Transcriptional regulation, nucleotide sequence, and localization of the promoter of the catBC operon in Pseudomonas putida

Genome-wide investigation and functional characterization of the beta-ketoadipate pathway in the nitrogen-fixing and root-associated bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501

Background

Soil microorganisms are mainly responsible for the complete mineralization of aromatic compounds that usually originate from plant products or environmental pollutants. In many cases, structurally diverse aromatic compounds can be converted to a small number of structurally simpler intermediates, which are metabolized to tricarboxylic acid intermediates via the β-ketoadipate pathway. This strategy provides great metabolic flexibility and contributes to increased adaptation of bacteria to their environment. However, little is known about the evolution and regulation of the β-ketoadipate pathway in root-associated diazotrophs.

Results

In this report, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the benzoate and 4-hydroxybenzoate catabolic pathways of Pseudomonas stutzeri A1501, with a focus on the functional characterization of the β-ketoadipate pathway. The P. stutzeri A1501 genome contains sets of catabolic genes involved in the peripheral pathways for catabolism of benzoate (ben) and 4-hydroxybenzoate (pob), and in the catechol (cat) and protocatechuate (pca) branches of the β-ketoadipate pathway. A particular feature of the catabolic gene organization in A1501 is the absence of the catR and pcaK genes encoding a LysR family regulator and 4-hydroxybenzoate permease, respectively. Furthermore, the BenR protein functions as a transcriptional activator of the ben operon, while transcription from the catBC promoter can be activated in response to benzoate. Benzoate degradation is subject to carbon catabolite repression induced by glucose and acetate in A1501. The HPLC analysis of intracellular metabolites indicated that low concentrations of 4-hydroxybenzoate significantly enhance the ability of A1501 to degrade benzoate.

Conclusions

The expression of genes encoding proteins involved in the β-ketoadipate pathway is tightly modulated by both pathway-specific and catabolite repression controls in A1501. This strain provides an ideal model system for further study of the evolution and regulation of aromatic catabolic pathways.

Differential organization and transcription of the cat2 gene cluster in aniline-assimilating Acinetobacter lwoffii K24

CatABC genes encode proteins that are responsible for the first three steps of one branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway involved in the degradation of various aromatic compound by bacteria. Aniline-assimilating Acinetobacter lwoffii K24 is known to have the two-catABC gene clusters (cat1 and cat2) on the chromosome (Kim et al., J. Bacteriol., 179: 5226-5231, 1997). The order of the cat2 gene cluster is catB2A2C2, which has not been found in other bacteria. In this report, we analyzed the transcriptional pattern of the cat2 gene cluster and completely sequenced a 5.8 kbp fragment containing the compactly clustered catB2A2C2 genes and four ORFs. Similar to the ORF(R1) of the cat1 gene cluster, an ORF highly homologous with the catR gene was found 102 by upstream of the catB2 gene and was designated as ORF(R2). Three ORFs, one putative reductase component (ORF(X2)) and two putative LysR family regulatory proteins (ORF(Y2), ORF(Z2)) were located next to the catC2 gene in the opposite direction of the cat2 gene cluster. Two ORFs, ORF(X2) and ORF(Y2), were significantly homologous with tdnB and tdnR of the aniline oxygenase complex of Pseudomonas putida UCC22. RT-PCR analysis and Northern blotting revealed that the catB2 gene is independently transcribed and that the catA2C2 genes are cotranscribed. A primer extension assay revealed that transcription of the catA2C2 gene starts in the C-terminal region of the catB2 gene. These results suggest that the cat2 gene cluster may be under a different gene adaptation from other cat gene clusters.

Cloning and sequence analyses of a 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase gene ( bphC) from Comamonas sp. SMN4 for phylogenetic and structural analysis

A genomic library of biphenyl-degrading Comamonas sp. SMN4 for isolating fragments containing the 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase (23DBDO) gene was constructed. The smallest subclone (pNPX9) encoding 23DBDO activity was sequenced and analyzed. The C-terminal domain of 23DBDO from Comamonas sp. SMN4 had five catalytically essential residues and was more highly conserved than the N-terminal domain. Phylogenetic and structural relationships of 23DBDO from Comamonas sp. SMN4 were analyzed.

Critical nucleotides in the interaction of CatR with the pheBA promoter: conservation of the CatR-mediated regulation mechanisms between the pheBA and catBCA operons

The promoter of the plasmid-borne pheBA genes encoding enzymes for phenol degradation resembles the catBCA promoter and is activated by CatR, the regulator of the chromosomally encoded catechol-degradative catBCA genes in Pseudomonas putida. In this study, site-directed mutagenesis of the pheBA promoter region was performed. The interrupted inverted repeat sequence of the CatR recognition binding site (RBS) of the pheBA promoter is highly homologous to that of the catBCA promoter. However, the RBS was shown not to be the sole important feature for high-affinity binding of CatR to this site. Mutagenesis of the activation binding site (ABS) of CatR, which overlaps the -35 hexamer sequence TTGGAT of the promoter, revealed that the two G nucleotides in this sequence are important for promoter activity but not for CatR binding. All other substitutions made in the ABS negatively affected both the promoter activity and CatR binding. The spacer sequence of the pheBA and catBCA promoters between the -10 and -35 hexamers is 19 bp, which is longer than optimal. However, reducing the spacer region of the pheBA promoter was not sufficient for CatR-independent promoter activation. An internal binding site (IBS) for CatR is located downstream of the transcriptional start site of the catBCA genes and it negatively regulates the operon. A similar IBS was identified in the case of the pheBA operon and tested for its functionality. The results indicate a conservation of CatR-mediated regulation mechanisms between the pheBA promoter and the catBCA promoter. This universal mechanism of CatR-mediated transcriptional activation could be of great importance in enabling catechol-degrading bacteria to expand their substrate range via horizontal transfer of the phenol degradative genes.

