Transcriptional response of Mycobacterium sp. strain A1-PYR to multiple polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contaminations

Abstract Cometabolism mechanisms of organic pollutants in environmental microbes have not been fully understood. In this study, a global analysis of Mycobacterium sp. strain A1-PYR transcriptomes on different PAH substrates (single or binary of pyrene (PYR) and phenanthrene (PHE)) was conducted. Comparative results demonstrated that expression levels of 23 PAH degradation enzymes were significantly higher in the binary substrate than in the PYR-only one. These enzymes constituted an integrated enzymatic system to actualize all transformation steps of PYR, and most of their encoded genes formed a novel gene cascade in the genome of strain A1-PYR. The roles of different genotypes of enzymes in PYR cometabolism were also discriminated even though all of their gene sequences were presented in the genome of this strain. NidAB and PdoA2B2 instead of NidA3B3 served the initial oxidization of PAHs, and PcaL replaced PcaCD to catalyze the formation of 3-oxoadipate. Novel genes associated with PYR cometabolism was also predicted by the relationships between their transcription profiles and PYR removal. The results showed that ABC-type transporters probably played important roles in the transport of PAHs and their metabolites through cell membrane, and [4Fe-4S] ferredoxin might be essential for dioxygenases (NidAB and PdoA2B2) to achieve oxidative activities. This study provided molecular insight in that microbial degrader subtly cometabolized recalcitrant PAHs with relatively more degradable ones.