Strain-level diversity in sulfonamide biodegradation: adaptation of Paenarthrobacter to sulfonamides

The widespread occurrence of sulfonamides raises significant concerns about the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance genes. Biodegradation represents not only a resistance mechanism but also a clean-up strategy. Meanwhile, dynamic and diverse environments could influence the cellular function of individual sulfonamide-degrading strains. Here, we present Paenarthrobacter from different origins that demonstrated diverse growth patterns and sulfonamide-degrading abilities. Generally, the degradation performance was largely associated with the number of sadA gene copies and also relied on its genotype. Based on the survey of sad genes in the public database, an independent mobilization of transposon-borne genes between chromosome and plasmid was observed. Insertions of multiple sadA genes could greatly enhance sulfonamide-degrading performance. Moreover, the sad gene cluster and sadA transposable element showed phylogenetic conservation currently, being identified only in two genera of Paenarthrobacter (Micrococcaceae) and Microbacterium (Microbacteriaceae). Meanwhile, Paenarthrobacter exhibited a high capacity for genome editing to adapt to the specific environmental niche, opening up new opportunities for bioremediation applications.