Cloning and sequence analysis of two catechol-degrading gene clusters from the aniline-assimilating bacterium Frateuria species ANA-18

The aniline-assimilating bacterium Frateuria species ANA-18 produced two catechol 1,2-dioxygenases, CD I and CD II, and two muconate cycloisomerases, MC I and MC II. The catA genes catA1 and catA2 encoding CD I and CD II, respectively, were cloned from a gene library of this bacterium. The catA1 gene was clustered with catB1 encoding MC I, catC1 encoding muconolactone isomerase (MI), catD encoding beta-ketoadipate enol-lactone hydrolase (ELH), and ORFR1 encoding a putative LysR-type regulator. The organization of these genes was ORFR1catB1C1D. The catA2 gene also constructed a gene cluster involving catB2 encoding MC II, catC2 encoding MI, and ORFR2 encoding a putative LysR-type regulator with the alignment of ORFR2catB2A2C2. The intergenic regions of ORFR1-catB1 and ORFR2-catB2 contained homologous sequences with the catR-catB intergenic region containing a repression binding site and activation binding site of CatR in Pseudomonas putida. These findings suggest that the two cat clusters were regulated independently in their expression. When a product of cloned catD was added to a reaction mixture containing beta-ketoadipate enol-lactone, beta-ketoadipate was produced. This observation showed that the cloned catD encoded ELH and was expressed in Escherichia coli. We found that Frateuria sp. ANA-18 had a large plasmid with a molecular size more than 100kb. Polymerase chain reaction amplifying partial catA genes and Southern hybridization analyses with probes containing catA genes were conducted, to examine the localization of the two catA genes. We concluded that the catA1 and catA2 genes were located on the chromosomal and large plasmid DNAs, respectively, in Frateuria sp. ANA-18.

Substrate specificity of and product formation by muconate cycloisomerases: an analysis of wild-type enzymes and engineered variants

Muconate cycloisomerases play a crucial role in the bacterial degradation of aromatic compounds by converting cis,cis-muconate, the product of catechol ring cleavage, to (4S)-muconolactone. Chloromuconate cycloisomerases catalyze both the corresponding reaction and a dehalogenation reaction in the transformation of chloroaromatic compounds. This study reports the first thorough examination of the substrate specificity of the muconate cycloisomerases from Pseudomonas putida PRS2000 and Acinetobacter "calcoaceticus" ADP1. We show that they transform, in addition to cis,cis-muconate, 3-fluoro-, 2-methyl-, and 3-methyl-cis, cis-muconate with high specificity constants but not 2-fluoro-, 2-chloro-, 3-chloro-, or 2,4-dichloro-cis,cis-muconate. Based on known three-dimensional structures, variants of P. putida muconate cycloisomerase were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis to contain amino acids found in equivalent positions in chloromuconate cycloisomerases. Some of the variants had significantly increased specificity constants for 3-chloro- or 2,4-dichloromuconate (e.g., A271S and I54V showed 27- and 22-fold increases, respectively, for the former substrate). These kinetic improvements were not accompanied by a change from protoanemonin to cis,cis-dienelactone as the product of 3-chloro-cis,cis-muconate conversion. The rate of 2-chloro-cis,cis-muconate turnover was not significantly improved, nor was this compound dehalogenated to any significant extent. However, the direction of 2-chloro-cis,cis-muconate cycloisomerization could be influenced by amino acid exchange. While the wild-type enzyme discriminated only slightly between the two possible cycloisomerization directions, some of the enzyme variants showed a strong preference for either (+)-2-chloro- or (+)-5-chloromuconolactone formation. These results show that the different catalytic characteristics of muconate and chloromuconate cycloisomerases are due to a number of features that can be changed independently of each other.

Evolutionary relationship between chlorocatechol catabolic enzymes from Rhodococcus opacus 1CP and their counterparts in proteobacteria: sequence divergence and functional convergence

Biochemical investigations of the muconate and chloromuconate cycloisomerases from the chlorophenol-utilizing strain Rhodococcus opacus (erythropolis) 1CP had previously indicated that the chlorocatechol catabolic pathway of this strain may have developed independently from the corresponding pathways of proteobacteria. To test this hypothesis, we cloned the chlorocatechol catabolic gene cluster of strain 1CP by using PCR with primers derived from sequences of N termini and peptides of purified chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase and chloromuconate cycloisomerase. Sequencing of the clones revealed that they comprise different parts of the same gene cluster in which five open reading frames have been identified. The clcB gene for chloromuconate cycloisomerase is transcribed divergently from a gene which codes for a LysR-type regulatory protein, the presumed ClcR. Downstream of clcR but separated from it by 222 bp, we detected the clcA and clcD genes, which could unambiguously be assigned to chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase and dienelactone hydrolase. A gene coding for a maleylacetate reductase could not be detected. Instead, the product encoded by the fifth open reading frame turned out to be homologous to transposition-related proteins of IS1031 and Tn4811. Sequence comparisons of ClcA and ClcB to other 1,2-dioxygenases and cycloisomerases, respectively, clearly showed that the chlorocatechol catabolic enzymes of R. opacus 1CP represent different branches in the dendrograms than their proteobacterial counterparts. Thus, while the sequences diverged, the functional adaptation to efficient chlorocatechol metabolization occurred independently in proteobacteria and gram-positive bacteria, that is, by functionally convergent evolution.

