putida

Pseudomonas putida is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium commonly found in soil and water. It is an aerobic, non-fermentative organism, typically motile by a single polar flagellum, and belongs to the genus Pseudomonas. P. putida displays high metabolic versatility, enabling growth on diverse carbon sources and resilience to environmental stresses.

It inhabits soils and the rhizosphere, where it can colonize plant roots and contribute to nutrient cycling. Some strains promote plant growth indirectly by suppressing pathogens or enhancing nutrient availability. The species exhibits substantial genetic diversity, with many isolates adapted to particular environments.

P. putida can degrade a broad range of organic pollutants, including hydrocarbons such as toluene, xylene and chlorinated solvents. It carries plasmid- and chromosome-encoded catabolic pathways, including tod and xyl gene clusters, enabling oxidative degradation via dioxygenase-initiated pathways. This makes it useful for bioremediation and biocatalysis.

The KT2440 strain is a well-studied model organism; its genome has been sequenced and it serves as a chassis for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. P. putida is also explored for production of value-added compounds, bioremediation strategies, and biosensors for environmental monitoring.

Generally regarded as safe for laboratory work (BSL-1). While it is not considered a human pathogen, incidental opportunistic infections are rare and typically associated with compromised individuals or sites of infection; appropriate laboratory precautions are required.