A functional mobA gene for molybdopterin cytosine dinucleotide cofactor biosynthesis is required for activity and holoenzyme assembly of the heterotrimeric nicotine dehydrogenases of Arthrobacter nicotinovorans

Insights into Pharmacological Activities of Nicotine and 6-Hydroxy-L-nicotine, a Bacterial Nicotine Derivative: A Systematic Review

The purported cognitive benefits associated with nicotine and its metabolites in the brain are a matter of debate. In this review, the impact of the pharmacologically active metabolite of a nicotine derivative produced by bacteria named 6-hydroxy-L-nicotine (6HLN) on memory, oxidative stress, and the activity of the cholinergic system in the brain was examined. A search in the PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, limiting entries to those published between 1992 and 2023, was conducted. The search focused specifically on articles about nicotine metabolites, memory, oxidative stress, and cholinergic system activity, as well as enzymes or pathways related to nicotine degradation in bacteria. The preliminary search resulted in 696 articles, and following the application of exclusion criteria, 212 articles were deemed eligible for inclusion. This review focuses on experimental studies supporting nicotine catabolism in bacteria, and the chemical and pharmacological activities of nicotine and its metabolite 6HLN.

Seeds Act as Vectors for Antibiotic Resistance Gene Dissemination in a Soil-Plant Continuum

Though the evidence for antibiotic resistance spread via plant microbiome is mounting, studies regarding antibiotic resistome in the plant seed, a reproductive organ and important food resource, are still in their infancy. This study investigated the effects of long-term organic fertilization on seed bacterial endophytes, resistome, and their intergenerational transfer in the microcosm. A total of 99 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and 26 mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were detected by high-throughput quantitative PCR. The amount of organic fertilizer applied was positively correlated to the number and relative abundance of seed-associated ARGs and MGEs. Moreover, the transmission of ARGs from the rhizosphere to the seed was mainly mediated by the shared bacteria and MGEs. Notably, the rhizosphere of progeny seedlings derived from seeds harboring abundant ARGs was found to have a higher relative abundance of ARGs. Using structural equation models, we further revealed that seed resistome and MGEs were key factors affecting the ARGs in the progeny rhizosphere, implying the seed was a potential resistome reservoir for rhizosphere soil. This study highlights the overlooked role of seed endophytes in the dissemination of resistome in the soil-plant continuum, and more attention should be paid to plant seeds as vectors of ARGs within the "One-Health" framework.

Revisiting the intrageneric structure of the genus Pseudomonas with complete whole genome sequence information: Insights into diversity and pathogen-related genetic determinants

Pseudomonas spp. exhibit considerable differences in host specificity and virulence. Most Pseudomonas species were isolated exclusively from environmental sources, ranging from soil to plants, but some Pseudomonas species have been detected from versatile sources, including both human host and environmental sources. Understanding genome variations that generate the tremendous diversity in Pseudomonas biology is important in controlling the incidence of infections. With a data set of 704 Pseudomonas complete whole genome sequences representing 186 species, Pseudomonas intrageneric structure was investigated by hierarchical clustering based on average nucleotide identity, and by phylogeny analysis based on concatenated core-gene alignment. Further comparative functional analyses indicated that Pseudomonas species only living in natural habitats lack multiple functions that are important in the regulation of bacterial pathogenesis, indicating the possession of these functions might be characteristic of Pseudomonas human pathogens. Moreover, we have performed pan-genome based homogeneity analyses, and detected genes with conserved structures but diversified functions across the Pseudomonas genomes, suggesting these genes play a role in driving diversity. In summary, this study provided insights into the dynamics of genome diversity and pathogen-related genetic determinants in Pseudomonas, which might help the development of more targeted antibiotics for the treatment of Pseudomonas infections.

