title: Phenol degradation by Sulfobacillus acidophilus TPY via the meta-pathway.
abstract: Due to its toxicity and volatility, phenol must be cleared from the environment. Sulfobacillus acidophilus TPY, which was isolated from a hydrothermal vent in the Pacific Ocean as a moderately thermoacidophilic Gram-positive bacterium, was capable of aerobically degrading phenol. This bacterium could tolerate up to 1300mg/L phenol and degrade 100mg/L phenol in 40h completely at 45°C and pH 1.8 with a maximal degradation rate of 2.32mg/L/h at 38h. Genome-wide search revealed that one gene (TPY_3176) and 14 genes clustered together in two regions with locus tags of TPY_0628-0634 and TPY_0640-0646 was proposed to be involved in phenol degradation via the meta-pathway with both the 4-oxalocrotonate branch and the hydrolytic branch. Real-time PCR analysis of S. acidophilus TPY under phenol cultivation condition confirmed the transcription of proposed genes involved in the phenol degradation meta-pathway. Degradation of 3-methylphenol and 2-methylphenol confirmed that the hydrolytic branch was utilised by S. acidophilus TPY. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that S. acidophilus TPY was closely related to sulphate-reducing bacteria and some Gram-positive phenol-degrading bacteria. This was the first report demonstrating the ability of S. acidophilus to degrade phenol and characterising the putative genes involved in phenol metabolism in S. acidophilus TPY.
authors.affiliation: School of Resource Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China; Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China; Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Wengen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China; Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: School of Resource Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China. Electronic address: zhouhb@csu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hongbo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Xiamen 361005, Fujian, China; Fujian Collaborative Innovation Center for Exploitation and Utilization of Marine Biological Resources, Xiamen 361005, China. Electronic address: chenxinhua@tio.org.cn.
authors.forename: Xinhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D001711:Biotransformation; D000068016:Eubacteriales / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D056426:Genetic Loci; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D060086:Hydrothermal Vents / Q000382:microbiology; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D005810:Multigene Family; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D019800:Phenol / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013696:Temperature; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D019800:Phenol
keywords: Meta-pathway; Phenol degradation; Sulfobacillus acidophilus