Characterization of a gene cluster from Ralstonia eutropha JMP134 encoding metabolism of 4-methylmuconolactone

A 2,585 bp chromosomal DNA segment of Ralstonia eutropha JMP134 (formerly: Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP134) which contains a gene cluster encoding part of the modified ortho-cleavage pathway encodes a putative transport protein for 4-methylmuconolactone, a novel 4-methylmuconolactone methylisomerase and methylmuconolactone isomerase. The putative 4-methylmuconolactone transporter, a protein with a calculated molecular mass of 45.8 kDa, exhibits sequence homology to other members of the major superfamily of transmembrane facilitators and shows the common structural motif of 12 transmembrane-spanning alpha-helical segments and the hallmark amino acid motif characteristic of the superfamily. Consistent with the novelty of the reaction catalyzed by 4-methylmuconolactone methylisomerase, no primary sequence homologies were found between this enzyme or its gene and other proteins or genes in the data banks, suggesting that this enzyme represents a new type of isomerase. The molecular mass of the native 4-methylmuconolactone methylisomerase was determined by gel filtration analysis to be 25 +/- 2 kDa. From the polynucleotide sequence of the gene, a molecular mass of 12.9 kDa was calculated and hence we predict a homodimeric quaternary structure. The high sensitivity of 4-methylmuconolactone methylisomerase to heavy metals and thiol-modifying reagents implicates the involvement of sulfhydryl groups in the catalytic reaction. The methylmuconolactone isomerase - calculated molecular mass 10.3 kDa - has a primary structure related to the classical muconolactone isomerases (EC 5.3.3.4) of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, of two Pseudomonas putida strains and of Ralstonia eutropha JMP134, suggesting that these are all isoenzymes. Consistent with this proposal is the finding that the purified protein exhibits muconolactone-isomerizing activity.

Cloning and characterization of two catA genes in Acinetobacter lwoffii K24

Two novel type I catechol 1,2-dioxygenases inducible on aniline media were isolated from Acinetobacter lwoffii K24. Although the two purified enzymes, CD I1 and CD I2, had similar intradiol cleavage activities, they showed different substrate specificities for catechol analogs, physicochemical properties, and amino acid sequences. Two catA genes, catA1 and catA2, encoding by CD I1 and CD I2, respectively, were isolated from the A. lwoffii K24 genomic library by using colony hybridization and PCR. Two DNA fragments containing the catA1 and catA2 genes were located on separate regions of the chromosome. They contained open reading frames encoding 33.4- and 30.4-kDa proteins. The amino acid sequences of the two proteins matched well with previously determined sequences. Interestingly, further analysis of the two DNA fragments revealed the locations of the catB and catC genes as well. Moreover, the DNA fragment containing catA1 had a cluster of genes in the order catB1-catC1-catA1 while the catB2-catA2-catC2 arrangement was found in the catA2 DNA fragment. These results may provide an explanation of the different substrate specificities and physicochemical properties of CD I1 and CD I2.

Activation of the catBCA promoter: probing the interaction of CatR and RNA polymerase through in vitro transcription

The soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida is capable of degrading many aromatic compounds, including benzoate, through catechol as an intermediate. The catabolism of catechol is mediated by the catBCA operon, whose induction requires the pathway intermediate cis,cis-muconate as an inducer and the regulatory protein, CatR. CatR also regulates the plasmid-borne pheBA operon of P. putida PaW85, which is involved in phenol catabolism. We have used an in vitro transcription system to study the roles of CatR, cis,cis-muconate, Escherichia coli RNA polymerase, and promoter sequences in expression of the cat and phe operons. The assay confirmed the requirement of both CatR and cis,cis-muconate for transcript formation. We also examined the in vitro transcription of three site-directed mutants of the catBCA promoter; the results obtained compared favorably with previous in vivo data. The requirement of the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase for expression of the catBCA and the pheBA transcripts was also examined. The C-terminal region of the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase has been implicated in direct protein-protein contact with transcriptional regulatory proteins and/or direct contact with the DNA. We show that the carboxyl terminus of the alpha subunit is required for the expression of the catBCA and the pheBA operons because RNA polymerases with truncated alpha subunits were deficient in activation. Further experiments demonstrated the arginine at position 265 and the asparagine at position 268 of the alpha subunit as possible amino acids involved in activation. On the basis of these and previous results, we propose a model to explain the interaction of the different regulatory components leading to CatR-dependent activation of the catBCA operon.

