Glutathione S-transferase-encoding gene as a potential probe for environmental bacterial isolates capable of degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Homologs of the glutathione S-transferese (GST)-encoding gene were identified in a collection of aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading Sphingomomas spp. isolated from New Zealand, Antarctica, and the United States by using PCR primers designed from the GST-encoding gene of Sphingomonas paucimobilis. EPA505. Sequence analysis of PCR fragments generated from these isolates and of the GST gene amplified from DNA extracted from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soil revealed a high degree of conservation, which mag make the GST-encoding gene a potentially useful marker for PAH-degrading bacteria.