Phenol and cresol metabolism in Bacillus pumilus isolated from contaminated groundwater

From an aquifier contaminated with phenolic compounds seven bacterial strains able to grow on phenol and several mono- and disubstituted alkylphenols as sole source of carbon and energy were isolated. Five isolates belong to the genus Pseudomonas, two to the genus Bacillus. The isolate most active in utilization of the applied xenobiotics was identified as Bacillus pumilus and used for the investigation of the degradation pathways in liquid cultures. Cells of this strain precultured on phenol were able to utilize para-cresol as sole carbon source via the oxidation of the methylsubstituent and intradiol ring cleavage of the resulting protocatechuic acid, whereas an intradiol ring fission of the intermediate 4-methylcatechol led to 4-methylmuconolactone as dead end-product. Cells precultured on meta- and ortho-cresol were able to utilize the respective compounds as sole carbon sources via 3-methylcatechol, which induced the following extradiol ring fission pathway. Cells precultured on phenol were able to cooxidize meta- as well as ortho-cresol to 3-methylcatechol, which was cleaved via an intradiol ring fission, finally leading to the dead end-product 2-methylmuconolactone.