Structural, Mechanistic, and Functional Insights into an Arthrobacter nicotinovorans Molybdenum Hydroxylase Involved in Nicotine Degradation

Arthrobacter nicotinovorans decomposes nicotine through the pyridine pathway. 6-hydroxypseudooxynicotine 2-oxidoreductase (also named ketone dehydrogenase, Kdh) is an important enzyme in nicotine degradation pathway of A. nicotinovorans, and is responsible for the second hydroxylation of nicotine. Kdh belongs to the molybdenum hydroxylase family, and catalyzes the oxidation of 6-hydroxy-pseudooxynicotine (6-HPON) to 2,6-dihydroxy-pseudooxynicotine (2,6-DHPON). We determined the crystal structure of the Kdh holoenzyme from A. nicotinovorans, with its three subunits KdhL, KdhM, and KdhS, and their associated cofactors molybdopterin cytosine dinucleotide (MCD), two iron-sulfur clusters (Fe₂S₂), and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), respectively. In addition, we obtained a structural model of the substrate 6-HPON-bound Kdh through molecular docking, and performed molecular dynamics (MD) and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations to unveil the catalytic mechanism of Kdh. The residues Glu345, Try551, and Glu748 of KdhL were found to participate in substrate binding, and Phe269 and Arg383 of KdhL were found to contribute to stabilize the MCD conformation. Furthermore, site-directed mutagenesis and enzymatic activity assays were performed to support our structural and computational results, which also revealed a trend of increasing catalytic efficiency with the increase in the buffer pH. Lastly, our electrochemical results demonstrated electron transfer among the various cofactors of Kdh. Therefore, our work provides a comprehensive structural, mechanistic, and functional study on the molybdenum hydroxylase Kdh in the nicotine degradation pathway of A. nicotinovorans.

A soil bacterial catabolic pathway on the move: Transfer of nicotine catabolic genes between Arthrobacter genus megaplasmids and invasion by mobile elements

The 165,137 bp plasmid pAO1 of Paenarthrobacter nicotinovorans carries the genes of a nicotine catabolic pathway. The genes are organized into several gene modules responsible for the catabolism of L- and D-nicotine to nicotine blue, alpha-ketoglutarate and succinate. Various modules of these genes have been shown to be present in gram-positive (Gram?) soil bacteria. The presence of the identical pAO1 nic-genes on the 288,370 bp plasmid pZXY21 of Arthrobacter sp. ZXY2 (96 percent to 100 percent at the nucleotide level) permitted the identification of the limits of this DNA fragment. At the 5' end of the nic-genes are located the ORFs of two predicted integrases of the tyrosine recombinase family with conserved R, H, R and Y catalytic residues and that of a small transposase with a predicted leucine zipper motive. They are related to Tn554A, Tn554B and Tn554C of Staphylococcus aureus and suggest that the entire nic-genes DNA fragment represents a large catabolic transposon. Surprisingly the nic-genes on pZXY21 were found to be interspersed by mobile elements encoding transposases of various IS families. Insertion of these IS elements disrupts nicotine degradation and divide the nic-genes DNA into potentially new transposons. This finding may illustrate how nicotine catabolic genes can be mobilized and spread by horizontal gene transfer to other soil bacteria.

The enzymes of microbial nicotine metabolism

Because of nicotine's toxicity and the high levels found in tobacco and in the waste from tobacco processing, there is a great deal of interest in identifying bacteria capable of degrading it. A number of microbial pathways have been identified for nicotine degradation. The first and best-understood is the pyridine pathway, best characterized for Arthrobacter nicotinovorans, in which the first reaction is hydroxylation of the pyridine ring. The pyrrolidine pathway, which begins with oxidation of a carbon-nitrogen bond in the pyrrolidine ring, was subsequently characterized in a number of pseudomonads. Most recently, a hybrid pathway has been described, which incorporates the early steps in the pyridine pathway and ends with steps in the pyrrolidine pathway. This review summarizes the present status of our understanding of these pathways, focusing on what is known about the individual enzymes involved.

Characterization of a Novel Nicotine Degradation Gene Cluster ndp in Sphingomonas melonis TY and Its Evolutionary Analysis

