Naphthalene degradation and incorporation of naphthalene-derived carbon into biomass by the thermophile Bacillus thermoleovorans.

The thermophilic aerobic bacterium Bacillus thermoleovorans Hamburg 2 grows at 60 degrees C on naphthalene as the sole source of carbon and energy. In batch cultures, an effective substrate degradation was observed. The carbon balance, including naphthalene, metabolites, biomass, and CO(2), was determined by the application of [1-(13)C]naphthalene.

Stability of mutations in a Sphingomonas strain.

Sphingomonas sp. strain RW1 is able to mineralise dibenzofuran and dibenzo-p-dioxin. Three mutants were constructed that could not use dibenzofuran or dibenzo-p-dioxin as a carbon source but were able to grow with the succeeding metabolites of the pathway.

Biosynthesis of a cyclic tautomer of (3-methylmaleyl)acetone from 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzoate by Pseudomonas sp. HH35 but not by Rhodococcus rhodochrous N75.

Here we report that the bacterial catabolism of 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzoic acid 1 takes a different course in Rhodococcus rhodochrous N75 and Pseudomonas sp. strain HH35. The former organism accumulates a degradation metabolite of the acid which we isolated and identified as 2,6-dimethylhydroquinone 2.