Study of factors which negatively affect expression of the phenol degradation operon pheBA in Pseudomonas putida

Biodegradation of phenol by Acinetobacter tandoii isolated from the gut of the termite

The diet of wood-feeding termites (WFT) consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Cellulose and hemicellulose are utilized by symbiotic protozoa as a carbon source. Protozoa produce acetate, which is the carbon source of the termite. Recently, the mechanisms by which lignin is modified by termites have been reported. Lignin is broken down into its phenylpropanoid monomers and phenolic compounds. Bacteria from WFT gut capable of degrading lignin metabolic products are potentially valuable for bioremediation and biofuel production. A bacterium was isolated from the gut of the WFT and identified as Acinetobacter tandoii. This bacterium was capable of utilizing phenol as the sole carbon source and was able to completely degrade phenol at the concentration of 280 mg/L. A. tandoii degraded phenol via the ortho and β-ketoadipase pathway. This bacterium is a known phenol degrader, but to our knowledge, this is the first time it was isolated and tested for phenol-degrading ability from termites.

Phenol degradation and genotypic analysis of dioxygenase genes in bacteria isolated from sediments

The aerobic degradation of aromatic compounds by bacteria is performed by dioxygenases. To show some characteristic patterns of the dioxygenase genotype and its degradation specificities, twenty-nine gram-negative bacterial cultures were obtained from sediment contaminated with phenolic compounds in Wuhan, China. The isolates were phylogenetically diverse and belonged to 10 genera. All 29 gram-negative bacteria were able to utilize phenol, m-dihydroxybenzene and 2-hydroxybenzoic acid as the sole carbon sources, and members of the three primary genera Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter and Alcaligenes were able to grow in the presence of multiple monoaromatic compounds. PCR and DNA sequence analysis were used to detect dioxygenase genes coding for catechol 1,2-dioxygenase, catechol 2,3-dioxygenase and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase. The results showed that there are 4 genotypes; most strains are either PNP (catechol 1,2-dioxygenase gene is positive, catechol 2,3-dioxygenase gene is negative, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase gene is positive) or PNN (catechol 1,2-dioxygenase gene is positive, catechol 2,3-dioxygenase gene is negative, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase gene is negative). The strains with two dioxygenase genes can usually grow on many more aromatic compounds than strains with one dioxygenase gene. Degradation experiments using a mixed culture representing four bacterial genotypes resulted in the rapid degradation of phenol. Determinations of substrate utilization and phenol degradation revealed their affiliations through dioxygenase genotype data.

Computational prediction of the Crc regulon identifies genus-wide and species-specific targets of catabolite repression control in Pseudomonas bacteria

BACKGROUND

Catabolite repression control (CRC) is an important global control system in Pseudomonas that fine tunes metabolism in order optimise growth and metabolism in a range of different environments. The mechanism of CRC in Pseudomonas spp. centres on the binding of a protein, Crc, to an A-rich motif on the 5' end of an mRNA resulting in translational down-regulation of target genes. Despite the identification of several Crc targets in Pseudomonas spp. the Crc regulon has remained largely unexplored.

RESULTS

In order to predict direct targets of Crc, we used a bioinformatics approach based on detection of A-rich motifs near the initiation of translation of all protein-encoding genes in twelve fully sequenced Pseudomonas genomes. As expected, our data predict that genes related to the utilisation of less preferred nutrients, such as some carbohydrates, nitrogen sources and aromatic carbon compounds are targets of Crc. A general trend in this analysis is that the regulation of transporters is conserved across species whereas regulation of specific enzymatic steps or transcriptional activators are often conserved only within a species. Interestingly, some nucleoid associated proteins (NAPs) such as HU and IHF are predicted to be regulated by Crc. This finding indicates a possible role of Crc in indirect control over a subset of genes that depend on the DNA bending properties of NAPs for expression or repression. Finally, some virulence traits such as alginate and rhamnolipid production also appear to be regulated by Crc, which links nutritional status cues with the regulation of virulence traits.

CONCLUSIONS

Catabolite repression control regulates a broad spectrum of genes in Pseudomonas. Some targets are genus-wide and are typically related to central metabolism, whereas other targets are species-specific, or even unique to particular strains. Further study of these novel targets will enhance our understanding of how Pseudomonas bacteria integrate nutritional status cues with the regulation of traits that are of ecological, industrial and clinical importance.

Carbon catabolite repression in Pseudomonas : optimizing metabolic versatility and interactions with the environment

Metabolically versatile free-living bacteria have global regulation systems that allow cells to selectively assimilate a preferred compound among a mixture of several potential carbon sources. This process is known as carbon catabolite repression (CCR). CCR optimizes metabolism, improving the ability of bacteria to compete in their natural habitats. This review summarizes the regulatory mechanisms responsible for CCR in the bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas, which can live in many different habitats. Although the information available is still limited, the molecular mechanisms responsible for CCR in Pseudomonas are clearly different from those of Enterobacteriaceae or Firmicutes. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying CCR is important to know how metabolism is regulated and how bacteria degrade compounds in the environment. This is particularly relevant for compounds that are degraded slowly and accumulate, creating environmental problems. CCR has a major impact on the genes involved in the transport and metabolism of nonpreferred carbon sources, but also affects the expression of virulence factors in several bacterial species, genes that are frequently directed to allow the bacterium to gain access to new sources of nutrients. Finally, CCR has implications in the optimization of biotechnological processes such as biotransformations or bioremediation strategies.

