Approximately one\uffe2\uff80\uff90third of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted to the atmosphere consists of isoprene, originating from the terrestrial and marine biosphere, with a profound effect on atmospheric chemistry. However, isoprene provides an abundant and largely unexplored source of carbon and energy for microbes. The potential for isoprene degradation in marine and estuarine samples from the Colne Estuary, UK, was investigated using DNA\uffe2\uff80\uff90Stable Isotope Probing (DNA\uffe2\uff80\uff90SIP). Analysis at two timepoints showed the development of communities dominated by Actinobacteria including members of the genera Mycobacterium, Rhodococcus, Microbacterium and Gordonia. Representative isolates, capable of growth on isoprene as sole carbon and energy source, were obtained from marine and estuarine locations, and isoprene\uffe2\uff80\uff90degrading strains of Gordonia and Mycobacterium were characterised physiologically and their genomes were sequenced. Genes predicted to be required for isoprene metabolism, including four\uffe2\uff80\uff90component isoprene monooxygenases (IsoMO), were identified and compared with previously characterised examples. Transcriptional and activity assays of strains growing on isoprene or alternative carbon sources showed that growth on isoprene is an inducible trait requiring a specific IsoMO. This study is the first to identify active isoprene degraders in estuarine and marine environments using DNA\uffe2\uff80\uff90SIP and to characterise marine isoprene\uffe2\uff80\uff90degrading bacteria at the physiological and molecular level.
", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "570", "Volatile Organic Compounds", "0303 health sciences", "550", "Base Sequence", "610", "QR Microbiology", "Sequence Analysis", " DNA", "Environment", "6. Clean water", "Mixed Function Oxygenases", "Mycobacterium", "03 medical and health sciences", "Hemiterpenes", "13. Climate action", "Pentanes", "Butadienes", "Rhodococcus", "14. Life underwater", "Gordonia Bacterium", "Research Articles", "Genome", " Bacterial", "GE Environmental Sciences"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/63998/4/Published_manuscript.pdf"}, {"href": "http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/1462-2920.13842/fullpdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13842"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1462-2920.13842", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1462-2920.13842", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1462-2920.13842"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2017-07-21T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1073/pnas.1812668115", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:17:33Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-11-30", "title": "Poplar phyllosphere harbors disparate isoprene-degrading bacteria", "description": "The climate-active gas isoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene) is released to the atmosphere in huge quantities, almost equaling that of methane, yet we know little about the biological cycling of isoprene in the environment. Although bacteria capable of growth on isoprene as the sole source of carbon and energy have previously been isolated from soils and sediments, no microbiological studies have targeted the major source of isoprene and examined the phyllosphere of isoprene-emitting trees for the presence of degraders of this abundant carbon source. Here, we identified isoprene-degrading bacteria in poplar tree-derived microcosms by DNA stable isotope probing. The genomes of isoprene-degrading taxa were reconstructed, putative isoprene metabolic genes were identified, and isoprene-related gene transcription was analyzed by shotgun metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. Gram-positive bacteria of the genus Rhodococcus proved to be the dominant isoprene degraders, as previously found in soil. However, a wider diversity of isoprene utilizers was also revealed, notably Variovorax , a genus not previously associated with this trait. This finding was confirmed by expression of the isoprene monooxygenase from Variovorax in a heterologous host. A Variovorax strain that could grow on isoprene as the sole carbon and energy source was isolated. Analysis of its genome confirmed that it contained isoprene metabolic genes with an identical layout and high similarity to those identified by DNA-stable isotope probing and metagenomics. This study provides evidence of a wide diversity of isoprene-degrading bacteria in the isoprene-emitting tree phyllosphere and greatly enhances our understanding of the biodegradation of this important metabolite and climate-active gas.
