phzO, a gene for biosynthesis of 2-hydrolyated phenazine compounds in Pseudomonas aureofaciens 30-84

Certain strains of root-colonizing fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. produce phe nazines, a class of antifungal metabolites that can provide protection agai nst various soilborne root pathogens. Despite the fact that the phenazine b iosynthetic locus is highly conserved among fluorescent Pseudomonas spp., i ndividual strains differ in the range of phenazine compounds they produce. This study focuses on the ability of Pseudomonas aureofaciens 30-84 to prod uce 2-hydroxyphenazine-1-carboxylic acid (2-OH-PCA) and 2-hydroxyphenazine from the common phenazine metabolite phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA). P. aureofaciens 30-84 contains a novel gene located downstream from the core p henazine operon that encodes a 55-kDa aromatic monooxygenase responsible fo r the hydroxylation of PCA to produce 2-OH-PCA. Knowledge of the genes resp onsible for phenazine product specificity could ultimately reveal ways to m anipulate organisms to produce multiple phenazines or novel phenazines not previously described.