Recombinant expression of Toluene o-Xylene Monooxygenase (ToMO) from Pseudomonas stutzeri OX1 in the marine Antarctic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125.

The psychrophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis TAC125, isolated from Antarctic seawater, was used as recipient for a biodegradative gene of the mesophilic Pseudomonas stutzeri OX1. tou cluster, coding for Toluene-o-Xylene Monooxygenase (ToMO), was successfully cloned and expressed into a “cold expression” vector. Catalytic parameters of the recombinant micro organisms on three different substrates were determined and compared with those exhibited by Escherichia coli recombinant cells expressing ToMO. Production of a catalytically efficient TAC/tou micro organism supports the possibility of developing specific degradative capabilities for the bioremediation of chemically contaminated marine environments and of industrial effluents characterised by low temperatures.