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Appl Environ Microbiol, January 1998, p. 159-165, Vol. 64, No. 1
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Degradation of Morpholine by an Environmental
Mycobacterium Strain Involves a Cytochrome
P-450
P.
Poupin,1
N.
Truffaut,1,*
B.
Combourieu,2
P.
Besse,2
M.
Sancelme,2
H.
Veschambre,2 and
A. M.
Delort2
Laboratoire de Génétique
Microbienne, Université de Technologie de Compiègne, 60206 Compiègne,1 and
Laboratoire de
Synthèse, Electrosynthèse et Etude de Systèmes
à Intérêt Biologique, UMR 6504 CNRS,
Université Blaise Pascal, 63177 Aubière
Cedex,2 France
Received 23 June 1997/Accepted 31 August 1997
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ABSTRACT |
A Mycobacterium strain (RP1) was isolated from a
contaminated activated sludge collected in a wastewater treatment unit
of a chemical plant. It was capable of utilizing morpholine and other heterocyclic compounds, such as pyrrolidine and piperidine, as the sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. The use of in situ
1H nuclear magnetic resonance
(1H NMR) spectroscopy allowed the determination of two
intermediates in the biodegradative pathway,
2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate and glycolate. The inhibitory effects of
metyrapone on the degradative abilities of strain RP1 indicated the
involvement of a cytochrome P-450 in the biodegradation of morpholine.
This observation was confirmed by spectrophotometric analysis and
1H NMR. Reduced cell extracts from morpholine-grown
cultures, but not succinate-grown cultures, gave rise to a carbon
monoxide difference spectrum with a peak near 450 nm, which
indicated the presence of a soluble cytochrome P-450. 1H
NMR allowed the direct analysis of the incubation medium containing metyrapone, a specific inhibitor of cytochrome P-450. The inhibition of
morpholine degradation was dependent on the morpholine/metyrapone ratio. The heme-containing monooxygenase was also detected in pyrrolidine- and piperidine-grown cultures. The abilities of different compounds to support strain growth or the induction of a soluble cytochrome P-450 were assayed. The results suggest that this enzyme catalyzes the cleavage of the C---N bond of the morpholine ring.
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INTRODUCTION |
Morpholine
(C4H9NO) is a simple heterocyclic compound
(Fig. 1) with great industrial
importance. It is used as an anticorrosive agent in water boiling
systems, as a chemical intermediate (in catalysts, solvents,
antioxidants, pharmaceuticals, bactericides, and pesticides), in the
textile industry, in photographic developers, in hair conditioners, in
waxes, and in the preservation of book paper. Because of its solubility
in water, significant amounts of this chemical compound could be
released, via industrial effluents, in the environment. It would then
move with soil moisture and running water and would not sorb sediment
or organic matter (12a). Morpholine, like other
secondary amines, is subject to N nitrosation. This reaction can be
catalyzed by various bacteria from secondary amines and nitrites or
nitrates at neutral pH (3) but can also take place, in vivo,
in mice by the action of NO2 on morpholine (29).
Nitroso compounds are of particular concern because they are mutagens
and carcinogens. N-Nitrosomorpholine was reported to be
mutagenic in microbial gene mutation assays with Salmonella typhimurium (32), and recent studies assessing the
carcinogenic activities of nitroso compounds have shown that this
compound could enhance, even at low doses, the development of early
stages of hepatocarcinogenesis in rats (8).
Removal of this pollutant from contaminated wastewater and the
environment is possible by biological treatment, since Knapp et al.
(12) have clearly established that morpholine is
biodegradable. A Mycobacterium strain, MorG, could utilize
this compound as the sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy via an
inducible pathway. Some bacteria that are capable of aerobic
degradation of morpholine have been isolated from activated sludge,
soils, and water. Except for two bacteria belonging to the genus
Arthrobacter (7), all morpholine-degrading
bacteria are mycobacteria (2, 4).
