Two Distinct Pathways for Metabolism of Theophylline and Caffeine Are Coexpressed in Pseudomonas putida CBB5

Pseudomonas putida CBB5 was isolated from soil by enrichment on caffeine. This strain used not only caffeine, theobromine, paraxanthine, and 7-methylxanthine as sole carbon and nitrogen sources but also theophylline and 3-methylxanthine. Analyses of metabolites in spent media and resting cell suspensions confirmed that CBB5 initially N demethylated theophylline via a hitherto unreported pathway to 1- and 3-methylxanthines. NAD(P)H-dependent conversion of theophylline to 1- and 3-methylxanthines was also detected in the crude cell extracts of theophylline-grown CBB5. 1-Methylxanthine and 3-methylxanthine were subsequently N demethylated to xanthine. CBB5 also oxidized theophylline and 1- and 3-methylxanthines to 1,3-dimethyluric acid and 1- and 3-methyluric acids, respectively. However, these methyluric acids were not metabolized further. A broad-substrate-range xanthine-oxidizing enzyme was responsible for the formation of these methyluric acids. In contrast, CBB5 metabolized caffeine to theobromine (major metabolite) and paraxanthine (minor metabolite). These dimethylxanthines were further N demethylated to xanthine via 7-methylxanthine. Theobromine-, paraxanthine-, and 7-methylxanthine-grown cells also metabolized all of the methylxanthines mentioned above via the same pathway. Thus, the theophylline and caffeine N-demethylation pathways converged at xanthine via different methylxanthine intermediates. Xanthine was eventually oxidized to uric acid. Enzymes involved in theophylline and caffeine degradation were coexpressed when CBB5 was grown on theophylline or on caffeine or its metabolites. However, 3-methylxanthine-grown CBB5 cells did not metabolize caffeine, whereas theophylline was metabolized at much reduced levels to only methyluric acids. To our knowledge, this is the first report of theophylline N demethylation and coexpression of distinct pathways for caffeine and theophylline degradation in bacteria.Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) and related methylxanthines are widely distributed in many plant species. Caffeine is also a major human dietary ingredient that can be found in common beverages and food products, such as coffee, tea, and chocolates. In pharmaceuticals, caffeine is used generally as a cardiac, neurological, and respiratory stimulant, as well as a diuretic (3). Hence, caffeine and related methylxanthines enter soil and water easily through decomposed plant materials and other means, such as effluents from coffee- and tea-processing facilities. Therefore, it is not surprising that microorganisms capable of degrading caffeine have been isolated from various natural environments, with or without enrichment procedures (3, 10). Bacteria use oxidative and N-demethylating pathways for catabolism of caffeine. Oxidation of caffeine by a Rhodococcus sp.-Klebsiella sp. mixed-culture consortium at the C-8 position to form 1,3,7-trimethyluric acid (TMU) has been reported (8). An 85-kDa, flavin-containing caffeine oxidase was purified from this consortium (9). Also, Mohapatra et al. (12) purified a 65-kDa caffeine oxidase from Alcaligenes sp. strain CF8. Cells of a caffeine-degrading Pseudomonas putida strain (ATCC 700097) isolated from domestic wastewater (13) showed a fourfold increase in a cytochrome P450 absorption spectrum signal compared to cells grown on glucose. Recently, we reported a novel non-NAD(P)⁺-dependent heterotrimeric caffeine dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas sp. strain CBB1 (20). This enzyme oxidized caffeine to TMU stoichiometrically and hydrolytically, without producing hydrogen peroxide. Further metabolism of TMU has not been elucidated.Several caffeine-degrading bacteria metabolize caffeine via the N-demethylating pathway and produce theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine) or paraxanthine (1,7-dimethylxanthine) as the initial product. Theophylline (1,3-dimethylxanthine) has not been reported to be a metabolite in bacterial degradation of caffeine. Subsequent N demethylation of theobromine or paraxanthine to xanthine is via 7-methyxanthine. Xanthine is further oxidized to uric acid by xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase (3, 10). Although the identities of metabolites and the sequence of metabolite formation for caffeine N demethylation are well established, there is very little information on the number and nature of N-demethylases involved in this pathway.The lack of adequate information on the metabolism and enzymology of theophylline, caffeine, and related methylxanthines prompted us to investigate the degradation of these compounds in detail. We isolated a unique caffeine-degrading bacterium, P. putida CBB5, from soil via enrichment with caffeine as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. Here we describe a detailed study of the metabolism of theophylline, caffeine, and related di- and monomethylxanthines by CBB5. Our results indicate that CBB5 initially N demethylated caffeine to produce theobromine (major product) and paraxanthine (minor product) before the pathways converged to 7-methylxanthine and xanthine. Surprisingly, CBB5 was also capable of utilizing theophylline as a sole carbon and nitrogen source. CBB5 N demethylated theophylline to 1-methylxanthine and 3-methylxanthine, which were further N demethylated to xanthine. Theophylline N-demethylase activity was detected in cell extracts prepared from theophylline-grown CBB5 cells. 1-Methylxanthine and 3-methylxanthine were detected as products of this NAD(P)H-dependent reaction. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a theophylline degradation pathway in bacteria and coexpression of distinct caffeine and theophylline degradation pathways.     

