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. 1990 Nov;56(11):3450–3457. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.11.3450-3457.1990

Chloromethane, Methyl Donor in Veratryl Alcohol Biosynthesis in Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Other Lignin-Degrading Fungi

David B Harper 1,*, John A Buswell 1,†, James T Kennedy 1, John T G Hamilton 1
PMCID: PMC184980  PMID: 16348350

Abstract

Chloromethane, a gaseous natural product implicated in methylation processes in Phellinus pomaceus, has been shown to act as methyl donor in veratryl alcohol biosynthesis in the lignin-degrading fungi Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Phlebia radiata, and Coriolus versicolor, none of which released detectable amounts of CH3Cl during growth. When P. chrysosporium was grown in a medium containing C2H3Cl, levels of C2H3 incorporation into the 3- and 4-O-methyl groups of veratryl alcohol were very high and initially similar to those observed when the medium was supplemented with l-[methyl-2H3]methionine. When C2H3Cl was added to cultures actively synthesizing veratryl alcohol, incorporation of C2H3 was very rapid, with 81% of veratryl alcohol labeled after 12 h. By contrast, incorporation of C2H3 from l-[methyl-2H3]methionine was comparatively slow, attaining 10% after 12 h. It is proposed that these lignin-degrading fungi possess a tightly channeled multienzyme system in which CH3Cl biosynthesis is closely coupled to CH3Cl utilization for methylation of veratryl alcohol precursors.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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