Biochemical studies of morpholine catabolism have been limited to those
carried out with the environmental Mycobacterium strain MorG
by Knapp et al. (12) and Swain et al. (24). These
authors proposed a pathway for morpholine degradation by this strain in which the later stages of catabolism gave two C2-unit
products: glycolate and ethanolamine. However, the early reaction
mechanisms were not elucidated.
In the companion paper (5) our results on the pathway of
biodegradation of morpholine by another strain, Mycobacterium aurum MO1, are presented. For that study, in situ 1H
nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) was used. This method
allows direct detection and quantification of the metabolites formed,
by analyzing the incubation medium at different times. We showed that
M. aurum completely degraded morpholine (10 mM) in 10 h. Two intermediary compounds, 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate and glycolate,
were identified.
In this paper, we report the isolation and the characterization of a
Mycobacterium strain that metabolizes morpholine as the sole
source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy. Experiments performed with inhibitors and spectrophotometric analysis implicated a
cytochrome P-450 in this degradation. 1H NMR
methodology, as described in the companion paper (5), was used to quantitatively monitor the degradation of morpholine and to
identify the intermediates. The results were used to propose a pathway
for morpholine degradation by this strain.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Bacterial strain and growth conditions.
Strain RP1 was
isolated, by enrichment culture with morpholine as the sole source of
carbon and energy, from an activated sludge collected in a chemical
wastewater treatment plant. The strain was deposited in the Institut
Pasteur collection (CIP105337). This bacterium was grown and maintained
on peptone-beef (PB) medium (casein peptone, 3 g · liter
1; beef extract, 5 g · liter
1),
Trypticase soy broth (bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France), or a
mineral salts medium (11) which contained (per liter) 1 g of KH2PO4, 1 g of
K2HPO4, 0.04 g of MgSO4
· 7H2O, 0.004 g of FeCl3 · 6H2O, and 1 g of
(NH4)2SO4 (when the carbon source
did not contain nitrogen or when the amine was only used as a source of
carbon). The pH was adjusted to 7.0 with NaOH or HCl after the addition
of the carbon source. On mineral salts medium the following carbon
sources were used: thiomorpholine, tetrahydrofuran, and tetrahydropyran
at 5 mM and morpholine, piperidine, pyrrolidine, and succinate at 10 mM. Solid medium was prepared from mineral salts and PB media by the
addition of 1.5% (wt/vol) Noble agar (Difco, Detroit, Mich.) or agar,
respectively.
The assays of growth inhibition were performed in test tubes at 30°C
under agitation on a gyratory shaker (180 rpm). Bacterial growth was
determined by monitoring the optical density at 600 nm
(OD600).
Chemicals.
Morpholine, glycolic acid, and ethanolamine were
purchased from Aldrich Chemical (Sigma Aldrich Sarl, St. Quentin
Fallavier, France); piperidine, pyrrolidine, thiomorpholine,
tetrahydrofuran, and tetrahydropyran were from Fluka (Sigma Aldrich
Sarl); methimazole and metyrapone were obtained from Sigma; and
tetradeuterated sodium trimethylsilylpropionate (TSPd4) was
purchased from EurisoTop (St. Aubin, France).
Analytical methods.
The morpholine concentration was
routinely estimated spectrophotometrically by the method of Stevens and
Skov (23) as modified by Knapp et al. (12). In
situ 1H NMR spectroscopy was used when a greater precision
in morpholine concentration was required and to identify degradation
intermediates. The protein concentration was determined by the Bradford
method (1).
Spectrophotometric analysis of cytochrome P-450.
Mycobacterial cells were harvested by centrifugation (8,000 × g, 10 min) at 4°C, washed, and resuspended in 50 mM
phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) containing 0.3 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl
fluoride. Bacterial walls were broken by three passages through a
French pressure cell (SLM-Aminco) at 18,000 lb/in2 and
centrifuged at 30,000 × g at 4°C for 30 min. The
supernatant was reduced by dithionite sodium and divided equally
between two optically matched cuvettes, and the difference spectrum was
recorded in the presence of CO (19). An extinction
coefficient of 91 mM
1 · cm
1 was used
to determine the content of cytochrome P-450 in crude extracts
(14).
