The Joint Genome Institute of the U.S. Department of Energy undertook the
sequencing of Micrococcus luteus was because of its potential role in bioremediation
and in its importance in biotechnology. In the former sphere it combines two
properties essential to dealing with toxic wastes; the ability to degrade toxic organic
pollutants and tolerance to metals [Sandrin and Maier, 2003]. Often found in
contaminated soils, oil spills and sludge, M. luteus can degrade hydrocarbons and
olefinic compounds [Zhuang, 2003], use biphenyl as a carbon source, and degrade
phthalates [Eaton, 1982]. It harbors a plasmid capable of degrading malathione and
chlorpyriphos [Guha et al., 1997]. A whole repertoire of functions which deal with
metals have been found in M. luteus. It carries out biosorption of strontium [Faison et
al., 1990] and to a lesser degree lead, nickel, and zinc [Lo et al., 2001]. The organism
was utilized in a filtration system bound to gelatin beads for the biosorption of
strontium. Since strontium is an end product of uranium decay, this could be a major
component of atomic energy waste management. There is special interest in its ability
to bind gold [Levchenko et al., 2001]. Interesting variants of M. luteus have been
isolated from gold deposits in Russia, which are able to precipitate gold by
concentrating and crystallizing it on their surface. It has been suggested that these
properties could be used for gold adsorption and concentration from low abundance
ores and depleted deposits [Marakushev, 1991].
In the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, M. luteus may be exploited for its
capability in isoprene synthetic reactions. This is the cornerstone of sterol, carotenoid,
rubber, and fatty acid synthesis and M. luteus has been the platform for isolation of
important enzymes in this most basic of processes, including the cis-prenyltransferase
gene, whose gene product carries out the condensation of isopentyl phosphate with
allelic diphosphate [Oh et al., 2000]. This is an essential step in the biosynthesis of
terpenes, major components of a number of commercial products. The membranes of
M. luteus are rich in enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of prenyl pyrophosphates at
chain lengths between 15 to 45 carbon atoms [Saito and Ogura, 1981].
A number of interesting biological issues are also inherent in the study of M. luteus,
including dormancy without spore formation, resuscitation from dormancy, and the
significance of tetrad formation. Although capable of survival under stress conditions,
such as low temperature and starvation, M. luteus does not form spores as survival
structures, usually thought of as a prerequisite for long term survival in some other
bacteria like Bacilli and Actinomycetes. This capability to survive for long periods in
extreme environments, may well explain their repeated isolation from within
fossilized amber [Greenblatt et. al., 2004]. Of special recent interest is the elucidation
of the resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf) described in Micrococcus luteus
[Mukamolova et al., 2002; Mukamolova et al., 1998; Mukamolova et al., 1999]. This
was the founder member of a family of secreted transglycosylase-like proteins that
can resuscitate bacteria from a dormant state (Kell & Young, 2000; Cohen-Gonsaud
et al., 2005; Mukamolova et al., 2006). M. luteus Rpf can improve the cultivability of
other high G+C organisms with a low plating efficiency many fold. Rpf has many
important implications for the detection and culturing of these organisms, a number of
which are important human pathogens (e.g. Mycobacterium tuberculosis). Genes
similar to rpf have a widespread distribution throughout the actinobacteria and most
organisms, including M. tuberculosis, contain multiple gene homologues. M. luteus is
very unusual in containing only a single, apparently essential rpf-like gene
[Mukamolova, 2002], which makes M. luteus the organism of choice for further work
on the mechanism of restoration of cultivability. The tetrad of Micrococcus luteus
may share with that of Deincoccus radiodurans a special function in DNA repair
[Englander et al., 2004]. Comparative genomics should, therefore, also provide clues
to understanding developmental physiology and morphology in actinobacteria. The
ability to adapt to oligotrophic environments, tolerate toxic metals and organic
compounds may also relate to these morphological alterations. Finally, M. luteus
(formerly Micrococcus lysodeikticus) is of historical interest in microbiology and
medicine, since it played a prominent part in Fleming’s discovery of lysozyme, to
which it shows exquisite sensitivity (Fleming, 1922a,b).
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C., and Keep, N.H. (2005) The structure of a resuscitation-promoting factor
domain from Mycobacterium tuberculosis shows homology to lysozymes. Nat
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2004, DNA Toroids: Framework for DNA repair in Deinococcus radiodurans and
in germinating bacterial spores. J. Bacteriol. 186: 5973-5977.
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strontium by Micrococcus luteus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 56: 3649-3656.
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plasmids in degradation of malathion and chlorpyriphos by Micrococcus sp. Folia.
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autocrine growth factors. Curr Opin Microbiol 3: 238-243.
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