Dismutation and cross-dismutation of aldehydes, and alcohol: aldehyde oxidoreduction by resting-cells of Pseudomonas putida F61-a

Pseudomonas putida F61-a defective in formaldehyde dehydrogenase was derived from the parent strain (F61). The bacterial strain grown on a nutrient broth supplemented with 1% glucose exhibited high formaldehyde dismutase activity. The dismutation and cross-dismutation of aldehydes occurred stoichiometrically in the resting-cells reaction. Many kinds of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes that are scarcely soluble in water were utilized in these reactions as well as soluble ones. Formaldehyde at an extremely high concentration (0.5 M) was almost completely converted to equimolar amounts of methanol and formic acid by the resting-cells, which could be used three times without a loss of activity. The cross-dismutation between acrolein and formaldehyde occurred efficiently in the resting-cells reaction with 0.1 M each substrate. The alcohol: aldehyde oxidoreduction of the short-chain substrates was also shown by the resting-cells of a mutant (M6) unable to grow on n-propanol.