title: Biochemical, transcriptional and translational evidences of the phenol-meta-degradation pathway by the hyperthermophilic Sulfolobus solfataricus 98/2.
abstract: Phenol is a widespread pollutant and a model molecule to study the biodegradation of monoaromatic compounds. After a first oxidation step leading to catechol in mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms, two main routes have been identified depending on the cleavage of the aromatic ring: ortho involving a catechol 1,2 dioxygenase (C12D) and meta involving a catechol 2,3 dioxygenase (C23D). Our work aimed at elucidating the phenol-degradation pathway in the hyperthermophilic archaea Sulfolobus solfataricus 98/2. For this purpose, the strain was cultivated in a fermentor under different substrate and oxygenation conditions. Indeed, reducing dissolved-oxygen concentration allowed slowing down phenol catabolism (specific growth and phenol-consumption rates dropped 55% and 39%, respectively) and thus, evidencing intermediate accumulations in the broth. HPLC/Diode Array Detector and LC-MS analyses on culture samples at low dissolved-oxygen concentration (DOC  =  0.06 mg x L(-1)) suggested, apart for catechol, the presence of 2-hydroxymuconic acid, 4-oxalocrotonate and 4-hydroxy-2-oxovalerate, three intermediates of the meta route. RT-PCR analysis on oxygenase-coding genes of S. solfataricus 98/2 showed that the gene coding for the C23D was expressed only on phenol. In 2D-DIGE/MALDI-TOF analysis, the C23D was found and identified only on phenol. This set of results allowed us concluding that S. solfataricus 98/2 degrade phenol through the meta route.
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, Marseille, France ; Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, La Garde, France.
authors.forename: Alexia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Comte
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, Marseille, France ; Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, La Garde, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Christen
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, Marseille, France ; Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, La Garde, France.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, UMR7258, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Marseille (CRCM), Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pophillat
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, Marseille, France ; Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, La Garde, France.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lorquin
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, Marseille, France ; Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, La Garde, France.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Auria
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, Marseille, France ; Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, La Garde, France.
authors.forename: Gwenola
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, Marseille, France ; Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS/INSU, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), UM 110, La Garde, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casalot
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental / Q000187:drug effects; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D019848:Gene Expression Regulation, Archaeal / Q000187:drug effects; D020745:Genome, Archaeal / Q000235:genetics; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D019800:Phenol / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D020543:Proteome / Q000378:metabolism; D040901:Proteomics; D048229:Sulfolobus solfataricus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D013696:Temperature; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D020543:Proteome; D019800:Phenol; D002244:Carbon; D005947:Glucose