• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.632-640
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• 2006

In this study, the biodegradative activities of monocyclic aromatic compounds were determined from the multi-drug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii, which were studied in the form of clinical isolates from a hospital in Korea. These bacteria were capable of biodegrading monocyclic aromatic compounds, such as benzoate and p-hydroxybenzoate. In order to determine which pathways are available for biodegradation in these stains, we conducted proteome analyses of benzoate, and p-hydroxybenzoate-cultured A. baumannii DU202, using 2-DE/MS analysis. As genome DB of A. baumannii was not yet available, MS/MS analysis or de novo sequencing methods were employed in the identification of induced proteins. Benzoate branch enzymes [catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (CatA) and benzoate dioxygenase $\alpha$ subunit (BenA)] of the $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway were identified under benzoate culture condition and p-hydroxybenzoate branch enzymes [protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenas $\alpha$ subunit (PcaG) and 3-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate cycloisomerase (PcaR)] of the $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway were identified under p-hydroxybenzoate culture condition, respectively, thereby suggesting that strain DU202 utilized the $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway for the biodegradation of monocyclic aromatic compounds. The sequence analysis of two purified dioxygenases (CatA and PcaGH) indicated that CatA is closely associated with the CatA of Acinetobacter radiresistance, but PcaGH is only moderately associated with the PcaGH of Acinetobacter sp. ADPI. Interestingly, the fused form of PcaD and PcaC, carboxymuconolactone decarboxylase (PcaCD), was detected on benzoate-cultured A. baumannii DU202. These results indicate that A. baumannii DU202 exploits a different $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway from other Acinetobacter species.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.333-339
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• 2009

Using a novel pine needle agar, fifteen bacterial species were isolated from pine litter. These bacteria were able to degrade aromatic hydrocarbons derived from lignin and utilize the ortho-cleavage of the $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway to degrade protocatechuate or catechol. A different utilization array of aromatic hydrocarbons by these bacteria was also determined. This study provides the information on bacterial species living in pine litter and suggests that these bacteria have metabolic abilities to utilize aromatic hydrocarbons derived from lignin biodegradation.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.157-163
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• 2001

Mycolic acid-containing gram-positive bacteria, so called nocardioform actinomycetes, have become a great interest to environmental microbiologists due to their metabolic versatility, multidegradative capacity and potential for bioremediation of priority pollutants. For example, Rhodococcus rhodochrous N75 was able to metabolize 4-methy1catechol via a modified $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway whereby 4-methylmuconolactone methyl isomerase catalyzes the conversion of 4-methylmuconolactone to 3-methylmuconolactone in order to circumvent the accumulation of the 'dead-end' metabolite, 4-methylmuconolactone. R. rhodochrous N75 has also shown the ability to transform a range of alkyl-substituted catechols to the corresponding muconolactones. A novel 3-methylmuconolactone-CoAsynthetase was found to be involved in the degradation of 3-methylmuconolactone, which is not mediated in a manner analogous to the classical $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway but activated by the addition of CoA prior to hydrolysis of lactone ring, suggesting that the degradative pathway for methylaromatic compounds by gram-positive bacteria diverges from that of proteobacteria. Mycobacterium sp. Strain PYR-l isolated from oil-contaminated soil was capable of mineralizing various polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene, fluoranthrene, 1-nitropyrene, and 6-nitrochrysene. The pathways for degradation of PAHs by this organism have been elucidated through the isolation and characterization of chemical intermediates. 2-D gel electrophoresis of PAH-induced proteins enabled the cloning of the dioxygenase system containing a dehydrogenase, the dioxygenase small ($\beta$)-subunit, and the dioxygenase large ($\alpha$)-subunit. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the large a subunit did not cluster with most of the known sequences except for three newly described a subunits of dioxygenases from Rhodococcus spp. and Nocardioides spp. 2-D gel analysis also showed that catalase-peroxidase, which was induced with pyrene, plays a role in the PAH metabolism. The survival and performance of these bacteria raised the possibility that they can be excellent candidates for bioremediation purposes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.172-175
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• 2001

Catechol 1,2-dioxygenase $I_1$ ($CDI_1$) is the first enzyme of the $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway in Acinetobacter lowffii K24. $CDI_1$ has two cysteines (155, 202) and its enzyme activity is inhibited by the cysteine inhibitor, $AgNO_3$. Two mutants, $CDI_1$ C155V and $CDI_1$ C202V, were obtained by site-directed mutagenesis. The two mutants were overexpressed and the mutated amino acid residues (Cys$\rightarrow$Val) were characterized by peptide mapping and amino acid sequencing. Interestingly, $CDI_1$ C155V was inhibited by $AgNO_3$, whereas $CDI_1$ C202V was not inhibited. This suggests that $Cys^{202}$ is the sole inhibition site by $AgNO_3$ and is close to the active site of the enzyme. However, the results of the biochemical assay of mutated $CDI_1s$ suggest that the two cysteines are not directly involved in the activity of the catechol 1,2-dioxygenase of $CDI_1$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1740-1746
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• 2006

Enrichment techniques led to the isolation of a Pseudomonas sp. strain P2 from municipal waste-contaminated soil sample, which could utilize different isomers of a commercial mixture of 4-nonylphenol when grown in the presence of phenol. The isolate was identified as Pseudomonas sp., based on the morphological, nutritional, and biochemical characteristics and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The ${\beta}$-ketoadipate pathway was found to be involved in the degradation of phenol by Pseudomonas sp. strain P2. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis of the culture media indicated degradation of various major isomers of 4-nonylphenol in the range of 29-50%. However, the selected ion monitoring mode of analysis of biodegraded products of 4-nonylphenol indicated the absence of any aromatic compounds other than those of the isomers of 4-nonylphenol. Moreover, Pseudomonas sp. strain P2 was incapable of utilizing various alkanes individually as sole carbon source, whereas the degradation of 4-nonylphenol was observed only when the test organism was induced with phenol, suggesting that the degradation of 4-nonylphenol was possibly initiated from the phenolic moiety of the molecule, but not from the alkyl side-chain.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.334-340
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• 1996

The enzyme, cis,cis-muconate lactonizing enzyme has been proposed to play a key role in the $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway of benzoate degradation. A 3.2-kb EcoRI fragment termed as pRSU2, isolated from a Pseudomonas cepacia genomic library was able to complement the catB defective mutant. Several relevant restriction enzyme sites were determined within the cloned fragment. In Pseudomonas putida SUC2 carrying pRSU2, the enzyme activity was relatively higher than those of the induced or partially induced state of wild type P. putida PRS2000. It was probably due to higher expression of P. cepacia catB in P. putida PRS2000. It was probably due to higher expression of P. cepacia catB in P. putida. One possible interpretation of these results is that the catB promoter in P. cepacia is recognized within P. putida, resulting in the almost same expression level.