A New Pathway for the Degradation of a Sesquiterpene Alcohol, Nerolidol by Alcaligenes eutrophus

Madyastha, KM and Gururaja, TL (1993) A New Pathway for the Degradation of a Sesquiterpene Alcohol, Nerolidol by Alcaligenes eutrophus. In: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 193 (1). 26-31 .

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Abstract

An oxidative pathway hitherto unknown for tile degradation of a sesquiterpene alcohol, nerolidol (I) by Alcaligenes eutrophus is presented. Fermentation of nerolidol (I) by this organism in a mineral salts medium resulted in the formation of geranylacetone (II) and an optically active alcohol (S)-(+)-geranylacetol (III), as major metabolites. Nerolidol (I) induced cells readily transformed 1,2-epoxynerolidol (IV) and 1,2-dihydroxynerolidol (V) into geranylacetone (II). These cells also exhibited their ability to carry out stereospecific reduction of II into (S)-(+)-geranylacetol (III). Oxygen uptake studies clearly indicated that nerolidol induced cells oxidized compounds II, III, IV, V and ethyleneglycol. Based on these observations a new oxidative pathway for the degradation of I is suggested which envisages the epoxidation of the terminal double bond, opening of the epoxide and cleavage between C-2 and C-3 in a manner similar to the periodate oxidation of diol.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to Elsevier Science.
Department/Centre:	Division of Chemical Sciences > Organic Chemistry
Date Deposited:	31 Jan 2011 09:06
Last Modified:	31 Jan 2011 09:06
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/35289

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