Sphingomonas melonis TY utilizes nicotine as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy through a variant of the pyridine and pyrrolidine pathways (VPP). A 31-kb novel nicotine-degrading gene cluster, ndp, in strain TY exhibited a different genetic organization with the vpp cluster in strains Ochrobactrum rhizosphaerae SJY1 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens S33. Genes in vpp were separated by a 20-kb interval sequence, while genes in ndp were localized together. Half of the homolog genes were in different locus in ndp and vpp. Moreover, there was a gene encoding putative transporter of nicotine or other critical metabolite in ndp. Among the putative nicotine-degrading related genes, the nicotine hydroxylase, 6-hydroxy-L-nicotine oxidase, 6-hydroxypseudooxynicotine oxidase, and 6-hydroxy-3-succinyl-pyridine monooxygenase responsible for catalyzing the transformation of nicotine to 2, 5-dihydropyridine in the initial four steps of the VPP were characterized. Hydroxylation at C6 of the pyridine ring and dehydrogenation at the C2–C3 bond of the pyrrolidine ring were the key common reactions in the VPP, pyrrolidine and pyridine pathways. Besides, VPP and pyrrolidine pathway shared the same latter part of metabolic pathway. After analysis of metabolic genes in the pyridine, pyrrolidine, and VPP pathways, we found that both the evolutionary features and metabolic mechanisms of the VPP were more similar to the pyrrolidine pathway. The linked ndpHFEG genes shared by the VPP and pyrrolidine pathways indicated that these two pathways might share the same origin, but variants were observed in some bacteria. And we speculated that the pyridine pathway was distributed in Gram-positive bacteria and the VPP and pyrrolidine pathways were distributed in Gram-negative bacteria by using comprehensive homologs searching and phylogenetic tree construction.

Two Novel Sets of Genes Essential for Nicotine Degradation by Sphingomonas melonis TY

Nicotine is a type of environmental pollutant present in the tobacco waste that is generated during tobacco manufacturing. Sphingomonas melonis TY can utilize nicotine as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy via a variant of the pyridine and pyrrolidine pathway (the VPP pathway). In this study, we report the identification of two novel sets of genes, ndrA1A2A3, and ndrB1B2B3B4, which are crucial for nicotine degradation by strain TY. ndrA1A2A3 and ndrB1B2B3B4 exhibit similarity with both nicotine dehydrogenase ndh from Arthrobacter nicotinovorans and nicotine hydroxylase vppA from Ochrobactrum sp. SJY1. The transcriptional levels of ndrA1A2A3 and ndrB1B2B3B4 in strain TY were significantly upregulated in the presence of nicotine. Furthermore, ndrA1 or ndrB2 knockout resulted in a loss of the ability to degrade nicotine, whereas gene complementation restored the capacity of each mutant to utilize nicotine for growth. Biodegradation assays indicated that the mutant strains retained the ability to degrade the first intermediate in the pathway, 6-hydroxynicotine (6 HN). However, heterologous expression of ndrA1A2A3 and ndrB1B2B3B4 did not confer nicotine dehydrogenase activity to E. coli DH5α, Pseudomonas putida KT2440 or Sphingomonas aquatilis. These results provide information on the VPP pathway of nicotine degradation in S. melonis TY, and we conclude that these two sets of genes have essential functions in the conversion of nicotine to 6 HN in strain TY.

Nicotine Dehydrogenase Complexed with 6-Hydroxypseudooxynicotine Oxidase Involved in the Hybrid Nicotine-Degrading Pathway in Agrobacterium tumefaciens S33

Nicotine, a major toxic alkaloid in tobacco wastes, is degraded by bacteria, mainly via pyridine and pyrrolidine pathways. Previously, we discovered a new hybrid of the pyridine and pyrrolidine pathways in Agrobacterium tumefaciens S33 and characterized its key enzyme 6-hydroxy-3-succinoylpyridine (HSP) hydroxylase. Here, we purified the nicotine dehydrogenase initializing the nicotine degradation from the strain and found that it forms a complex with a novel 6-hydroxypseudooxynicotine oxidase. The purified complex is composed of three different subunits encoded by ndhAB and pno, where ndhA and ndhB overlap by 4 bp and are ∼26 kb away from pno. As predicted from the gene sequences and from chemical analyses, NdhA (82.4 kDa) and NdhB (17.1 kDa) harbor a molybdopterin cofactor and two [2Fe-2S] clusters, respectively, whereas Pno (73.3 kDa) harbors an flavin mononucleotide and a [4Fe-4S] cluster. Mutants with disrupted ndhA or ndhB genes did not grow on nicotine but grew well on 6-hydroxynicotine and HSP, whereas the pno mutant did not grow on nicotine or 6-hydroxynicotine but grew well on HSP, indicating that NdhA and NdhB are responsible for initialization of nicotine oxidation. We successfully expressed pno in Escherichia coli and found that the recombinant Pno presented 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol reduction activity when it was coupled with 6-hydroxynicotine oxidation. The determination of reaction products catalyzed by the purified enzymes or mutants indicated that NdhAB catalyzed nicotine oxidation to 6-hydroxynicotine, whereas Pno oxidized 6-hydroxypseudooxynicotine to 6-hydroxy-3-succinoylsemialdehyde pyridine. These results provide new insights into this novel hybrid pathway of nicotine degradation in A. tumefaciens S33.

