Chromosome-encoded gene cluster for the metabolic pathway that converts aniline to TCA-cycle intermediates in Delftia tsuruhatensis AD9

Abstract

Delftia tsuruhatensis AD9 was isolated as an aniline-degrading bacterium from the soil surrounding a textile dyeing plant. The gene cluster involved in aniline degradation was cloned from the total DNA of strain AD9 into Escherichia coli JM109. After shotgun cloning, two recombinant E. coli strains showing aniline oxidation activity or catechol meta-cleavage activity were obtained by simple plate assays. These strains contained 9·3 kb and 15·4 kb DNA fragments, respectively. Sequence analysis of the total 24·7 kb region revealed that this region contains a gene cluster (consisting of at least 17 genes, named tadQTA1A2BRD1C1D2C2EFGIJKL) responsible for the complete metabolism of aniline to TCA-cycle intermediates. In the gene cluster, the first five genes (tadQTA1A2B) and the subsequent gene (tadR) were predicted to encode a multi-component aniline dioxygenase and a LysR-type regulator, respectively, while the others (tadD1C1D2C2EFGIJKL) were expected to encode meta-cleavage pathway enzymes for catechol degradation. In addition, it was found that the gene cluster is surrounded by two IS1071 sequences, indicating that it has a class I transposon-like structure. PFGE and Southern hybridization analyses confirmed that the tad gene cluster is encoded on the chromosome of strain AD9 in a single copy. These results suggest that, in strain AD9, aniline is degraded via catechol through a meta-cleavage pathway by the chromosome-encoded tad gene cluster. The tad gene cluster showed significant similarity in nucleotide sequence and genetic organization to the plasmid-encoded aniline degradation gene cluster of Pseudomonas putida UCC22.