Biotransformation of nicotine by microorganism: the case of Pseudomonas spp.

Abstract

Several bacterial species are capable of using nicotine, the main alkaloid in tobacco plants, as a substrate for growth. The dominant species include members of two genera, Pseudomonas and Arthrobacter. The degradation pathway and genetic structure of nicotine catabolism in Arthrobacter nicotinovorans were recently reviewed (Brandsch Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 69:493-498, 2006). Here, we present up-to-date information on biodegradation of nicotine by Pseudomonas spp. Species in this genus capable of degrading nicotine are summarized and analyzed phylogenetically. Their metabolic intermediates and nicotine degradation-related genes were summarized, and the nicotine-biotransformation pathways were compared and discussed.

Nicotine Dehydrogenase Complexed with 6-Hydroxypseudooxynicotine Oxidase Involved in the Hybrid Nicotine-Degrading Pathway in Agrobacterium tumefaciens S33

“…Microbial degradation of nicotine attracts attention because it represents a method to treat the tobacco wastes without causing significant harm to the environment (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17). Many microorganisms, including bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi degrade nicotine, and most of these grow using nicotine as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen.…”

“…The biochemical pathways that decompose nicotine have been investigated in some species during the past 50 years. Three types of degradation are mediated through the pyridine pathway of the Gram-positive bacterium Arthrobacter sp., the pyrrolidine pathway of the Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas sp., and the demethylation pathway present in fungi such as Aspergillus oryzae (13,14,18,19). The biochemical mechanisms involved in the pyridine and pyrrolidine pathways have been characterized in detail (13,15,16,20).…”

Functional Identification of Two Novel Genes from Pseudomonas sp. Strain HZN6 Involved in the Catabolism of Nicotine

“…Various pathways and genes have been reported for nicotine degradation involving an initial attack at either the pyridine or pyrrolidine rings (5,16,17). In the Gram-positive strain Arthrobacter nicotinovorans, the degradation pathway (the pyridine pathway) and the related genes and enzymes have been well elucidated (2,(5)(6)(7)(10)(11)(12).…”

“…In the Gram-positive strain Arthrobacter nicotinovorans, the degradation pathway (the pyridine pathway) and the related genes and enzymes have been well elucidated (2,(5)(6)(7)(10)(11)(12). Although aerobic nicotine degradation has been studied in different Gram-negative Pseudomonas strains, the genes encoding enzymes in the pyrrolidine pathway involved in nicotine degradation have yet to be analyzed in detail (16). The only fully elucidated nicotine degradation pathway is the aerobic route from Pseudomonas putida S16 (31).…”

Complete Genome Sequence of the Nicotine-Degrading Pseudomonas putida Strain S16

“…Nicotine is very toxic and, with the rise in global tobacco consumption, it may be a leading toxicant, causing preventable disease and death. Various nicotine-degrading bacteria, including Arthrobacter and Pseudomonas, have been used in studies on biodegradation of this N-heterocyclic compound (1,7,14,15). To date, none of the nicotine-degrading bacteria genomes has been fully sequenced to investigate the molecular mechanism.…”