title: Growth of Escherichia coli coexpressing phosphotriesterase and glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase, using paraoxon as the sole phosphorus source.
abstract: Phosphotriesterases catalyze the hydrolytic detoxification of phosphotriester pesticides and chemical warfare nerve agents with various efficiencies. The directed evolution of phosphotriesterases to enhance the breakdown of poor substrates is desirable for the purposes of bioremediation. A limiting factor in the identification of phosphotriesterase mutants with increased activity is the ability to effectively screen large mutant libraries. To this end, we have investigated the possibility of coupling phosphotriesterase activity to cell growth by using methyl paraoxon as the sole phosphorus source. The catabolism of paraoxon to phosphate would occur via the stepwise enzymatic hydrolysis of paraoxon to dimethyl phosphate, methyl phosphate, and then phosphate. The Escherichia coli strain DH10B expressing the phosphotriesterase from Agrobacterium radiobacter P230 (OpdA) is unable to grow when paraoxon is used as the sole phosphorus source. Enterobacter aerogenes is an organism capable of growing when dimethyl phosphate is the sole phosphorus source. The enzyme responsible for hydrolyzing dimethyl phosphate has been previously characterized as a nonspecific phosphohydrolase. We isolated and characterized the genes encoding the phosphohydrolase operon. The operon was identified from a shotgun clone that enabled E. coli to grow when dimethyl phosphate is the sole phosphorus source. E. coli coexpressing the phosphohydrolase and OpdA grew when paraoxon was the sole phosphorus source. By constructing a short degradative pathway, we have enabled E. coli to use phosphotriesters as a sole source of phosphorus.
authors.affiliation: Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: Sean Yu
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: McLoughlin
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Jian-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Ollis
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D003470:Culture Media; D021902:Enterobacter aerogenes / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009876:Operon; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D010261:Paraoxon / Q000378:metabolism*; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D044345:Phosphoric Triester Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D007306:Insecticides; D009943:Organophosphorus Compounds; D010758:Phosphorus; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases; C038133:glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase; D044345:Phosphoric Triester Hydrolases; C007477:dimethyl phosphate; D010261:Paraoxon