To determine the induction of a cytochrome P-450 by tetrahydrofuran,
tetrahydropyran, or thiomorpholine, the cells were grown
in PB medium
to obtain sufficient biomass, washed, and resuspended
in mineral salts
medium supplemented with one of these compounds
at 5 mM.
All photometric analyses were done with a Shimadzu UV 160 A
spectrophotometer.
1H NMR spectroscopy. (i) Microorganism growth.
For these experiments, strain RP1 cultures were grown in 100 ml of
Trypticase soy broth (bioMérieux) in 500-ml Erlenmeyer flasks
incubated at 30°C at 200 rpm. They were harvested after 48 h of
culture.
(ii) Incubation with xenobiotics.
Incubations of cells with
morpholine (10 mM), ethanolamine (15 mM), and glycolate (10 mM) were
carried out as described in the companion paper (5).
For the assay of inhibition with metyrapone, different concentrations
(5 and 10 mM) were tested. This inhibitor was added
to the flasks
containing the cells (5 g of wet cells in 50 ml
of buffer) and
morpholine (10 mM). Samples were taken every hour
for 12 h and
then from time to time until 72 h.
(iii) Preparation of the samples for 1H NMR.
The
preparation of the samples for NMR, the materials used, and the
quantification of the metabolites were as described elsewhere (5).
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RESULTS |
Enrichment and isolation of bacteria.
An enrichment culture
was established with activated sludge collected from a chemical
wastewater treatment plant (18). A subenrichment culture
inoculated with an aliquot of this culture was made in mineral salts
medium containing 10 mM morpholine. The culture was incubated on a
gyratory shaker at 180 rpm and 30°C. Samples were regularly
recovered, centrifuged, and assayed for morpholine content. When this
amine was totally degraded, appropriate dilutions of the cell
suspension were spread onto solid mineral salts medium supplemented
with morpholine. Isolated colonies were selected, and their ability to
degrade morpholine was determined in liquid mineral salts medium
containing 10 mM morpholine.
Identification of a morpholine-degrading bacterium.
Enrichment and isolation procedures yielded only one bacterial
strain (designated RP1) from this mixed culture that was able to
utilize morpholine as a growth substrate. This culture was estimated to
be pure after microscopic observation and several subcultures onto
solid mineral salts agar medium containing morpholine and onto PB agar
medium. Strain RP1 formed red, convex, slightly mucoid colonies on
solid medium, and no diffusible pigment was observed. The coloration
was affected neither by the growth conditions (PB agar medium, solid
mineral salts medium supplemented with different compounds, and
temperature) nor by the presence of light. The cells were
nonmotile and exhibited an elementary rod-coccus life cycle. RP1
was gram positive, partially acid fast, catalase positive, and
oxidase negative. On the basis of analysis of mycolic acids, polar
lipids, wall sugars, and total proteins (Institut Pasteur, Paris,
France), strain RP1 was assigned to the genus Mycobacterium:
the cell wall peptidoglycan was based on
meso-diaminopimelic acid, the major cell wall sugars
were glucose and arabinose, and the wall envelope contained mycolic
acids, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol,
phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylinositol mannosides. Comparison
of mycolic acids and total proteins of this bacterium with those of
reference strains indicated that RP1 was closely related to
Mycobacterium chlorophenolicum. Experiments to
determine the 16S ribosomal DNA sequence of this
microorganism and to establish its phylogenetic relationship to other
mycobacteria are in progress.
Degradation of morpholine.
The ability of
Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 to degrade morpholine in pure
culture was determined in liquid mineral salts medium (Fig.
2). When morpholine (10 mM) was used as
the sole source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy, it was rapidly
degraded. At the end of the logarithmic growth phase (50 h), no
morpholine could be detected in the culture medium. During this time,
the turbidity of the culture (OD600) increased from 0.018 to 0.62 and ammonia accumulated (data not shown). The medium had a
uniformly turbid appearance, and no clumps or aggregates were visible.
