United States Patent (19) (11 Patent Number: 4859,592 Hagedorn Et Al
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United States Patent (19) (11 Patent Number: 4859,592 Hagedorn et al. 45 Date of Patent: Aug. 22, 1989 54 PRODUCTION OF PICOL.INIC ACID AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS PYRIDINE PRODUCTS VIA PSEUDOMONAS Dagley, et al., "New Pathways in the Oxidative Metab olism of Aromatic Compounds by Micro-Organisms'; (76 Inventors: Scott R. Hagedorn, Old Coach Rd., Summit, N.J. 07087; Anthony J. East, Nature, V. 188, pp. 560-566 (1960). 63 Niles Ave., Madison, N.J. O7940; Moser et al., “Decarboxylation of 5-Sub Sol J. Barer, 271 White Oak Ridge stituted-2-Pyridinecarboxylic Acids', J. Org. Chem., Rd., Bridgewater, N.J. 08807 V. 37, No. 24, pp. 3938-3940 (1972). Primary Examiner-Elizabeth C. Weimar 21) Appl. No.: 759,038 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Mathews, Woodbridge, 22 Filed: Jul. 26, 1985 Goebel, Pugh & Collins (51) Int. Cl." ........................ C12P 17/12; C12N 1/20; (57) ABSTRACT C12R 1/40 (52) U.S. Cl. ................................. 435/122; 435/253.3; This invention provides a process for the bioconversion 435/877 of a non-growth aromatic feed to an accumulated quan tity of a picolinic acid product with reduced accumula (58) Field of Search ............. 435/122, 253, 877, 253.3 tion of 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde, and con 56 References Cited ducted in the presence of ammonium or a primary U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS amine, which acid subsequently can be converted by 4,654,303 3/1987 Hagedorn ......................... 435/1723 chemical means to a pyridine product. 4,666,841 5/1987 Hagedorn ... ... 435/122 4,673,646 6/1987 Hagedorn ............ was sex as a was u + 435/146 6 Claims, 2 Drawing Sheets U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 1989 Sheet 1 of 2 4859592 6THTº OINITOOldNOIIVT?hW000VOIOVENEQTOLWOMJ-E 4. 4,859,592 1. 2 ultraviolet absorption spectrum indicates a 2-hydrox PRODUCTION OF PICOLINIC ACID AND ymuconic semialdehyde type product, which on stand PYRIDINE PRODUCTS WIA PSEUDOMONAS ing with ammonium hydroxide forms alpha-picolinic acid. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 5 The Canadian Journal Of Microbiology, 14, Heterocyclic compounds such as pyridine currently 1005(1968) article by R. S. Davis et al describes the are recovered as constituents of coal tar, or are synthe metabolism of p-xylene and m-xylene by species of sized for example by the reaction of acetaldehyde with Pseudomonas. A metabolite is produced by a solution of ammonia and formaldehyde to provide a pyridine, al enzyme which has an ultraviolet spectrum consistent pha-picoline and beta-picoline product mixture. Spe O with 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde structure. A cialty heterocyclic aromatic chemicals are utilized in solution of this metabolite treated with ammonium hy the production of adhesives, pesticides, vitamins, and droxide yields a picolinic acid type product. the like. Another prospective route to heterocyclic The Biochemical Journal, 106,859(1968) publication aromatic compounds is by the reaction of ammonia or a by R. B. Cain et all also describes the formation of 5 primary amine with a 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde 15 methylpicolinic acid from 4-methylcatechol via 2 to form a picolinic acid: hydroxy-5-methylmuconic semialdehyde, utilizing a cell extract prepared from a microorganism grown on OH OH toluene sulfonate. The Journal Of Bacteriology, 120(1), 31(1974) publi a COH a COH NH3 cation by G. J. Wigmore et al describes Pseudomonas C - Ge. putida mutants which metabolize phenol and cresols by RSCHO NCHO the meta pathway via catechol and 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde intermediates. One mutant strain is de R 25 scribed as being defective in both 2-hydroxymuconic CO2H CO2H semialdehyde hydrolase and dehydrogenase. The potential of microbiological oxidation of an aro 21 N a matic substrate such as toluene as a convenient source O of 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde requires the con R N S struction of mutant strains of microorganisms which (1) 30 metabolize an aromatic substrate via catechol or substi R tuted catechol by means of the meta (catechol 2,3- OH OH oxygenase) pathway, and (2) allow the accumulation of a 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde type metabolite 21COH a coh RNH2 without its further assimilation to other metabolites. A Or - 2-Ge. 35 solution of accumulated 2-hydroxymuconic semialde RNCHO NCHO hyde metabolite is susceptible to chemical conversion to picolinic acid and pyridine products as illustrated R above. CO2H CO2H 40 Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to pro vide a procedure for the bioconversion of an aromatic 21 -R 21 N-R hydrocarbon by the meta pathway to 2-hydroxymu O conic semialdehyde or substituted 2-hydroxymuconic R S N semialdehyde, and for the in situ formation of a pico 45 linic acid product. R It is another object of this invention to provide a Subsequent decarboxylation