Background: Rhodococci are bacteria able to degrade a wide range of hydrocarbons, including the alkanes present in crude oil, due to alk genes in their genomes.
Findings: Genome sequencing of DNA from Rhodococcus erythropolis strain 4 (obtained from a deep-water bitumen mound) revealed four alk genes, and the predicted amino acid sequences coded by these genes were highly conserved, having sections up to 11 amino acid residues.
Conclusions: Obtained four genes from Rhodococcus erythropolis were similar to corresponding genes from other bacteria collected from other environments, including marine sources. This indicated a large-scale horizontal alk gene transfer between bacteria from different subgenera.
Keywords: Alkane hydroxylases; Lake Baikal; Natural oil seep; Rhodococcus erythropolis.