Naphthalene degradation via salicylate and gentisate by Rhodococcus sp. strain B4.

Rhodococcus sp. strain B4, isolated from a soil sample contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, grows with naphthalene as the sole source of carbon and energy. Salicylate and gentisate were identified as intermediates in the catabolism of naphthalene. In contrast to the well-studied catabolic pathway encoded by the NAH7 plasmid of Pseudomonas putida, salicylate does not induce the genes of the naphthalene-degradative pathway in Rhodococcus sp. strain B4. The key enzymes of naphthalene degradation in Rhodococcus sp. strain B4 have unusual cofactor requirements. The 1,2-dihydroxynaphthalene oxygenase activity depends on NADH and the salicylate 5-hydroxylase requires NADPH, ATP, and coenzyme A.