title: Novel methylotrophic bacteria isolated from the River Thames (London, UK).
abstract: Enrichment and elective culture for methylotrophs from sediment of the River Thames in central London yielded a diversity of pure cultures representing several genera of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, which were mainly of organisms not generally regarded as typically methylotrophic. Substrates leading to successful isolations included methanol, monomethylamine, dimethylamine, trimethylamine, methanesulfonate and dimethylsulfone. Several isolates were studied in detail and shown by their biochemical and morphological properties and 16S rRNA gene sequencing to be Sphingomonas melonis strain ET35, Mycobacterium fluoranthenivorans strain DSQ3, Rhodococcus erythropolis strain DSQ4, Brevibacterium casei strain MSQ5, Klebsiella oxytoca strains MMA/F and MMA/1, Pseudomonas mendocina strain TSQ4, and Flavobacterium sp. strains MSA/1 and MMA/2. The results show that facultative methylotrophy is present across a wide range of Bacteria, suggesting that turnover of diverse C(1)-compounds is of much greater microbiological and environmental significance than is generally thought. The origins of the genes encoding the enzymes of methylotrophy in diverse heterotrophs need further study, and could further our understanding of the phylogeny and antiquity of methylotrophic systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, King's College London, Franklin Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, UK.
authors.forename: Rich
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boden
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Parita
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Savani
authors.forename: Donovan P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Ann P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D044822:Biodiversity; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004123:Dimethylamines / Q000378:metabolism; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D008131:London; D008698:Mesylates / Q000378:metabolism; D008697:Methane / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000432:Methanol / Q000378:metabolism; D008741:Methyl Methanesulfonate / Q000378:metabolism; D008744:Methylamines / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D045483:Rivers / Q000382:microbiology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D004123:Dimethylamines; D008698:Mesylates; D008744:Methylamines; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C045880:methanesulfonic acid; C034516:dimethylamine; D008741:Methyl Methanesulfonate; C027451:methylamine; C023336:trimethylamine; D008697:Methane; D000432:Methanol