Chemical intervention in bacterial lignin degradation pathways: Development of selective inhibitors for intradiol and extradiol catechol dioxygenases.

Bacterial lignin degradation could be used to generate aromatic chemicals from the renewable resource lignin, provided that the breakdown pathways can be manipulated. In this study, selective inhibitors of enzymatic steps in bacterial degradation pathways were developed and tested for their effects upon lignin degradation. Screening of a collection of hydroxamic acid metallo-oxygenase inhibitors against two catechol dioxygenase enzymes, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase (3,4-PCD) and 2,3-dihydroxyphenylpropionate 1,2-dioxygenase (MhpB), resulted in the identification of selective inhibitors D13 for 3,4-PCD (IC50 15μM) and D3 for MhpB (IC50 110μM).