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Aerobic biotransformation of 3-methylindole to ring cleavage products by Cupriavidus sp. strain KK10

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Abstract

3-Methylindole, also referred to as skatole, is a pollutant of environmental concern due to its persistence, mobility and potential health impacts. Petroleum refining, intensive livestock production and application of biosolids to agricultural lands result in releases of 3-methylindole to the environment. Even so, little is known about the aerobic biodegradation of 3-methylindole and comprehensive biotransformation pathways have not been established. Using glycerol as feedstock, the soil bacterium Cupriavidus sp. strain KK10 biodegraded 100 mg/L of 3-methylindole in 24 h. Cometabolic 3-methylindole biodegradation was confirmed by the identification of biotransformation products through liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analyses. In all, 14 3-methylindole biotransformation products were identified which revealed that biotransformation occurred through different pathways that included carbocyclic aromatic ring-fission of 3-methylindole to single-ring pyrrole carboxylic acids. This work provides first comprehensive evidence for the aerobic biotransformation mechanisms of 3-methylindole by a soil bacterium and expands our understanding of the biodegradative capabilities of members of the genus Cupriavidus towards heteroaromatic pollutants.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by Yokohama City University Strategic Research Grant, K20002.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life and Environmental System Science, Graduate School of Nanobiosciences, Yokohama City University, 22-2 Seto, Kanazawa, Kanagawa, Yokohama, 236-0027, Japan

    Kimiko Fukuoka, Yasuhiro Ozeki & Robert A. Kanaly

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  1. Kimiko Fukuoka
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  2. Yasuhiro Ozeki
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  3. Robert A. Kanaly
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert A. Kanaly.

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Fukuoka, K., Ozeki, Y. & Kanaly, R.A. Aerobic biotransformation of 3-methylindole to ring cleavage products by Cupriavidus sp. strain KK10. Biodegradation 26, 359–373 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-015-9739-0

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