Genome‐guided insights into the versatile metabolic capabilities of the mercaptosuccinate‐utilizing β‐proteobacterium Variovorax paradoxus strain B4

Abstract

Variovorax paradoxus B4 is able to utilize 2-mercaptosuccinate (MS) as sole carbon, sulfur and energy source. The whole genome of V. paradoxus B4 was sequenced, annotated and evaluated with special focus on genomic elements related to MS metabolism. The genome encodes two chromosomes harbouring 5 795 261 and 1 353 255 bp. A total of 6753 putative protein-coding sequences were identified. Based on the genome and in combination with results from previous studies, a putative pathway for the degradation of MS could be postulated. The putative molybdopterin oxidoreductase identified during transposon mutagenesis probably catalyses the conversion of MS first into sulfinosuccinate and then into sulfosuccinate by successive transfer of oxygen atoms. Subsequently, the cleavage of sulfosuccinate yields oxaloacetate and sulfite, while the latter is oxidized to sulfate. The expression of the putative molybdopterin oxidoreductase was induced by MS, but not by gluconate, as confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Further, in silico studies combined with experiments and comparative genomics revealed high metabolic diversity of strain B4. It bears a high potential as plant growth-promoting bacterium and as candidate for degradation and detoxification of xenobiotics and other hardly degradable substances. Additionally, the strain is of special interest for production of polythioesters with sulfur-containing precursors as MS.

Carbohydrate uptake in Advenella mimigardefordensis strain DPN7T is mediated by periplasmic sugar oxidation and a TRAP‐transport system

“…Cells of A. mimigardefordensis strain DPN7 T and the deletion mutant A. mimigardefordensis DdctP Am were harvested in the early exponential growth phase (OD 600 between 0.8 and 1). Total RNA was obtained by RNA isolation using acidic water saturated phenol (AppliChem, Darmstadt, Germany) as described elsewhere (Brandt et al, 2014). RT-PCR was carried out using the Qiagen 'One Step RT-PCR' kit following the manufacturer's instructions.…”

Enhancement of solvent tolerance in Pseudomonas sp. BCNU 106 with trehalose

“…Some bacterial strains have been determined to possess genes for the utilization of not only monosaccharides such as glucose, fructose and galactose but also disaccharides such as lactose, maltose and trehalose (Brandt et al . ). Therefore, we demonstrated that trehalose was utilized as a carbon source in BCNU 106.…”

Substrate and Cofactor Range Differences of Two Cysteine Dioxygenases from Ralstonia eutropha H16

“…The sequence similarity of CdoB to members of the 2-mercaptosuccinate dioxygenase (Msdo) subtree amounts to 30% identical amino acids for both putative Cdohomologous Msdos from the genus Advenella and to only 27% identical amino acids of the confirmed Msdo from V. paradoxus strain B4 (54,55). A multiple-sequence alignment illustrates the similarities and differences between all the above-mentioned Cdos (and homologues thereof) in detail (see Fig.…”