Biochemical evidence that phaZ gene encodes a specific intracellular medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate depolymerase in Pseudomonas putida KT2442: characterization of a paradigmatic enzyme.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) can be catabolized by many microorganisms using intra- or extracellular PHA depolymerases. Most of our current knowledge of these intracellular enzyme-coding genes comes from the analysis of short chain length PHA depolymerases, whereas medium chain length PHA (mcl-PHA) intracellular depolymerization systems still remained to be characterized. The phaZ gene of some Pseudomonas putida strains has been identified only by mutagenesis and complementation techniques as putative intracellular mcl-PHA depolymerase.