Abstract
The utilization of rubber (poly (cis-1,4-isoprene)) by rubber-degrading bacteria depends on the synthesis of rubber oxygenases that cleave the polymer extracellularly to low molecular weight products that can be taken up and used as a carbon source. All so far described Gram-negative rubber-degrading species use two related ≈ 70 kDa rubber oxygenases (RoxA and RoxB) for the primary attack of rubber while all described Gram-positive rubber-degrading strains use RoxA/RoxB-unrelated latex-clearing proteins (Lcps, ≈ 40 kDa) as rubber oxygenase(s). In this study, we identified an lcp orthologue in a Gram-negative species (Solimonas fluminis). We cloned and heterologously expressed the lcp gene of S. fluminis HR-BB, purified the corresponding Lcp protein (LcpHR-BB) from recombinant Escherichia coli, and biochemically characterised the LcpHR-BB activity. LcpHR-BB cleaved polyisoprene to a mixture of C20 and higher oligoisoprenoids at a specific activity of 1.5 U/mg. Furthermore, spectroscopic investigation identified LcpHR-BB as a b-haem-containing protein with an oxidised, fivefold coordinated (open) haem centre. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that Gram-negative bacteria can have an active rubber oxygenase of the Lcp type.
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We thank the Weber and Schaer Company (Hamburg) for providing polyisoprene.
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This work was supported by a grant of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to D. J.
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Birke, J., Jendrossek, D. Solimonas fluminis has an active latex-clearing protein. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 103, 8229–8239 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-10085-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-10085-w