title: A novel toluene-3-monooxygenase pathway cloned from Pseudomonas pickettii PKO1.
abstract: Plasmid pRO1957, which contains a 26.5-kb fragment from the chromosome of Pseudomonas pickettii PKO1, allows P. aeruginosa PAO1 to grow on toluene or benzene as a sole carbon and energy source. A subclone of pRO1957, designated pRO1966, when present in P. aeruginosa PAO1 grown in lactate-toluene medium, accumulates m-cresol in the medium, indicating that m-cresol is an intermediate of toluene catabolism. Moreover, incubation of such cells in the presence of 18O2 followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of m-cresol extracts showed that the oxygen in m-cresol was derived from molecular oxygen. Accordingly, this suggests that toluene-3-monooxygenation is the first step in the degradative pathway. Toluene-3-monooxygenase activity is positively regulated from a locus designated tbuT. Induction of the toluene-3-monooxygenase is mediated by either toluene, benzene, ethylbenzene, or m-cresol. Moreover, toluene-3-monooxygenase activity induced by these effectors also metabolizes benzene and ethylbenzene to phenol and 3-ethylphenol, respectively, and also after induction, o-xylene, m-xylene, and p-xylene are metabolized to 3,4-dimethylphenol, 2,4-dimethylphenol, and 2,5-dimethylphenol, respectively, although the xylene substrates are not effectors. Styrene and phenylacetylene are transformed into more polar products.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor 48109-0620.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kukor
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kaphammer
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003408:Cresols / Q000378:metabolism; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D008954:Models, Biological; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014050:Toluene / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003408:Cresols; D014050:Toluene; D010105:Oxygenases; C087733:toluene-3-monooxygenase; C077977:cresol