Bacterial degradation of 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetic and 3-ketoglutaric acids.
When grown at the expense of 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetic acid, a species of Arthrobacter readily oxidized 3,4-dihydroxy-5-methoxyphenylacetic acid, but other structurally related aromatic acids were oxidized only slowly. Cell extracts contained a dioxygenase for 3,4-dihydroxy-5-methoxyphenylacetate, and the corresponding trihydroxy acid, which was not attacked by the enzyme, inhibited oxidation of this ring-fission substrate. Cell suspensions did not release carbon dioxide from 3,4-[methoxyl-14C]dihydroxy-5-methoxyphenylacetate but accumulated 1 mol of methanol per mol of 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetate oxidized. A cell extract converted the ring-fission substrate into stoichiometric amounts of pyruvate and acetoacetate, formed from 3-ketoglutarate by the action of an induced decarboxylase. 3-Ketoglutaric acid served as sole source of carbon for many soil isolates.
D000090:Acetoacetates / Q000378:metabolism; D001173:Arthrobacter / Q000378:metabolism*; D002457:Cell Extracts / Q000378:metabolism; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D007656:Ketoglutaric Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D010648:Phenylacetates / Q000378:metabolism*; D011773:Pyruvates / Q000378:metabolism; D019289:Pyruvic Acid
D000090:Acetoacetates; D002457:Cell Extracts; D007656:Ketoglutaric Acids; D010648:Phenylacetates; D011773:Pyruvates; D019289:Pyruvic Acid; C031620:3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetic acid