Enzymatic Specific Production and Chemical Functionalization of Phenylpropanone Platform Monomers from Lignin.

Enzymatic catalysis is an ecofriendly strategy for the production of high-value low-molecular-weight aromatic compounds from lignin. Although well-definable aromatic monomers have been obtained from synthetic lignin-model dimers, enzymatic-selective synthesis of platform monomers from natural lignin has not been accomplished. In this study, we successfully achieved highly specific synthesis of aromatic monomers with a phenylpropane structure directly from natural lignin using a cascade reaction of β-O-4-cleaving bacterial enzymes in one pot.

Combination of six enzymes of a marine Novosphingobium converts the stereoisomers of β-O-4 lignin model dimers into the respective monomers.

Lignin, an aromatic polymer of phenylpropane units joined predominantly by β-O-4 linkages, is the second most abundant biomass component on Earth. Despite the continuous discharge of terrestrially produced lignin into marine environments, few studies have examined lignin degradation by marine microorganisms. Here, we screened marine isolates for β-O-4 cleavage activity and determined the genes responsible for this enzymatic activity in one positive isolate.

Draft Genome Sequence of Novosphingobium sp. Strain MBES04, Isolated from Sunken Wood from Suruga Bay, Japan.

This report describes the draft genome sequence of Novosphingobium sp. strain MBES04, isolated from sunken wood from Suruga Bay, Japan, which is capable of degrading a wide range of lignin-related aromatic monomers. The draft genome sequence contains 5,361,448 bp, with a G+C content of 65.