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Journal of Bacteriology, February 2005, p. 1426-1429, Vol. 187, No. 4
0021-9193/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.187.4.1426-1429.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

New Pathway for Long-Chain n-Alkane Synthesis via 1-Alcohol in Vibrio furnissii M1

Marine Biotechnology Institute, Kamaishi, Iwate, Japan

Received 9 September 2004/ Accepted 3 November 2004

Alkane biosynthesis in the bacterium Vibrio furnissii M1 involves the synthesis of long-chain alkanes via 1-alcohol. Evidence for this novel pathway are the following. (i) Both even- and odd-carbon-number n-alkanes were produced from glucose, while only even-carbon-number fatty acids were produced in V. furnissii M1. This result cannot be explained by the decarbonylation pathway. (ii) Pentadecane and hexadecane were produced from 1-hexadecanoic acid by membrane fractions of V. furnissii M1, and radioisotope precursor-tracer experiments, in which 1-[1-¹⁴C]hexadecanoic acid was fed, identified the corresponding alcohol, aldehyde, and alkane derivatives. Since all metabolites maintained the radioisotope label at 1-C, they were produced by a pathway in which the carbon structure was retained, i.e., a reduction pathway. (iii) n-Hexadecane was produced when 1-hexadecanol was fed to membrane preparations.

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