title: Hydrocarbon metabolism by Brevibacterium erythrogenes: normal and branched alkanes.
abstract: Branched- and straight-chain alkanes are metabolized by Brevibacterium erythrogenes by means of two distinct pathways. Normal alkanes (e.g., n-pentadecane) are degraded, after terminal oxidation, by the beta-oxidation system operational in fatty acid catabolism. Branched alkanes like pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane) and 2-methylundecane are degraded as dicarboxylic acids, which also undergo beta-oxidation. Pristane-derived intermediates are observed to accumulate, with time, as a series of dicarboxylic acids. This dicarboxylic acid pathway is not observed in the presence of normal alkanes. Release of (14)CO(2) from [1-(14)C]pristane is delayed, or entirely inhibited, in the presence of n-hexadecane, whereas CO(2) release from n-hexadecane remains unaffected. These results suggest an inducible dicarboxylic acid pathway for degradation of branched-chain alkanes.
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001951:Brevibacterium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D003998:Dicarboxylic Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D003998:Dicarboxylic Acids; D002245:Carbon Dioxide