Enzymology of aromatic degradation by pseudomonas cf600 and selected fungi

生物圈中有机物的分解是地球上所有有机体的任务，但最肮脏和最复杂的分子最终要由细菌和真菌来降解。虽然这些生物已经进化到可以处理各种各样的自然底物，但它们越来越多地受到人造化合物的挑战，这些化合物可能会也可能不会降解。因此，这些降解活动是令人感兴趣的：了解大自然令人难以置信的多样性已经能够做什么；微生物如何以及为什么在人造化合物上失败；以及如何调整或修改这些活动来降解化学废物、清除污染物或改变自然材料。我们在这里感兴趣的是生物降解反应，由单一种类的细菌和真菌进行，通常是为了获取能量和支持生长。

Decomposition of organic matter in the biosphere is the task of all organisms on the Earth, but ultimately degradation of the nastiest and most complex molecules falls to bacteria and fungi. While these organisms have evolved to deal with a wide variety of natural substrates, they are increasingly challenged by man-made compounds which they may or may not degrade. These degradative activities are thus of interest: to know what Nature in its incredible variety is already capable of; how and why microbes fail with man-made compounds; and how these activities might be adapted or modified to degrade chemical wastes, clean up pollutants, or transform natural materials. We are interested here in biodegradative reactions, carried out by single species of bacteria and fungi, generally to derive energy and support growth.