Rhodococcus erythropolis strain:kb1 Genome sequencing. Rhodococcus erythropolis strain:kb1

4-Nitroaniline (4NA), the starting material for the first synthesized azo dye, is a toxic compound found in industrial wastewaters . Several bacterial strains capable of 4NA biodegradation were previously reported but the details of the catabolic pathway were not established. We isolated a Rhodococcus sp. by selective enrichment from 4NA-contaminated soil. When grown on 4NA, the isolate released a stoichiometric amount of nitrite followed by less than stoichiometric ammonia release. Enzyme assays coupled with respirometry provided preliminary evidence that the first and second steps of 4NA degradation involve monooxygenase catalyzed reactions followed by ring cleavage prior to deamination. Sequencing and annotation of the whole genome revealed candidate monooxygenases