title: Microbial degradation of alkylbenzenesulphonates. Metabolism of homologues of short alkyl-chain length by an Alcaligenes sp.
abstract: 1. An organism isolated from sewage and identified as an Alcaligenes sp. utilized benzenesulphonate, toluene-p-sulphonate or phenylethane-p-sulphonate as sole source of carbon and energy for growth. Higher alkylbenzenesulphonate homologues and the hydrocarbons, benzene, toluene, phenylethane and 1-phenyldodecane were not utilized. 2. 2-Phenylpropanesulphonate was metabolized to 4-isopropylcatechol. 3. 1-Phenylpropanesulphonate was metabolized to an ortho-diol, which was tentatively identified, in the absence of an authentic specimen, as 4-n-propylcatechol. 4. In the presence of 4-isopropylcatechol, which inhibited catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, 4-ethylcatechol accumulated in cultures growing on phenylethane-p-sulphonate. 5. Authentic samples of catechol, 3-methylcatechol, 4-methylcatechol, 4-ethylcatechol and 3-isopropylcatechol were oxidized by heat-treated extracts to the corresponding 2-hydroxyalkylmuconic semialdehydes. Ring cleavage occurred between C-2 and C-3. 6. The catechol derived from 1-phenylpropanesulphonate was oxygenated by catechol 2,3-dioxygenase to a compound with all the properties of a 2-hydroxyalkylmuconic semialdehyde, but it was not rigorously identified. 7. The catechol 2,3-dioxygenase induced by growth on benzenesulphonate, toluene-p-sulphonate or phenylethane-p-sulphonate showed a constant ratio of specific activities with catechol, 3-methylcatechol, 4-methylcatechol and 4-ethylcatechol that was independent of the growth substrate. At 60 degrees C, activity towards these substrates declined at an identical first-order rate. 8. Enzymes of the ;ortho' pathway of catechol metabolism were present in small amounts in cells grown on benzenesulphonate, toluene-p-sulphonate or phenylethane-p-sulphonate. 9. The catechol 1,2-dioxygenase oxidized the alkylcatechols, but the rates and the total extents of oxidation were less than for catechol itself. The oxidation products of these alkylcatechols were not further metabolized.
mesh_terms: D000421:Alcaligenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D000476:Alkanesulfonates / Q000378:metabolism*; D001557:Benzenesulfonates / Q000378:metabolism*; D002396:Catechols / Q000378:metabolism; D002498:Centrifugation; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D002854:Chromatography, Paper; D007700:Kinetics; D010105:Oxygenases; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D014105:Tosyl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D014465:Ultrasonics
chemical_list: D000476:Alkanesulfonates; D001557:Benzenesulfonates; D002396:Catechols; D014105:Tosyl Compounds; D010105:Oxygenases