Novosphingobium aromaticivorans uses a Nu-class glutathione S-transferase as a glutathione lyase in breaking the β-aryl ether bond of lignin.

ABSTRACT: As a major component of plant cell walls, lignin is a potential renewable source of valuable chemicals. Several sphingomonad bacteria have been identified that can break the β-aryl ether bond connecting most phenylpropanoid units of the lignin heteropolymer. Here, we tested three sphingomonads predicted to be capable of breaking the β-aryl ether bond of the dimeric aromatic compound guaiacylglycerol-β-guaiacyl ether (GGE) and found that Novosphingobium aromaticivorans metabolizes GGE at one of the fastest rates thus far reported. After the ether bond of racemic GGE is broken by replacement with a thioether bond involving glutathione, the glutathione moiety must be removed from the resulting two stereoisomers of the phenylpropanoid conjugate β-glutathionyl-γ-hydroxypropiovanillone (G

SUBMITTER: Kontur WS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5892560 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature