Publications

• p-Cymene pathway in Pseudomonas putida: selective enrichment of defective mutants by using halogenated substrate analogs.

  Wigmore G.J., Ribbons D.W.

  Several classes of mutants of Pseudomonas putida (JT810) defective in the utilization of p-cymene as sole carbon source have been isolated. Selective enrichment of the mutants and for strains putatively cured of a degradative plasmid was achieved by incubation of cells in minimal growth media cont ... >> More

  Several classes of mutants of Pseudomonas putida (JT810) defective in the utilization of p-cymene as sole carbon source have been isolated. Selective enrichment of the mutants and for strains putatively cured of a degradative plasmid was achieved by incubation of cells in minimal growth media containing p-cymene (or p-cumate) and various halogenated analogs of the growth substrates or pathway intermediates. Analogs which led to successful enrichments included: p-chlorotoluene, p-bromotoluene, alpha-chloro-p-xylene, and p-iodobenzoate. A mutant strain, PpJT811, constitutive for the p-cymene pathway gave significantly greater enrichments of defective mutants than the wild-type parent PpJT810 after incubation with the halogenated analogs. It is suggested that the defective mutants are enriched because of the genetic alterations they possess, which confer immunity to a lethal synthesis performed by transformation of the analogs in clones possessing an intact p-cymene pathway. A nomenclature for the genetic organization of p-cymene pathway is described. << Less

  J Bacteriol 143:816-824(1980) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• p-cumate catabolic pathway in Pseudomonas putida F1: cloning and characterization of DNA carrying the cmt operon.

  Eaton R.W.

  Pseudomonas putida F1 utilizes p-cumate (p-isopropylbenzoate) as a growth substrate by means of an eight-step catabolic pathway. A 35.75-kb DNA segment, within which the cmt operon encoding the catabolism of p-cumate is located, was cloned as four separate overlapping restriction fragments and map ... >> More

  Pseudomonas putida F1 utilizes p-cumate (p-isopropylbenzoate) as a growth substrate by means of an eight-step catabolic pathway. A 35.75-kb DNA segment, within which the cmt operon encoding the catabolism of p-cumate is located, was cloned as four separate overlapping restriction fragments and mapped with restriction endonucleases. By examining enzyme activities in recombinant bacteria carrying these fragments and sub-cloned fragments, genes encoding most of the enzymes of the p-cumate pathway were located. Subsequent sequence analysis of 11,260 bp gave precise locations of the 12 genes of the cmt operon. The first three genes, cmtAaAbAc, and the sixth gene, cmtAd, encode the components of p-cumate 2,3-dioxygenase (ferredoxin reductase, large subunit of the terminal dioxygenase, small subunit of the terminal dioxygenase, and ferredoxin, respectively); these genes are separated by cmtC, which encodes 2,3-dihydroxy-p-cumate 3,4-dioxygenase, and cmtB, coding for 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydro-p-cumate dehydrogenase. The ring cleavage product, 2-hydroxy-3-carboxy-6-oxo-7-methylocta-2,4-dienoate, is acted on by a decarboxylase encoded by the seventh gene, cmtD, which is followed by a large open reading frame, cmtI, of unknown function. The next four genes, cmtEFHG, encode 2-hydroxy-6-oxo-7-methylocta-2,4-dienoate hydrolase, 2-hydroxypenta-2,4-dienoate hydratase, 4-hydroxy-2-oxovalerate aldolase, and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, respectively, which transform the decarboxylation product to amphibolic intermediates. The deduced amino acid sequences of all the cmt gene products except CmtD and CmtI have a recognizable but low level of identity with amino acid sequences of enzymes catalyzing analogous reactions in other catabolic pathways. This identity is highest for the last two enzymes of the pathway (4-hydroxy-2-oxovalerate aldolase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase [acylating]), which have identities of 66 to 77% with the corresponding enzymes from other aromatic meta-cleavage pathways. Recombinant bacteria carrying certain restriction fragments bordering the cmt operon were found to transform indole to indigo. This reaction, known to be catalyzed by toluene 2,3-dioxygenase, led to the discovery that the tod operon, encoding the catabolism of toluene, is located 2.8 kb downstream from and in the same orientation as the cmt operon in P. putida F1. << Less

  J. Bacteriol. 178:1351-1362(1996) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

  This publication is cited by 2 other entries.