Degradation of Acetonitrile by Pseudomonas putida

A bacterium capable of utilizing high concentrations of acetonitrile as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen was isolated from soil and identified as Pseudomonas putida. This bacterium could also utilize butyronitrile, glutaronitrile, isobutyronitrile, methacrylonitrile, propionitrile, succinonitrile, valeronitrile, and some of their corresponding amides, such as acetamide, butyramide, isobutyramide, methacrylamide, propionamide, and succinamide as growth substrates. Acetonitrile-grown cells oxidized acetonitrile with a K_m of 40.61 mM. Mass balance studies with [¹⁴C]acetonitrile indicated that nearly 66% of carbon of acetonitrile was released as ¹⁴CO₂ and 14% was associated with the biomass. Metabolites of acetonitrile in the culture medium were acetic acid and ammonia. The acetate formed in the early stages of growth completely disappeared in the later stages. Cell extracts of acetonitrile-grown cells contained activities corresponding to nitrile hydratase and amidase, which mediate the breakdown of actonitrile into acetic acid and ammonia. Both enzymes were intracellular and inducible and hydrolyzed a wide range of substrates. The specific activity of amidase was at least 150-fold higher than the activity of the enzyme nitrile hydratase.     

Degradation of dibenzothiophene by Pseudomonas putida

The microbial degradation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and other organosulphur compounds such as thiophene-2-carboxylate (T2C) is of interest for the potential desulphurization of coal. The feasibility of degradation of DBT and T2C by Pseudomonas putida and other bacteria was analysed. Pseudomonas putida oxidized sulphur from DBT in the presence of yeast extract, but it did not when DBT was the sole source of carbon.     

Degradation of aromatic compounds by Pseudomonas putida

The influence of different process kinetics on the course of phenol degradation has been studied as well as the influence of axial dispersion in the liquid phase on the reactor height with relatively large biofilm thickness in a conventional fluidized bed and air-lift bioreactor. The object of this was to achieve a high conversion of substrate in a device of real size in real process time. For calculating the mathematical model, the method of orthogonal collocation with the STIFF integration routine has been used.     

Degradation of 1,4-naphthoquinones by Pseudomonas putida

Pseudomonas putida J1 and J2, enriched from soil with juglone, are capable of a total degradation of 1,4-naphthoquinone, 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, and 2-chloro-1,4-naphthoquinone. Naphthazerin and plumbagin are only converted into the hydroxyderivatives 2-hydroxynaphthazerin and 3-hydroxyplumbagin, respectively, whereas 2-amino-1,4-naphthoquinone is not attacked at all. The degradation of 1,4-naphthoquinone begins with a hydroxylation of the quinoid ring, yielding 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (lawsone). Lawsone is reduced to 1,2,4-trihydroxynaphthalene with consumption of NADH. The fission product of the quinol could not be detected by direct means because of its instability. However, the presence of 2-chromonecarboxylic acid, a secondary product of lawsone degradation, leads to the conclusion, that the cleavage of the quinol takes place in the meta-position. The resulting ring fission product is converted into salicylic acid by removal of the side chain, presumably as pyruvate. Further degradation of salicyclic acid leads to the formation of catechol, which is then cleaved in the ortho-position and then metabolized via the 3-oxoadipate pathway. The initial steps in the degradation of 2-chloro-1,4-naphthoquinone, namely, the hydroxylation of the quinone to 2-chloro-3-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, followed by the elimination of the chlorine substituent lead to lawsone, which is further degraded through the pathway described. The degradation steps could be verified by the accumulation products of mutant strains blocked in different steps of lawsone metabolism. Generation of mutants was carried out by chemical and by transposon mutagenesis. The regulation of the first steps of the pathway catalysed by juglone hydroxylase and lawsone reductase, was investigated by induction experiments.     

