Using morpholine as sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy, strain HE5 (DSM 44238) was isolated from forest soil. The isolated strain was identified as a member of the subgroup of fast-growing Mycobacterium species as revealed by 16S rDNA analysis. An identity of 99.4% was obtained to Mycobacterium gilvum; however, the type strain was unable to utilize morpholine. A maximal growth rate of 0.17 h(-1) was observed at a morpholine concentration of 30 mM, 30 degrees C and pH 7.2. The substrate was tolerated at concentrations up to 100 mM. Besides morpholine, the strain utilized pyrrolidine, piperidine and proposed intermediates in morpholine metabolism such as glycolate, glyoxylate and ethanolamine. Degradation of morpholine, piperidine and pyrrolidine by resting or permeabilized cells was strictly dependent on the presence of oxygen. Addition of the cytochrome-P450-specific inhibitor metyrapone to the growth medium resulted in a significantly decreased growth rate if these cyclic amines were used as a substrate. Carbon monoxide difference spectra of crude extracts from cells grown on these substrates compared to spectra obtained for extracts of succinate-grown cells indicated that cytochrome P450 is specifically expressed during growth on the cyclic amines. These data indicated that a cytochrome-P450-dependent monooxygenase is involved in the degradation of the three cyclic amines.