Characterization of catechol catabolic genes from Rhodococcus erythropolis 1CP

The biochemical characterization of the muconate and the chloromuconate cycloisomerases of the chlorophenol-utilizing Rhodococcus erythropolis strain 1CP previously indicated that efficient chloromuconate conversion among the gram-positive bacteria might have evolved independently of that among gram-negative bacteria. Based on sequences of the N terminus and of tryptic peptides of the muconate cycloisomerase, a fragment of the corresponding gene has now been amplified and used as a probe for the cloning of catechol catabolic genes from R. erythropolis. The clone thus obtained expressed catechol 1,2-dioxygenase, muconate cycloisomerase, and muconolactone isomerase activities. Sequencing of the insert on the recombinant plasmid pRER1 revealed that the genes are transcribed in the order catA catB catC. Open reading frames downstream of catC may have a function in carbohydrate metabolism. The predicted protein sequence of the catechol 1,2-dioxygenase was identical to the one from Arthrobacter sp. strain mA3 in 59% of the positions. The chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenases and the chloromuconate cycloisomerases of gram-negative bacteria appear to be more closely related to the catechol 1,2-dioxygenases and muconate cycloisomerases of the gram-positive strains than to the corresponding enzymes of gram-negative bacteria.

Genetic manipulations of microorganisms for the degradation of hexachlorocyclohexane

Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) is an organochlorine insecticide which has been banned in technologically advanced countries. However, it is still in use in tropical countries for mosquito control and thus new areas continue to be contaminated. Anaerobic degradation of HCH isomers have been well documented but until recently there have been only a few reports on aerobic microbial degradation of HCH isomers. The isolation of these microbes made it possible to design experiments for the cloning of the catabolic genes responsible for degradation. We review the microbial degradation of HCH isomers coupled with the genetic manipulations of the catabolic genes. The first part discusses the persistence of residues in the environment and microbial degradation while the second part gives an account of the genetic manipulations of catabolic genes involved in the degradation.

The beta-ketoadipate pathway and the biology of self-identity

The beta-ketoadipate pathway is a chromosomally encoded convergent pathway for aromatic compound degradation that is widely distributed in soil bacteria and fungi. One branch converts protocatechuate, derived from phenolic compounds including p-cresol, 4-hydroxybenzoate and numerous lignin monomers, to beta-ketoadipate. The other branch converts catechol, generated from various aromatic hydrocarbons, amino aromatics, and lignin monomers, also to beta-ketoadipate. Two additional steps accomplish the conversion of beta-ketoadipate to tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. Enzyme studies and amino acid sequence data indicate that the pathway is highly conserved in diverse bacteria, including Pseudomonas putida, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Rhodococcus erythropolis, and many others. The catechol branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway appears to be the evolutionary precursor for portions of the plasmid-borne ortho-pathways for chlorocatechol degradation. However, accumulating evidence points to an independent and convergent evolutionary origin for the eukaryotic beta-ketoadipate pathway. In the face of enzyme conservation, the beta-ketoadipate pathway exhibits many permutations in different bacterial groups with respect to enzyme distribution (isozymes, points of branch convergence), regulation (inducing metabolites, regulatory proteins), and gene organization. Diversity is also evident in the behavioral responses of different bacteria to beta-ketoadipate pathway-associated aromatic compounds. The presence and versatility of transport systems encoded by beta-ketoadipate pathway regulons is just beginning to be explored in various microbial groups. It appears that in the course of evolution, natural selection has caused the beta-ketoadipate pathway to assume a characteristic set of features or identity in different bacteria. Presumably such identities have been shaped to optimally serve the diverse lifestyles of bacteria.

Repression of 4-hydroxybenzoate transport and degradation by benzoate: a new layer of regulatory control in the Pseudomonas putida beta-ketoadipate pathway

Pseudomonas putida PRS2000 degrades the aromatic acids benzoate and 4-hydroxybenzoate via two parallel sequences of reactions that converge at beta-ketoadipate, a derivative of which is cleaved to form tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. Structural genes (pca genes) required for the complete degradation of 4-hydroxybenzoate via the protocatechuate branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway have been characterized, and a specific transport system for 4-hydroxybenzoate has recently been described. To better understand how P. putida coordinates the processes of 4-hydroxybenzoate transport and metabolism to achieve complete degradation, the regulation of pcaK, the 4-hydroxybenzoate transport gene, and that of pcaF, a gene required for both benzoate and 4-hydroxybenzoate degradation, were compared. Primer extension analysis and lacZ fusions showed that pcaK and pcaF, which are adjacent on the chromosome, are transcribed independently. PcaR, a transcriptional activator of several genes of the beta-ketoadipate pathway, is required for expression of both pcaF and pcaK, and the pathway intermediate beta-ketoadipate induces both genes. In addition to these expected regulatory elements, expression of pcaK, but not pcaF, is repressed by benzoate. This previously unrecognized layer of regulatory control in the beta-ketoadipate pathway appears to extend to the first two steps of 4-hydroxybenzoate degradation, since levels of 4-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase activities were also depressed when cells were grown on a mixture of 4-hydroxybenzoate and benzoate. The apparent consequence of benzoate repression is that cells degrade benzoate in preference to 4-hydroxybenzoate. These findings indicate that 4-hydroxybenzoate transport is an integral feature of the beta-ketoadipate pathway in P. putida and that transport plays a role in establishing the preferential degradation of benzoate over 4-hydroxybenzoate. These results also demonstrate that there is communication between the two branches of the beta-ketoadipate pathway.

