title: Mechanism of 4-nitrophenol oxidation in Rhodococcus sp. Strain PN1: characterization of the two-component 4-nitrophenol hydroxylase and regulation of its expression.
abstract: 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) is a toxic product of the hydrolysis of organophosphorus pesticides such as parathion in soil. Rhodococcus sp. strain PN1 degrades 4-NP via 4-nitrocatechol (4-NC) for use as the sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. A 5-kb EcoRI DNA fragment previously cloned from PN1 contained a gene cluster (nphRA1A2) involved in 4-NP oxidation. From sequence analysis, this gene cluster is expected to encode an AraC/XylS family regulatory protein (NphR) and a two-component 4-NP hydroxylase (NphA1 and NphA2). A transcriptional assay in a Rhodococcus strain revealed that the transcription of nphA1 is induced by only 4-NP (of several phenolic compounds tested) in the presence of nphR, which is constitutively expressed. Disruption of nphR abolished transcriptional activity, suggesting that nphR encodes a positive regulatory protein. The two proteins of the 4-NP hydroxylase, NphA1 and NphA2, were independently expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by ion-exchange chromatography or affinity chromatography. The purified NphA2 reduced flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) with the concomitant oxidation of NADH, while the purified NphA1 oxidized 4-NP into 4-NC almost quantitatively in the presence of FAD, NADH, and NphA2. This functional analysis, in addition to the sequence analysis, revealed that this enzyme system belongs to the two-component flavin-diffusible monooxygenase family. The 4-NP hydroxylase showed comparable oxidation activities for phenol and 4-chlorophenol to that for 4-NP and weaker activities for 3-NP and 4-NC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Hyogo, 2167 Shosha, Himeji, Hyogo 671-2201, Japan. takeo@eng.u-hyogo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeo
authors.forename: Masumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Sanae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Niihara
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Munehiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: Dai-ichiro
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Negoro
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009596:Nitrophenols / Q000378:metabolism*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007527:Isoenzymes; D009596:Nitrophenols; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases