Metabolism of pyrene by the basidiomycete Crinipellis stipitaria and identification of pyrenequinones and their hydroxylated precursors in strain JK375

Abstract

The metabolism of pyrene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, by submerged cultures of the basidiomycete Crinipellis stipitaria was studied. After incubation for 68 h at 25°C in a 20-liter fermentor with complex medium and 20 mg of pyrene per liter, five metabolites were detected. The compounds were isolated by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography on RP18 and DIOL gels. By UV, infrared, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, 1-hydroxypyrene, 1,6-dihydroxypyrene, 1,8- dihydroxypyrene, 1,6-pyrenequinone, and 1,8-pyrenequinone were identified. 1,6- and 1,8-dihydroxypyrene were obtained from fungal cultures for the first time. The formation of these metabolites was confirmed by investigations with [4,5,9,10-14C]pyrene.