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Genes similar to naphthalene dioxygenase genes in trifluralin‐degrading bacteria
Author(s) -
Bellinaso Maria De L,
Henriques João AP,
Gaylarde Christine C,
Greer Charles W
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
pest management science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.296
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1526-4998
pISSN - 1526-498X
DOI - 10.1002/ps.835
Subject(s) - gene , bacteria , biology , genetics , dioxygenase , trifluralin , microbiology and biotechnology , pesticide , agronomy
Trifluralin (α,α,α‐trifluoro‐2,6‐dinitro‐ N,N ‐dipropyl‐ p ‐toluidine) is a dinitroaniline compound which was first produced in the 1960s and has been used extensively as an agricultural herbicide. There are a few publications on the biodegradation of this xenobiotic compound, but to our knowledge nothing has been documented on the genetic aspects of its catabolism. In this article, we report the analysis of DNA isolated from bacteria previously shown to degrade trifluralin, using as probes the catabolic genes ndoB, todC, xyIX, catA and xyIE which encode the enzymes naphthalene 1,2‐dioxygenase, toluene dioxygenase, toluate 1,2‐dioxygenase, catechol 1,2‐dioxygenase and catechol 2,3‐dioxygenase respectively. Using PCR and hybridization analysis, the strong hybridization of the ndoB gene with DNA extracted from four trifluralin‐degrading isolates was demonstrated, although none of them was able to degrade naphthalene, as indicated by the ‘clear zone’ test. The results indicated the presence in these bacteria of a dioxygenase gene, whose product could act on trifluralin as its principal substrate, or fortuitously, by cometabolism. This is the first publication on genes in trifluralin‐degrading bacteria. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry