Degradation of pentaerythritol tetranitrate by Enterobacter cloacae PB2

P R Binks, C E French, S Nicklin, N C Bruce

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A mixed microbial culture capable of metabolizing the explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) was obtained from soil enrichments under aerobic and nitrogen-limiting conditions. A strain of Enterobacter cloacae, designated PB2, was isolated from this culture and was found to use PETN as a sole source of nitrogen for growth, Growth yields suggested that 2 to 3 mol of nitrogen was utilized per mol of PETN, The metabolites pentaerythritol dinitrate, 3-hydroxy-2,2-bis-[(nitrooxy)methyl] propanal, and 2,2-bis-[(nitrooxy)methyl] -propanedial were identified by mass spectrometry and H-1-nuclear magnetic resonance. An NADPH-dependent PETN reductase was isolated from cell extracts and shown to liberate nitrite from PETN, producing pentaerythritol tri- and dinitrates which were identified by mass spectrometry. PETN reductase was purified to apparent homogeneity by ion-exchange and affinity chromatography. The purified enzyme was found to be a monomeric flavoprotein with a M(r) of approximately 40,000, binding flavin mononucleotide noncovalently.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1214-1219
Number of pages6
JournalApplied and Environmental Microbiology
Volume62
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - Apr 1996

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