Aromatic hydroxylation is a prerequisite for proper degradation of bicyclic with aromatic and alicyclic rings by Rhodococcus sp. strain DK17

Abstract

Rhodococcus sp. strain DK17, originally isolated for the ability to grow on o-xylene, was characterized to initiate the oxidative metabolism with alkylbenzene dioxygenase (AkbA1A2A3). Tetralin and indene are bicyclic compounds containing one aromatic ring plus one alicyclic ring, the structure of which is similar to that of o-xylene. DK17 was tested to characterize the metabolic pathway(s) of tetralin and indene. The initial metabolism of tetralin was shown to proceed via hydroxylation of the aromatic ring at positions C-1 and C-2, resulting in corresponding 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-1,2-naphthalene diol. While the alicyclic ring of indene was dihydroxylated on an unsaturated double bond at C-1 and C-2 to indan-1,2-diol, which subsequently dehydrogenated to re-cyclized 1,2-indenediol.