Genome sequence of the dioxin-mineralizing bacterium Sphingomonas wittichii RW1.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Miller TR
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2976435 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Genome sequence of the dioxin-mineralizing bacterium Sphingomonas wittichii RW1.
Miller Todd R TR Delcher Arthur L AL Salzberg Steven L SL Saunders Elizabeth E Detter John C JC Halden Rolf U RU
Journal of bacteriology 20100910 22
Pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins pose a serious threat to human and environmental health. Natural attenuation of these compounds by microorganisms provides one promising avenue for their removal from contaminated areas. Over the past 2 decades, studies of the bacterium Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 have provided a wealth of knowledge about how bacteria metabolize chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons. Here we describe the finished genome sequence of S. wittichii RW1 and major fi ...[more]
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Project description:Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 is a bacterium isolated for its ability to degrade the xenobiotic compounds dibenzodioxin and dibenzofuran (DBF). A number of genes involved in DBF degradation have been previously characterized, such as the dxn cluster, dbfB, and the electron transfer components fdx1, fdx3, and redA2. Here we use a combination of whole genome transcriptome analysis and transposon library screening to characterize RW1 catabolic and other genes implicated in the reaction to or degradation of DBF. To detect differentially expressed genes upon exposure to DBF, we applied three different growth exposure experiments, using either short DBF exposures to actively growing cells or growing them with DBF as sole carbon and energy source. Genome-wide gene expression was examined using a custom-made microarray. In addition, proportional abundance determination of transposon insertions in RW1 libraries grown on salicylate or DBF by ultra-high throughput sequencing was used to infer genes whose interruption caused a fitness loss for growth on DBF. Expression patterns showed that batch and chemostat growth conditions, and short or long exposure of cells to DBF produced very different responses. Numerous other uncharacterized catabolic gene clusters putatively involved in aromatic compound metabolism increased expression in response to DBF. In addition, only very few transposon insertions completely abolished growth on DBF. Some of those (e.g., in dxnA1) were expected, whereas others (in a gene cluster for phenylacetate degradation) were not. Both transcriptomic data and transposon screening suggest operation of multiple redundant and parallel aromatic pathways, depending on DBF exposure. In addition, increased expression of other non-catabolic genes suggests that during initial exposure, S. wittichii RW1 perceives DBF as a stressor, whereas after longer exposure, the compound is recognized as a carbon source and metabolized using several pathways in parallel.
| S-EPMC3425912 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The Gram-negative bacterium Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 is notable for its ability to metabolize a variety of aromatic hydrocarbons. Not surprisingly, the S. wittichii genome contains a number of putative aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading gene clusters. One of these includes an enzyme of unknown function, Swit_4259, which belongs to the acetoacetate decarboxylase-like superfamily (ADCSF). Here, it is reported that Swit_4259 is a small (28.8?kDa) tetrameric ADCSF enzyme that, unlike the prototypical members of the superfamily, does not have acetoacetate decarboxylase activity. Structural characterization shows that the tertiary structure of Swit_4259 is nearly identical to that of the true decarboxylases, but there are important differences in the fine structure of the Swit_4259 active site that lead to a divergence in function. In addition, it is shown that while it is a poor substrate, Swit_4259 can catalyze the hydration of 2-oxo-hex-3-enedioate to yield 2-oxo-4-hydroxyhexanedioate. It is also demonstrated that Swit_4259 has pyruvate aldolase-dehydratase activity, a feature that is common to all of the family V ADCSF enzymes studied to date. The enzymatic activity, together with the genomic context, suggests that Swit_4259 may be a hydratase with a role in the metabolism of an as-yet-unknown hydrocarbon. These data have implications for engineering bioremediation pathways to degrade specific pollutants, as well as structure-function relationships within the ADCSF in general.
