title: Phenyl methyl ethers: novel electron donors for respiratory growth of Desulfitobacterium hafniense and Desulfitobacterium sp. strain PCE-S.
abstract: Desulfitobacterium hafniense and Desulfitobacterium sp. strain PCE-S grew under anoxic conditions with a variety of phenyl methyl ethers as electron donors in combination with fumarate as electron acceptor. The phenyl methyl ethers were O-demethylated to the corresponding phenol compounds. O-demethylation was strictly dependent on the presence of fumarate; no O-demethylation occurred with CO2 as electron acceptor. One mol phenyl methyl ether R-O-CH3 was O-demethylated to R-OH per 3 mol fumarate reduced to succinate. The growth yields with vanillate or syringate plus fumarate were approximately 15 g cells (dry weight) per mol methyl moiety converted. D. hafniense utilized vanillate or syringate as an electron donor for reductive dehalogenation of 3-Cl-4-hydroxyphenylacetate, whereas strain PCE-S was not able to dechlorinate tetrachloroethene with phenyl methyl ethers. Crude extracts of both organisms showed O-demethylase activity in the O-demethylase assay with vanillate or syringate as substrates when the organism was grown on syringate plus fumarate. Besides the homoacetogenic bacteria, only growing cells of Desulfitobacterium frappieri PCP-1 have thus far been reported to be capable of phenyl methyl ether O-demethylation. This present study is the first report of Desulfitobacteria utilizing phenyl methyl ethers as electron donors for fumarate reduction and for growth.
authors.affiliation: Engler-Bunte-Institut, Universität Karlsruhe (TH), Engler-Bunte Ring 1, Lehrstuhl für Technische Biologie, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Engelmann
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Greiser
authors.forename: Adelheid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orthaus
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Diekert
mesh_terms: D000840:Anisoles / Q000378:metabolism*; D045858:Desulfitobacterium / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004579:Electron Transport; D005650:Fumarates / Q000378:metabolism*; D005707:Gallic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010090:Oxidoreductases, O-Demethylating / Q000378:metabolism; D010648:Phenylacetates / Q000378:metabolism; D019802:Succinic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D014641:Vanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000840:Anisoles; D005650:Fumarates; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010648:Phenylacetates; D005707:Gallic Acid; C032005:fumaric acid; D019802:Succinic Acid; C060998:anisole; C001945:syringic acid; D010090:Oxidoreductases, O-Demethylating; D014641:Vanillic Acid