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Fluorescence-based bacterial bioreporter for specific detection of methyl halide emissions in the environment.

ABSTRACT: Methyl halides are volatile one-carbon compounds responsible for substantial depletion of stratospheric ozone. Among them, chloromethane (CH3Cl) is the most abundant halogenated hydrocarbon in the atmosphere. Global budgets of methyl halides in the environment are still poorly understood due to uncertainties in their natural sources, mainly from vegetation, and their sinks, which include chloromethane-degrading bacteria. A bacterial bioreporter for the detection of methyl halides was developed on the basis of detailed knowledge of the physiology and genetics of Methylobacterium extorquens CM4, an aerobic alphaproteobacterium which utilizes chloromethane as the sole source of carbon and energy. A plasmid construct with the promoter region of the chloromethane dehalogenase gene cmuA fused to a promotorless yellow fluorescent protein gene cassette resulted in specific methyl halide-dependent fluorescence when introduced into M. extorquens CM4. The bacterial whole-cell bioreporter allowed detection of methyl halides at femtomolar levels and quantification at concentrations above 10 pM (approximately 240 ppt). As shown for the model chloromethane-producing plant Arabidopsis thaliana in particular, the bioreporter may provide an attractive alternative to analytical chemical methods to screen for natural sources of methyl halide emissions.

SUBMITTER: Farhan Ul Haque M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3811496 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Fluorescence-based bacterial bioreporter for specific detection of methyl halide emissions in the environment.

Farhan Ul Haque Muhammad M Nadalig Thierry T Bringel Françoise F Schaller Hubert H Vuilleumier Stéphane S

Applied and environmental microbiology 20130816 21

Methyl halides are volatile one-carbon compounds responsible for substantial depletion of stratospheric ozone. Among them, chloromethane (CH3Cl) is the most abundant halogenated hydrocarbon in the atmosphere. Global budgets of methyl halides in the environment are still poorly understood due to uncertainties in their natural sources, mainly from vegetation, and their sinks, which include chloromethane-degrading bacteria. A bacterial bioreporter for the detection of methyl halides was developed o ...[more]

PMID: 23956392

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Biogenic emissions of methyl halides (CH3Cl, CH3Br and CH3I) are the major source of these compounds in the atmosphere; however, there are few reports about the halide profiles and strengths of these emissions. Halide ion methyltransferase (HMT) and halide/thiol methyltransferase (HTMT) enzymes concerning these emissions have been purified and characterized from several organisms including marine algae, fungi, and higher plants; however, the correlation between emission profiles of methyl halides and the enzymatic properties of HMT/HTMT, and their role in vivo remains unclear. RESULTS: Thirty-five higher plant species were screened, and high CH3I emissions and HMT/HTMT activities were found in higher plants belonging to the Poaceae family, including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.), as well as the Brassicaceae family, including daikon radish (Raphanus sativus). The in vivo emission of CH3I clearly correlated with HMT/HTMT activity. The emission of CH3I from the sprouting leaves of R. sativus, T. aestivum and O. sativa grown hydroponically increased with increasing concentrations of supplied iodide. A gene encoding an S-adenosylmethionine halide/thiol methyltransferase (HTMT) was cloned from R. sativus and expressed in Escherichia coli as a soluble protein. The recombinant R. sativus HTMT (RsHTMT) was revealed to possess high specificity for iodide (I-), bisulfide ([SH]-), and thiocyanate ([SCN]-) ions. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that HMT/HTMT activity is present in several families of higher plants including Poaceae and Brassicaceae, and is involved in the formation of methyl halides. Moreover, it was found that the emission of methyl iodide from plants was affected by the iodide concentration in the cultures. The recombinant RsHTMT demonstrated enzymatic properties similar to those of Brassica oleracea HTMT, especially in terms of its high specificity for iodide, bisulfide, and thiocyanate ions. A survey of biogenic emissions of methyl halides strongly suggests that the HTM/HTMT reaction is the key to understanding the biogenesis of methyl halides and methylated sulfur compounds in nature.

Dataset Information

Fluorescence-based bacterial bioreporter for specific detection of methyl halide emissions in the environment.

Publications

Fluorescence-based bacterial bioreporter for specific detection of methyl halide emissions in the environment.

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