The long-chain alkane metabolism network of Alcanivorax dieselolei

Alkane-degrading bacteria are ubiquitous in marine environments, but little is known about how alkane degradation is regulated. Here we investigate alkane sensing, chemotaxis, signal transduction, uptake and pathway regulation in Alcanivorax dieselolei. The outer membrane protein OmpS detects the presence of alkanes and triggers the expression of an alkane chemotaxis complex. The coupling protein CheW2 of the chemotaxis complex, which is induced only by long-chain (LC) alkanes, sends signals to trigger the expression of Cyo, which participates in modulating the expression of the negative regulator protein AlmR. This change in turn leads to the expression of ompT1 and almA, which drive the selective uptake and hydroxylation of LC alkanes, respectively. AlmA is confirmed as a hydroxylase of LC alkanes. Additional factors responsible for the metabolism of medium-chain-length alkanes are also identified, including CheW1, OmpT1 and OmpT2. These results provide new insights into alkane metabolism pathways from alkane sensing to degradation.