title: Isolation of Oxamyl-degrading Bacteria and Identification of cehA as a Novel Oxamyl Hydrolase Gene.
abstract: Microbial degradation is the main process controlling the environmental dissipation of the nematicide oxamyl. Despite that, little is known regarding the microorganisms involved in its biotransformation. We report the isolation of four oxamyl-degrading bacterial strains from an agricultural soil exhibiting enhanced biodegradation of oxamyl. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) assigned the isolated bacteria to different subgroups of the genus Pseudomonas. The isolated bacteria hydrolyzed oxamyl to oxamyl oxime, which was not further transformed, and utilized methylamine as a C and N source. This was further supported by the detection of methylamine dehydrogenase in three of the four isolates. All oxamyl-degrading strains carried a gene highly homologous to a carbamate-hydrolase gene cehA previously identified in carbaryl- and carbofuran-degrading strains. Transcription analysis verified its direct involvement in the hydrolysis of oxamyl. Selected isolates exhibited relaxed degrading specificity and transformed all carbamates tested including the oximino carbamates aldicarb and methomyl (structurally related to oxamyl) and the aryl-methyl carbamates carbofuran and carbaryl which share with oxamyl only the carbamate moiety.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant and Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly Larisa, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rousidou
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant and Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly Larisa, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chanika
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant and Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly Larisa, Greece.
authors.forename: Dafne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Georgiadou
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant and Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly Larisa, Greece.
authors.forename: Eftychia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Soueref
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant and Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly Larisa, Greece.
authors.forename: Demetra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Katsarou
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant and Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly Larisa, Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kolovos
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Wastewater Management and Treatment Technologies, Department of Environmental Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace Xanthi, Greece.
authors.forename: Spyridon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ntougias
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant and Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly Larisa, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tourna
authors.affiliation: Department of Viticulture, Vegetable Crops, Floriculture and Plant Protection, Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture, National Agricultural Research Foundation, Hellenic Agricultural Organization-DEMETER Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Emmanuel A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Tzortzakakis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant and Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Thessaly Larisa, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Karpouzas
keywords: Pseudomonas; carbamate pesticides; cehA gene; microbial degradation; oxamyl