• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.298-305
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• 2016

Previously our laboratory showed that Pseudomonas alkylphenolica KL28 possesses two different lap and pcu gene clusters for p-cresol catabolism. In this study, additional gene cluster (pchACXF-pcaHG-orf4-pcaBC) has been identified to encode enzymes necessary for catabolism of p-cresol to ${\beta}$-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate. This gene cluster showed almost identical nucleotide sequence homologies to those in the plasmid of Pseudomonas putida NCIMB 9866 and 9869, British origins, indicating the possibility of a horizontal gene transfer. Through mutagenesis of each gene cluster and gfp-based promoter reporter assays, it has been shown that the three gene clusters are functionally operated and pch genes are induced by p-cresol. Furthermore, the pcu gene cluster of the three was shown to be dominantly expressed in utilization of p-cresol. Mutation of the pcu gene was defective in aerial structure formation under p-cresol vapor, indicating the utilization rate of carbon source is one of key elements for the multicellular development of this strain.