title: Unravelling dibenzothiophene degradation pathway in a novel Ancylobacter bharuchii IITR112 and insights from genome analysis
creator: Tripathi, Varsha
creator: Pal, Shilpee
creator: Subramanian, Srikrishna
creator: Manickam, Natesan
subject: QR Microbiology
description: Dibenzothiophene (DBT), a mancude organic recalcitrant polyaromatic sulfur compound mainly found in petroleum products, poses an environmental threat due to its toxicity. This study reports the isolation and characterization of a novel bacterium strain IITR112, from the ONGC oilfield of Ankleshwar, Bharuch, Gujarat, India. Phylogenetic analysis placed IITR112 within the family Xanthobacteraceae, specifically in the genus Ancylobacter. IITR112 demonstrated the efficiency of biodegrading DBT up to 200�mg/L in 25 days of incubation. Five key catabolic genes viz, nahAc, dbtG, dbtB, dbtC, and dbtD involved in DBT metabolism were also identified. GC-MS analysis revealed the formation of 3-hydroxy-2-formyl benzothiophene (HFBT), 4�4 dihydroxybenzophenone, and thiosalicylic acid suggesting a novel branching from the conventional route of the Kodama pathway. Further, whole genome sequencing yielded a 4.94�Mb draft genome comprising 4818 coding sequences, a GC content of 67.60�, and five plasmids of varying sizes. By combining genomic and physiological traits, strain IITR112 represents a novel species for which the name Ancylobacter bharuchii sp. nov., is proposed. Taxonomic analysis showed the closest similarities to A. polymorphous DSM2457 (89.18�) and A. polymorphous ZM13 (89.37�). Gene annotation uncovered various functional genes associated with DBT and other hydrocarbon degradation pathways. Moreover, a significant allocation (4.8�) of unique genes to xenobiotic degradation suggests a novel mechanism for degrading environmental pollutants. This study presents the first evidence of DBT degradation by a novel Ancylobacter species revealing its versatility in hydrocarbon biodegradation and contributing to the understanding of bacterial adaptation to tougher compounds like dibenzothiophene.
publisher: Elsevier Science
date: 2025
type: Article
type: PeerReviewed
relation: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343725003252
identifier:   Tripathi, Varsha and Pal, Shilpee and Subramanian, Srikrishna and Manickam, Natesan  (2025) Unravelling dibenzothiophene degradation pathway in a novel Ancylobacter bharuchii IITR112 and insights from genome analysis.  Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13 (2).  p. 115630.      
relation: http://crdd.osdd.net/open/3284/