Principal Investigator Anthony Sinskey
Bacteria in the genus Rhodococcus have been found to metabolize a number of recalcitrant environmental contaminants such as halogenated hydrocarbons, pesticides and aromatic compounds. This property makes Rhodococcus valuable in bioremediation strategies. Members of this genus have also proven useful in bioconversion processes in which simple substrates can be metabolized to more complex structures. Because of the stereoselectivity and stringent substrate specificity of the enzymes involved, microbial systems can, in principle, be used to synthesize molecules that would be difficult to synthesize chemically. Developing a fundamental understanding of the physiology and molecular biology of Rhodococcus is an important prerequisite for applying these organisms in industrial processes.
We have been studying several isolates of Rhodococcus including one that can convert the bicyclic hydrocarbon indene into indandiol, an important precursor to the HIV protease inhibitor Crixivan(TM), and others that can metabolize compounds such as toluene, aniline or biphenyls. We are examining the production of secondary metabolites in these organisms, including pigments and possible new antibiotics.