Desulfobacterium indolicum

BakF, F Widdel (1986) Anaerobic degradatiion of indolic compounds by sulfate-reducing enrichment cultures, and description of Desulfobacterium indolicum gen. nov., sp. nov. Arch Microbiol 146 170-176. 

The microbial pathways observed for the degradation of indole differ significantly between microorganisms. Four pathways have been reported for indole degradation. In the first pathway, the degradation of indole by Desulfobacterium indolicum was reported [339,340] to occur via isatin and anthranilate (Fig. 25). 

Figure 25. Early steps of anaerobic degradation of indole by Desulfobacterium indolicum and hypothetical metabolic steps of indole degradation by a denitrifying microbial community.

Under anaerobic conditions [326], pyridine could be degraded by Azoarcus evansil strain pF6. The complete degradation of indole was observed on Desulfobacterium indolicum that also transformed quinoline and related compounds. 

Johansen, S. S. Licht, D., and Arvin, E., Metabolic Pathways of Quinoline, Indole and Their Methylated Analogs by Desulfobacterium Indolicum (DSM 3383). Appl Microbiol Biot, 1997. 47(3) pp. 292-300. 

The degradation of indole, under sulphate-reducing conditions, has not been elucidated todate only Bak and Widdle have isolated, fix>m a marine enrichment with indole as sole electron donor and carbon source, a sulphate-reducing bacterium, ascribed as new species of Desulfobacterium indolicum, which oxidized completely indole to CO with sulphate as electron acceptor [168]. 

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