The natural clumping of the cells is a growth characteristic widely
shared among members of the genus Mycobacterium, making it
difficult to follow the growth and the degradation abilities of these
bacteria (20). In contrast to M. aurum MO1,
Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 did not present this
inconvenience. In addition, the doubling time in liquid medium
supplemented with morpholine was about 9 h for strain RP1 versus
about 12 h for M. aurum MO1, making it easier to study
morpholine degradation with strain RP1.

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FIG. 2.
Growth of Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 on
liquid mineral salts medium ( ) and morpholine degradation ( ).
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In order to monitor the degradation of morpholine more precisely, we
used the in situ
1H NMR spectroscopy methodology presented
in the companion paper
(
5) for the study of the pathway of
biodegradation of morpholine
by
M. aurum MO1. With this
technique, the incubation medium is
directly analyzed both
qualitatively and quantitatively. It allows
the identification of the
intermediates formed during the degradation
of morpholine.
Resting RP1 cells were incubated with 10 mM morpholine at 30°C with
agitation (200 rpm) for 72 h. The conditions found to
be best for
M. aurum MO1 (100 g of wet cells in 1 liter of Knapp
buffer)
were used. Samples of the incubation medium were taken
periodically and
centrifuged, and the supernatants were analyzed
by
1H NMR
after adjustment of the pH to 10 (to avoid changes in chemicals
shifts)
and addition of a reference (TSPd
4) for chemical shifts
(0 ppm) and quantification.
Figure
3 shows the kinetics of morpholine
degradation as monitored by
1H NMR spectroscopy; only
spectra recorded at 0, 10, and 20 h are
plotted. The two
pseudotriplets at 2.88 and 3.72 ppm correspond
to the CH
2
of morpholine. In the expanded region of the spectrum
recorded at
20 h, different intermediates are observed: the three
signals,
named Y, at 3.96 (singlet) and 3.67 and 3.05 (pseudotriplets)
have been
identified as 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate after synthesis
of this compound
(
5), and the singlet G at 3.95 ppm corresponds
to glycolate,
the second observed intermediate. The last singlet,
at 0 ppm,
corresponds to the CH
3 of the TSPd
4, our
reference.

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FIG. 3.
Kinetics of morpholine degradation by
Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1. Resting cells (5 g of wet
cells in 50 ml of Knapp buffer) were incubated with 10 mM morpholine at
30°C with agitation (200 rpm) for 72 h. Samples (1 ml) were
collected every hour for 12 hours and from time to time until 72 h; after centrifugation, the supernatants of these samples were
analyzed by 1H NMR spectroscopy at 300.13 MHz.
TSPd4 was used as a reference for chemical shifts and
quantification. The inset corresponds to an expanded scale, from 2.60 to 4.00 ppm, of the 20-h spectrum. M, morpholine; Y,
2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate; G, glycolic acid.
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For quantification, the concentrations of morpholine and of the
different intermediates were calculated by measuring the areas
of the
peaks and comparing them with that of the peak for TSPd
4.
The equation used for the calculation is described in the companion
paper (
5). Figure
4A shows the
time courses for the concentrations
of morpholine,
2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate, and glycolate.

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FIG. 4.
(A) Time courses for the concentrations of morpholine
(×), glycolate ( ), and 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate ( ) during the
degradation of morpholine (10 mM) by Mycobacterium sp.
strain RP1 cells at 100 g · liter 1. (B) Kinetics
of degradation of ethanolamine (15 mM) (+) and glycolate (10 mM) ( )
by Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 (100 g · liter 1). The quantification was done by integrating the
signals in 1H NMR spectra relative to the area of the
reference TSPd4 signal.
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Under these conditions, morpholine was degraded in 13 h at a rate
of about 0.8 mM/h. The two intermediary compounds,
2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate
and glycolate, appeared after about 10 h
of incubation. In contrast
to the case for
M. aurum MO1
(
5), glycolate was not completely
degraded, and its
concentration in the supernatant increased.
Degradation of ethanolamine and glycolic acid.
