In members of the family Rhizobiaceae, many phenolic compounds are degraded by the protocatechuate branch of the beta-ketoadipate pathway. In this paper we describe a novel pattern of induction of protocatechuate (pca) genes in Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar trifolii. Isolation of pca mutant strains revealed that 4-hydroxybenzoate, quinate, and 4-coumarate are degraded via the protocatechuate pathway. At least three inducers govern catabolism of 4-hydroxybenzoate to succinyl coenzyme A and acetyl coenzyme A. The enzyme that catalyzes the initial step is induced by its substrate, whereas the catabolite beta-carboxy-cis,cis-muconate induces enzymes for the upper protocatechuate pathway, and beta-ketoadipate elicits expression of the enzyme for a subsequent step, beta-ketoadipate succinyl-coenzyme A transferase. Elucidation of the induction pattern relied in part on complementation of mutant Rhizobium strains by known subclones of Acinetobacter genes expressed off the lac promoter in a broad-host-range vector.