Differential DNA bending introduced by the Pseudomonas putida LysR-type regulator, CatR, at the plasmid-borne pheBA and chromosomal catBC promoters

The plasmid-borne pheBA operon of Pseudomonas putida strain PaW85 allows growth of the host cells on phenol. The promoter of this operon is activated by the chromosomally encoded LysR-type regulator CatR, in the presence of the inducer cis,cis-muconate. cis,cis-muconate is an intermediate of catechol degradation by the chromosomally encoded ortho or beta-ketoadipate pathway. The catBC operon encodes two enzymes of the beta-ketoadipate pathway and also requires CatR and cis,cis-muconate for its expression. The promoters of the pheBA and catBC operons are highly homologous, and since both respond to CatR, it is likely that the pheBA promoter was recruited from the ancestral catBC promoter. Gel shift assays and DNase I footprinting have shown that the pheBA promoter has a higher binding affinity for CatR than the catBC promoter. Like the catBC promoter, the pheBA promoter forms two complexes (C1 and C2) with CatR in the absence of cis,cis-muconate, but only forms a single complex (C2) in the presence of cis,cis-muconate. Like the catBC promoter CatR repression binding site (RBS) and activation binding site (ABS) arrangement, the pheBA promoter demonstrates the presence of a 26 bp segment highly homologous to the RBS that is protected by CatR from DNase I digestion in the absence of the inducer. An additional 16 bp sequence, similar to the catBC promoter ABS, is protected only when the inducer cis-cis-muconate is present. The binding of CatR in absence of cis,cis-muconate bends the catBC and pheBA promoter regions to significantly different degrees, but CatR binding in the presence of cis,cis-muconate results in a similar degree of DNA bending. The evolutionary implications of the interactions of CatR with these two promoters are discussed.

Discontinuities in the evolution of Pseudomonas putida cat genes

The organization and transcriptional control of chromosomal cat genes (required for dissimilation of catechol by the beta-ketoadipate pathway) in the Pseudomonas putida biotype strain (ATCC 12633) are reported. Nucleotide sequence reveals that catR is separated by 135 bp from the divergently transcribed catBC,A; catC begins 21 nucleotides downstream from catB, and catA begins 41 nucleotides downstream from catC. This contrasts with the gene arrangement in other bacteria, in which catA lies several kilobases upstream from catB. Properties of Tn5 mutants confirmed earlier suggestions that catR is a transcriptional activator and indicated that catA is activated by CatR independently of its activation of catBC. CatR binds to both a DNA fragment containing the catR-catB intergenic region and another DNA fragment containing catC. Pseudomonas strain RB1 resembles P. putida in some respects. Divergence of the two Pseudomonas chromosomes was revealed as nucleotide substitution of about 10% after alignment of known portions of catR,BC,A. Divergent transcriptional controls are suggested by a cluster of nucleotide sequence modifications in Pseudomonas strain RB1 which disrupt a stem-loop structure directly upstream of catB in the P. putida chromosome. Abrupt divergence of the catR,BC,A nucleotide sequences was achieved during evolution by insertion of an 85-bp palindromic genetic element uniquely positioned downstream from P. putida catR and counterpoised by insertion of a similar palindromic sequence in the Pseudomonas strain RB1 catB-catC intergenic region. Properties of the palindromic genetic element suggest that it may serve functions analogous to those of repetitive extragenic palindromic sequences and enteric repetitive intergenic consensus sequences in enteric bacteria.

Interaction of two LysR-type regulatory proteins CatR and ClcR with heterologous promoters: functional and evolutionary implications

The soil bacteria Pseudomonas putida can use benzoate or 3-chlorobenzoate as a sole carbon source. Benzoate and 3-chlorobenzoate are converted into catechol and 3-chlorocatechol, respectively, which are in turn converted into tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. The catabolic pathways of both compounds proceed through similar intermediates, have similar genetic organization, and have homologous enzymes responsible for different catabolic steps. This has led to suggestions that the plasmid-borne 3-chlorocatechol degradation genes evolved from the chromosomal catechol degradation genes. Both catechol and 3-chlorocatechol pathways are positively regulated by the homologous regulatory proteins CatR and ClcR, respectively. These proteins belong to the LysR family of DNA binding proteins and bind to highly conserved target sequences. We examined the ability of CatR and ClcR to cross-regulate the two pathways. CatR was shown in vitro by DNase I footprinting and gel-shift assays to interact with the clcABD promoter region. Likewise, ClcR was shown to interact in vitro with the catBC promoter region. In in vivo experiments, CatR complemented a ClcR- P. putida strain harboring the clcABD operon for growth on 3-chlorobenzoate. However, ClcR was not capable of complementing a CatR- P. putida strain for growth on benzoate. These observations were confirmed by lacZ-transcriptional fusion expression experiments. Differences in the CatR and ClcR binding sites and their in vitro binding characteristics may explain the ability of CatR and not ClcR to cross-activate. These differences may provide insight about the evolution of regulatory systems in P. putida.

Evolution of chlorocatechol catabolic pathways. Conclusions to be drawn from comparisons of lactone hydrolases

The aerobic bacterial degradation of chloroaromatic compounds often involves chlorosubstituted catechols as central intermediates. They are converted to 3-oxoadipate in a series of reactions similar to that for catechol catabolism and therefore designated as modified ortho-cleavage pathway. Among the enzymes of this catabolic route, the chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenases are known to have a relaxed substrate specificity. In contrast, several chloromuconate cycloisomerases are more specific, and the dienelactone hydrolases of chlorocatechol catabolic pathways do not even convert the corresponding intermediate of catechol degradation, 3-oxoadipate enol-lactone. While the sequences of chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenases and chloromuconate cycloisomerases are very similar to those of catechol 1,2-dioxygenases and muconate cycloisomerases, respectively, the relationship between dienelactone hydrolases and 3-oxoadipate enol-lactone hydrolases is more distant. They seem to share an alpha/beta hydrolase fold, but the sequences comprising the fold are quite dissimilar. Therefore, for chlorocatechol catabolism, dienelactone hydrolases might have been recruited from some other, preexisting pathway. Their relationship to dienelactone (hydrolases identified in 4-fluorobenzoate utilizing strains of Alcaligenes and Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia is investigated). Sequence evidence suggests that the chlorocatechol catabolic operons of the plasmids pJP4, pAC27, and pP51 have been derived from a common precursor. The latter seems to have evolved for the purpose of halocatechol catabolism, and may be considerably older than the chemical industry.

