Transcriptomes of trichlorobenzenes-respiring Dehalococcoides mccartyi strain CBDB1

Dehalococcoides mccartyi obligately depends on organohalide respiration for energy conservation and growth. The genome of strain CBDB1 encodes 32 reductive dehalogenases, which enable the reductive dehalogenation of a broad range of halogenated compounds. It is one of the few strains able to respire chlorinated benzenes. The differential transcriptional response of the dehalogenase-encoding and –associated genes to halogenated aromatic compounds has so far not been studied on a genome-wide level. To understand the global transcriptional response to specific halogenated aromatic compounds, we analyzed and compared the transcriptomes during growth with 1,2,3- and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB). Overall design: Strain CBDB1 was grown with either 1,2,3- or 1,2,4-TCB as electron acceptor over several transfers. Three replicate samples each were then harvested during the transition from the exponential to the stationary growth phase. RNA was isolated and subjected to RNA-seq and the different expression profiles were compared.