Center for Environmental Biotechnology
Institute of Microbiology
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tel: 86-10-64807423
E-mail: liusj@im.ac.cn
Research Area
Environmental microbiology.
Shuangjiang Liu
Ph.D., Professor
Professional Activities
Principle Investigator and deputy director of Environmental Biotechnology Research
Center, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences;
Vice president of the Academic Committee of Institute of Microbiology and one of the
associate editors of the international journal Microbes and Environments.
Current Research
His laboratory is mainly interested in microbial degradation of organic compounds and
development of biotechnology for environmental protection, pollution control and
bioremediation of polluted soil. We also concern with the diversity of microbes at the
special environment and catabolism mechanism of sulfur at conditions which are
extremely thermal and acidic.
1．Functional genomic research on aromatic compound degradation in Corynebacterium
glutamicum. Corynebacterium glutamicum produces several amino acids commercially
and is a model organism to study physiology and biochemistry of this group of bacteria,
but the current knowledge at genetic level about aromatic compound metabolism is rare.
In our research, it was predicted that at least five main pathways for the catabolism of
central aromatic intermediates exist in this bacteria. Six genes involved in the gentisate
Fig. 1 The genetic organization of
cnb
genes
involved
4-chloronitrobenzene
in
(4-CNB)
degradation and some other genes of
a 34 kb fragment from Comamonas
strain CNB-1, and comparison of
the cnb gene clusters to other gene
clusters involved in nitrobenzene
degradation.
pathway were functionally identified. A GSH-independent gentisate pathway was
proposed and genes involved in this pathway were identified.
2．Chlorinated nitroaromatic compounds such as chloronitrobenzenes (CNBs) are
massively produced and are widely used as intermediates for chemical syntheses
of drugs, herbicides and dyes etc. Most of these compounds are from industrial
productions, which are severe poison in the environment. A bacterial strain that
degrades 4-chloronitrobenzene was isolated from activated sludge of wastewater
treatment plant treating wastewater from a chemical factory. This strain was
identified as Comamonas sp. CNB-1, which took 4-chloronitrobenzene as sole
carbon, nitrogen and energy source. Through the efforts of molecular biology,
biochemistry, cells bioconversion and analytical chemistry approaches, the
catabolism mechanism of 4-chloronitrobenzene by CNB-1 was systematically
investigated in our research.
3. Isolation and identification of microbes from diverse environment are also our
interesting research areas. We have isolated several kinds of bacteria, including
Novosphingobium taihuensum, and some of them can degraded aromatic
compounds.
Fig. 2
Cloning and expression in E. coli
of five ring-cleavage dioxygenases of
C. glutamicum.
Fig.3 Scanning electronic
micrograph of Comamonas
sp. CNB-1
Selected publications
[1]. X-H Shen, C-Y Jiang, Y Huang, Z-P Liu, S-J Liu 2005. Functional identification of
novel genes involved in the glutathione- independent gentisate pathway in
Corynebacterium glutamicum. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 3442-3452
[2]. J-F Wu, C-W Sun, C-Y Jiang, Z-P Liu, and S-J Liu 2005. A novel 2-aminophenol
1,6-dioxygenase involved in the degradation of p- chloronitrobenzene by
Comamonas strain CNB-1: purification, properties, genetic cloning and expression in
Escherichia coli. Arch. Microbiol. 183:1-8.
[3]. Z-W Chen, C-Y Jiang, Q She, S-J Liu, P-J Zhou 2005. Key role of Cysteine
Residues in catalysis and Subcellular Localization of Sulfur Oxygenase Reductase of
Acidianus tengchongensis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 621-628
[4]. Xi-Hui Shen, Yan Huang, S-J Liu 2005. Genomic analysis and identification of
catabolic pathways for aromatic compounds in Corynebacterium glutamicum.
Microbes and Environments. 20(3), 160-167
[5]. Zhi-Pei Liu, Bao-Jun Wang, Ying-Hao Liu, and Shuang-Jiang Liu 2005.
Novosphingobium taihuense sp. nov. a new aromatic compound- degrading
bacterium isolated from Taihu Lake, China. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 55: 1229 1232.
Patents
Shuang-Jiang Liu, Jian-Feng Wu, Zhi-Pei Liu, Bao-Jun Wang, Cheng-Ying Jiang, and
Xi-Hui Shen. One p-chloronitrobenzene-degrading Comamonas sp. and its application.
China, 2003101143377 14/11/2003
Laboratory Staff
Zhipei Liu Associate Professor
Liuzp@sun.im.ac.cn
Baojun Wang Associate Professor
Wangbj@sun.im.ac.cn
Chengying Jiang Assistant Professor
Jiangcy@sun.im.ac.cn
Postdoctoral Fellows
Xin Dai,
Suwei Qi
Students
Jianfeng Wu， 2002-2006
Jie
Feng,
2002-2005
Zhiwei Chen， 2001-2006
Lei Liu，
2003-2006
Yan Huang, 2002-2007
Xinyu Liu， 2002-2007
Yanyang
Liu
，
2003-2006
Zhongwen
Wang
2004-2007
Henglin Cui， 2004-2007
Yong Yang，
2004-2007
M. Tausif Chaudhry
2004-2007
Naeem ud Din Ahmed 2004-2007
Yingfei Ma， 2005-2008
Yun Zhang，
2005-2008
Yajie Yin，
2004-2009
Tao Zhang，
2003-2006
Ling Huang， 2004-2007
Kexin Zhao， 2004-2009
Visiting scholars
Jiaoyan Ying, 2003-2006