Ermengilda Parrilli, Rosanna Papa, Maria Luisa Tutino and Giovanni Sannia

Ermengilda Parrilli

Dipartimento di Chimica Organica e Biochimica, Università di Napoli Federico II – Complesso Universitario M.S. Angelo via Cinthia 4, 80126, Naples, Italy. Facoltà di Scienze Biotecnologiche Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy.

Rosanna Papa

Maria Luisa Tutino

Dipartimento di Chimica Organica e Biochimica, Università di Napoli Federico II – Complesso Universitario M.S. Angelo via Cinthia 4, 80126, Naples, Italy. Facoltà di Scienze Biotecnologiche Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy.

Giovanni Sannia

Corresponding author: sannia@unina.it
Dipartimento di Chimica Organica e Biochimica, Università di Napoli Federico II – Complesso Universitario M.S. Angelo via Cinthia 4, 80126, Naples, Italy.

Addenda to:   Engineered marine Antarctic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125: a promising microorganism for the bioremediation of aromatic compounds. Authors: Rosanna Papa, Ermenegilda Parrilli and Giovanni Sannia* Journal of Applied Microbiology (2009) 106:49-56      Abstract  Microbial degradation of aromatic hydrocarbons has been studied with the aim of developing applications for the removal of toxic compounds. Efforts have been directed toward the genetic manipulation of mesophilic bacteria to improve their ability to degrade pollutants, even though many pollution problems occur in sea waters and in effluents of industrial processes which are characterised by low temperatures. From these considerations the idea of engineering a psychrophilic microorganism for the oxidation of aromatic compounds was developed.  In a previous paper it was demonstrated that the recombinant Antarctic Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125 (PhTAC/tou) expressing a toluene-o-xylene monooxygenase (ToMO) is able to convert several aromatic compounds into corresponding catechols. In our work we improved the metabolic capability of PhTAC/tou cells by combining action of recombinant ToMO enzyme with that of the endogenous P. haloplanktis TAC125 laccase-like protein. This strategy allowed conferring new and specific degradative capabilities to a bacterium isolated from an unpolluted environment; indeed engineered PhTAC/tou cells are able to grow on aromatic compounds as sole carbon and energy sources. Our approach demonstrates the possibility to use the engineered psychrophilic bacterium for the bioremediation of chemically contaminated marine environments and/or cold effluents.