Secretion of human epidermal growth factor (EGF) in autotrophic culture by a recombinant hydrogen-utilizing bacterium, Pseudomonas pseudoflava, carrying broad-host-range EGF secretion vector pKSEGF2

We constructed the broad-host-range human epidermal growth factor (EGF) secretion plasmid pKSEGF2 by inserting the Escherichia coli tac promoter, the signal sequence of Pseudomonas stutzeri amylase, and the synthesized EGF gene into the broad-host-range vector pKT230. E. coli JM109 carrying pKSEGF2 secreted EGF into the periplasm and the culture medium under the control of the tac promoter. Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1161 carrying pKSEGF2 and Pseudomonas putida AC10 carrying pKSEGF2 secreted EGF into the culture medium constitutively. Four hydrogen-utilizing bacteria, Pseudomonas pseudoflava, Alcaligenes eutrophus, Alcaligenes paradoxus, and Paracoccus denitrificans, were transconjugated with pKSEGF2 from eight hydrogen-utilizing bacteria tested. In these transconjugated hydrogen-utilizing bacteria, P. pseudoflava carrying pKSEGF2 grew autotrophically and secreted EGF, confirmed by Western blot (immunoblot) analysis, into the culture medium constitutively.

Analysis of duplicated gene sequences associated with tfdR and tfdS in Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP134

Plasmid pJP4 of Alcaligenes eutrophus JMP134 encodes the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. A 1.2-kb BamHI-XhoI region of the restriction fragment BamHI-E has been proposed to contain the regulatory gene tfdR (A. R. Harker, R. H. Olsen, and R. J. Seidler, J. Bacteriol. 171:314-320, 1989; B. Kaphammer, J. J. Kukor, and R. H. Olsen, J. Bacteriol. 172:2280-2286, 1990). When sequenced and analyzed, the region is shown to contain two incomplete open reading frames (ORFs) positioned divergently. The complete DNA sequence for one of the two ORFs was obtained by sequencing the adjacent restriction fragment BamHI-F. The DNA sequence reveals 100% identify with the regulatory gene tfdS of pJP4. An XbaI-PstI fragment, containing the complete ORF, encodes a 32,000-Da protein which binds to the promoter regions upstream from tfdA and tfdDII. The deduced amino acid sequence of the complete ORF shows similarity with sequences of activator proteins TcbR, CatM, and CatR of the LysR family. The complete ORF represents the regulatory gene tfdR. The deduced amino acid sequence of the incomplete ORF, situated divergently from tfdR, indicates similarity to chloromuconate cycloisomerases produced by genes tfdD and tcbD of plasmids pJP4 and pP51, respectively. This ORF is identified as part of a putative isofunctional gene, tfdDII.

Regulation of the catechol 1,2-dioxygenase- and phenol monooxygenase-encoding pheBA operon in Pseudomonas putida PaW85

In Pseudomonas putida PaW85, the ortho-cleavage pathway is used for catechol degradation. The 11.4-kb XhoI fragment cloned from phenol degradation plasmid pEST1226 into pKT240 (recombinant plasmid pAT1140) contains the inducible pheBA operon that encodes catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (gene pheB) and phenol monooxygenase (gene pheA), the first two enzymes for the phenol degradation pathway. The promoter of the pheBA operon is mapped 1.5 kb upstream of the pheB gene. The plasmid pAT1140, when introduced into P. putida PaW85, enables the bacteria to use the hybrid plasmid-chromosome-encoded pathway for phenol degradation. The synthesis of the plasmid-encoded phenol monooxygenase and catechol 1,2-dioxygenase is induced by cis,cis-muconate. The expression studies of the deletion subclones derived from pAT1140 revealed that the transcription of the pheBA operon is positively controlled by a regulatory protein that is chromosomally encoded in P. putida. cis,cis-Muconate in cooperation with positive transcription factor CatR activates the transcription of the chromosomal ortho-pathway genes catA and catBC in P. putida (R. K. Rothmel, T. L. Aldrich, J. E. Houghton, W. M. Coco, L. N. Ornston, and A. M. Chakrabarty, J. Bacteriol. 172:922-931, 1990). The inability to express the pheBA operon in a P. putida CatR- background and activation of transcription of the pheBA operon in Escherichia coli in the presence of the catR-expressing plasmid demonstrated that the transcription of the pheBA operon in P. putida PaW85 carrying pEST1226 is controlled by the chromosomally encoded CatR.

