%0 Journal Article %A Sundman, Veronica %T The Ability of ±-Conidendrin-decomposing Agrobacterium Strains to Utilize Other Lignans and Lignin-related Compounds %D 1964 %J Microbiology, %V 36 %N 2 %P 185-201 %@ 1465-2080 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-36-2-185 %I Microbiology Society, %X SUMMARY By the application of respirometric techniques, it was found that the a-conidendrin (I)-decomposing agrobacteria included strains which were adaptively or constitutively lignanolytic. The lignans isotaxiresinol (V), iso-olivil (VI), and olivil (VII) were rapidly oxidized by all the bacteria examined. The adaptive organisms showed a time-lag before oxidation of the lignans if they had been grown on a conidendrin-free medium. The lag required for oxygen uptake with a-conidendrin was shorter than that observed for the other lignans. Matairesinol (IV), which differs structurally from α-conidendrin through the lack of the ‘isolignan’ bond was not attacked by any of the agrobacteria examined. Olivil and iso-olivil were oxidized identically, giving results which indicate that the organisms bring about the isomerization olivil →iso-olivil. α-Conidendrol (II) was indicated by the simultaneous adaptation to be an intermediate in α- conidendrin decomposition. All the bacteria studied possess a constitutive ability to oxidize aromatic aldehydes (vanillin, iso vanillin, veratrum- aldehyde, syringaldehyde). By calculation from the total oxygen uptake, and by paper chromatography, it was found that these oxidations gave the corresponding acids. Simultaneously with oxidation to vanillic acid, a small amount of vanillin was reduced to vanillyl alcohol. Coniferyl alcohol was oxidized to ferulic acid. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-36-2-185