Novel intermediates of acenaphthylene degradation by Rhizobium sp. strain CU-A1: evidence for naphthalene-1,8-dicarboxylic acid metabolism

Appl Environ Microbiol. 2006 Sep;72(9):6034-9. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00897-06.

Abstract

The acenaphthylene-degrading bacterium Rhizobium sp. strain CU-A1 was isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil in Thailand. This strain was able to degrade 600 mg/liter acenaphthylene completely within three days. To elucidate the pathway for degradation of acenaphthylene, strain CU-A1 was mutagenized by transposon Tn5 in order to obtain mutant strains deficient in acenaphthylene degradation. Metabolites produced from Tn5-induced mutant strains B1, B5, and A53 were purified by thin-layer chromatography and silica gel column chromatography and characterized by mass spectrometry. The results suggested that this strain cleaved the fused five-membered ring of acenaphthylene to form naphthalene-1,8-dicarboxylic acid via acenaphthenequinone. One carboxyl group of naphthalene-1,8-dicarboxylic acid was removed to form 1-naphthoic acid which was transformed into salicylic acid before metabolization to gentisic acid. This work is the first report of complete acenaphthylene degradation by a bacterial strain.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acenaphthenes / chemistry
  • Acenaphthenes / metabolism*
  • Biodegradation, Environmental
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Models, Chemical
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Molecular Structure
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional
  • Naphthalenes / chemistry
  • Naphthalenes / metabolism*
  • Petroleum
  • RNA, Bacterial / genetics
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
  • Rhizobium / genetics
  • Rhizobium / growth & development
  • Rhizobium / isolation & purification
  • Rhizobium / metabolism*
  • Soil Microbiology
  • Soil Pollutants / metabolism
  • Thailand

Substances

  • Acenaphthenes
  • Naphthalenes
  • Petroleum
  • RNA, Bacterial
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • Soil Pollutants
  • acenaphthylene
  • 1,8-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid

Associated data

  • GENBANK/AY947466