In silico and experimental methods revealed highly diverse bacteria with quorum sensing and aromatics biodegradation systems--a potential broad application on bioremediation.
Phylogenetic overlaps between aromatics-degrading bacteria and acyl-homoserine-lactone (AHL) or autoinducer (AI) based quorum-sensing (QS) bacteria were evident in literatures; however, the diversity of bacteria with both activities had never been finely described. In-silico searching in NCBI genome database revealed that more than 11% of investigated population harbored both aromatic ring-hydroxylating-dioxygenase (RHD) gene and AHL/AI-synthetase gene. These bacteria were distributed in 10 orders, 15 families, 42 genus and 78 species. Horizontal transfers of both genes were common among them. Using enrichment and culture dependent method, 6 Sphingomonadales and 4 Rhizobiales with phenanthrene- or pyrene-degrading ability and AHL-production were isolated from marine, wetland and soil samples. Thin-layer-chromatography and gas-chromatography-mass-spectrum revealed that these Sphingomonads produced various AHL molecules. This is the first report of highly diverse bacteria that harbored both aromatics-degrading and QS systems. QS regulation may have broad impacts on aromatics biodegradation, and would be a new angle for developing bioremediation technology.
Department of Environmental Science, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: yilihuang@zju.edu.cn.
Yili
Y
Huang
Yanhua
Y
Zeng
Zhiliang
Z
Yu
Jing
J
Zhang
Hao
H
Feng
Xiuchun
X
Lin
D015107:4-Butyrolactone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D044822:Biodiversity; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012015:Reference Standards
D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C088386:homoserine lactone; D015107:4-Butyrolactone
Acyl homoserine lactone; Aromatic compounds; Biodegradation; In silico; Quorum sensing