Metabolites formed during anaerobic transformation of toluene and o-xylene and their proposed relationship to the initial steps of toluene mineralization

Journal Article · Sat Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States)

OSTI ID:5558701

Evans, P J; Ling, W; Goldschmidt, B; Young, L Y ^[1]; Ritter, E R ^[2]

---

1. New York Univ., NY (United States)
2. New Jersey Inst. of Tech., Newark (United States)

Strain T1 is a facultative bacterium that is capable of anaerobic toluene degradation under denitrifying conditions. While 80% of the carbon from toluene is either oxidized to carbon dioxide or assimilated into cellular carbon, a significant portion of the remainder is transformed into two dead-end metabolites. These metabolites were produced simultaneous to the mineralization of toluene and were identified as benzylsuccinic acid and benzylfumaric acid. Identification was based on comparison of mass spectra of the methyl esters of the metabolites and authentic compounds that were chemically synthesized. Strain T1 is also capable of o-xylene transformation during growth on toluene, o-Xylene does not serve as a source of carbon and is not mineralized. Rather, it is transformed to analogous dead-end metabolites, (2-methylbenzyl)-succinic acid and (2-methyl-benzyl)-fumaric acid. o-Xylene transformation also occurred during growth on succinic acid, which suggests that attack of the methyl group by succinyl-coenzyme A is a key reaction in this transformation. The authors reason that the main pathway for toluene oxidation to carbon dioxide involves a mechanism similar to that for the formation of the metabolites and involves an attack of the methyl group of toluene by acetyl-coenzyme A.

• OSTI ID: 5558701
• Journal Information: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States), Journal Name: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States) Vol. 58:2; ISSN 0099-2240; ISSN AEMID
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550500* -- Metabolism
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
AROMATICS
BACTERIA
BIODEGRADATION
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS
HYDROCARBONS
METABOLITES
MICROORGANISMS
MINERALIZATION
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
SUCCINIC ACID
TOLUENE
XYLENES