The degradation
of ethanolamine and glycolic acid, supposed intermediates of the
biodegradation pathway according to Swain et al. (24), was
also tested with this strain. The concentrations of ethanolamine and
glycolic acid were, respectively, 15 and 10 mM. The kinetics of these
two degradations are presented in Fig. 4B. Ethanolamine and glycolic
acid were completely degraded within 10 h. No metabolite was
detected in the medium.
Inhibition of morpholine degradation by selective inhibitors.
Degradation of a saturated heterocycle ring is likely to begin by the
breakage of a bond between the heteroatom and an adjacent carbon atom.
It was demonstrated that xenobiotic compounds bearing amine and ether
functional groups could serve as substrates for flavin-containing
monooxygenase or cytochrome P-450 (9, 21, 31). Previous work
(12) showed that morpholine degradation was associated with
oxygen consumption. According to these results and the chemical
structure of morpholine, it was possible that the enzyme responsible
for the ring cleavage was a monooxygenase.
In order to check the involvement of such enzymes in the first steps of
morpholine degradation by
Mycobacterium sp. strain
RP1, the influence of selected inhibitors on the
degradation ability
of this strain was tested.
Metyrapone (2-methyl-1,2-di-3-pyridyl-1-propanone)
was chosen as a
specific cytochrome P-450 inhibitor (
25), and
methimazole
(2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole) was chosen as a competitive
inhibitor of flavin-containing monooxygenase (
26).
As shown in Fig.
5A, the growth of
Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 on liquid mineral salts medium
supplemented with succinate
was slightly affected by the presence of
metyrapone and was not
affected by the addition of an equivalent
concentration of methimazole.
The same experiments performed with
morpholine as the sole source
of carbon, nitrogen, and energy (Fig.
5B)
indicated that without
inhibitors in the medium or with methimazole,
the stationary phase
(OD
600 of 0.7) was reached within
60 h. After the same time, the
OD
600 in the culture
with metyrapone was only 0.06, thus indicating
that this compound
inhibited the growth of strain RP1 on morpholine.
Metyrapone did not
affect the viability of
Mycobacterium sp. strain
RP1, since
the addition of this chemical to succinate-containing
medium did not
prevent cell growth. Consequently, the observed
effects of metyrapone
on the growth of the bacterium RP1 in morpholine-containing
medium were
due to its inhibitory properties. These results suggest
that a
cytochrome P-450 is involved in the oxidative catabolism
of this amine.
However, no flavin-containing monooxygenase seems
to be implicated in
morpholine degradation by strain RP1.

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FIG. 5.
Influence of methimazole ( ) and metyrapone ( ) on
the growth of Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 on succinate (A)
and on morpholine (B). The inhibitors were added to the medium at a
final concentration of 300 µg · ml 1. Control
cultures without an inhibitor were grown on succinate ( ) and
morpholine ( ).
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To obtain direct evidence of the inhibitory effect of metyrapone,
experiments with different concentrations of this compound
were carried
out, and the results were analyzed by
1H NMR. To the flasks
containing the cells (100 g · liter
1) were added
metyrapone (5 and 10 mM) and morpholine (10 mM).
The kinetics of
morpholine degradation are reported in Fig.
6.

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FIG. 6.
Incubation of Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1
cells (100 g · liter 1) with morpholine (10 mM) in
the presence of 5 mM ( ) or 10 mM ( ) metyrapone or in the absence
of metyrapone (+). Time courses for the concentrations of morpholine
(A), glycolic acid (B), and 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate (C) are shown.
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The addition of metyrapone led to a concentration-dependent inhibition
of the morpholine degradation reactions. When the concentration
of
metyrapone was increased, the following effects were observed:
(i) the
rates of morpholine degradation (Fig.
6A) and 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate
formation (Fig.
6B and C) were decreased, (ii) the appearance
of the
intermediates was delayed (Fig.
6B and C), and (iii) the
final
concentration of 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate was decreased,
while that of
glycolate was increased.
