Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40346253›Full record

ArticleNature chemical biology2025

Biosurfactant biosynthesis by Alcanivorax borkumensis and its role in oil biodegradation.

Jiaxin Cui, Maximilian Fassl, Vaisnavi Vasanthakumaran, Maya Marita Dierig, Georg Hölzl, Tobias Karmainski, Till Tiso, Sonja Kubicki, Stephan Thies, Lars M Blank and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature chemical biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Jiaxin CuiInstitute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4531-0390
Maximilian FasslInstitute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Vaisnavi VasanthakumaranInstitute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Maya Marita DierigInstitute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-3163-8242
Georg HölzlInstitute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Tobias KarmainskiInstitute of Applied Microbiology-iAMB, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6589-2626
Till TisoInstitute of Applied Microbiology-iAMB, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4420-5609
Sonja KubickiInstitute for Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Jülich, Germany.
Stephan ThiesInstitute of Bio- and Geosciences IBG 1, Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4240-9149
Lars M BlankInstitute for Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Jülich, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0961-4976
Karl-Erich JaegerInstitute for Molecular Enzyme Technology, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Jülich, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6036-0708
Peter DörmannInstitute of Molecular Physiology and Biotechnology of Plants, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. doermann@uni-bonn.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5845-9370

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) Fuel Science Center EXC-2186Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) PhenoRob EXC-2070-390732324
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The marine bacterium Alcanivorax borkumensis degrades alkanes derived from phytoplankton, natural hydrocarbon seeps and oil spills. We study the biosynthesis and function of a glycine-glucolipid biosurfactant from A. borkumensis for alkane degradation and identify a gene cluster encoding a nonribosomal peptide synthetase, glycosyltransferase and phosphopantetheinyl transferase. Analyses of A. borkumensis mutants and expression studies reveal that the nonribosomal peptide synthetase catalyzes the synthesis of the aglycone (tetra-D-3-hydroxydecanoyl-glycine) from glycine and D-3-hydroxydecanoyl-CoA, to which a glucose moiety is added by the glycosyltransferase. Deficiency in glycine-glucolipid impairs the ability of mutant cells to attach to the oil-water interface, compromises growth on hexadecane and affects carbon storage. The glycine-glucolipid is essential for biofilm formation on oil droplets and uptake of alkanes. The high incidence of Alcanivorax at oil-polluted sites can in part be explained by the accumulation of the glycine-glucolipid on the cell surface, effectively making the cells themselves act as biosurfactants.

Indexed as

AlcanivoraceaeSurface-Active AgentsAlkanesBacterial ProteinsBiodegradation, EnvironmentalBiofilmsGlycineGlycosyltransferasesMultigene FamilyPeptide SynthasesTransferases (Other Substituted Phosphate Groups)AlkanesBacterial ProteinsGlycineGlycosyltransferasesnon-ribosomal peptide synthasePeptide Synthasesphosphopantetheinyl transferaseSurface-Active AgentsTransferases (Other Substituted Phosphate Groups)

Identifiers

PMID40346253

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.