title: Three of the seven bphC genes of Rhodococcus erythropolis TA421, isolated from a termite ecosystem, are located on an indigenous plasmid associated with biphenyl degradation.
abstract: Rhodococcus erythropolis TA421, a polychlorinated biphenyl and biphenyl degrader isolated from a termite ecosystem, has seven bphC genes expressing 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl dioxygenase activity. R. erythropolis TA421 harbored a large and probably linear plasmid on which three (bphC2, bphC3, and bphC4) of the seven bphC genes were located. A non-biphenyl-degrading mutant, designated strain TA422, was obtained spontaneously from R. erythropolis TA421. TA422 lacked the plasmid, suggesting that the three bphC genes were involved in the degradation of biphenyl. Southern blot analyses showed that R. erythropolis TA421 and Rhodococcus globerulus P6 have a similar set of bphC genes and that the genes for biphenyl catabolism are located on plasmids of different sizes. These results indicated that the genes encoding the biphenyl catabolic pathway in Rhodococcus strains are borne on plasmids.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kosono
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fuji
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kudo
mesh_terms: D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D049308:Dioxygenases; D015870:Gene Expression; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010105:Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics*; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D010105:Oxygenases; D049308:Dioxygenases; C074272:2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl oxygenase