Utilization of diverse organophosphorus pollutants by marine bacteria

Anthropogenic organophosphorus compounds (AOPCs), such as phosphotriesters, areused extensively as plasticizers,flame retardants, nerve agents, and pesticides. To date,only a handful of soil bacteria bearing a phosphotriesterase (PTE), the key enzyme inthe AOPC degradation pathway, have been identified. Therefore, the extent to whichbacteria are capable of utilizing AOPCs as a phosphorus source, and how widespreadthis adaptation may be, remains unclear. Marine environments with phosphorus limita-tion and increasing levels of pollution by AOPCs may drive the emergence of PTEactivity. Here, we report the utilization of diverse AOPCs by four model marine bacte-ria and 17 bacterial isolates from the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. To unravelthe details of AOPC utilization, two PTEs from marine bacteria were isolated and char-acterized, with one of the enzymes belonging to a protein family that, to our know-ledge, has never before been associated with PTE activity. When expressed inEscherichia coliwith a phosphodiesterase, a PTE isolated from a marine bacteriumenabled growth on a pesticide analog as the sole phosphorus source. Utilization ofAOPCs may provide bacteria a source of phosphorus in depleted environments andoffers a prospect for the bioremediation of a pervasive class of anthropogenic pollutants.