1887

Abstract

A genetic linkage between a conserved gene cluster (Nit1C) and the ability of bacteria to utilize cyanide as the sole nitrogen source was demonstrated for nine different bacterial species. These included three strains whose cyanide nutritional ability has formerly been documented ( Pf11764, BCN3 and BCN33), and six not previously known to have this ability [ () LB400, STM815, PsJN, () H16, PA1 5 and AM1]. For all bacteria, growth on or exposure to cyanide led to the induction of the canonical nitrilase (NitC) linked to the gene cluster, and in the case of Pf11764 in particular, transcript levels of cluster genes () were raised, and a knock-out mutant failed to grow. Further studies demonstrated that the highly conserved gene product was also significantly elevated. Collectively, these findings provide strong evidence for a genetic linkage between Nit1C and bacterial growth on cyanide, supporting use of the term cyanotrophy in describing what may represent a new nutritional paradigm in microbiology. A broader search of Nit1C genes in presently available genomes revealed its presence in 270 different bacteria, all contained within the domain , including Gram-positive and , and Gram-negative and . Absence of the cluster in the is congruent with events that may have led to the inception of Nit1C occurring coincidentally with the first appearance of cyanogenic species on Earth, dating back 400–500 million years.

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2018-07-01
2024-03-28
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