| S-EPMC5713672 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 has no reported denitrifying activity yet encodes nitrite and nitric oxide reductases. The aims of this study were to determine conditions under which S. wittichii RW1 consumes nitrite (NO(-) 2) and produces nitrous oxide (N2O), examine expression of putative genes for N-oxide metabolism, and determine the functionality of chromosomal (ch) and plasmid (p) encoded quinol-dependent nitric oxide reductases (NorZ). Batch cultures of wildtype (WT) and a norZ ch mutant of S. wittichii RW1 consumed NO(-) 2 and produced N2O during stationary phase. The norZ ch mutant produced N2O, although at significantly lower levels (c.a. 66-87%) relative to the WT. Rates of N2O production were 2-3 times higher in cultures initiated at low relative to atmospheric O2 per unit biomass, although rates of NO(-) 2 consumption were elevated in cultures initiated with atmospheric O2 and 1 mM NaNO2. Levels of mRNA encoding nitrite reductase (nirK), plasmid-encoded nitric oxide dioxygenase (hmp p) and plasmid-encoded nitric oxide reductase (norZ p) were significantly higher in the norZ ch mutant over a growth curve relative to WT. The presence of NO(-) 2 further increased levels of nirK and hmp p mRNA in both the WT and norZ ch mutant; levels of norZ p mRNA compensated for the loss of norZ ch expression in the norZ ch mutant. Together, the results suggest that S. wittichii RW1 denitrifies NO(-) 2 to N2O and expresses gene products predicted to detoxify N-oxides. So far, only S. wittichii strains within four closely related taxa have been observed to encode both nirK and norZ genes, indicating a species-specific lateral gene transfer that may be relevant to the niche preference of S. wittichii.
| S-EPMC4123721 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Chlorinated congeners of dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran are widely dispersed pollutants that can be treated using microorganisms, such as the Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 bacterium, able to transform some of them into non-toxic substances. The enzymes of the upper pathway for dibenzo-p-dioxin degradation in S. wittichii RW1 have been biochemically and genetically characterized, but its genome sequence has indicated the existence of a tremendous potential for aromatic compound transformation, with 56 ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase subunits, 34 extradiol dioxygenases, and 40 hydrolases. To further characterize this enzymatic arsenal, new methodological approaches should be employed. Here, a large shotgun proteomic survey has been performed on cells grown on dibenzofuran, dibenzo-p-dioxin, and 2-chlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, and compared to growth on acetate. Changes in the proteome were monitored over time. Peak lists were generated with the Mascot Daemon software (version 2.3.2; Matrix Science, London, UK) using the extract_msn.exe data import filter (Thermo Fisher Scientific) from the Xcalibur FT package (version 2.0.7; Thermo Fisher Scientific). Data import filter options were set to 400 (minimum mass), 5000 (maximum mass), 0 (grouping tolerance), 0 (intermediate scans) and 1000 (threshold). The mgf files from technical triplicates were merged, and MS/MS spectra were assigned using the Mascot Daemon 2.3.2 (Matrix Science) and a database containing the nonredundant RefSeq protein entries for S. wittichii RW1 (NCBI Taxonomy ID: 392499), comprising 5345 protein sequences totalling 1 800 684 amino acids. The search was performed using the following criteria: tryptic peptides with a maximum of two miscleavages, mass tolerances of 5 ppm on the parent ion and 0.5 Da on the MS/MS, fixed modification for carbamidomethylated cysteine, and variable modification for methionine oxidation. Mascot results were parsed using the IRMa 1.28.0 software. Peptides were identified with a P-value threshold below 0.05. Proteins were considered validated when at least two distinct peptides were detected. Using a selection of 11 result files and the appropriate decoy database, the false discovery rate for protein identification was estimated to be 0.33% with these parameters.
2013-10-22 | PXD000403 | Pride
Project description:The efficacy of inoculation of single pure bacterial cultures into complex microbiomes, for example, in order to achieve increased pollutant degradation rates in contaminated material (that is, bioaugmentation), has been frustrated by insufficient knowledge on the behaviour of the inoculated bacteria under the specific abiotic and biotic boundary conditions. Here we present a comprehensive analysis of genome-wide gene expression of the bacterium Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 in contaminated non-sterile sand, compared with regular suspended batch growth in liquid culture. RW1 is a well-known bacterium capable of mineralizing dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans. We tested the reactions of the cells both during the immediate transition phase from liquid culture to sand with or without dibenzofuran, as well as during growth and stationary phase in sand. Cells during transition show stationary phase characteristics, evidence for stress and for nutrient scavenging, and adjust their primary metabolism if they were not precultured on the same contaminant as found in the soil. Cells growing and surviving in sand degrade dibenzofuran but display a very different transcriptome signature as in liquid or in liquid culture exposed to chemicals inducing drought stress, and we obtain evidence for numerous 'soil-specific' expressed genes. Studies focusing on inoculation efficacy should test behaviour under conditions as closely as possible mimicking the intended microbiome conditions.