", "keywords": ["DNA", " Bacterial", "0301 basic medicine", "2. Zero hunger", "570", "0303 health sciences", "QH301 Biology", "Biological Sciences", "15. Life on land", "Mixed Function Oxygenases", "Comamonadaceae", "03 medical and health sciences", "Biodegradation", " Environmental", "Hemiterpenes", "Populus", "13. Climate action", "Butadienes", "Rhodococcus", "Metagenomics", "Genome", " Bacterial", "Phylogeny", "Soil Microbiology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/69197/1/Published_manuscript.pdf"}, {"href": "https://pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.1812668115"}, {"href": "https://repository.essex.ac.uk/23631/1/1812668115.full.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1812668115"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Proceedings%20of%20the%20National%20Academy%20of%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1073/pnas.1812668115", "name": "item", "description": "10.1073/pnas.1812668115", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1073/pnas.1812668115"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-11-29T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1038/s41396-018-0072-6", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:17:16Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-02-14", "title": "Microbial cycling of isoprene, the most abundantly produced biological volatile organic compound on Earth", "description": "AbstractIsoprene (2-methyl-1,3-butadiene), the most abundantly produced biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) on Earth, is highly reactive and can have diverse and often detrimental atmospheric effects, which impact on climate and health. Most isoprene is produced by terrestrial plants, but (micro)algal production is important in aquatic environments, and the relative bacterial contribution remains unknown. Soils are a sink for isoprene, and bacteria that can use isoprene as a carbon and energy source have been cultivated and also identified using cultivation-independent methods from soils, leaves and coastal/marine environments. Bacteria belonging to the Actinobacteria are most frequently isolated and identified, and Proteobacteria have also been shown to degrade isoprene. In the freshwater-sediment isolate, Rhodococcus strain AD45, initial oxidation of isoprene to 1,2-epoxy-isoprene is catalyzed by a multicomponent isoprene monooxygenase encoded by the genes isoABCDEF. The resultant epoxide is converted to a glutathione conjugate by a glutathione S-transferase encoded by isoI, and further degraded by enzymes encoded by isoGHJ. Genome sequence analysis of actinobacterial isolates belonging to the genera Rhodococcus, Mycobacterium and Gordonia has revealed that isoABCDEF and isoGHIJ are linked in an operon, either on a plasmid or the chromosome. In Rhodococcus strain AD45 both isoprene and epoxy-isoprene induce a high level of transcription of 22 contiguous genes, including isoABCDEF and isoGHIJ. Sequence analysis of the isoA gene, encoding the large subunit of the oxygenase component of isoprene monooxygenase, from isolates has facilitated the development of PCR primers that are proving valuable in investigating the ecology of uncultivated isoprene-degrading bacteria.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0301 basic medicine", "570", "0303 health sciences", "550", "QH301 Biology", "Review Article", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water", "Mixed Function Oxygenases", "Actinobacteria", "Soil", "03 medical and health sciences", "Hemiterpenes", "13. Climate action", "Pentanes", "11. Sustainability", "Butadienes", "Microalgae", "Rhodococcus"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/66436/1/Published_manuscript.pdf"}, {"href": "http://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-018-0072-6.pdf"}, {"href": "https://repository.essex.ac.uk/21526/1/s41396-018-0072-6.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-018-0072-6"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/The%20ISME%20Journal", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1038/s41396-018-0072-6", "name": "item", "description": "10.1038/s41396-018-0072-6", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1038/s41396-018-0072-6"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2018-02-20T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1073/pnas.2118014119", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:17:33Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-09-12", "title": "Strong isoprene emission response to temperature in tundra vegetation", "description": "Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are a crucial component of biosphere\uffe2\uff80\uff93atmosphere interactions. In northern latitudes, climate change is amplified by feedback processes in which BVOCs have a recognized, yet poorly quantified role, mainly due to a lack of measurements and concomitant modeling gaps. Hence, current Earth system models mostly rely on temperature responses measured on vegetation from lower latitudes, rendering their predictions highly uncertain. Here, we show how tundra isoprene emissions respond vigorously to temperature increases, compared to model results. Our unique dataset of direct eddy covariance ecosystem-level isoprene measurements in two contrasting ecosystems exhibited Q 10 (the factor by which the emission rate increases with a 10\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc2\uffb0C rise in temperature) temperature coefficients of up to 20.8, that is, 3.5 times the Q 10 of 5.9 derived from the equivalent model calculations. Crude estimates using the observed temperature responses indicate that tundra vegetation could enhance their isoprene emissions by up to 41% (87%)\uffe2\uff80\uff94that is, 46% (55%) more than estimated by models\uffe2\uff80\uff94with a 2\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc2\uffb0C (4\uffe2\uff80\uff89\uffc2\uffb0C) warming. Our results demonstrate that tundra vegetation possesses the potential to substantially boost its isoprene emissions in response to future rising temperatures, at rates that exceed the current Earth system model predictions.
