TIME DEPENDENT ACCUMULATION OF NICOTINE DERIVATIVES IN THE CULTURE MEDIUM OF ARTHROBACTER NICOTINOVORANS pAO1

• Main Authors: Razvan Boiangiu, Doina Guzun, Marius MIHASAN
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iași 2014-12-01
• Series: Analele Ştiinţifice Ale Universităţii Alexandru Ioan Cuza din Iași,Sectiunea II A : Genetica si Biologie Moleculara
• Online Access: http://www.gbm.bio.uaic.ro/index.php/gbm/article/view/1137

Previous studies have shown that the metabolic intermediate 6-hidroxy-D-nicotine (6HNic) found in the Arthrobacter nicotinovorans pAO1+ nicotine catabolic pathway has the ability to bind nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and to sustain spatial memory in rats. These properties make 6HNic a valuable compound with some potential for medical applications, thereby a suitable, simple and efficient method for producing 6-hidroxy-D-nicotine is necessary. Here, we focus on identifying the best moment for harvesting A. nicotinovorans cells in order to directly convert nicotine to 6HNic with the best yield. The growth of A. nicotinovorans pAO1+ was monitored and the correlation between the growth phases and nicotine metabolism was established. After about 5 hours of lag, the strain entered the log phase and was fully grown after 10 hours. The nicotine concentration began to drop dramatically as the pAO1+ culture reached saturation and was depleted in 5 hours. As the nicotine concentration dropped, 6HNic began to accumulate, reaching the maximum levels after about 11 hours of growth. Two other products could be detected by HPLC, one which was identified as the nicotine-blue (NB) pigment and a second a still unknown end-product.