| S-EPMC4274413 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Sphingomonas wittichii strain RW1 (RW1) is one of the few strains that can grow on dibenzo-p-dioxin (DD). We conducted a transcriptomic study of RW1 using RNA-Seq to outline transcriptional responses to DD, dibenzofuran (DF), and the smectite clay mineral saponite with succinate as carbon source. The ability to grow on DD is rare compared to growth on the chemically similar DF even though the same initial dioxygenase may be involved in oxidation of both substrates. Therefore, we hypothesized the reason for this lies beyond catabolic pathways and may concern genes involved in processes for cell-substrate interactions such as substrate recognition, transport, and detoxification. Compared to succinate (SUC) as control carbon source, DF caused over 240 protein-coding genes to be differentially expressed, whereas more than 300 were differentially expressed with DD. Stress response genes were up-regulated in response to both DD and DF. This effect was stronger with DD than DF, suggesting a higher toxicity of DD compared to DF. Both DD and DF caused changes in expression of genes involved in active cross-membrane transport such as TonB-dependent receptor proteins, but the patterns of change differed between the two substrates. Multiple transcription factor genes also displayed expression patterns distinct to DD and DF growth. DD and DF induced the catechol ortho- and the salicylate/gentisate pathways, respectively. Both DD and DF induced the shared down-stream aliphatic intermediate compound pathway. Clay caused category-wide down-regulation of genes for cell motility and chemotaxis, particularly those involved in the synthesis, assembly and functioning of flagella. This is an environmentally important finding because clay is a major component of soil microbes' microenvironment influencing local chemistry and may serve as a geosorbent for toxic pollutants. Similar to clay, DD and DF also affected expression of genes involved in motility and chemotaxis.
| S-EPMC4911050 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 is a bacterium isolated for its ability to degrade the toxic polyaromatic hydrocarbon dibenzofuran (dbf) and its polychlorinated derivatives. Its genome consists of a chromosome and two plasmids, encoding for more than 5300 genes. We studied genome-wide expression of strain RW1 to dbf in three different experimental setups, including both batch cultures and chemostats, comparing in all cases to the transcriptome of cells grown on phenylalanine as carbon source. A short exposure to DBF in chemostat or in batch, provoked the up-regulation of the ECF sigma 24, catalases, peroxiredoxins, chaperones, an aquaporin, several OmpA domain-containing proteins and the down-regulation of genes involved in TCA cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, amino acid metabolism and ribosomal proteins. When growing strain RW1 on DBF, genes known to be involved in DBF degradation were induced 2 to 4 fold. Additionally, two cluster of genes, putatively participating in the gentisate and meta-cleavage branches of the DBF degradation pathway, were induced from 12 to 19 fold.
2012-04-18 | GSE37328 | GEO
Project description:Sphingomonas wittichii RW1 is one of a few strains known to grow on the related compounds dibenzofuran (DBF) and dibenzo-p-dioxin (DXN) as the sole source of carbon. Previous work by others (B. Happe, L. D. Eltis, H. Poth, R. Hedderich, and K. N. Timmis, J Bacteriol 175:7313-7320, 1993, https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.175.22.7313-7320.1993) showed that purified DbfB had significant ring cleavage activity against the DBF metabolite trihydroxybiphenyl but little activity against the DXN metabolite trihydroxybiphenylether. We took a physiological approach to positively identify ring cleavage enzymes involved in the DBF and DXN pathways. Knockout of dbfB on the RW1 megaplasmid pSWIT02 results in a strain that grows slowly on DBF but normally on DXN, confirming that DbfB is not involved in DXN degradation. Knockout of SWIT3046 on the RW1 chromosome results in a strain that grows normally on DBF but that does not grow on DXN, demonstrating that SWIT3046 is required for DXN degradation. A double-knockout strain does not grow on either DBF or DXN, demonstrating that these are the only ring cleavage enzymes involved in RW1 DBF and DXN degradation. The replacement of dbfB by SWIT3046 results in a strain that grows normally (equal to the wild type) on both DBF and DXN, showing that promoter strength is important for SWIT3046 to take the place of DbfB in DBF degradation. Thus, both dbfB- and SWIT3046-encoded enzymes are involved in DBF degradation, but only the SWIT3046-encoded enzyme is involved in DXN degradation.IMPORTANCE S. wittichii RW1 has been the subject of numerous investigations, because it is one of only a few strains known to grow on DXN as the sole carbon and energy source. However, while the genome has been sequenced and several DBF pathway enzymes have been purified, there has been very little research using physiological techniques to precisely identify the genes and enzymes involved in the RW1 DBF and DXN catabolic pathways. Using knockout and gene replacement mutagenesis, our work identifies separate upper pathway ring cleavage enzymes involved in the related catabolic pathways for DBF and DXN degradation. The identification of a new enzyme involved in DXN biodegradation explains why the pathway of DBF degradation on the RW1 megaplasmid pSWIT02 is inefficient for DXN degradation. In addition, our work demonstrates that both plasmid- and chromosomally encoded enzymes are necessary for DXN degradation, suggesting that the DXN pathway has only recently evolved.
