Metabolism of a Plant Wax Paraffin (n-Nonacosane) by a Soil Bacterium (Micrococcus cerificans)

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Abstract
Long-chain paraffins, such as nonacosane, which enter the soil from plants are degraded by micro-organisms. The ability of 1 soil organism, M. cerificans, to grow on cabbage paraffin (n-nonacosane) was studied. Unlike the pattern seen with hexadecane, waxy esters were not produced when nonacosane was the sole C source, but esters were formed when a cooxidation technique of [14C]-inonacosane with hexadecane was employed. The alcohol and acid portions of the radioactive esters formed were primarily of chain length C16, C17 and C18; neither nonacosanol nor nonacosanoic acid were detected. The nonacosanol and nonacosanoic acid possibly produced from n-nonacosane were probably oxidized to shorter-chain compounds which in turn were incorporated into waxy esters as well as other lipids.