Distribution of alkB genes within n-alkane-degrading bacteria.
Fifty-four bacterial strains belonging to 37 species were tested for their ability to assimilate short chain and/or medium chain liquid n-alkanes. A gene probe derived from the alkB gene of Pseudomonas oleovorans ATCC 29347 was utilized in hybridization experiments. Results of Southern hybridization of PCR-amplificates were compared with those of colony hybridization and dot blot hybridization. Strongest signals were received only from Gram-negative bacteria growing solely with short n-alkanes (C10). Hybridization results with soil isolates growing with n-alkanes of different chain lengths suggested as well that alkB genes seem to be widespread only in solely short-chain n-alkane-degrading pseudomonads. PCR products of Rhodococcus sp., Nocardioides sp., Gordona sp. and Sphingomonas sp. growing additionally or solely with medium-chain n-alkane as hexadecane had only few sequence identity with alkB though hybridizing with the gene probe. The derived amino acid sequence of the alkB-amplificate of Pseudomonas aureofaciens showed high homology (95%) with AlkB from Ps. oleovorans. alkB gene disruptants were not able to grow with decane.
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Lehr-und Forschungsgebiet Angewandte Mikrobiologie, Institut für Biologie IV (Mikrobiologie), Worringer Weg, Aachen, Germany.
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D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D003470:Culture Media; D042926:Cytochrome P-450 CYP4A; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000235:genetics*; D015342:DNA Probes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization / Q000379:methods; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D000473:Alkanes; D003470:Culture Media; D015342:DNA Probes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; D042926:Cytochrome P-450 CYP4A; C007932:n-hexadecane; C012867:decane