| S-EPMC8208143 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans are a group of chemcially-related pollutants categorically known as dioxins. We used Sphingomonas wittichii strain RW1 (RW1), one of the few strains able to grow on dioxin, to characterize its ability to respond to and degrade clay-bound dioxin. Strain RW1 grew on and completely degraded dioxin intercalated in smectite clay. To characterize the effects of sorption and bioavailability of dioxin on RW1, transcriptomes of RW1 either grown with dioxin intercalated to clay (DDSAP) or with free crystalline dioxin (DD) were sequenced using RNA-Seq. While either condition caused RW1 large-scale shifts in gene expression compared to succinate control (SUC), differences in gene expression between these two conditions were marked by a small number (86) of differentially expressed genes. The differences in gene expression may reflect the underlying adaptive mechanisms by which RW1 cells sense and deploy pathways to access dioxin intercalated in the clay.
2019-06-30 | GSE115658 | GEO
Project description:The dioxin dioxygenase of Sphingomonas sp. strain RW1 activates dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran for further metabolism by introducing two atoms of oxygen at a pair of vicinal carbon atoms, one of which is involved in one of the bridges between the two aromatic rings, i.e., an angular dioxygenation. The dxnA1 and dxnA2 cistrons encoding this dioxygenase have been cloned and shown to be located just upstream of a hydrolase gene which specifies an enzyme involved in the subsequent step of the dibenzofuran biodegradative pathway. Genes encoding the electron supply system of the dioxygenase are not clustered with the dioxygenase gene but rather are located on two other distinct and separate genome segments. Moreover, whereas expression of dxnA1A2 is modulated according to the available carbon source, expression of the dbfB gene encoding the ring cleavage enzyme of the dibenzofuran pathway, which is located in the neighborhood of dxnA1A2 but oriented in the opposite direction, is constitutive. The scattering of genes for the component proteins of dioxin dioxygenase system around the genome of Sphingomonas sp. strain RW1, and the differential expression of dioxin pathway genes, is unusual and contrasts with the typical genetic organization of catabolic pathways where component cistrons tend to be clustered in multicistronic transcriptional units. The sequences of the alpha and beta subunits of the dioxin dioxygenase exhibit only weak similarity to other three component dioxygenases, but some motifs such as the Fe(II) binding site and the [2Fe-2S] cluster ligands are conserved. Dioxin dioxygenase activity in Escherichia coli cells containing the cloned dxnA1A2 gene was achieved only through coexpression of the cognate electron supply system from RW1. Under these conditions, exclusively angular dioxygenation of dibenzofuran and dibenzo-p-dioxin was obtained. The dioxin dioxygenase was not active in E. coli cells coexpressing a class IIB electron supply system. In the course of the isolation of the dxnA1 and dxnA2 cistrons, a number of other catabolic genes dispersed over different genome segments were identified, which may indicate greater catabolic potential than was previously suspected. This finding is consistent with the catabolic versatility of members of the genus Sphingomonas, which is becoming increasingly evident, and may indicate a less well evolved and regulated but more dynamic genetic organization in this organism than is the case for better-studied pathways in organisms such as Pseudomonas species.
| S-EPMC107381 | biostudies-literature