Cloning of phna1-like Genes of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-degrading Bacteria from Marine Sediments

GUERRERO, LEANDRO D.; DI MARZIO, WALTER D.; DIONISI, HEBE M.

Pinamar, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Congreso; Xth Congress PABMB and 41st annual meeting SAIB; 2005

Panamerican Association for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

It has been suggested that bacteria belonging to the genus Cycloclasticus play an important role in the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the marine environment. One of the catabolic genes identified in these organisms is phnA1, which encodes for the alpha subunit of the iron-sulfur protein of the initial PAH-dioxygenase. In the present work, we analyzed the presence of phnA1-like genes in sediments of Ushuaia Bay, Tierra del Fuego, Argentine, using culture-independent techniques. Total DNA was extracted from intertidal surficial marine sediments. A primer set was designed to target the phnA1 gene from Cycloclasticus sp. A5 (AB102786) and close relatives (AF093000, AF092998, AF053737), and used to amplify phnA1-like genes from the extracted DNA. PCR products were cloned and sequenced. The analyzed clones showed similarities at the nucleotide level of 99.1 to 99.8% with phnA1-like genes identified to date. These findings broaden the known distribution of these genes to cold sediments of Ushuaia Bay.  Supported by: Fundación Antorchas, PADI Foundation, ANPCyT and CONICET.