These results confirm the presence of an activity due to a cytochrome
P-450 in the morpholine degradation pathway. In addition,
the effects
of metyrapone on 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate formation
indicate that
the oxidation leading to the opening of the heterocycle
takes place
during the early stages of morpholine degradation.
The accumulation of
glycolate was unexpected, and it shows that
morpholine is not
completely mineralized. This interesting phenomenon
is not yet
explained.
Spectrophotometric evidence of the induction of a cytochrome
P-450.
Cytochrome P-450s contain a ferriprotoporphyrin IX
prosthetic group (heme). The heme is anchored in the active site by an axial iron-sulfur bond between the heme ferric iron and a cysteine sulfydryl group. Under reduced conditions, the ferrous iron can bind
carbon monoxide. This binding gives rise to a distinctive absorption
band at approximately 450 nm. Cell extracts from cultures grown on
morpholine and on succinate were treated with sodium dithionite and CO.
In the spectrum of the CO-treated reduced extract, but not in that of
the nontreated reduced extract, of morpholine-grown bacteria, a peak at
449 nm was observed (Fig. 7, spectrum A). This result demonstrates the presence of a soluble cytochrome P-450 in
this cell extract. The cytochrome P-450 content was about 90 pmol per
mg of protein. Such a monooxygenase was not detected (but could be
present at a low level) in the protein extracts of succinate-grown
(Fig. 7, spectrum B) or acetate-grown (data not shown) bacteria. This
indicated that the presence of a soluble cytochrome P-450 in
Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 was induced by growth on
morpholine.

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FIG. 7.
Carbon monoxide difference spectra of crude extracts of
morpholine-grown (spectrum A) and succinate-grown (spectrum B) cells of
Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1. The protein concentration was
10 mg · ml 1.
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Growth of Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 on other
substrates and induction of a cytochrome P-450.
The abilities of
different substrates to support the growth of Mycobacterium
sp. strain RP1 and to induce a cytochrome P-450 were tested (Table
1). Mycobacterium sp. strain
RP1 was not able to grow on thiomorpholine. Pyrrolidine and piperidine
could support growth of RP1 and could be used as the sole source of
carbon, nitrogen, and energy. These compounds, and also thiomorpholine, induced the production of a cytochrome P-450. No induction of the
synthesis of a cytochrome P-450 occurred with tetrahydrofuran and
tetrahydropyran. These two last molecules could support slow growth
(OD600 = 0.15 in 12 days).
 |
DISCUSSION |
An actinomycete that grew on morpholine as the sole source of
carbon, nitrogen, and energy was isolated from an activated sludge.
This microorganism was identified as Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 and found to be related to M. chlorophenolicum on
the basis of physiological and biochemical characteristics.
Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 was also able to grow on two
other cyclic amines, pyrrolidine and piperidine. Other
morpholine-degrading bacteria, such as M. aurum MO1, can use
these two compounds (13).
The use of 1H NMR showed the complete degradation of
morpholine in 13 h at a rate of 0.8 mM/h and unambiguously
identified two intermediates, 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate and glycolate.
This suggests that Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 cleaves the
C---N bond of the morpholine ring. The morpholine biodegradation
pathway observed with this strain seems to be very similar to that
obtained with M. aurum MO1.
We have also shown that the enzymes required for the biodegradation of
ethanolamine and glycolic acid are present in strain RP1. Both of these
possible intermediates were degraded by this strain within 10 h.
The pathway via ethanolamine has not been evidenced, as ethanolamine
has not been detected during the biodegradation of morpholine. However,
this intermediate might have built up below the limit for NMR detection
(50 µM). Only glycolate and 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate were
demonstrated to be intermediary compounds in this process.
Metyrapone and not methimazole inhibited the growth of
Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 on morpholine, strongly
suggesting that a cytochrome P-450 is involved in the degradation of
this compound. The same results were obtained for growth on pyrrolidine
and piperidine. Purification of cytochrome P-450 is being considered in
order to obtain conclusive evidence on this point. In parallel
experiments, we have directly shown that morpholine is a substrate for
cytochrome P-450: when metyrapone was added in morpholine-containing
mineral salts medium, analysis by 1H NMR indicated that the
degradation of morpholine was inhibited, the kinetics of formation of
2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate were slowed, and no other compound (except
glycolate) was detected. The appearance of the intermediary metabolites
was delayed with increasing amounts of metyrapone. In addition, there
was an unexpected accumulation of glycolate. Further knowledge of the
biodegradation pathway of Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 is
needed to understand this phenomenon.