", "keywords": ["550", "Biogenic volatile organic compound fluxes", "Plant Development", "Eddy covariance", "Global Warming", "01 natural sciences", "biosphere\u2013atmosphere interactions", "Atmospheric Sciences", "Hemiterpenes", "VOC emission modeling", "eddy covariance", "Butadienes", "Temperature response", "biosphere-atmosphere interactions", "Tundra", "0105 earth and related environmental sciences", "Volatile Organic Compounds", "Biosphere\u2013atmosphere interactions", "Temperature", "500", "15. Life on land", "biogenic volatile organic compound fluxes", "Climate Action", "13. Climate action", "Physical Sciences", "Earth Sciences", "temperature response"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.2118014119"}, {"href": "https://escholarship.org/content/qt6xn5p3sr/qt6xn5p3sr.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2118014119"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Proceedings%20of%20the%20National%20Academy%20of%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1073/pnas.2118014119", "name": "item", "description": "10.1073/pnas.2118014119", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1073/pnas.2118014119"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-03-28T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1099/mic.0.000931", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:17:50Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2020-05-22", "title": "Microbial metabolism of isoprene: a much-neglected climate-active gas", "description": "The climate-active gas isoprene is the major volatile produced by a variety of trees and is released into the atmosphere in enormous quantities, on a par with global emissions of methane. While isoprene production in plants and its effect on atmospheric chemistry have received considerable attention, research into the biological isoprene sink has been neglected until recently. Here, we review current knowledge on the sources and sinks of isoprene and outline its environmental effects. Focusing on degradation by microbes, many of which are able to use isoprene as the sole source of carbon and energy, we review recent studies characterizing novel isoprene degraders isolated from soils, marine sediments and in association with plants. We describe the development and use of molecular methods to identify, quantify and genetically characterize isoprene-degrading strains in environmental samples. Finally, this review identifies research imperatives for the further study of the environmental impact, ecology, regulation and biochemistry of this interesting group of microbes.
", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "550", "Bacteria", "Review", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "03 medical and health sciences", "Biodegradation", " Environmental", "Hemiterpenes", "Genes", " Bacterial", "13. Climate action", "8. Economic growth", "Butadienes", "Seawater", "Metabolic Networks and Pathways", "Soil Microbiology"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/75324/1/Published_Version.pdf"}, {"href": "https://repository.essex.ac.uk/29368/1/Microbial%20metabolism%20of%20isoprene%20a%20much-neglected%20climate-active%20gas.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.000931"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1099/mic.0.000931", "name": "item", "description": "10.1099/mic.0.000931", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1099/mic.0.000931"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2020-07-01T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1462-2920.16149", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:17:56Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-08-03", "title": "\u2018Omics-guided prediction of the pathway for metabolism of isoprene by Variovorax sp. WS11", "description": "AbstractBacteria that inhabit soils and the leaves of trees partially mitigate the release of the abundant volatile organic compound, isoprene (2\uffe2\uff80\uff90methyl\uffe2\uff80\uff901,3\uffe2\uff80\uff90butadiene). While the initial steps of isoprene metabolism were identified in Rhodococcus sp. AD45 two decades ago, the isoprene metabolic pathway still remains largely undefined. Limited understanding of the functions of isoG, isoJ and aldH and uncertainty in the route of isoprene\uffe2\uff80\uff90derived carbon into central metabolism have hindered our understanding of isoprene metabolism. These previously uncharacterised iso genes are essential in Variovorax sp. WS11, determined by targeted mutagenesis. Using combined \uffe2\uff80\uff98omics\uffe2\uff80\uff90based approaches, we propose the complete isoprene metabolic pathway. Isoprene is converted to propionyl\uffe2\uff80\uff90CoA, which is assimilated by the chromosomally encoded methylmalonyl\uffe2\uff80\uff90CoA pathway, requiring biotin and vitamin B12, with the plasmid\uffe2\uff80\uff90encoded methylcitrate pathway potentially providing robustness against limitations in these vitamins. Key components of this pathway were induced by both isoprene and its initial oxidation product, epoxyisoprene, the principal inducer of isoprene metabolism in both Variovorax sp. WS11 and Rhodococcus sp. AD45. Analysis of the genomes of distinct isoprene\uffe2\uff80\uff90degrading bacteria indicated that all of the genetic components of the methylcitrate and methylmalonyl\uffe2\uff80\uff90CoA pathways are not always present in isoprene degraders, although incorporation of isoprene\uffe2\uff80\uff90derived carbon via propionyl\uffe2\uff80\uff90CoA and acetyl\uffe2\uff80\uff90CoA is universally indicated.
", "keywords": ["Comamonadaceae", "0301 basic medicine", "570", "0303 health sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "Hemiterpenes", "Butadienes", "Rhodococcus", "Research Articles", "Carbon"], "contacts": [{"organization": "Dawson, Robin A., Rix, Gregory D., Crombie, Andrew T., Murrell, J. Colin,", "roles": ["creator"]}]}, "links": [{"href": "https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/87123/1/Environmental_Microbiology_2022_Dawson_Omics_guided_prediction_of_the_pathway_for_metabolism_of_isoprene_by.pdf"}, {"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.16149"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16149"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1462-2920.16149", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1462-2920.16149", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1462-2920.16149"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-08-05T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1111/1462-2920.16325", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:17:56Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-12-26", "title": "Peering down the sink: a review of isoprene metabolism by bacteria", "description": "AbstractIsoprene (2\uffe2\uff80\uff90methyl\uffe2\uff80\uff901,3\uffe2\uff80\uff90butadiene) is emitted to the atmosphere each year in sufficient quantities to rival methane (>500\uffe2\uff80\uff89Tg\uffe2\uff80\uff89C\uffe2\uff80\uff89yr\uffe2\uff88\uff921), primarily due to emission by trees and other plants. Chemical reactions of isoprene with other atmospheric compounds, such as hydroxyl radicals and inorganic nitrogen species (NOx), have implications for global warming and local air quality, respectively. For many years, it has been estimated that soil\uffe2\uff80\uff90dwelling bacteria consume a significant amount of isoprene (~20\uffe2\uff80\uff89Tg\uffe2\uff80\uff89C\uffe2\uff80\uff89yr\uffe2\uff88\uff921), but the mechanisms underlying the biological sink for isoprene have been poorly understood. Studies have indicated or confirmed the ability of diverse bacterial genera to degrade isoprene, whether by the canonical iso\uffe2\uff80\uff90type isoprene degradation pathway or through other less well\uffe2\uff80\uff90characterized mechanisms. Here, we review current knowledge of isoprene metabolism and highlight key areas for further research. In particular, examples of isoprene\uffe2\uff80\uff90degraders that do not utilize the isoprene monooxygenase have been identified in recent years. This has fascinating implications both for the mechanism of isoprene uptake by bacteria, and also for the ecology of isoprene\uffe2\uff80\uff90degraders in the environments.
", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "0303 health sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "Hemiterpenes", "Bacteria", "13. Climate action", "Ecological Microbiology", "Pentanes", "Butadienes", "Plants", "15. Life on land", "6. Clean water"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.16325"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.16325"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1111/1462-2920.16325", "name": "item", "description": "10.1111/1462-2920.16325", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1111/1462-2920.16325"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2023-01-04T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1128/aem.00029-22", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:18:22Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2022-03-14", "title": "Purification and characterisation of the isoprene monooxygenase from Rhodococcus sp. AD45", "description": "Isoprene is a highly abundant climate-active gas and a carbon source for some bacteria. Analyses of the genes encoding isoprene monooxygenase (IsoMO) indicate this enzyme is a soluble diiron center monooxygenase in the same family of oxygenases as soluble methane monooxygenase, alkene monooxygenase, and toluene monooxygenase.
", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "570", "0303 health sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "Hemiterpenes", "Butadienes", "Oxygenases", "Rhodococcus", "Enzymology and Protein Engineering", "540", "Carbon", "Mixed Function Oxygenases", "3. Good health"]}, "links": [{"href": "https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/84237/1/Published_Version.pdf"}, {"href": "https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/aem.00029-22"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00029-22"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Applied%20and%20Environmental%20Microbiology", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1128/aem.00029-22", "name": "item", "description": "10.1128/aem.00029-22", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1128/aem.00029-22"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2022-04-12T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1186/s40168-018-0607-0", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-10-06T16:18:30Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2018-12-07", "title": "Gene probing reveals the widespread distribution, diversity and abundance of isoprene-degrading bacteria in the environment", "description": "Approximately 500\u00a0Tg of isoprene are emitted to the atmosphere annually, an amount similar to that of methane, and despite its significant effects on the climate, very little is known about the biological degradation of isoprene in the environment. Isolation and characterisation of isoprene degraders at the molecular level has allowed the development of probes targeting isoA encoding the \u03b1-subunit of the isoprene monooxygenase. This enzyme belongs to the soluble diiron centre monooxygenase family and catalyses the first step in the isoprene degradation pathway. The use of probes targeting key metabolic genes is a successful approach in molecular ecology to study specific groups of bacteria in complex environments. Here, we developed and tested a novel isoA PCR primer set to study the distribution, abundance, and diversity of isoprene degraders in a wide range of environments.The new isoA probes specifically amplified isoA genes from taxonomically diverse isoprene-degrading bacteria including members of the genera Rhodococcus, Variovorax, and Sphingopyxis. There was no cross-reactivity with genes encoding related oxygenases from non-isoprene degraders. Sequencing of isoA amplicons from DNA extracted from environmental samples enriched with isoprene revealed that most environments tested harboured a considerable variety of isoA sequences, with poplar leaf enrichments containing more phylogenetically diverse isoA genes. Quantification by qPCR using these isoA probes revealed that isoprene degraders are widespread in the phyllosphere, terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Specifically, soils in the vicinity of high isoprene-emitting trees contained the highest number of isoprene-degrading bacteria.This study provides the molecular ecology tools to broaden our knowledge of the distribution, abundance and diversity of isoprene degraders in the environment, which is a fundamental step necessary to assess the impact that microbes have in mitigating the effects of this important climate-active gas.", "keywords": ["0301 basic medicine", "570", "Isoprene", "Climate", "Mixed Function Oxygenases", "Microbial ecology", "Comamonadaceae", "03 medical and health sciences", "Hemiterpenes", "Bacterial Proteins", "Butadienes", "Isoprene monooxygenase", "Rhodococcus", "Gene probes", "14. Life underwater", "Phylogeny", "Soil Microbiology", "DNA Primers", "0303 health sciences", "Bacteria", "Research", "isoA", "QR100-130", "QR Microbiology", "Sequence Analysis", " DNA", "15. Life on land", "Sphingomonadaceae", "Biodegradation", " Environmental", "13. 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