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. 1973 Aug;26(2):176–184. doi: 10.1128/am.26.2.176-184.1973

Degradation of Methoxylated Benzoic Acids by a Nocardia from a Lignin-Rich Environment: Significance to Lignin Degradation and Effect of Chloro Substituents

R L Crawford 1,2, Elizabeth McCoy 1,2, J M Harkin 1,2, T K Kirk 1,2, J R Obst 1,2
PMCID: PMC379747  PMID: 4743871

Abstract

Strain A81 of Nocardia corallina hydroxylates or demethylates p-anisic acid to p-hydroxybenzoic acid and isovanillic acid. It demethylates veratric acid to a mixture of vanillic and isovanillic acids. These are both demethylated to protocatechuic acid, which undergoes ring cleavage to afford β-carboxy-cis-cis-muconic acid. The intermediacy of protocatechuic acid in the catabolic pathway of veratric acid was confirmed by blocking ring cleavage with an additional substituent in the ring: 5-chlorovanillic acid was demethylated to 5-chloro-protocatechuic acid, which accumulated. Chloro substituents in the ring of other methoxylated benzoic acids also arrested their normal metabolism by the Nocardia: an ortho-chloro substituent thwarted both demethylation and ring-opening. ortho-Hydroxylation of p-methoxybenzoic acid to isovanillic acid was unaffected by a chlorine ortho to the methoxyl group. Washed whole cells of veratric acid-grown N. corallina A81 produced no detected structural changes in an isolated lignin. The implications of this observation are discussed.

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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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