Catabolic pathways and cellular responses of Pseudomonas putida P8 during growth on benzoate with a proteomics approach

The catabolic pathways and cellular responses of Pseudomonas putida P8 during growth on benzoate were studied through proteomics approach. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) gel profiles of P. putida cells grown on 100 and 800 mg/L benzoate were quantitatively compared using threshold criteria and statistical tools. Protein spots of interest were identified through database searching based on peptide mass fingerprints (PMFs) obtained using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Eight catabolic enzymes involved in both the ortho-cleavage (CatB, PcaI, and PcaF) and the meta-cleavage (DmpC, DmpD, DmpE, DmpF, and DmpG) pathways for benzoate biodegradation were identified in P. putida grown on 800 mg/L of benzoate while no meta-cleavage pathway enzymes were observed in the 2-DE gel profiles of P. putida grown on 100 mg/L of benzoate. The activation of both the ortho- and the meta-cleavage pathways in P. putida P8 grown on high benzoate concentration was confirmed directly at the protein level. In addition, another 28 differentially expressed proteins were also identified, including proteins involved in (i) detoxification and stress response (AhpC, ATPase-like ATP-binding region, putative DNA-binding stress protein, SodB and catalase/peroxidase HPI); (ii) carbohydrate, amino acid/protein and energy metabolism (isocitrate dehydrogenase, SucC, SucD, AcnB, GabD, ArcA, ArgI, Efp and periplasmic binding proteins of several ABC-transporters); and (iii) cell envelope and cell division (bacterial surface antigen family protein and MinD). Based on the data obtained, physiological changes of P. putida in response to growth on benzoate at different concentrations were discussed.