Journal of Microbiology

Improvement of 4-chlorobiphenyl degradation bya recombinant strain, pseudomonas sp. DJ12-C: Kim, Ji Young , Kim, Young Chang , Lim, Jai Yun , Lee, Ki Sung , Ka, Jong Ok , Min, Kyung Hee , Kim, Chi Kyung; J. Microbiol. 1997;35(1):53-60.

Abstract: Pseudomonas sp. P20 and Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12 isolated from the polluted environment are capable of degrading biphenyl and 4-chlorobiphenyl (4CB) to produce benzoic acid and 4-chlorobenzoic acid (4CBA) respectively, by pcbABCD-encoded enzymes. 4CBA can be further degraded by Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12, but not by Pseudomonas sp P20. However, the meta-cleavage activities of 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl (2, 3-DHBP) and 4-chloro-2,3-DHBP dioxygenases (2, 3-DHBD) encoded by pcbC in Pseudomonas sp. P20 were stronger than Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12. In this study, the pcbC gene encoding 2, 3-DHBD was cloned from the genomic DNA of Pseudomonas sp. P20 by using pKT230. A hybrid plasmid pKK1 was constructed and E. coli KK1 transformant was selected by transforming the pKK1 hybrid plasmid carrying pcbC into E. coli XL1-Blue. By transferring the pKK1 plasmide of E. coli KK1 into Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12 by conjugation, a recombinant strain Pseudomonas sp. P20, Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12, and the recombinant cell assay methods. Pseudomonas sp. DJ12-C readily degraded 4CB and 2, 3-DHBP to produce 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-6-phenylhexa-2, 4-dienoic acid (HOPDA), and the resulting 4CBA and benzoic acid were continuously catabolized. Pseudomonas sp. DJ12-C degraded 1 mM 4CB completely after incubation for 20 h, but Pseudomonas sp. P20 and Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12 showed only 90% and Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12 had, but its degradation activity to 2, 3-DHBP, 3-methylcatechol, and catechol was improved.

Monitoring 4-Chlorobiphenyl-Degrading Bacteria in Soil Microcosms by Competitive Quantitative PCR: Soo Youn Lee , Min Sup Song , Kyung Man You , Bae Hoon Kim , Seong Ho Bang , In Soo Lee , Chi Kyung Kim , Yong Keun Park; J. Microbiol. 2002;40(4):274-281.

Abstract: The competitive quantitative PCR method targeting pcbC gene was developed for monitoring 4-chlorobiphenyl(4CB)-degrading bacteria, Pseudomonas sp. strain DJ-12, in soil microcosms. The method involves extraction of DNA from soil contaminated with 4CB, PCR amplification of a pcbC gene fragment from the introduced strain with a set of strain-specific primers, and quantification of the electrophoresed PCR product by densitometry. To test the adequacy of the method, Pseudomonas sp. Strain DJ-12 was introduced into both contaminated and non-contaminated soil microcosms amended with 4CB. Pseudomonas sp. strain DJ-12 was monitored and quantified by a competitive quantitative PCR in comparison with 4CB degradation and the result was compared to those obtained by using the conventional cultivation method. We successfully detected and monitored 4CB-degrading bacteria in each microcosm and found a significant linear relationship between the number of 4CB-degrading bacteria and the capacity for 4CB biodegradation. The results of DNA spiking and cell-spreading experiments suggest that this competitive quantitative PCR method targeting the pcbC gene for monitoring 4Cbdegrading bacteria appears to be rapid, sensitive and more suitable than the microbiological approach in estimating the capacity of 4CB biodegradation in environmental samples.

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