Degradation of morpholine and thiomorpholine by an environmental Mycobacterium involves a cytochrome P450. Direct evidence of intermediates by in situ 1H NMR

• Main Authors: BESSE, P, COMBOURIEU, B, POUPIN, P, SANCELME, M, TRUFFAUT, N, VESCHAMBRE, H, DELORT, A. M
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Biodiversity and Ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biology of microorganisms of confirmed or potential industrial interest; Biotechnology; Environmental Sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genomics; Life Sciences; Microbiology and Parasitology; Mission oriented research; Physiology and metabolism
• ISSN: 1381-1177; 1873-3158
• DOI: 10.1016/S1381-1177(98)00019-8

A strain of Mycobacterium sp. RP1 was isolated from a contaminated activated sludge. It was capable of utilizingmorpholine, a waste of chemical industry, as sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy. The kinetic of biodegradation ofmorpholine was followed directly on the incubation medium using in situ 1 H NMR. This technic allowed to identify twoŽ .intermediates of the degradative pathway: glycolate and 2- 2-aminoethoxy acetate. The inhibitory effects of metyrapone onthe degradative abilities of the strain RP1 indicated the involvement of a cytochrome P450. This observation was confirmedby spectrophotometric analysis and 1 H NMR. Metyrapol, a known metabolite of metyrapone, was also found to be aninhibitor. The same study of degradation of thiomorpholine showed the formation of sulfoxide, which confirmed thepresence of a cytochrome P450.