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Journal of Wood Science

Official Journal of the Japan Wood Research Society

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Specific degradation ofβ-aryl ether linkage in synthetic lignin (dehydrogenative polymerizate) by bacterial enzymes ofSphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6 produced in recombinantEscherichia coli

Journal of Wood Science volume 48, pages 429–433 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Sphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6 produces unique and specific enzymes, such asβ-etherases,O-demethylases, and ring fission dioxygenases, for lignin degradation. Cleavage of arylglycerol-β-aryl ether linkage is the most important process in the lignin metabolic pathway ofS. paucimobilis SYK-6. We reported the genes (ligD, ligE, ligF) for enzymes that cleavedβ-aryl ether linkage of dimeric compounds in previous studies. In this study we synthesized the fluorescent high-molecular-weight lignin (UBE-DHP) by dehydrogenative polymerization. We investigated theβ-aryl ether cleavage ability of these enzymes produced in recombinantEscherichia coli. When UBE-DHP was incubated with LigF, 4-methylumbeliferone was released as a result ofβ-aryl ether cleavage of αO-methylumbelliferyl-β-hydroxypropiovanillone (compound III) incorporated in UBE-DHP. Here, we report thatβ-etherase ofS. paucimobilis SYK-6 can be expressed inE. coli and is able to cleave theβ-aryl ether linkage in synthetic high-molecular-weight lignin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 184-8588, Tokyo, Japan

    Tomonori Sonoki, Shinya Kajita & Yoshihiro Katayama

  2. Institute for Environmental Management Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 16-1 OnogawaTsukuba, 305-8569, Ibaraki, Japan

    Yosuke Iimura

  3. Department of Bioengineering, Nagaoka University of Engineering, 940-2188, Nigata, Japan

    Eiji Masai

Authors
  1. Tomonori Sonoki
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  2. Yosuke Iimura
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  3. Eiji Masai
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  4. Shinya Kajita
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  5. Yoshihiro Katayama
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Correspondence to Yosuke Iimura.

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Sonoki, T., Iimura, Y., Masai, E. et al. Specific degradation ofβ-aryl ether linkage in synthetic lignin (dehydrogenative polymerizate) by bacterial enzymes ofSphingomonas paucimobilis SYK-6 produced in recombinantEscherichia coli . J Wood Sci 48, 429–433 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00770705

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