The presence of a soluble heme-containing monooxygenase was confirmed
by the CO difference spectrum of cell extracts of
Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 grown on liquid mineral salts
medium amended with morpholine. A cytochrome P-450 was also detected
when this bacterium was grown on pyrrolidine, piperidine, and
thiomorpholine but not tetrahydrofuran, tetrahydropyran, or succinate.
Among the different compounds tested, only the cyclic amines induced
the synthesis of a heme-containing monooxygenase, suggesting the
cleavage of the C---N bond.
The involvement of a cytochrome P-450 in the degradation of morpholine
represents another example of the intervention of these enzymes in
xenobiotic metabolism (15), in which actinomycetes have a
significant role (16, 17, 22). Although the presence of
different inducible cytochrome P-450s in the same microorganism has
been demonstrated, it seems probable that the synthesis of a single
cytochrome P-450 could be induced by these cyclic amines: (i)
morpholine, thiomorpholine, pyrrolidine, and piperidine are closely
related compounds which have common properties; (ii) Knapp et al.
(12) have noticed that morpholine-grown, but not
acetate-grown, Mycobacterium sp. strain MorG was capable of
immediately oxidizing pyrrolidine and piperidine; and (iii) all
morpholine-negative mutants of MorG obtained by Swain et al.
(24) failed to utilize pyrrolidine. To our knowledge, the
implication of cytochrome P-450 in degradation mediated by mycobacteria
has been demonstrated only for halogenated phenols. These
monooxygenases were membrane associated (27, 28).
The most probable reaction catalyzed by this enzyme on these cyclic
amines is C---N bond cleavage by a mechanism similar to an N
dealkylation (Fig. 8). The monooxygenase
catalyzes a hydroxylation on a C atom adjacent to the amine group which
gives an unstable compound (compound a). This mechanism (rather than N
oxygenation) is favored when
-protons are available (10).
The compound so formed could be linearized to give
2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetaldehyde (compound b), which could undergo
oxidation to form 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate (compound c).

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FIG. 8.
Hypothetical pathway for morpholine degradation by
Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1. a, 2-hydroxymorpholine; b,
2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetaldehyde; c, 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate.
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In conclusion, the present results show that Mycobacterium
sp. strain RP1 catalyzes the degradation of morpholine, pyrrolidine, and piperidine. This strain can use these compounds, which are the
secondary amines most used in industry, as the sole source of carbon,
nitrogen and energy. These degradations involve a soluble cytochrome
P-450. The growth of strain RP1 on different substrates and the
induction of a heme-containing monooxygenase suggest that this enzyme
attacks morpholine at the C---N position. This reaction could be
followed by ring cleavage to form 2-(2-aminoethoxy)acetate which is
further degraded to glycolic acid, as shown by the detection of these
intermediates in the 1H NMR spectra. This study, together
with previous work (6, 11, 30), underlines the importance of
mycobacteria in the degradation of xenobiotic compounds. Further
investigations to identify metabolites of the early reactions in the
catabolism of morpholine by Mycobacterium sp. strain RP1 are
in progress.
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
This work was supported by interdisciplinary programs of CNRS
"PIRSEM" and "ECOTECH." P. Poupin and B. Combourieu were
recipients of a fellowship from the Ministère de la Recherche et
de l'Enseignement Supérieur.
We acknowledge Anne-Lise Etienne, coordinator of the CNRS programs.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratoire de
Génétique Microbienne, Université de Technologie de
Compiègne, B.P. 529, 60206 Compiègne, France. Phone: 33 3 44 23 44 52. Fax: 33 3 44 20 48 13. E-mail:
nicole.truffaut{at}utc.fr.
 |
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