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RING FISSION OF ANTHRACENE BY A EUKARYOTE
Citation:
Hammel, K., B. Greem, AND W. Gai. RING FISSION OF ANTHRACENE BY A EUKARYOTE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-93/191 (NTIS PB93199503), 1991.
Description:
Ligninolytic fungi are unique among eukaryotes in their ability to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), but the mechanism for this process is unknown. lthough certain PAHs are oxidized in vitro by the fungal lignin peroxidases (LiPs) that catalyze ligninolysis, it has never been shown that LiPs initiate PAH degradation in vivo. o address these problems, the metabolism of anthracene (AC) and its in vitro oxidation product, 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ), was examined by chromatographic and isotope dilution techniques in Phanerochaete chrysosporium. he fungal oxidation of AC to AQ was rapid, and both AC and AQ were significantly mineralized. oth compounds were cleaved by the fungus to give the same ring-fission metabolite , phthalic acid, and phthalate production from AQ was shown to occur only under ligninolytic culture conditions. hese results show that the major pathway for AC degradation in Phanerochaete proceeds AC - AQ - phthalate + CO2 and that it is probably mediated by LiPs and other enzymes of ligninolytic metabolism.
