Accumulation of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) from Octanoate in Different Pseudomonas Belonging to the rRNA Homology Group I

It is admitted that one of the characteristics of pseudomonads is their inability to accumulate poly(3-hydroxybutyrate). In this paper, we show that poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) synthesis is restricted to Pseudomonas rRNA homology group I, which includes both fluorescent and nonfluorescent species. However, within the genus Pseudomonas, the P. aeruginosa complex can be subdivided into two groups: the “ P.aeruginosa group”, which includes P. aeruginosa, P. alcaligenes, P. citronellolis, P. mendocina, produce poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) from octanoate and the “ P. oleovorans group” which includes the type strain of P. oleovorans, P. pseudoalcaligenes and two Pseudomonas sp., produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) during cultivation on octanoate. Strain GPo1 (ATCC 29347) formely identified as P. oleovorans and known to produce various medium-side-chain PHAs such as poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) has been reclassified in the P. putida complex.