Molybdenum-containing nicotine hydroxylase genes in a nicotine degradation pathway that is a variant of the pyridine and pyrrolidine pathways

Ochrobactrum sp. strain SJY1 utilizes nicotine as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy via a variant of the pyridine and pyrrolidine pathways (the VPP pathway). Several strains and genes involved in the VPP pathway have recently been reported; however, the first catalyzing step for enzymatic turnover of nicotine is still unclear. In this study, a nicotine hydroxylase for the initial hydroxylation step of nicotine degradation was identified and characterized. The nicotine hydroxylase (VppA), which converts nicotine to 6-hydroxynicotine in the strain SJY1, is encoded by two open reading frames (vppAS and vppAL [subunits S and L, respectively]). The vppA genes were heterologously expressed in the non-nicotine-degrading strains Escherichia coli DH5α and Pseudomonas putida KT2440; only the Pseudomonas strain acquired the ability to degrade nicotine. The small subunit of VppA contained a [2Fe-2S] cluster-binding domain, and the large subunit of VppA contained a molybdenum cofactor-binding domain; however, an FAD-binding domain was not found in VppA. Resting cells cultivated in a molybdenum-deficient medium had low nicotine transformation activity, and excess molybdenum was detected in the purified VppA by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry analysis. Thus, it is demonstrated that VppA is a two-component molybdenum-containing hydroxylase.

Functional Identification of a Novel Gene, moaE, for 3-Succinoylpyridine Degradation in Pseudomonas putida S16

Microbial degradation of N-heterocyclic compounds, including xanthine, quinoline, nicotinate, and nicotine, frequently requires molybdenum hydroxylases. The intramolecular electron transfer chain of molybdenum hydroxylases consists of a molybdenum cofactor, two distinct [2Fe-2S] clusters, and flavin adenine dinucleotide. 3-Succinoylpyridine monooxygenase (Spm), responsible for the transformation from 3-succinoylpyridine to 6-hydroxy-3-succinoylpyridine, is a crucial enzyme in the pyrrolidine pathway of nicotine degradation in Pseudomonas. Our previous work revealed that the heterotrimeric enzyme (SpmA, SpmB, and SpmC) requires molybdopterin cytosine dinucleotide as a cofactor for their activities. In this study, we knocked out four genes, including PPS_1556, PPS_2936, PPS_4063, and PPS_4397, and found that a novel gene, PPS_4397 encoding moaE, is necessary for molybdopterin cytosine dinucleotide biosynthesis. Resting cell reactions of the moaE deletion mutant incubated with 3 g l⁻¹ nicotine at 30 °C resulted in accumulation of 3-succinoylpyridine, and the strain complemented by the moaE gene regained the ability to convert 3-succinoylpyridine. In addition, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that the transcriptional levels of the genes of moaE, spmA, and spmC of Pseudomonas putida S16 were distinctly higher when grown in nicotine medium than in glycerol medium.

Genome-wide investigation of the genes involved in nicotine metabolism in Pseudomonas putida J5 by Tn5 transposon mutagenesis

Pseudomonas putida J5 is an efficient nicotine-degrading bacterial strain isolated from the tobacco rhizosphere. We successfully performed a comprehensive whole-genome analysis of nicotine metabolism-associated genes by Tn5 transposon mutagenesis in P. putida J5. A total of 18 mutants with unique insertions screened from 16,324 Tn5-transformants failed to use nicotine as the sole carbon source. Flanking sequences of the Tn5 transposon were cloned with a shotgun method from all of the nicotine-growth-deficient mutants. The potentially essential products of mutated gene were classified as follows: oxidoreductases, protein and metal transport systems, proteases and peptidases, transcriptional and translational regulators, and unknown proteins. Bioinformatic analysis of the Tn5 insertion sites indicated that the nicotine metabolic genes were separated and widely distributed in the genome. One of the mutants, M2022, was a Tn5 insert into a gene encoding a homolog of 6-hydroxy-L-nicotine oxidase, the second enzyme of nicotine metabolism in Arthrobacter nicotinovorans. Genetic and biochemical analysis confirmed that three open reading frames (ORFs) from an approximately 13-kb fragment recovered from the mutant M2022 were responsible for the transformation of nicotine to 3-succinoyl-pyridine via pseudooxynicotine and 3-succinoyl semialdehyde-pyridine, the first three steps of nicotine degradation. Further research on these mutants and the Tn5-inserted genes will help us characterize nicotine metabolic processes in P. putida J5.

pAO1 of Arthrobacter nicotinovorans and the spread of catabolic traits by horizontal gene transfer in gram-positive soil bacteria

The 165-kb megaplasmid pAO1 of Arthrobacter nicotinovorans carries two large gene clusters, one involved in nicotine catabolism (nic-gene cluster) and one in carbohydrate utilization (ch-gene cluster). Here, we propose that both gene clusters were acquired by A. nicotinovorans by horizontal gene transfer mediated by pAO1. Protein-protein blast search showed that none of the published Arthrobacter genomes contains nic-genes, but Rhodococcus opacus carries on its chromosome a nic-gene cluster highly similar to that of pAO1. Analysis of the nic-genes in the two species suggested a recombination event between their nic-gene clusters. Apparently, there was a gene exchange between pAO1, or a precursor plasmid, and a nic-gene cluster of an as yet unidentified Arthrobacter specie or other soil bacterium, possibly related to Rhodococcus, leading to the transfer by pAO1 of this catabolic trait to A. nicotinovorans. Analysis of the pAO1 ch-gene cluster revealed a virtually identical counterpart on the chromosome of Arthrobacter phenanthrenivorans. Moreover, the sequence analysis of the genes flanking the ch-gene cluster suggested that it was acquired by pAO1 by Xer-related site directed recombination and transferred via the plasmid to A. nicotinovorans. The G+C content, the level of sequence identity, gene co-linearity of nic- and ch-gene clusters as well as the signs of recombination events clearly supports the notion of pAO1 and its precursor plasmids as vehicles in HGT among Gram + soil bacteria.

Current status on biochemistry and molecular biology of microbial degradation of nicotine

Bioremediation is one of the most promising methods to clean up polluted environments using highly efficient potent microbes. Microbes with specific enzymes and biochemical pathways are capable of degrading the tobacco alkaloids including highly toxic heterocyclic compound, nicotine. After the metabolic conversion, these nicotinophilic microbes use nicotine as the sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source for their growth. Various nicotine degradation pathways such as demethylation pathway in fungi, pyridine pathway in Gram-positive bacteria, pyrrolidine pathway, and variant of pyridine and pyrrolidine pathways in Gram-negative bacteria have been reported. In this review, we discussed the nicotine-degrading pathways of microbes and their enzymes and biotechnological applications of nicotine intermediate metabolites.

Systematic unraveling of the unsolved pathway of nicotine degradation in Pseudomonas

Microorganisms such as Pseudomonas putida play important roles in the mineralization of organic wastes and toxic compounds. To comprehensively and accurately elucidate key processes of nicotine degradation in Pseudomonas putida, we measured differential protein abundance levels with MS-based spectral counting in P. putida S16 grown on nicotine or glycerol, a non-repressive carbon source. In silico analyses highlighted significant clustering of proteins involved in a functional pathway in nicotine degradation. The transcriptional regulation of differentially expressed genes was analyzed by using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. We observed the following key results: (i) The proteomes, containing 1,292 observed proteins, provide a detailed view of enzymes involved in nicotine metabolism. These proteins could be assigned to the functional groups of transport, detoxification, and amino acid metabolism. There were significant differences in the cytosolic protein patterns of cells growing in a nicotine medium and those in a glycerol medium. (ii) The key step in the conversion of 3-succinoylpyridine to 6-hydroxy-3-succinoylpyridine was catalyzed by a multi-enzyme reaction consisting of a molybdopeterin binding oxidase (spmA), molybdopterin dehydrogenase (spmB), and a (2Fe-2S)-binding ferredoxin (spmC) with molybdenum molybdopterin cytosine dinucleotide as a cofactor. (iii) The gene of a novel nicotine oxidoreductase (nicA2) was cloned, and the recombinant protein was characterized. The proteins and functional pathway identified in the current study represent attractive targets for degradation of environmental toxic compounds.