Molecular mechanisms of genetic adaptation to xenobiotic compounds

Microorganisms in the environment can often adapt to use xenobiotic chemicals as novel growth and energy substrates. Specialized enzyme systems and metabolic pathways for the degradation of man-made compounds such as chlorobiphenyls and chlorobenzenes have been found in microorganisms isolated from geographically separated areas of the world. The genetic characterization of an increasing number of aerobic pathways for degradation of (substituted) aromatic compounds in different bacteria has made it possible to compare the similarities in genetic organization and in sequence which exist between genes and proteins of these specialized catabolic routes and more common pathways. These data suggest that discrete modules containing clusters of genes have been combined in different ways in the various catabolic pathways. Sequence information further suggests divergence of catabolic genes coding for specialized enzymes in the degradation of xenobiotic chemicals. An important question will be to find whether these specialized enzymes evolved from more common isozymes only after the introduction of xenobiotic chemicals into the environment. Evidence is presented that a range of genetic mechanisms, such as gene transfer, mutational drift, and genetic recombination and transposition, can accelerate the evolution of catabolic pathways in bacteria. However, there is virtually no information concerning the rates at which these mechanisms are operating in bacteria living in nature and the response of such rates to the presence of potential (xenobiotic) substrates. Quantitative data on the genetic processes in the natural environment and on the effect of environmental parameters on the rate of evolution are needed.

Roles of CatR and cis,cis-muconate in activation of the catBC operon, which is involved in benzoate degradation in Pseudomonas putida

In Pseudomonas putida, the catBC operon encodes enzymes involved in benzoate degradation. Previous studies have determined that these enzymes are induced when P. putida is grown in the presence of benzoate. Induction of the enzymes of the catBC operon requires an intermediate of benzoate degradation, cis,cis-muconate, and a regulatory protein, CatR. It has been determined that CatR binds to a 27-bp region of the catBC promoter in the presence or absence of inducer. We have called this the repression binding site. In this study, we used a gel shift assay to demonstrate that the inducer, cis,cis-muconate, increases the affinity of CatR for the catBC promoter region by 20-fold. Furthermore, in the absence of cis,cis-muconate, CatR forms two complexes in the gel shift assay. The inducer cis,cis-muconate confers specificity primarily for the formation of complex 2. DNase I footprinting showed that an additional 27 bp of the catBC promoter region is protected by CatR in the presence of cis,cis-muconate. We have named this second binding site the activation binding site. Methylation interference footprinting determined that in the presence or absence of inducer, five G nucleotides of the catBC promoter region were necessary for CatR interaction with the repression binding site, while a single G residue was important for CatR interaction with the activation binding site in the presence of cis,cis-muconate. Using polymerase chain reaction-generated constructs, we found that the binding of CatR to the repression binding site is independent of the activation binding site. However, binding of CatR to the activation binding site required an intact repression binding site.

Functional analysis of the Pseudomonas putida regulatory protein CatR: transcriptional studies and determination of the CatR DNA-binding site by hydroxyl-radical footprinting

CatR, a LysR family protein, positively regulates the Pseudomonas putida catBC operon, which is required for growth on benzoate as a sole carbon source. Transcriptional studies show that the catR and catBC promoters are divergent and overlapping by 2 bp. A beta-galactosidase promoter probe vector was constructed to analyze expression from the catR and catBC promoters under induced and uninduced conditions. As predicted, the catBC promoter is expressed only under induced conditions, while the catR promoter is constitutive. CatR has been shown to specifically bind the catRBC promoter region, and this property was used to devise a purification protocol for CatR. Linear M13 DNA containing the catRBC control region was covalently bound to cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose in order to construct a DNA affinity column. Crude extracts containing hyperproduced CatR protein were then incubated with the affinity resin under binding conditions, and the CatR protein was eluted with 1 M NaCl. CatR was also purified by heparin-agarose chromatography. This highly purified protein was used for gel retardation and hydroxyl-radical footprinting studies. From this analysis, it was shown that CatR binds upstream of the catBC promoter within the transcribed region of catR.

Regulation of iron assimilation: nucleotide sequence analysis of an iron-regulated promoter from a fluorescent pseudomonad

An iron-regulated promoter was cloned on a 2.1 kb Bg/II fragment from Pseudomonas sp. strain M114 and fused to the lacZ reporter gene. Iron-regulated lacZ expression from the resulting construct (pSP1) in strain M114 was mediated via the Fur-like repressor which also regulates siderophore production in this strain. A 390 bp StuI-PstI internal fragment contained the necessary information for iron-regulated promoter expression. This fragment was sequenced and the initiation point for transcription was determined by primer extension analysis. The region directly upstream of the transcription start point contained no significant homology to known promoter consensus sequences. However the -16 to -25 bp region contained homology to four other iron-regulated pseudomonad promoters. Deletion of bases downstream from the transcriptional start did not affect the iron-regulated expression of the promoter. The -37 and -43 bp regions exhibited some homology to the 19 bp Escherichia coli Fur-binding consensus sequence. When expressed in E. coli (via a cloned transacting factor from strain M114) lacZ expression from pSP1 was found to be regulated by iron. A region of greater than 77 bases but less than 131 upstream from the transcriptional start was found to be necessary for promoter activity, further suggesting that a transcriptional activator may be required for expression.

