DEGRADATION AND BIOCONVERSION OF ALIPHATIC AND AROMATIC-HYDROCARBONS BY RHODOCOCCUS-RUBER-219

A tetrahydrofuran-degrading bacterial strain, which had previously bee n tentatively assigned as Rhodococcus sp. strain 219, has now been ide ntified as Rhodococcus ruber using physiological and chemotaxonomical tests, A comparison with the type strain DSM 43338 has revealed that t he new strain differs in its ability to degrade or convert tetrahydrof uran and compounds of similar structure such as 2,5-dimethyltetrahydro furan or tetrahydropyran. Tetrahydrofuran acts as an inducer for its d egradation. When tetrahydrofuran-induced cells were incubated with 2,5 -dimethyltetrahydrofuran two primary metabolites could be detected by gas chromatography, and 2-hydroxyhexane-5-one and hexane-2,5-dione wer e isolated and characterized by H-1-NMR spectroscopy or as dinitrophen ylhydrazones. The these intermediates is consistent with hydroxylation of the cyclic ether, which has not yet been described in microorganis ms.