Molybdoenzyme that catalyzes the anaerobic hydroxylation of a tertiary carbon atom in the side chain of cholesterol

Cholesterol is a ubiquitous hydrocarbon compound that can serve as substrate for microbial growth. This steroid and related cyclic compounds are recalcitrant due to their low solubility in water, complex ring structure, the presence of quaternary carbon atoms, and the low number of functional groups. Aerobic metabolism therefore makes use of reactive molecular oxygen as co-substrate of oxygenases to hydroxylate and cleave the sterane ring system. Consequently, anaerobic metabolism must substitute oxygenase-catalyzed steps by O(2)-independent hydroxylases. Here we show that one of the initial reactions of anaerobic cholesterol metabolism in the β-proteobacterium Sterolibacterium denitrificans is catalyzed by an unprecedented enzyme that hydroxylates the tertiary C25 atom of the side chain without molecular oxygen forming a tertiary alcohol. This steroid C25 dehydrogenase belongs to the dimethyl sulfoxide dehydrogenase molybdoenzyme family, the closest relative being ethylbenzene dehydrogenase. It is a heterotrimer, which is probably located at the periplasmic side of the membrane and contains one molybdenum cofactor, five [Fe-S] clusters, and one heme b. The draft genome of the organism contains several genes coding for related enzymes that probably replace oxygenases in steroid metabolism.

Biotransformation of nicotine by microorganism: the case of Pseudomonas spp

Several bacterial species are capable of using nicotine, the main alkaloid in tobacco plants, as a substrate for growth. The dominant species include members of two genera, Pseudomonas and Arthrobacter. The degradation pathway and genetic structure of nicotine catabolism in Arthrobacter nicotinovorans were recently reviewed (Brandsch Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 69:493-498, 2006). Here, we present up-to-date information on biodegradation of nicotine by Pseudomonas spp. Species in this genus capable of degrading nicotine are summarized and analyzed phylogenetically. Their metabolic intermediates and nicotine degradation-related genes were summarized, and the nicotine-biotransformation pathways were compared and discussed.

MocA is a specific cytidylyltransferase involved in molybdopterin cytosine dinucleotide biosynthesis in Escherichia coli

We have purified and characterized a specific CTP:molybdopterin cytidylyltransferase for the biosynthesis of the molybdopterin (MPT) cytosine dinucleotide (MCD) cofactor in Escherichia coli. The protein, named MocA, shows 22% amino acid sequence identity to E. coli MobA, the specific GTP:molybdopterin guanylyltransferase for molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide biosynthesis. MocA is essential for the activity of the MCD-containing enzymes aldehyde oxidoreductase YagTSR and the xanthine dehydrogenases XdhABC and XdhD. Using a fully defined in vitro assay, we showed that MocA, Mo-MPT, CTP, and MgCl2 are required and sufficient for MCD biosynthesis in vitro. The activity of MocA is specific for CTP; other nucleotides such as ATP and GTP were not utilized. In the defined in vitro system a turnover number of 0.37+/-0.01 min(-1) was obtained. A 1:1 binding ratio of MocA to Mo-MPT and CTP was determined to monomeric MocA with dissociation constants of 0.23+/-0.02 microm for CTP and 1.17+/-0.18 microm for Mo-MPT. We showed that MocA was also able to convert MPT to MCD in the absence of molybdate, however, with only one catalytic turnover. The addition of molybdate after one turnover gave rise to a higher MCD production, revealing that MCD remains bound to MocA in the absence of molybdate. This work presents the first characterization of a specific enzyme involved in MCD biosynthesis in bacteria.