Nucleotide sequencing and characterization of Pseudomonas putida catR: a positive regulator of the catBC operon is a member of the LysR family

Pseudomonas putida utilizes the catBC operon for growth on benzoate as a sole carbon source. This operon is positively regulated by the CatR protein, which is encoded from a gene divergently oriented from the catBC operon. The catR gene encodes a 32.2-kilodalton polypeptide that binds to the catBC promoter region in the presence or absence of the inducer cis-cis-muconate, as shown by gel retardation studies. However, the inducer is required for transcriptional activation of the catBC operon. The catR promoter has been localized to a 385-base-pair fragment by using the broad-host-range promoter-probe vector pKT240. This fragment also contains the catBC promoter whose -35 site is separated by only 36 nucleotides from the predicted CatR translational start. Dot blot analysis suggests that CatR binding to this dual promoter-control region, in addition to inducing the catBC operon, may also regulate its own expression. Data from a computer homology search using the predicted amino acid sequence of CatR, deduced from the DNA sequence, showed CatR to be a member of a large class of procaryotic regulatory proteins designated the LysR family. Striking homology was seen between CatR and a putative regulatory protein, TfdS.

Identification of nucleotides critical for activity of the Pseudomonas putida catBC promoter

Pseudomonas putida utilizes the catBC operon, which encodes cis,cis-muconate lactonizing enzyme I (MLEI; EC 5.5.1.1) and muconolactone isomerase (MI; EC 5.3.3.4), for growth on benzoate as a sole carbon source. This operon is positively regulated, and the promoter is located 64 bp upstream of the catB translational start site. Using site-specific mutagenesis, we identified nucleotides that influenced the induction of this promoter. Promoter activity was monitored with the promoter probe vector pKT240. Transcription of mRNA from mutant promoters was determined by primer extension mapping. Comparison of the initiation start site of mutant promoters with that of the wild-type promoter identified a single functional promoter.

Cloning and sequencing of two tandem genes involved in degradation of 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl to benzoic acid in the polychlorinated biphenyl-degrading soil bacterium Pseudomonas sp. strain KKS102

Two genes involved in the degradation of biphenyl were isolated from a gene library of a polychlorinated biphenyl-degrading soil bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. strain KKS102, by using a broad-host-range cosmid vector, pKS13. When a 3.2-kilobase (kb) PstI fragment of a 29-kb cosmid DNA insert was subcloned into pUC18 at the PstI site downstream of the lacZ promoter, Escherichia coli cells carrying this recombinant plasmid expressed 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl dioxygenase activity. Nucleotide sequencing of the 3.2-kb PstI fragment revealed that there were two open reading frames (ORFI [882 base pairs] and ORFII [834 base pairs], in this gene order). Results of analysis of Tn5 insertion mutants and unidirectional deletion mutants suggested that the ORFI coded for 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl dioxygenase. When the sequence of ORFI was compared with that of bphC of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KF707 (K. Furukawa, N. Arima, and T. Miyazaki, J. Bacteriol. 169:427-429, 1987), the homology was 68%, with both strains having the same Shine-Dalgarno sequence. The result of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the metabolic product suggested that the ORFII had meta cleavage compound hydrolase activity to produce benzoic acid. DNA sequencing suggested that these two genes were contained in one operon.

Isolation and nucleotide sequence of the hemA gene of Escherichia coli K12

The hemA gene of Escherichia coli K12 was cloned by complementation of a hemA mutant of this organism. Subcloning of the initial 6.0 kb HindIII fragment allowed the isolation of a 1.5 kb NheI-AvaI fragment which retained the ability to complement the hemA mutant. DNA sequencing by the dideoxy chain terminator method of Sanger showed the presence of an open reading frame (ORF) of 1254 nucleotides, which ends 6 nucleotides beyond the AvaI site. Primer extension experiments showed the existence of a putative transcription initiation site for the hemA gene, located at position 130. A possible promoter sequence was identified upstream from this transcription initiation site, and its functional activity was confirmed by the use of the pK01 promoter-probe vector. Protein synthesis in an in vitro coupled transcription-translation system showed a 46 kDa protein, which corresponds to the mol. wt. of the hemA protein, as deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the gene. No homology was found between the amino acid sequence of the hemA protein of E. coli K12 and known sequences of other delta-aminolevulinic acid synthases (delta-ALAS), suggesting that this protein is different from other delta-ALAS enzymes.

Nucleotide sequence of the hemB gene of Escherichia coli K12

The hemB gene of Escherichia coli K12, coding for porphobilinogen synthase (PBG-S; syn., 5-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase, ALA-D), was cloned following insertion of an EcoRI fragment of plasmid F'13 into the mobilizable vector pCR1. The hybrid plasmid carrying the hemB gene was able to complement a hemB mutant of E. coli K12: not only was the PBG-S activity of the mutant restored after the acquisition of the hemB gene, but it was about ten times higher than that of the wild type. Subcloning of the original EcoRI fragment (14.6 kb) enabled us to locate the hemB gene on an NruI-HpaI fragment of about 1.1 kb. The hemB promoter was located toward the NruI end of the fragment, as shown by the use of the pKO promoter-probe series of vectors. Sequencing of the hemB gene indicated the presence of an open reading frame (ORF) of 1051 nucleotides, which should correspond to the HemB protein. Primer extension experiments enabled us to identify the 5' end of the hemB mRNA, and to deduce the -10 and -35 regions of the hemB promoter. Protein synthesis performed by an in vitro coupled transcription-translation system, showed the presence of a protein of about 35 kDa. This is in agreement with the molecular weight of the HemB protein (35.6 kDa), as deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the gene. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of E. coli and human PBG-S allowed the detection of several regions of strong homology between the two proteins. Two of these regions correspond, as expected, to the putative zinc-binding and catalytic sites of the human PBG-S.