Life in Plastic…It’s Fantastic: Degradation of BisphenolA in ElizabethkingiaAnophelis affected by Cefotaxand Imipenem

Abstract

When researching the Elizabethkingiaanophelis R26 genome, we utilized the RAST database and PATRIC database to find a specific pathway that was important in understanding this bascteria. We used the PATRIC database to find five genes from the BisphenolA degradation pathway, the same chemical that is commonly found in plastic. BPA is a health concern today for the possible effects it has on our health and brain (1). We each researched a different gene and found what functions they do and what proteins or enzymes they contain. In general, the genes we researched had several similarities, for most of the genes catalyze or reverse certain reactions for a type of alcohol. Also the majority contained the enzyme dehydrogenase, present in four out of the five genes researched (2, 3).After researching each gene and recording all of our data, we went back to the PATRIC database (4) to obtain the DNA sequence of the genes. BLAST allowed us to find our specific genes in the RAST database (5) and view their placement in the E. anophelis genome. The gene numbers from RAST were used to find the RNAseqand record the transcription patterns expressed in Cefotaxand Imipenem. For some genes, their level of expression increased in the presence of Cefotaxand Imipenem, while for others their expression decreased.