Degradation of benzene 1,3-disulfonate by a mixed bacterial culture

A benzene 1,3-disulfonate degrading mixed bacterial culture was isolated from the River Elbe downstream of Hamburg. The mixed culture was composed of five different bacterial strains. None of these strains grew in axenic culture with benzene 1,3-disulfonate as sole source of carbon and energy. In the presence of 4-nitrocatechol, resting cells of the mixed culture converted benzene 1,3-disulfonate to catechol 4-sulfonate. Experiments with cell-free extracts demonstrated that catechol 4-sulfonate was further metabolized via 3-sulfomuconate and 4-carboxymethyl-4-sulfobut-2-en-4-olide.