifos. For this purpose, carbaryl hydrolase (CH) was displayed on the cell surface of a chlorpyrifos-degrading bacterium Stenotrophomonas sp. strain YC-1 using N- and C-terminal domain of ice nucleation protein (INPNC) from Pseudomonas syringae INA5 as an anchoring motif. The localization of INPNC-CH fusion protein in the outer membrane fraction was demonstrated by cell fractionation followed by Western blot analysis. Surface display of INPNC-CH was further confirmed by proteinase accessibility experiment and immunofluorescence microscope. CH was present in an active form on cell surface without causing any growth inhibition, suggesting that the INP-based display system is a useful tool for surface expression of macromolecular heterologous proteins on the bacterial cell surface. Because surface-displayed CH has free access to pesticides, this bacterium can be used as a whole-cell biocatalyst for efficient hydrolysis of pesticides.

Insights into metabolism and sodium chloride adaptability of carbaryl degrading halotolerant Pseudomonas sp. strain C7

Pseudomonas sp. strain C7 isolated from sediment of Thane creek near Mumbai, India, showed the ability to grow on glucose and carbaryl in the presence of 7.5 and 3.5% of NaCl, respectively. It also showed good growth in the absence of NaCl indicating the strain to be halotolerant. Increasing salt concentration impacted the growth on carbaryl; however, the specific activity of various enzymes involved in the metabolism remained unaffected. Among various enzymes, 1-naphthol 2-hydroxylase was found to be sensitive to chloride as compared to carbaryl hydrolase and gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase. The intracellular concentration of Cl^- ions remained constant (6-8 mM) for cells grown on carbaryl either in the presence or absence of NaCl. Thus the ability to adapt to the increasing concentration of NaCl is probably by employing chloride efflux pump and/or increase in the concentration of osmolytes as mechanism for halotolerance. The halotolerant nature of the strain will be beneficial to remediate carbaryl from saline agriculture fields, ecosystems and wastewaters.

Insights into functional and evolutionary analysis of carbaryl metabolic pathway from Pseudomonas sp. strain C5pp

Carbaryl (1-naphthyl N-methylcarbamate) is a most widely used carbamate pesticide in the agriculture field. Soil isolate, Pseudomonas sp. strain C5pp mineralizes carbaryl via 1-naphthol, salicylate and gentisate, however the genetic organization and evolutionary events of acquisition and assembly of pathway have not yet been studied. The draft genome analysis of strain C5pp reveals that the carbaryl catabolic genes are organized into three putative operons, ‘upper’, ‘middle’ and ‘lower’. The sequence and functional analysis led to identification of new genes encoding: i) hitherto unidentified 1-naphthol 2-hydroxylase, sharing a common ancestry with 2,4-dichlorophenol monooxygenase; ii) carbaryl hydrolase, a member of a new family of esterase; and iii) 1,2-dihydroxy naphthalene dioxygenase, uncharacterized type-II extradiol dioxygenase. The ‘upper’ pathway genes were present as a part of a integron while the ‘middle’ and ‘lower’ pathway genes were present as two distinct class-I composite transposons. These findings suggest the role of horizontal gene transfer event(s) in the acquisition and evolution of the carbaryl degradation pathway in strain C5pp. The study presents an example of assembly of degradation pathway for carbaryl.

Draft Genome Sequence of Carbaryl-Degrading Soil Isolate Pseudomonas sp. Strain C5pp

We report the draft genome sequence of carbaryl-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain C5pp. Genes encoding salicylate and gentisate metabolism, large amounts of oxygenase, nitrogen metabolism, and heavy metal tolerance were identified. The sequence will provide further insight into the biochemical and evolutionary aspects of carbaryl degradation.

Purification and characterization of NAD+ -dependent salicylaldehyde dehydrogenase from carbaryl-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain C6

NAD+-dependent salicylaldehyde dehydrogenase (SALDH) which catalyzes the oxidation of salicylaldehyde to salicylate was purified form carbaryl-degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain C6. The enzyme was found to be a functional homotrimer (150 kDa) with subunit molecular mass of 50 kDa and contained calcium (1.8 mol/mol of enzyme). These properties were found to be unique. External addition of metal ions showed no effect on the activity and addition of chelators showed moderate inhibition of the activity. Potassium ions were found to enhance the activity significantly. SALDH showed higher affinity for salicylaldehyde (Km = 4.5 μM) and accepts mono- as well as di-aromatic aldehydes; however it showed poor activity on aliphatic aldehydes. Chloro-/nitro-substituted benzaldehydes were potent substrate inhibitors as compared to benzaldehyde and 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde, while 2-naphthaldehyde and salicylaldehyde were moderate. The kinetic data revealed that SALDH, though having broad specificity, is more efficient for the oxidation of salicylaldehyde as compared to other aromatic aldehyde dehydrogenases which gives an advantage for Pseudomonas sp. strain C6 to bioremediate carbaryl and other aromatic aldehydes efficiently.