Anaerobic degradation of 2-aminobenzoate (anthranilic acid) by denitrifying bacteria.
In the presence of oxygen many aminoaromatic compounds polymerize to form recalcitrant macromolecules. To circumvent undesirable oxidation reactions, the anaerobic biodegradation of a simple member of this class of compounds was investigated. Two strains of bacteria were isolated which degrade 2-aminobenzoate anaerobically under denitrifying conditions, with nitrate as the terminal electron acceptor. Both organisms, which were assigned to the genus Pseudomonas, oxidized 2-aminobenzoate completely to CO2 and NH4+. Nitrate was reduced to nitrite. When nitrate was deplete from the growth medium the accumulated nitrite was reduced to nitrogen. The results establish a model system for the anaerobic, rapid, and complete oxidation of an aminoaromatic compound.
D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development; D062367:ortho-Aminobenzoates / Q000378:metabolism*
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D062367:ortho-Aminobenzoates