Simultaneous metabolism of chloro- and methyl-aromatic compounds by selected bacterial strains. Final report, 20 August 1991-19 August 1992

Technical Report · Thu May 27 00:00:00 EDT 1993

OSTI ID:5915186

Focht, D D

Microorganisms are frequently able to degrade anthropogenic materials using pathways that evolved for the assimilation of related naturally-occurring compounds. Complications can arise, however, during the metabolism of mixtures when incompatible intermediates are formed from different components. The breakdown of chloro- and methyl-aromatics, for example, produces catechols which are oxidized differently: chlorocatechols are normally cleaved by ortho fission and methylcatechols by meta fission. If both systems act simultaneously, suicide substrates or dead-end metabolites are usually formed. Nevertheless, bacteria differ in their, ability to cope with such mixtures. A unique bacterium, Pseudomonas cepacia MB2 was isolated by selective enrichment on 2-methylbenzoate, yet was also able to fortuitously utilize 3-chloro-2-methylbenzoate as a sole carbon source. This strain is unique in its ability to utilize an aromatic acid containing both a methyl and chloro substituent via the metafission pathway without the production of suicidal products.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Riverside, CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5915186
• Report Number(s): AD-A-267689/8/XAB; CNN: AFOSR-91-0385
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
AROMATICS
BIODEGRADATION
METABOLISM
PSEUDOMONAS
BIOLOGICAL PATHWAYS
BIOCHEMISTRY
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
METABOLITES
BACTERIA
CHEMISTRY
DECOMPOSITION
HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
550200* - Biochemistry
550500 - Metabolism
400200 - Inorganic
Organic
& Physical Chemistry