Imidacloprid (IMI) is mainly metabolized via nitroreduction and hydroxylation pathways, which produce different metabolites that are toxic to mammals and insects. However, regulation of IMI metabolic flux between nitroreduction and hydroxylation pathways is still unclear. In this study, Pseudomonas putida was found to metabolize IMI to 5-hydroxy and nitroso IMI and was therefore used for investigating the regulation of IMI metabolic flux. The cell growth time, cosubstrate, dissolved oxygen concentration, and pH showed significant effect on IMI degradation and nitroso and 5-hydroxy IMI formation. Gene cloning and overexpression in Escherichia coli proved that P. putida KT2440 aldehyde oxidase mediated IMI nitroreduction to nitroso IMI, while cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (CYP) failed to improve IMI hydroxylation. Moreover, E. coli cells without CYP could hydroxylate IMI, demonstrating the role of a non-CYP enzyme in IMI hydroxylation. Thus, the present study helps to further understand the environmental fate of IMI and its underlying mechanism.

The metabolism of the widely used neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid (ACE) has been extensively studied in plants, animals, soils, and microbes. However, hydration of the N-cyanoimine group in ACE to the N-carbamoylimine derivate (IM-1-2) by purified microbes, the enzyme responsible for this biotransformation, and further degradation of IM-1-2 have not been studied. The present study used liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine that the nitrogen-fixing bacterium Ensifer meliloti CGMCC 7333 transforms ACE to IM-1-2. CGMCC 7333 cells degraded 65.1% of ACE in 96 h, with a half-life of 2.6 days. Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3) overexpressing the nitrile hydratase (NHase) from CGMCC 7333 and purified NHase converted ACE to IM-1-2 with degradation ratios of 97.1% in 100 min and 93.9% in 120 min, respectively. Interestingly, IM-1-2 was not further degraded by CGMCC 7333, whereas it was spontaneously hydrolyzed at the N-carbamoylimine group to the derivate ACE-NH, which was further converted to the derivative ACE-NH2. Then, ACE-NH2 was cleaved to the major metabolite IM-1-4. IM-1-2 showed significantly lower insecticidal activity than ACE against the aphid Aphis craccivora Koch. The present findings will improve the understanding of the environmental fate of ACE and the corresponding enzymatic mechanisms of degradation.

The nitrogen-fixing bacterium Ensifer meliloti CGMCC 7333 and its nitrile hydratase (NHase) degrade the neonicotinoid insecticides, thiacloprid (THI) and acetamiprid (ACE), to their corresponding amide metabolites.

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