Transcriptomic response of Pseudomonas nicosulfuronedens LAM1902 to the sulfonylurea herbicide nicosulfuron

Abstract

The overuse of the herbicide nicosulfuron has become a global environmental concern. As a potential bioremediation technology, the microbial degradation of nicosulfuron shows much promise; however, the mechanism by which microorganisms respond to nicosulfuron exposure requires further study. An isolated soil-borne bacteria Pseudomonas nicosulfuronedens LAM1902 displaying nicosulfuron, chlorimuron-ethyl, and cinosulfuron degradabilities in the presence of glucose, was used to determine the transcriptional responses to nicosulfuron exposure. RNA-Seq results indicated that 1102 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were up-regulated and 702 down-regulated under nicosulfuron stress. DEGs were significantly enriched in “ABC transporters”, “sulfur metabolism”, and “ribosome” pathways (p ≤ 0.05). Several pathways (glycolysis and pentose phosphate pathways, a two-component regulation system, as well as in bacterial chemotaxis metabolisms) were affected by nicosulfuron exposure. Surprisingly, nicosulfuron exposure showed positive effects on the production of oxalic acid that is synthesized by genes encoding glycolate oxidase through the glyoxylate cycle pathway. The results suggest that P. nicosulfuronedens LAM1902 adopt acid metabolites production strategies in response to nicosulfuron, with concomitant nicosulfuron degradation. Data indicates that glucose metabolism is required during the degradation and adaptation of strain LAM1902 to nicosulfuron stress. The present studies provide a glimpse at the molecular response of microorganisms to sulfonylurea pesticide toxicity and a potential framework for future mechanistic studies.

Characterization and genomic analysis of a bensulfuron methyl-degrading endophytic bacterium Proteus sp. CD3 isolated from barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli)

“…The degradation rates were 43.42% and from 77.43 to 96.31% without and with the addition of carbon sources, respectively. The results revealed that BSM biodegradation in the presence of different carbon sources presented significantly higher values than the one that used BSM as a single carbon source, which suggested that BSM degradation by strain CD3 underwent a co-metabolic process, a very universal phenomenon in the degradation of pollutants ( Luo et al, 2008 ; Li et al, 2022 ). The addition of other carbon sources might relieve the inhibition effect of BSM on strain growth by supplying nutrition and stimulated the degradation performances of strain CD3 ( Luo et al, 2008 ; Duc and Oanh, 2020 ).…”