Analysis and characterization of eight estradiol inducible genes and a strong promoter from the steroid degrading marine bacterial strain S19-1

Degradation of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT): Involvement of Protocatechuate 3,4-Dioxygenase (P34O) in Buttiauxella sp. S19-1

Extensive use and disposal of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), a primary constituent of explosives, pollutes the environment and causes severe damage to human health. Complete mineralization of TNT via bacterial degradation has recently gained research interest as an effective method for the restoration of contaminated sites. Here, screening for TNT degradation by six selected bacteria revealed that Buttiauxella sp. S19-1, possesses the strongest degrading ability. Moreover, BuP34O (a gene encoding for protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase—P34O, a key enzyme in the β-ketoadipate pathway) was upregulated during TNT degradation. A knockout of BuP34O in S19-1 to generate S-M1 mutant strain caused a marked reduction in TNT degradation efficiency compared to S19-1. Additionally, the EM1 mutant strain (Escherichia coli DH5α transfected with BuP34O) showed higher degradation efficiency than DH5α. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of TNT degradation by S19-1 revealed 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotolune (ADNT) as the intermediate metabolite of TNT. Furthermore, the recombinant protein P34O (rP34O) expressed the activity of 2.46 µmol/min·mg. Our findings present the first report on the involvement of P34O in bacterial degradation of TNT and its metabolites, suggesting that P34O could catalyze downstream reactions in the TNT degradation pathway. In addition, the TNT-degrading ability of S19-1, a Gram-negative marine-derived bacterium, presents enormous potential for restoration of TNT-contaminated seas.

A novel 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in Rhodococcus sp. P14 for transforming 17β-estradiol to estrone

17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (17β-HSD) are a group of oxidoreductase enzymes that exhibit high specificity for 17C reduction/oxidation. However, the mechanism of 17β-HSD in oxidizing steroid hormone 17β-estradiol to estrone in bacterium is still unclear. In this work, a functional bacterium Rhodococcus sp. P14 was identified having rapid ability to oxidize estradiol into estrone in mineral salt medium (MSM) within 6 h. The functional genes encoding NADH-dependent oxidoreductase were successfully detected with the help of bioinformatics, and it was identified that it contained two consensus regions affiliated to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) superfamily. Expression of 17β-HSD could be induced by estradiol in strain P14. The 17β-HSD gene from Rhodococcus sp. P14 was expressed in Escherichia coli strain BL21. Furthermore, recombinant 17β-HSD-expressing BL21 cells showed a high transformation rate, they are capable of transforming estradiol to estrone up to 94%. The purified His-17β-HSD protein also exhibited high catalyzing efficiency. In conclusion, this study provides the first evidence that a novel 17β-HSD in Rhodococcus sp. P14 can catalyze the oxidation of estradiol.