of the picolinic acid could microbial culture which is capable of metabolizing tolu provide the corresponding pyridines and substituted ene, substituted toluene, catechol, or substituted cate pyridines, as illustrated in the Journal of Organic Chem chol to 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde or substituted istry, 37(24), 3938(1972) article by R. J. Moser et al. 50 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde metabolite quantita A potentially convenient source of 2-hydroxymu tively. conic semialdehyde is by the microbiological oxidation It is another object of this invention to provide a of various hydrocarbon substrates. Microbiological process for the synthesis of a picolinic acid product oxidation of aromatic substrates is reviewed by S. Dag from an aromatic hydrocarbon via a biosynthesized ley in Advances in Microbial Physiology, 6, 1-47(1971); 55 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde intermediate. by P. Chapman in "Degradation of Synthetic Organic It is a further object of this invention to provide a Molecules In The Biosphere', pages 17-55, National process for the synthesis of a pyridine product from an Academy Of Sciences, 1972; and by P. Williams in aromatic hydrocarbon via 2-hydroxymuconic semialde "Microbial Degradation Of Xenobiotics And Recalci hyde and picolinic acid intermediates. trant Compounds' pages 97-107, Academic Press, 1981. The present invention subject matter is related to that Strains of microorganisms are known which metabolize described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,841. aromatic hydrocarbon substrates by the meta pathway Other objects and advantages of the present invention via catechol and 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde to shall become apparent from the accompanying descrip biomass and carbon dioxide. tion and examples. The Nature, 188,560(1960) article by S. Dagley et al 65 describes the cleavage of catechol by a solution of an DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION enzyme, catechol 2,3-oxygenase, to produce a product One or more objects of the present invention are with a yellow color in the bioconversion medium. The accomplished by the provision of a process for the pro 4,859,592 3 4. duction of a picolinic acid product which comprises supplying (1) toluene or substituted toluene, (2) molecu CO2H CO2H lar oxygen, and (3) ammonia or a primary amine to a H 21 N H 2N N-R bioconversion medium containing a microbial culture o which possesses active catechol 2,3-oxygenase and R-N R R-st R which exhibits no enzymatic activity that metabolizes 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde or substituted 2 R R hydroxymuconic semialdehyde, to produce and accu 10 where R is as previously defined, and R1 is a substituent mulate a picolinic acid product. selected from aliphatic, alicyclic and aromatic groups. As further described herein, an alternative preferred In another embodiment, this invention provides a type of non-growth carbon source is catechol or substi process for the production of a picolinic acid product tuted catechol. The catechol chemical structure corre which comprises supplying (1) a dihydric phenol corre sponds to one of the intermediate metabolites formed 15 sponding to the formula: when toluene or substituted toluene is bioconverted by a present invention microorganism to 2-hydroxymu OH conic semialdehyde via the meta metabolic pathway. Toluene is oxidized to 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde 20 OH via a series of benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, hydrodihydroxybenzoic acid and catechol inter mediates. The active enzymes include toluene monoox R ygenase, benzyl alcohol dehydrogenase, benzaldehyde dehydrogenase, benzoic acid dioxygenase, hydrodihy 25 where R is hydrogen or an alkyl group containing be droxybenzoic acid dehydrogenase and catechol 2,3- tween about 1-4 carbon atoms, (2) molecular oxygen, OXygenase. and (3) ammonia or a Rl-NH2 primary amine to a In another embodiment, this invention provides a bioconversion medium containing a microbial culture of process for the production of a picolinic acid product 30 a strain which has been constructed to possess catechol 2,3-oxygenase with activity that is not inhibited in the which comprises supplying (1) catechol or substituted presence of less than about 0.1 gram of 2-hydroxymu catechol, (2) molecular oxygen, and (3) ammonia or a conic semialdehyde per liter of bioconversion medium, primary amine to a bioconversion medium containing a and which lacks active catechol 1,2-oxygenase, 2 microbial culture which possesses active catechol 2,3- 35 hydroxymuconic semialdehyde hydrolase and 2 oxygenase and which exhibits no enzymatic activity hydroxymuconic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, to pro that metabolizes 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde or duce and accumulate a picolinic acid product corre substituted 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde, to pro sponding to the formula: duce and accumulate a picolinic acid product. In another embodiment, this invention