Dioxygenases of Chlorobiphenyl-Degrading Species Rhodococcus wratislaviensis G10 and Chlorophenol-Degrading Species Rhodococcus opacus 1CP Induced in Benzoate-Grown Cells and Genes Potentially Involved in These Processes

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I. P. Solyanikova^1*, O. V. Borzova^1,2, E. V. Emelyanova¹, E. S. Shumkova^1,3, N. V. Prisyazhnaya¹, E. G. Plotnikova⁴, and L. A. Golovleva^1,2

¹Skryabin Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia; E-mail: innas@ibpm.pushchino.ru

²Pushchino State Natural Science Institute, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia

³Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russia

⁴Institute of Ecology and Genetics of Microorganisms, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 614081 Perm, Russia

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received May 30, 2016; Revision received June 9, 2016

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Dioxygenases induced during benzoate degradation by the actinobacterium Rhodococcus wratislaviensis G10 strain degrading haloaromatic compounds were studied. Rhodococcus wratislaviensis G10 completely degraded 2 g/liter benzoate during 30 h and 10 g/liter during 200 h. Washed cells grown on benzoate retained respiration activity for more than 90 days, and a high activity of benzoate dioxygenase was recorded for 10 days. Compared to the enzyme activities with benzoate, the activity of benzoate dioxygenases was 10-30% with 13 of 35 substituted benzoate analogs. Two dioxygenases capable of cleaving the aromatic ring were isolated and characterized: protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase and catechol 1,2-dioxygenase. Catechol inhibited the activity of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase. Protocatechuate did not affect the activity of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase. A high degree of identity was shown by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for protein peaks of the R. wratislaviensis G10 and Rhodococcus opacus 1CP cells grown on benzoate or LB. DNA from the R. wratislaviensis G10 strain was specifically amplified using specific primers to variable regions of genes coding α- and β-subunits of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase and to two genes of the R. opacus 1CP coding catechol 1,2-dioxygenase. The products were 99% identical with the corresponding regions of the R. opacus 1CP genes. This high identity (99%) between the genes coding degradation of aromatic compounds in the R. wratislaviensis G10 and R. opacus 1CP strains isolated from sites of remote location (1400 km) and at different time (20-year difference) indicates a common origin of biodegradation genes of these strains and a wide distribution of these genes among rhodococci.

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KEY WORDS: Rhodococcus wratislaviensis G10, Rhodococcus opacus 1CP, benzoate, catechol 1,2-dioxygenase, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase, biodegradation genes

DOI: 10.1134/S000629791609008X

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