Uptake of l-nicotine and of 6-hydroxy-l-nicotine by Arthrobacter nicotinovorans and by Escherichia coli is mediated by facilitated diffusion and not by passive diffusion or active transport

The mechanism by whichl-nicotine is taken up by bacteria that are able to grow on it is unknown. Nicotine degradation byArthrobacter nicotinovorans, a Gram-positive soil bacterium, is linked to the presence of the catabolic megaplasmid pAO1.l-[14C]Nicotine uptake assays withA. nicotinovoransshowed transport of nicotine across the cell membrane to be energy-independent and saturable with aKmof 6.2±0.1 μM and aVmaxof 0.70±0.08 μmol min−1(mg protein)−1. This is in accord with a mechanism of facilitated diffusion, driven by the nicotine concentration gradient. Nicotine uptake was coupled to its intracellular degradation, and anA. nicotinovoransstrain unable to degrade nicotine (pAO1−) showed no nicotine import. However, when the nicotine dehydrogenase genes were expressed in this strain, import ofl-[14C]nicotine took place.A. nicotinovoranspAO1−andEscherichia coliwere also unable to import 6-hydroxy-l-nicotine, but expression of the 6-hydroxy-l-nicotine oxidase gene allowed both bacteria to take up this compound.l-Nicotine uptake was inhibited byd-nicotine, 6-hydroxy-l-nicotine and 2-amino-l-nicotine, which may indicate transport of these nicotine derivatives by a common permease. Attempts to correlate nicotine uptake with pAO1 genes possessing similarity to amino acid transporters failed. In contrast to the situation at the blood–brain barrier, nicotine transport across the cell membrane by these bacteria was not by passive diffusion or active transport but by facilitated diffusion.

Two closely related pathways of nicotine catabolism in Arthrobacter nicotinovorans and Nocardioides sp. strain JS614

A virtually identical nicotine catabolic pathway including the heterotrimeric molybdenum enzyme nicotine and 6-hydroxy-pseudo-oxynicotine dehydrogenase, 6-hydroxy-L: -nicotine oxidase, 2,6-dihydroxy-pseudo-oxynicotine hydrolase, and 2,6-dihydroxypyridine hydroxylase have been identified in A. nicotinovorans and Nocardioides sp. JS614. Enzymes catalyzing the same reactions and similar protein antigens were detected in the extracts of the two microorganisms. Nicotine blue and methylamine, two end products of nicotine catabolism were detected in the growth medium of both bacterial species. Nicotine catabolic genes are clustered on pAO1 in A. nicotinovorans, but located chromosomally in Nocardioides sp. JS614.

Structure and action of a C-C bond cleaving alpha/beta-hydrolase involved in nicotine degradation

The enzyme 2,6-dihydroxy-pseudo-oxynicotine hydrolase from the nicotine-degradation pathway of Arthrobacter nicotinovorans was crystallized and the structure was determined by an X-ray diffraction analysis at 2.1 A resolution. The enzyme belongs to the alpha/beta-hydrolase family as derived from the chain-fold and from the presence of a catalytic triad with its oxyanion hole at the common position. This relationship assigns a pocket lined by the catalytic triad as the active center. The asymmetric unit contains two C(2)-symmetric dimer molecules, each adopting a specific conformation. One dimer forms a more spacious active center pocket and the other a smaller one, suggesting an induced-fit. All of the currently established C-C bond cleaving alpha/beta-hydrolases are from bacterial meta-cleavage pathways for the degradation of aromatic compounds and cover their active center with a 40 residue lid placed between two adjacent strands of the beta-sheet. In contrast, the reported enzyme shields its active center with a 110 residue N-terminal domain, which is absent in the meta-cleavage hydrolases. Since neither the substrate nor an analogue could be bound in the crystals, the substrate was modeled into the active center using the oxyanion hole as a geometric constraint. The model was supported by enzymatic activity data of 11 point mutants and by the two dimer conformations suggesting an induced-fit. Moreover, the model assigned a major role for the large N-terminal domain that is specific to the reported enzyme. The proposal is consistent with the known data for the meta-cleavage hydrolases although it differs in that the reaction does not release alkenes but a hetero-aromatic compound in a retro-Friedel-Crafts acylation. Because the hydrolytic water molecule can be assigned to a geometrically suitable site that can be occupied in the presence of the substrate, the catalytic triad may not form a covalent acyl-enzyme intermediate but merely support a direct hydrolysis.