Benzoate catabolite repression of the phenol degradation in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus PHEA-2

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus PHEA-2 exhibited a delayed utilization of phenol in the presence of benzoate. Benzoate supplementation completely inhibited phenol degradation in a benzoate 1,2-dioxygenase knockout mutant. The mphR encoding the transcriptional activator and mphN encoding the largest subunit of multi-component phenol hydroxylase in the benA mutant were significantly downregulated (about 7- and 70-fold) on the basis of mRNA levels when benzoate was added to the medium. The co-transformant assay of E. coli JM109 with mphK::lacZ fusion and the plasmid pETR carrying mphR gene showed that MphR did not activate the mph promoter in the presence of benzoate. These results suggest that catabolite repression of phenol degradation by benzoate in A. calcoaceticus PHEA-2 is mediated by the inhibition of the activator protein MphR.

Intracellular 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate is the signal for carbon catabolite repression of phenylacetic acid metabolism in Pseudomonas putida KT2440

The growth pattern of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 in the presence of glucose and phenylacetic acid (PAA), where the sugar is used in preference to the aromatic compound, suggests that there is carbon catabolite repression (CCR) of PAA metabolism by glucose or gluconate. Furthermore, CCR is regulated at the transcriptional level. However, this CCR phenomenon does not occur in PAA-amended minimal medium containing fructose, pyruvate or succinate. We previously identified 2-keto-3-deoxy-6-phosphogluconate (KDPG) as an inducer of glucose metabolism, and this has led to this investigation into the role of KDPG as a signal compound for CCR. Two mutant strains, the edd mutant (non-KDPG producer) and the eda mutant (KDPG overproducer), grew in the presence of PAA but not in the presence of glucose. The edd mutant utilized PAA even in the presence of glucose, indicating that CCR had been abolished. This observation has additional support from the finding that there is high phenylacetyl-CoA ligase activity in the edd mutant, even in the presence of glucose+PAA, but not in wild-type cells under the same conditions. Unlike the edd mutant, the eda mutant did not grow in the presence of glucose+PAA. Interestingly, there was no uptake and/or metabolism of PAA in the eda mutant cells under the same conditions. Targeted disruption of PaaX, a repressor of the PAA operon, had no effect on CCR of PAA metabolism in the presence of glucose, suggesting that there is another transcriptional repression system associated with the KDPG signal. This is the first study to demonstrate that KDPG is the true CCR signal of PAA metabolism in P. putida KT2440.

Elucidation of the 4-hydroxyacetophenone catabolic pathway in Pseudomonas fluorescens ACB

The catabolism of 4-hydroxyacetophenone in Pseudomonas fluorescens ACB is known to proceed through the intermediate formation of hydroquinone. Here, we provide evidence that hydroquinone is further degraded through 4-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde and maleylacetate to beta-ketoadipate. The P. fluorescens ACB genes involved in 4-hydroxyacetophenone utilization were cloned and characterized. Sequence analysis of a 15-kb DNA fragment showed the presence of 14 open reading frames containing a gene cluster (hapCDEFGHIBA) of which at least four encoded enzymes are involved in 4-hydroxyacetophenone degradation: 4-hydroxyacetophenone monooxygenase (hapA), 4-hydroxyphenyl acetate hydrolase (hapB), 4-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (hapE), and maleylacetate reductase (hapF). In between hapF and hapB, three genes encoding a putative intradiol dioxygenase (hapG), a protein of the Yci1 family (hapH), and a [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin (hapI) were found. Downstream of the hap genes, five open reading frames are situated encoding three putative regulatory proteins (orf10, orf12, and orf13) and two proteins possibly involved in a membrane efflux pump (orf11 and orf14). Upstream of hapE, two genes (hapC and hapD) were present that showed weak similarity with several iron(II)-dependent extradiol dioxygenases. Based on these findings and additional biochemical evidence, it is proposed that the hapC and hapD gene products are involved in the ring cleavage of hydroquinone.

The target for the Pseudomonas putida Crc global regulator in the benzoate degradation pathway is the BenR transcriptional regulator

Crc protein is a global regulator involved in catabolite repression control of several pathways for the assimilation of carbon sources in pseudomonads when other preferred substrates are present. In Pseudomonas putida cells growing exponentially in a complete medium containing benzoate, Crc strongly inhibits the expression of the benzoate degradation genes. These genes are organized into several transcriptional units. We show that Crc directly inhibits the expression of the peripheral genes that transform benzoate into catechol (the ben genes) but that its effect on genes corresponding to further steps of the pathway (the cat and pca genes of the central catechol and beta-ketoadipate pathways) is indirect, since these genes are not induced because the degradation intermediates, which act as inducers, are not produced. Crc inhibits the translation of target genes by binding to mRNA. The expression of the ben, cat, and pca genes requires the BenR, CatR, and PcaR transcriptional activators, respectively. Crc significantly reduced benABCD mRNA levels but did not affect those of benR. Crc bound to the 5' end of benR mRNA but not to equivalent regions of catR and pcaR mRNAs. A translational fusion of the benR and lacZ genes was sensitive to Crc, but a transcriptional fusion was not. We propose that Crc acts by reducing the translation of benR mRNA, decreasing BenR levels below those required for the full expression of the benABCD genes. This strategy provides great metabolic flexibility, allowing the hierarchical assimilation of different structurally related compounds that share a common central pathway by selectively regulating the entry of each substrate into the central pathway.