title: Degradation of phenolic compounds by the lignocellulose deconstructing thermoacidophilic bacterium Alicyclobacillus Acidocaldarius.
abstract: Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius, a thermoacidophilic bacterium, has a repertoire of thermo- and acid-stable enzymes that deconstruct lignocellulosic compounds. The work presented here describes the ability of A. acidocaldarius to reduce the concentration of the phenolic compounds: phenol, ferulic acid, ρ-coumaric acid and sinapinic acid during growth conditions. The extent and rate of the removal of these compounds were significantly increased by the presence of micro-molar copper concentrations, suggesting activity by copper oxidases that have been identified in the genome of A. acidocaldarius. Substrate removal kinetics was first order for phenol, ferulic acid, ρ-coumaric acid and sinapinic acid in the presence of 50 μM copper sulfate. In addition, laccase enzyme assays of cellular protein fractions suggested significant activity on a lignin analog between the temperatures of 45 and 90 °C. This work shows the potential for A. acidocaldarius to degrade phenolic compounds, demonstrating potential relevance to biofuel production and other industrial processes.
authors.affiliation: Biological and Chemical Processing Department, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA. john.aston@inl.gov.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Aston
authors.affiliation: Biological and Chemical Processing Department, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA.
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Apel
authors.affiliation: Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Brady D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Biological and Chemical Processing Department, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA.
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: Biological and Chemical Processing Department, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lacey
authors.affiliation: Biological and Chemical Processing Department, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Newby
authors.affiliation: Biological and Chemical Processing Department, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.affiliation: Biological and Chemical Processing Department, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA.
authors.forename: Vicki S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D056450:Alicyclobacillus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D056804:Biofuels; D019327:Copper Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology; D003373:Coumaric Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D042845:Laccase / Q000378:metabolism; D008031:Lignin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D019800:Phenol / Q000378:metabolism; D010636:Phenols / Q000378:metabolism*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D003373:Coumaric Acids; D010636:Phenols; C036909:lignocellulose; D019800:Phenol; C073734:sinapinic acid; D008031:Lignin; C004999:ferulic acid; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D042845:Laccase; C024748:copper oxidase; D019327:Copper Sulfate
keywords: Alicyclobacillus acidocaldarius; Bioremoval; Phenolics; Thermophiles