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. 1993 May;59(5):1325–1331. doi: 10.1128/aem.59.5.1325-1331.1993

H2-CO2-Dependent Anaerobic O-Demethylation Activity in Subsurface Sediments and by an Isolated Bacterium

Shi Liu 1, Joseph M Suflita 1,*
PMCID: PMC182084  PMID: 16348928

Abstract

The ability of microorganisms in sediments from the Atlantic Coastal Plain to biodegrade methoxylated aromatic compounds was examined. O-demethylation activity was detected in deep (121- and 406-m) sediments, as well as in the surface soil. A syringate-demethylating consortium, containing at least three types of bacteria, was enriched from a deep-sediment sample in a medium containing syringate as the sole organic carbon source and with a N2-CO2 atmosphere. An isolate which demethylated syringate was obtained from the enrichment on an agar medium incubated under a H2-CO2 but not a N2-CO2 or N2 atmosphere. O demethylation of syringate of this isolate was dependent on the presence of both H2 and CO2 in the gas phase. The metabolism of syringate occurred in a sequential manner: methylgallate accumulated transiently before it was converted to gallate. Mass balance analysis suggests that the stoichiometry of the reaction in this isolate proceeds in accordance with the following generalized equation: C7H3O3(OCH3)n- + nHCO3- + nH2 → C7H3O3(OH)n- + nCH3COO- + nH2O.

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Selected References

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