Work

Separate Upper Pathway Ring Cleavage Dioxygenases Are Required for Growth of Sphingomonas wittichii Strain RW1 on Dibenzofuran and Dibenzo- p -Dioxin

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: RW1 has been the subject of numerous investigations, because it is one of only a few strains known to grow on DXN as the sole carbon and energy source. However, while the genome has been sequenced and several DBF pathway enzymes have been purified, there has been very little research using physiological techniques to precisely identify the genes and enzymes involved in the RW1 DBF and DXN catabolic pathways. Using knockout and gene replacement mutagenesis, our work identifies separate upper pathway ring cleavage enzymes involved in the related catabolic pathways for DBF and DXN degradation. The identification of a new enzyme involved in DXN biodegradation explains why the pathway of DBF degradation on the RW1 megaplasmid pSWIT02 is inefficient for DXN degradation. In addition, our work demonstrates that both plasmid- and chromosomally encoded enzymes are necessary for DXN degradation, suggesting that the DXN pathway has only recently evolved.

Source: Applied and Environmental Microbiology

DOI: 10.1128/aem.02464-20

Authors: Thamer Y. Mutter, Gerben J. Zylstra

Institutions: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, University of Anbar

Language: English

Topic: Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Higher Committee for Education Development in Iraq, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Award: Environmental, Microbial and Mammalian Biomolecular Responses to AhR Ligands