In this work, strain HS-NH1 which utilized phthalate acid esters (PAEs) as sole carbon and energy sources for growth, was isolated and identified as Gordonia sp. Phthalate acid (PA) and protocatechuate acid (PCA) were the major intermediate products by HPLC analysis. The phthalate acid catabolic gene cluster (. phtBAabcdCR) which is responsible for the conversion of PA into PCA in strain HS-NH1 was obtained by genome analysis. The phtB, phtAab, phtAcd and phtC genes were expressed in Escherichia coli. Mixture of PhtAab and PhtAcd were able to c...