• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.86-89
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• 2002

Rhodococcus sp. strain T104, which is able to grow on either biphenyl or limonene, was found to utilize phenol as sole carbon and energy sources. Furthermore, T104 was positively identified to possess three separate pathways for the degradation of limonene, phenol, and biphenyl. The fact that biphenyl and limonene induced almost the same amount of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase activity indicates that limonene can induce both upper and lower pathways for biphenyl degradation by T104.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.160-162
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• 2004

Rhodococcus sp. strain T104 is able to utilize both limonene and biphenyl as growth substrates. Fur-thermore, T104 possesses separate pathways for the degradation of limonene and biphenyl. Previously, we found that a gene(s) involved in limonene degradation was also related to indigo-producing ability. To further corroborate this observation, we have cloned and sequenced a 8,842-bp genomic DNA region with four open reading frames, including one for indole oxygenase, which converts indole to indigo (a blue pigment). The reverse transcription PCR data demonstrated that the identified indole oxygenase gene is specifically induced by limonene, thereby implicating this gene in the degradation of limonene by T104.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.349-352
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• 2003

Recent studies have shown that some of the PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl)-degraders are able to effectively degrade PCB in the presence of monoterpenes, which act as inducers for the degradation pathway. Rhodococcus sp. T104, an effective PCB degrader, has been shown to induce the degradation pathway by utilizing limonenes, cymenes, carvones, and pinenes as sole carbon sources which can be found in the natural environment. Moreover, the strain T104 proved to possess three separate oxidation pathways of limonene, biphenyl, and phenol. Of these three, the limonene can also induce the biphenyl degradation pathway. In this work, we report the presence of three distinct genes for aromatic oxygenase, which are putatively involved in the degradation of aromatic substrates including biphenyl, limonene, and phenol, through PCR amplification and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The genes were differentially expressed and well induced by limonene, cymene, and plant extract A compared to biphenyl and/or glucose. This indicates that substrate specificity must be taken into account when biodegradation of the target compounds are facilitated by the plant natural substrates.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 2001

The aim of this study was to examine how plant terpenoids, as natural growth substrates or inducers, would affect the biodegradation of PCB congeners. Various PCB degraders that could grow on biphenyl and several terpenoids were tested for their PCB degradation capabilities. Degradation activities of the PCB congeners, 4,4-dichlorobiphenyl (4,4-DCBp) and 2,2-dichlorobiphenyl (2,2-DCBp), were initially monitored through a resting cell assay technique that could detect their degradation products. The PCB degraders, Pseudomonas ((S)-(-) limonene, p-cymene and $\alpha$-terpinene) whereas Arthrobacter sp. B1B could not grow on the terpenoids as a sole carbon source. The B1B strain grown on biphenyl exhibited good degradation activity for 4,4-DCBp and 2,2-DCBp, while the activity of strains P166 and T104 was about 25% that of the B1B strain, respectively. Concomitant GC analysis, however, demonstrated that strain T104, grown on (S)-(-) limonene, p-cymene and $\alpha$-terpinene, could degrade 4,4-DCBp up to 30%, equivalent to 50% of the biphenyl induction level. Moreover, strain T104 grown on (S)-(-) limonene, could also degrade 2,2-DCBp up to 30%. This indicates that terpenoids, widely distributed in nature, could be utilized as both growth and/or inducer substrate(s) for PCB biodegradation in the environment.