Diterminal Oxidation of Long-Chain Alkanes by Bacteria

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Kester, A. S. (The University of Texas, Austin) and J. W. Foster. Diterminal oxidation of long-chain alkanes by bacteria. J. Bacteriol. 85:859-869. 1963.-A corynebacterial organism capable of growing in mineral salts with individual pure alkanes as carbon sources produces a series of acids from the C(10)-C(14) alkanes. They have been isolated in pure form and identified as monoic, omega-hydroxy monoic, and dioic acids containing the same number of carbon atoms as the substrate alkane. Oxidation took place at both terminal methyl groups-"diterminal oxidation." Appropriate labeling experiments indicate that omega oxidation of fatty acids occurs in this organism and that an oxygenation with O(2) occurs.