Pseudomonas phenolilytica sp. nov., a novel phenol-degrading bacterium

This study describes a bacterium strain RBPA9 isolated from a municipality waste dumping area capable of degrading phenol, proposed as a novel species of Pseudomonas. Cells are Gram-negative, rod shaped, aerobic and motile. The genome is 3.92 Mb, and the G + C content is 64.64%. The overall genome relatedness indices such as in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (isDDH), average nucleotide identity (ANI), and average amino acid identity (AAI) values were below 70% and 95-96%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on genome-wide core genes and 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain RBPA9 clustered with Pseudomonas stutzeri ATCC 17588( T) in both the phylogenetic trees. Maximum growth was recorded at 200 mg /L concentration of phenol which was consumed within 24 h. A gene cluster of phenol degradation pathway was detected. The quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) demonstrated the expression of all the genes required in the meta-cleavage pathway of phenol in RBPA9. Our results reveal that strain RBPA9 represents a novel species for which Pseudomonas phenolilytica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RBPA9(T) (= TBRC 15231( T) = NBRC 115284( T)).

Automated summary

This study describes a bacterium strain RBPA9 capable of degrading phenol, proposed as a novel species of Pseudomonas. The genome size is 3.92 Mb with a G+C content of 64.64%. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain RBPA9 clustered with Pseudomonas stutzeri ATCC 17588(T). It was found that RBPA9 expresses all the genes required in the phenol degradation pathway.