Gene mdpC plays a regulatory role in the methyl-tert-butyl ether degradation pathway of Methylibium petroleiphilum strain PM1.
Among the few bacteria known to utilize methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) as a sole carbon source, Methylibium petroleiphilum PM1 is a well-characterized organism with a sequenced genome; however, knowledge of the genetic regulation of its MTBE degradation pathway is limited. We investigated the role of a putative transcriptional activator gene, mdpC, in the induction of MTBE-degradation genes mdpA (encoding MTBE monooxygenase) and mdpJ (encoding tert-butyl alcohol hydroxylase) of strain PM1 in a gene-knockout mutant mdpC(-). We also utilized quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR assays targeting genes mdpA, mdpJ and mdpC to determine the effects of the mutation on transcription of these genes. Our results indicate that gene mdpC is involved in the induction of both mdpA and mdpJ in response to MTBE and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) exposure in PM1. An additional independent mechanism may be involved in the induction of mdpJ in the presence of TBA.
Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Geetika
G
Joshi
Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Radomir
R
Schmidt
Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Kate M
KM
Scow
Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Michael S
MS
Denison
Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA Biological Sciences Department, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201, USA krassimira.hristova@marquette.edu.
Krassimira R
KR
Hristova
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D020562:Betaproteobacteria / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000378:metabolism*; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D014157:Transcription Factors; C043243:methyl tert-butyl ether; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases
MTBE; MdpC; Methylibium petroleiphilum strain PM1; degradation pathway; mdpC− mutant; regulation