Bacillus sp. YC7 from intestines of Lasioderma serricorne degrades nicotine due to nicotine dehydrogenase

Abstract

A large number of nicotine-containing wastes produced during the tobacco manufacturing process are seriously harmful to the environment and human health. The degradation and transformation of nicotine-containing environmental contaminants to harmless substances has become an urgent requirement. Lasioderma serricorne can grow and reproduce in nicotine-rich sources, and their intestinal microbiota show promising potential to degrade and utilize nicotine. The purpose of this study is to screen and identify nicotine-degrading bacteria from the intestines of L. serricorne and explore their degradation characteristics. A dominant strain, YC7, with significant nicotine degradation capabilities was isolated from the intestines of L. serricorne. The strain was identified as Bacillus using a polyphasic approach. The test results showed it can produce multiple enzymes that include β-glucosidase, cellulase, proteases, and amylases. The nicotine-degrading bacteria were functionally annotated using databases. Nicotine dehydrogenase (NDH) was found by combining an activity tracking test and protein mass spectrometry analysis. The YC-7 NDH in the pathway was molecularly docked and functionally verified via the gene knockdown method. The binding ability of nicotine to nicotine-degrading enzymes was investigated using molecular docking. A high-efficiency nicotine-degrading bacteria, YC-7, was isolated and screened from tobacco, and the gene functions related to degradation were verified. This investigation provides a new hypothesis for screening nicotine-degrading bacteria and increases our knowledge of potential nicotine-degrading microbial sources.

Insights into Pharmacological Activities of Nicotine and 6-Hydroxy-L-nicotine, a Bacterial Nicotine Derivative: A Systematic Review

“…It is hence no surprise that this ecological niche was occupied by microorganisms that have evolved genes and pathways to utilize this compound to sustain cell growth. Bacteria that have evolved NIC degradation pathways include strains of Paenarthrobacter [103,104], Arthrobacter [105][106][107], Pseudomonas [108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117], Agrobacterium [118,119], Nocardioides [120,121], Ochrobactrum [122][123][124], Shinella [125,126], Acinetobacter [127,128], Bacillus [129,130], Sphingomonas [131,132], Pusillimonas [133], Rhodococus [121,134,135], and Ensifer [15,136].…”

Insights into the Brain Effects of a Bacterial Nicotine Derivative – 6-Hydroxy-L-Nicotine

“…It is hence no surprise that this ecological niche was occupied by microorganisms that have evolved genes and pathways to utilize this compound to sustain cell growth. Bacteria that have evolved NIC degradation pathways include strains of Paenarthrobacter [79,80], Arthrobacter [81][82][83], Pseudomonas [84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93], Agrobacterium [94], Nocardioides [95,96], Ochrobactrum [97][98][99], Shinella [100,101], Acinetobacter [102], Bacillus [103,104], Sphingomonas [105] Pusilimonas [106] Rhodococus [96,107,108] and Ensifer [109].…”