Response of the bioluminescent bioreporter Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 to analogs of naphthalene and salicylic acid

Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 is a lux-based bioluminescent bioreporter capable of select ve luminescence in the presence of naphthalene and/or salicylic acid intermediate of its metabolism. We attempted to induce bioluminescence (BL) in this strain with 72 compounds, viz. substituted naphthalenes, raphthalene-like compounds (e.g., quinoline), substituted salicylic acids, salicylic acid-like compounds (e.g., : -anthranilic acid), oligocyclic aromates, and intermediates of naphthalene metabolism to better discriminate response specificity. From them, 42 induced BL significantly lower as compared to naphthalene, three (viz. isoquinoline, o-cresol, and salicylamide) induced BL significantly greater than naphthalene, and 27 yielded ro bioluminescent response whatsoever. Strain HK44 is therefore not prone to extensive false-positive signaling and can serve as a fairly specific indicator organism for naphthalene bioavailability. At elevated concentrations. , 2.1 compounds inhibited BL. Thus, the inclusion of constitutive bioreporter controls as indicators of sample toxicity is vital to successful biosensing application.