Degradation Pathways of 2- and 4-Nitrobenzoates in Cupriavidus sp. Strain ST-14 and Construction of a Recombinant Strain, ST-14::3NBA, Capable of Degrading 3-Nitrobenzoate

Abstract

Mononitrobenzoates are toxic chemicals largely used for the production of various value-added products and enter the ecosystem through industrial wastes. Bacteria capable of degrading mononitrobenzoates are relatively limited. Unlike other contaminants, these man-made chemicals have entered the environment since the last century, and it is believed that bacteria in nature evolved not quite efficiently to assimilate these compounds; as a consequence, to date, there are only a few reports on the bacterial degradation of one or more isomers of mononitrobenzoate. In the present study, fortunately, we have been able to isolate a Cupriavidus sp. strain capable of assimilating both 2- and 4-nitrobenzoates as the sole carbon source. Results of the biochemical and molecular characterization of catabolic genes responsible for the degradation of mononitrobenzoates led us to manipulate a single enzymatic step, allowing the recombinant host organism to expand its catabolic potential to assimilate 3-nitrobenzoate.