Concordance between Results of Medium-term Liver Carcinogenesis Bioassays and Long-term Findings for Carcinogenic 2-Nitropropane and Non-carcinogenic1-Nitropropane in F344 Rats

A Novel Cold-Adapted Nitronate Monooxygenase from Psychrobacter sp. ANT206: Identification, Characterization and Degradation of 2-Nitropropane at Low Temperature

Aliphatic nitro compounds cause environmental pollution by being discharged into water with industrial waste. Biodegradation needs to be further explored as a green and pollution-free method of environmental remediation. In this study, we successfully cloned a novel nitronate monooxygenase gene (psnmo) from the genomic DNA library of Psychrobacter sp. ANT206 and investigated its ability to degrade 2-nitropropane (2-NP). Homology modeling demonstrated that PsNMO had a typical I nitronate monooxygenase catalytic site and cold-adapted structural features, such as few hydrogen bonds. The specific activity of purified recombinant PsNMO (rPsNMO) was 97.34 U/mg, rPsNMO exhibited thermal instability and reached maximum catalytic activity at 30 °C. Moreover, rPsNMO was most active in 1.5 M NaCl and remained at 104% of its full activity in 4.0 M NaCl, demonstrating its significant salt tolerance. Based on this finding, a novel bacterial cold-adapted enzyme was obtained in this work. Furthermore, rPsNMO protected E. coli BL21 (DE3)/pET28a(+) from the toxic effects of 2-NP at 30 °C because the 2-NP degradation rate reached 96.1% at 3 h and the final product was acetone. These results provide a reliable theoretical basis for the low-temperature degradation of 2-NP by NMO.

Peculiarities of nitronate monooxygenases and perspectives for in vivo and in vitro applications

Nitroalkanes such as nitromethane, nitroethane, 1-nitropropane (1NP), and 2-nitropropane (2NP), derived from anthropogenic activities, are hazardous environmental pollutants due to their toxicity and carcinogenic activity. In nature, 3-nitropropionate (3NPA) and its derivatives are produced as a defense mechanism by many groups of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, insects, and plants. 3NPA is highly toxic as its conjugate base, propionate-3-nitronate (P3N), is a potent inhibitor of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase, essential to the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and can inhibit isocitrate lyase, a critical enzyme of the glyoxylate cycle. In response to these toxic compounds, several organisms on the phylogenetic scale express genes that code for enzymes involved in the catabolism of nitroalkanes: nitroalkane oxidases (NAOs) and nitronate monooxygenases (NMOs) (previously classified as nitropropane dioxygenases, NPDs). Two types of NMOs have been identified: class I and class II, which differ in structure, catalytic efficiency, and preferred substrates. This review focuses on the biochemical properties, structure, classification, and physiological functions of NMOs, and offers perspectives for their in vivo and in vitro applications. KEY POINTS: • Nitronate monooxygenases (NMOs) are key enzymes in nitroalkane catabolism. • NMO enzymes are involved in defense mechanisms in different organisms. • NMO applications include organic synthesis, biocatalysts, and bioremediation.

Genetically engineered thermotolerant facultative anaerobes for high-efficient degradation of multiple hazardous nitroalkanes

Nitroalkanes are important industrial raw materials but also toxic pollutants, which are difficult to degrade once released into the environment. In this study, to significantly improve the degradation-efficiency of multiple nitroalkanes, a facultative anaerobe was genetically engineered, possible influencing factors and simulated application experiments of bioreactor were tested and evaluated. Among all engineered recombinants, the most effective strains NG-S1 (anaerobic) and NG-S2 (aerobic) displayed 2-fold and 2.8-fold final degradation rates higher than the wild type, respectively. Exogenous components, particularly those that enhance coenzyme synthesis, helped to increase the degradation rate, as the level of coenzymes affected full function of overexpressed nitroalkane oxidase. Importantly, simulated mixed-nitroalkane-wastewater bioreactor experiments proved excellent and sustainable degradation performance of the engineered strains for potential industrial applications. Collectively, these findings provide a promising thermophilic biological engineering platform and a new perspective for high-efficient and continuous environmental bioremediation of hazardous pollutants under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

Novel thermostable enzymes from Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius W-2 for high-efficient nitroalkane removal under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

In this study, a thermophilic facultative anaerobic strain Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius W-2 was found to degrade nitroalkane under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Bioinformatical analysis revealed three putative nitroalkane-oxidizing enzymes (Gt-NOEs) genes from the W-2 genome. The three identified proteins Gt2929, Gt1378, and Gt1208 displayed optimal activities at high temperatures (70, 70, and 80 °C, respectively). Among these, Gt2929 exhibited excellent degradation capability, pH stability, and metal ion tolerance for nitronates under aerobic condition. Interestingly, under anaerobic condition, only Gt1378 still maintained high activity for 2-nitropropane and nitroethane, indicating that the W-2 strain utilized various pathways to degrade nitronates under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. Taken together, the first revelation of thermophilic nitroalkane-degrading mechanism under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions provides guidance and platform for biotechnological and industrial applications.

Alternative Multiorgan Initiation–Promotion Assay for Chemical Carcinogenesis in the Wistar Rat

The medium-term multiorgan initiation–promotion chemical bioassay (diethylnitrosamine, methyl-nitrosourea, butyl-hydroxybutylnitrosamine, dihydroxypropylnitrosamine, dimethylhydrazine [DMBDD]) with the Fischer 344 rat was proposed as an alternative to the conventional 2-year carcinogenesis bioassay for regulatory purposes. The acronym DMBDD stands for the names of five genotoxic agents used for initiation of multiorgan carcinogenesis. The Brazilian Agency for the Environment officially recognized a variation of this assay (DMBDDb) as a valid method to assess the carcinogenic potential of agrochemicals. Different from the original protocol, this DMBDDb is 30-week long, uses Wistar rats and two positive control groups exposed to carcinogenesis promoters sodium phenobarbital (PB) or 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF). This report presents the experience of an academic laboratory with the DMBDDb assay and contributes to the establishment of this alternative DMBDD bioassay in a different rat strain. Frequent lesions observed in positive groups to evaluate the promoting potential of pesticides and the immunohistochemical expressions of liver cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2B1/2B2 and CYP1A2 enzymes were assessed. Commonly affected organs were liver, kidney, intestines, urinary bladder, and thyroid. PB promoting activity was less evident than that of 2-AAF, especially in males. This study provides a repository of characteristic lesions occurring in positive control animals submitted to a modified alternative 2-stage multiorgan protocol for carcinogenesis in Wistar rat.