Degradation of phenol by Streptomyces setonii

Streptomyces setonii 75Vi2, a thermotolerant actinomycete from soil, was grown at 45 °C in a liquid medium containing phenol. The enzymes for phenol catabolism were inducible. Phenol hydroxylase catalyzed the NADPH-dependent hydroxylation of phenol to catechol, which was then cleaved by catechol 1,2-dioxygenase to cis,cis-muconic acid. This is the first report of phenol metabolism in the genus Streptomyces.