Degradation of methoxylated aromatic acids by Pseudomonas putida

J.E. TURNER AND N. ALLISON. 1995. A newly-isolated strain of Pseudomonas putida (HVA-1) utilized homovanillic acid as sole carbon and energy source. Homovanillate-grown bacteria oxidized homovanillate and homoprotocatechuate but monohydroxylated and other methoxylated phenylacetic acids were oxidized poorly; methoxy-substituted benzoates were not oxidized. Extracts of homovanillate-grown cells contained homoprotocatechuate 2,3-dioxygenase but the primary homovanillate-degrading enzyme could not be detected. No other methoxylated phenylacetic acid supported growth of the organism but vanillate was utilized as a carbon and energy source. When homovanillate-grown cells were used to inoculate media containing vanillate a 26 h lag period occurred before growth commenced. Vanillate-grown bacteria oxidized vanillate and protocatechuate but no significant oxygen uptake was obtained with homovanillate and other phenylacetic acid derivatives. Analysis of pathway intermediates revealed that homovanillate-grown bacteria produced homoprotocatechuate, formaldehyde and the ring-cleavage product 5-carboxymethyl 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde (CHMS) when incubated with homovanillate but monohydroxylated or monomethoxylated phenylacetic acids were not detected. These results suggest that homovanillate is degraded directly to the ring-cleavage substrate homoprotocatechuate by an unstable but highly specific demethylase and then undergoes extradiol cleavage to CHMS. It would also appear that the uptake/degradatory pathways for homovanillate and vanillate in this organism are entirely separate and independently controlled. If stabilization of the homovanillate demethylase can be achieved, there is potential for exploiting the substrate specificity of this enzyme in both medical diagnosis and in the paper industry.     

Degradation of lawsone by Pseudomonas putida L2

From humus obtained from Stuttgart, a bacterium was isolated with lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) as selective source of carbon. This bacterium is capable of utilizing lawsone as sole source of carbon and energy. Morphological and physiological characteristics of the bacterium were examined and it was identified as a strain of Pseudomonas putida. The organism is referred to as Pseudomonas putida L2. The degradation of lawsone by Pseudomonas putida L2 was investigated. Salicylic acid and catechol were isolated and identified as metabolites. In lawsone-induced cells of Pseudomonas putida L2, salicylic acid is converted to catechol by salicylate 1-monooxygenase. Catechol 1,2-dioxygenase catalyses ortho-fission of catechol which is then metabolized via the beta-ketoadipate pathway. Formation of cis,cis-muconate and beta-ketoadipate was demonstrated by enzyme assays. Salicylate 1-monooxygenase and catechol 1,2-dioxygenase are induced sequentially. The enzymes of the beta-ketoadipate pathway are also inducible. Naphthoquinone hydroxylase, however, was demonstrated in induced and non-induced cells. This constitutive enzyme enables Pseudomonas putida L2 to degrade various 1,4-naphthoquinones in experiments with resting cells.     

Degradation of Ethylbenzene by Pseudomonas putida Harboring OCT Plasmid

We have investigated the utilization of a variety of alkylbenzenes by P. putida strains and found that a strain harboring the OCT plasmid assimilated ethylbenzene. The linkage between the determinant for the degradation of ethylbenzene (Etb⁺ phenotype) and the OCT plasmid was inferred from conjugation experiments. The growth characteristics of the strains carrying mutations in the alk genes of the OCT plasmid which determine the assimilation of /t-alkanes indicated that alkB, alkA, and alkR should be responsible for the degradation of ethylbenzene. The exposure of ethylbenzene to the P. putida strain harboring the CAM-OCT plasmid resulted in the accumulation of β-phenylethyl alcohol. A possible degradation pathway for ethylbenzene including the terminal oxidation of the alkyl side chain was proposed.     

