AlkN: a transducer specific for chemotaxis towards alkanes in P. putida?

ANDREA PEDETTA; CLAUDIA STUDDERT

Villa General Belgrano, Córdoba, Argentina

Workshop; Argentine Workshop on Current Topics in Pseudomonas and Burkholderia Research; 2007

Sociedad de Biología de Córdoba

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536902279 -2147483648 8 0 511 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Chemotaxis towards alkanes has been observed in Flavimonas oryzihabitans and in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but the mechanism of alkane sensing has not been studied. The genes responsible for alkane degradation in P. putida strain Gpo1 reside in a plasmid. Among those alk genes it was found alkN, displaying strong homology to the bacterial chemotactic transducers. In this project we will try to address whether alkN codes for an alkane-specific chemotactic transducer. Two Pseudomonas strains and an E.coli strain, all of them unable to grow on alkanes, will be transformed with a plasmid carrying the alk genes, or with a plasmid carrying the alk genes and a deletion in the alkN gene. Growth on alkanes, motility and chemotaxis will be evaluated in all the transformants. If alkN is necessary for alkane-chemotaxis, experiments will be performed with the aim to analyze if alkN senses alkanes or metabolic derivatives, and which part of alkN is involved in sensing.