Biotransformation of Eugenol via Protocatechuic Acid by Thermophilic Geobacillus sp. AY 946034 Strain

The metabolic pathway of eugenol degradation by thermophilic Geobacillus sp. AY 946034 strain was analyzed based on the lack of data about eugenol degradation by thermophiles. TLC, GC-MS, and biotransformation with resting cells showed that eugenol was oxidized through coniferyl alcohol, and ferulic and vanillic acids to protocatechuic acid before the aromatic ring was cleaved. The cell-free extract of Geobacillus sp. AY 946034 strain grown on eugenol showed a high activity of eugenol hydroxylase, feruloyl-CoA synthetase, vanillate-O-demethylase, and protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase. The key enzyme, protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase, which plays a crucial role in the degradation of various aromatic compounds, was purified 135-fold to homogeneity with a 34% overall recovery from Geobacillus sp. AY 946034. The relative molecular mass of the native enzyme was about $450{\pm}10$ kDa and was composed of the non-identical subunits. The pH and temperature optima for enzyme activity were 8 and $60^{\circ}C$, respectively. The half-life of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase at the optimum temperature was 50 min.