Degradation of Phenanthrene by Mutant Naphthalene-Degrading Pseudomonas putida Strains

Five naphthalene- and salicylate-utilizing Pseudomonas putida strains cultivated for a long time on phenanthrene produced mutants capable of growing on this substrate and 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate as the sole sources of carbon and energy. The mutants catabolize phenanthrene with the formation of 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate, 2-hydroxy-1-naphthoate, salicylate, and catechol. The latter products are further metabolized by the meta- and ortho-cleavage pathways. In all five mutants, naphthalene and phenanthrene are utilized with the involvement of plasmid-born genes. The acquired ability of naphthalene-degrading strains to grow on phenanthrene is explained by the fact that the inducible character of the synthesis of naphthalene dioxygenase, the key enzyme of naphthalene and phenanthrene degradation, becomes constitutive.     

Degradation of phenol and phenolic compounds by Pseudomonas putida EKII

Summary The phenol-degrading strain Pseudomonas putida EKII was isolated from a soil enrichment culture and utilized phenol up to 10.6 mM (1.0 g·1 ^-1) as the sole source of carbon and energy. Furthermore, cresols, chlorophenols, 3,4-dimethylphenol, and 4-chloro-m-cresol were metabolized as sole substrates by phenol-grown resting cells of strain EKII. Under conditions of cell growth, degradation of these xenobiotics was achieved only in co-metabolism with phenol. Phenol hydroxylase activity was detectable in whole cells but not in cell-free extracts. The specificity of the hydroxylating enzyme was found during transformation of cresols and chlorophenols: ortho- and meta-substituted phenols were degraded via 3-substituted catechols, while degradation of para-substituted phenols proceeded via 4-substituted catechols. In cell-free extracts of phenol-grown cells a high level of catechol 2,3-dioxygenase as well as smaller amounts of 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde hydrolyase and catechol 1,2-dioxygenase were detected. The ring-cleaving enzymes were characterized after partial purification by DEAE-cellulose chromatography.     

Engineering of Quasi-Natural Pseudomonas putida Strains for Toluene Metabolism through an ortho-Cleavage Degradation Pathway

To construct a bacterial catalyst for bioconversion of toluene and several alkyl and chloro- and nitro-substituted derivatives into the corresponding benzoates, the upper TOL operon of plasmid pWW0 of Pseudomonas putida was fully reassembled as a single gene cassette along with its cognate regulatory gene, xylR. The corresponding DNA segment was then targeted to the chromosome of a P. putida strain by using a genetic technique that allows deletion of all recombinant tags inherited from previous cloning steps and leaves the otherwise natural strain bearing exclusively the DNA segment encoding the phenotype of interest. The resulting strains grew on toluene as the only carbon source through a two-step process: conversion of toluene into benzoate, mediated by the upper TOL enzymes, and further metabolism of benzoate through the housekeeping ortho-ring cleavage pathway of the catechol intermediate.     

Degradation of L-djenkolate catalyzed by S-alkylcysteine alpha,beta-lyase from Pseudomonas putida

S-Alkylcysteine alpha, beta-lyase [EC 4.4.1.6] of Pseudomonas putida catalyzes alpha,beta-elimination of L-djenkolate [3,3'-methylenedithiobis(2-aminopropionic acid)] to produce pyruvate, ammonia, and S-(mercaptomethyl)cysteine initially. Secondly, S-(mercaptomethyl)-cysteine, which was identified in the form of S-(mercaptomethyl)cysteine thiolactone and S-(2-thia-3-carboxypropyl)cysteine in the absence and presence of iodoacetic acid, respectively, is decomposed enzymatically to pyruvate, ammonia, and bis(mercapto)methane, or spontaneously to cysteine, formaldehyde, and hydrogen sulfide. Balance studies showed that 1.3 mol each of pyruvate and ammonia and 0.2 mol each of formaldehyde and cysteine were produced with consumption of 1 mol of L-djenkolate. 1,2,4,5-Tetrathiane, 1,2,4-trithiolane, 1,2,4,6-tetrathiepane, and 1,2,3,5,6-pentathiepane, which are derivatives of bis(mercapto)methane, were also produced during the alpha,beta-elimination of L-djenkolate. In addition, a polymer with the general formula of -(CH2S)n- was produced as a white precipitate. When the alpha,beta-elimination of L-djenkolate was carried out in the presence of 20 mM iodoacetic acid, neither formaldehyde, cysteine, hydrogen sulfide, or the polymer were formed. Instead, the S-carboxymethyl derivatives of bis(mercapto)methane and S-(mercaptomethyl)cysteine were produced in addition to pyruvate and ammonia.     

Degradation of nitriles and amides by the immobilized cells of Pseudomonas putida

Pseudomonas putida, capable of utilizing acetonitrile as a sole source of C and N, was immobilized in calcium alginate and the rates of degradation of nitriles, including acetonitrile, and their respective amides were studied. All the organic nitriles and amides tested were converted into NH₃ and CO₂.     

Degradation of caffeine by immobilized cells of Pseudomonas putida strain C 3024

Summary A caffeine-resistant strain of Pseudomonas putida was isolated from soil and was grown with caffeine as the sole source of carbon, energy and nitrogen. Cells were immobilized in agar gel particles which were continuously supplied with a caffeine solution (0.52 g · l^–1, D=1.0 h^–1) in a homogeneously mixed aerated reaction vessel. In the presence of the ATPase inhibitor arsenate the caffeine was removed by the immobilized cells at an average rate of 0.25 mg caffeine · h^–1 · (mg cell carbon)^–1 during 6 days. Thereafter a rapid decline of activity was observed. From a similar system without arsenate supplied with a growth medium containing a limiting amount of caffeine (0.13 g · l^–1) the caffeine was almost completely oxidized by the immobilized cells. The concentration of the remaining caffeine was 1.4 mg · l^–1, which is much lower than the substrate constant for caffeine (9.7 mg · l^–1) observed with freshly harvested suspended resting cells.     

Degradation of 2-chloroethanol by free and immobilized Pseudomonas putida US 2

The degradation of 2-chloroethanol by Pseudomonas putida US 2 was investigated in shaking flasks, air-bubble columns and packed-bed fermenters by free cells, calcium-alginate-entrapped cells and on cells on granular clay adsorbed. Entrapped cells tolerated increasing concentrations of 2-chloroethanol better than free cells. Their maximum degradative activity could be observed at 34°C and pH 7.0. The degradation of 2-chloroethanol leads to a decrease of pH and to a stagnation of mineralization, particularly with free or entrapped cells. Following the stabilization of pH, supplementation with succinate resulted in a complete degradation of higher 2-chloroethanol concentrations. Less 2-chloroethanol was degraded in air-bubble columns and larger amounts in packed-bed fermenters. 2-Chloroethanol was mineralized faster by free or entrapped P. putida US 2 than by adsorbed cells, which, on the other hand, were able to remove higher concentrations of the compound. The results with P. putida US 2 are a good indication that this microorganism could be used in waste-water treatment and soil-decontamination systems.     

Double inhibition model for degradation of phenol by Pseudomonas putida Q5

A semiempirical model, based on the presence of an inhibitory intermediate metabolite excreted to the broth, was developed to better predict the dynamic responses to shock loadings of Pseudomonas putida Q5 degrading phenol. Compared to the Haldane equation, the new model exhibited better prediction capabilities for a broad range of inlet concentration and dilution rate step changes. The experiments were performed at 10 degrees and 25 degrees C and ranged from stable responses to washouts. The time delays observed experimentally were successfully predicted with the dual-inhibition model and a very good agreement with the observed phenol profile also was found in a pulse experiment. A possible intermediate metabolite was detected by HPLC analyses based on the high correlation shown with the predicted inhibitory intermediate metabolite in the model.     

Transport of C5 dicarboxylate compounds by Pseudomonas putida.

