title: Aerobic biotransformation of 3-methylindole to ring cleavage products by Cupriavidus sp. strain KK10.
abstract: 3-Methylindole, also referred to as skatole, is a pollutant of environmental concern due to its persistence, mobility and potential health impacts. Petroleum refining, intensive livestock production and application of biosolids to agricultural lands result in releases of 3-methylindole to the environment. Even so, little is known about the aerobic biodegradation of 3-methylindole and comprehensive biotransformation pathways have not been established. Using glycerol as feedstock, the soil bacterium Cupriavidus sp. strain KK10 biodegraded 100 mg/L of 3-methylindole in 24 h. Cometabolic 3-methylindole biodegradation was confirmed by the identification of biotransformation products through liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analyses. In all, 14 3-methylindole biotransformation products were identified which revealed that biotransformation occurred through different pathways that included carbocyclic aromatic ring-fission of 3-methylindole to single-ring pyrrole carboxylic acids. This work provides first comprehensive evidence for the aerobic biotransformation mechanisms of 3-methylindole by a soil bacterium and expands our understanding of the biodegradative capabilities of members of the genus Cupriavidus towards heteroaromatic pollutants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental System Science, Graduate School of Nanobiosciences, Yokohama City University, 22-2 Seto, Kanazawa, Kanagawa, Yokohama, 236-0027, Japan.
authors.forename: Kimiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuoka
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ozeki
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kanaly
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001711:Biotransformation; D049921:Cupriavidus / Q000378:metabolism*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010578:Petroleum / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D012862:Skatole / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum; D012862:Skatole