title: Phylogenetic characterization and novelty of organic sulphur metabolizing genes of Rhodococcus spp. (Eu-32).
abstract: Rhodococcus spp. (Eu-32) has the unique ability to metabolize organic sulphur containing compounds like dibenzothiophene through an extended sulphur specific pathway (Akhtar et al., in FEMS Microbiol Lett 301:95-102, 2009). Efforts were made to isolate and characterize the presumed desulphurizing genes (dszABC) involved in the sulphur specific pathway of isolate Eu-32 by employing standard and degenerate polymerase chain reaction primers. The partial dszA gene sequence of isolate Eu-32 showed 92% sequence identity with a putative FMNH-2 dependent monooxygenase of Rhodococcus erythropolis PR4. The dszC gene sequence showed 99% homology with the dibenzothiophene monooxygenase desulphurizing enzyme of another Rhodococcus species. The dszB gene was not unambiguously identified. A phylogenetic analysis by maximum likelihood method of the 16S rRNA gene and deduced DszA and C amino acid sequences suggest that horizontal gene transfer events might have taken place during the evolution of desulphurizing genes of Rhodococcus spp. (Eu-32).
authors.affiliation: Industrial Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Jhang Road, P. O. Box 577, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Nasrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akhtar
authors.forename: Muhammad A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ghauri
authors.forename: Munir A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Anwar
authors.forename: Shaun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heaphy
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012240:Rhodococcus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D013876:Thiophenes; C016366:dibenzothiophene