Microbial urea-formaldehyde degradation involves a new enzyme, methylenediurease

The enzymic mechanism of metabolization of urea-formaldehyde condensation products (methyleneureas; MU) and the fate of the degradation products ammonium, urea and formaldehyde were studied in bacteria isolated from garden soil, which were able to use methyleneureas as the sole source of nitrogen for growth. An organism identified as Ochrobactrum anthropi completely degraded methylenediurea (MDU) and dimethylenetriurea (DMTU) to urea, ammonia, formaldehyde and carbon dioxide. An enzyme designated as methylenediurease (methylenediurea deiminase; MDUase) was responsible for the degradation of both MDU and DMTU as well as higher polymerized MU. Growth on MU as the nitrogen source specifically induced the synthesis of this enzyme, which seems to be located in the periplasm of the bacterium. Under these growth conditions, urease as well as NAD-specific formaldehyde and formiate dehydrogenase were expressed to high levels, efficiently using the products of MU degradation, and high-affinity transport systems for urea and ammonia were synthesized scavenging the environment for these products.