Induced glutarate and 2-oxoglutarate uptake and transport by Pseudomonas putida were investigated in whole cells and membrane vesicles, respectively. Uptake of 2-oxoglutarate, but not glutarate, was against a concentration gradient to 1.7-fold greater than the initial extracellular concentration. Membrane vesicles transported 2-oxoglutarate and glutarate against gradients to intramembrane concentrations fivefold greater than the initial extravesicle concentrations. The rates of transport of both compounds were greatest in the presence of the artificial electron donor system phenazine methosulfate-ascorbate. Malate and D-lactate were the only naturally occurring compounds that served as electron donors. Uptake and transport were inhibited by KCN, NaN3, and 2,2-dinitrophenol. Kinetic parameters of transport were: glutarate, apparent Km--1.22 mM, Vmax--400 nmol/min per mg of membrane protein; 2-oxoglutarate, apparent Km--131 microM, Vmax--255 nmol/min per mg of membrane protein. Studies of competitive inhibition indicated a common system for transport of five C5 dicarboxylate compounds. The apparent Km and Ki values with 2-oxoglutarate as a substrate placed the substrate affinity for transport in the order 2-oxoglutarate greater than glutarate greater than D-2-hydroxyglutarate and L-2-hydroxyglutarate greater than glutaconate.     

Degradation of chloronitrobenzenes by a coculture of Pseudomonas putida and a Rhodococcus sp

A single microorganism able to mineralize chloronitrobenzenes (CNBs) has not been reported, and degradation of CNBs by coculture of two microbial strains was attempted. Pseudomonas putida HS12 was first isolated by analogue enrichment culture using nitrobenzene (NB) as the substrate, and this strain was observed to possess a partial reductive pathway for the degradation of NB. From high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance analyses, NB-grown cells of P. putida HS12 were found to convert 3- and 4-CNBs to the corresponding 5- and 4-chloro-2-hydroxyacetanilides, respectively, by partial reduction and subsequent acetylation. For the degradation of CNBs, Rhodococcus sp. strain HS51, which degrades 4- and 5-chloro-2-hydroxyacetanilides, was isolated and combined with P. putida HS12 to give a coculture. This coculture was confirmed to mineralize 3- and 4-CNBs in the presence of an additional carbon source. A degradation pathway for 3- and 4-CNBs by the two isolated strains was also proposed.     

Degradation of 3-nitrophenol by Pseudomonas putida B2 occurs via 1,2,4-benzenetriol

Growth of Pseudomonas putida B2 in chemostat cultures on a mixture of 3-nitrophenol and glucose induced 3-nitrophenol and 1,2,4-benzenetriol-dependent oxygen uptake activities. Anaerobic incubations of cell suspensions with 3-nitrophenol resulted in complete conversion of the substrate to ammonia and 1,2,4-benzenetriol. This indicates that P. putida B2 degrades 3-nitrophenol via 1,2,4-benzenetriol, via a pathway involving a hydroxylaminolyase. Involvement of this pathway in nitroaromatic metabolism has previously only been found for degradation of 4-nitrobenzoate.Reduction of 3 nitrophenol by cell-free extracts was strictly NADPH-dependent. Attempts to purify the enzymes responsible for 3-nitrophenol metabolism were unsuccessful, because their activities were extremely unstable. 3-Nitrophenol reductase was therefore characterized in cell-free extracts. The enzyme had a sharp pH optimum at pH 7 and a temperature optimum at 25°C. At 30°C, reductase activity was completely destroyed within one hour, while at 0°C, the activity in cell-free extracts was over 100-fold more stable. The K_m values for NADPH and 3-nitrophenol were estimated at 0.17 mM and below 2 M, respectively. The substrate specificity of the reductase activity was very broad: all 17 nitroaromatics tested were reduced by cell-free extracts. However, neither intact cells nor cell-free extracts could convert a set of synthesized hydroxylaminoaromatic compounds to the corresponding catechols and ammonia. Apparently, the hydroxylaminolyase of P. putida B2 has a very narrow substrate specificity, indicating that this organism is not a suitable biocatalyst for the industrial production of catechols from nitroaromatics.