• p-cymene pathway in Pseudomonas putida: initial reactions.

  DeFrank J.J., Ribbons D.W.

  Initial reactions of the p-cymene pathway induced in Pseudomonas putida PL have been reinvestigated. Oxidation of the methyl group attached to the nucleus occurs in three steps to give p-cumic acid. The substrate for the ring cleavage of 2,3-dihydroxy-p-cumate is formed from p-cumate in two reacti ... >> More

  Initial reactions of the p-cymene pathway induced in Pseudomonas putida PL have been reinvestigated. Oxidation of the methyl group attached to the nucleus occurs in three steps to give p-cumic acid. The substrate for the ring cleavage of 2,3-dihydroxy-p-cumate is formed from p-cumate in two reactions via a dihydrodiol intermediate (2,3-dihydroxy-4-isopropylcyclohexa-4,6-dienoate) and not as previously postulated via 3-hydroxy-p-cumate. There are three pieces of evidence for the physiological role of the dihydrodiol intermediate. (i) a mutant of P. putida PL-pT-11/43, which is unable to grow with p-cumate, accumulates a compound from p-cumate, which was identified as 2,3-dihydroxy-4-isopropylcyclohexa-4,6-dienoate. (II) This metabolite is enzymically oxidized by a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent dehydrogenase that is present in crude extracts of the wild type and a revertant strain (PL-pT-11/43-R1) but not in the mutant. (iii) 3-Hydroxy-p-cumate does not support growth of P . putida PL-W, and it is not oxidized by cells or extracts. 3-Hydroxy-p-cumate was readily isolated as before from culture supernatants, due to its ready formation from the dihydrodiol in acid solution. Mass spectral analysis of the dihydrodiol accumulated in 18O2-enriched atmospheres showed that both hydroxyl atoms are derived from the same molecule of O2. The formation and absorbance maxima of dihydrodiols that accumulated during the growth of the mutant PL-pT-11/43 in the presence of various benzoates (or toluenes) that have substituents at the carbon 4 atom also is reported. << Less

  J. Bacteriol. 129:1356-1364(1977) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Formation of indigo and related compounds from indolecarboxylic acids by aromatic acid-degrading bacteria: chromogenic reactions for cloning genes encoding dioxygenases that act on aromatic acids.

  Eaton R.W., Chapman P.J.

  The p-cumate-degrading strain Pseudomonas putida F1 and the m- and p-toluate-degrading strain P. putida mt-2 transform indole-2-carboxylate and indole-3-carboxylate to colored products identified here as indigo, indirubin, and isatin. A mechanism by which these products could be formed spontaneous ... >> More

  The p-cumate-degrading strain Pseudomonas putida F1 and the m- and p-toluate-degrading strain P. putida mt-2 transform indole-2-carboxylate and indole-3-carboxylate to colored products identified here as indigo, indirubin, and isatin. A mechanism by which these products could be formed spontaneously following dioxygenase-catalyzed dihydroxylation of the indolecarboxylates is proposed. Indolecarboxylates were employed as chromogenic substrates for identifying recombinant bacteria carrying genes encoding p-cumate dioxygenase and toluate dioxygenase. Dioxygenase gene-carrying bacteria could be readily distinguished as dark green-blue colonies among other colorless recombinant Escherichia coli colonies on selective agar plates containing either indole-2-carboxylate or indole-3-carboxylate. << Less

  J. Bacteriol. 177:6983-6988(1995) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]