Stereospecific degradation of phenylsuccinate by actinomycetes.

Racemic phenylsuccinate was stereospecifically degraded by the actinomycetes PS9 and PS17 isolated from soil obtained from Okinawa Island, Japan. Strain PS9, identified as a Citricoccus sp., preferentially degraded the R-form, while strain PS17, identified as a Microbacterium sp., preferentially degraded the S-form of phenylsuccinate. Analysis of the culture broths of these species with phenylsuccinate as the sole carbon source revealed that benzoic acid was produced as a metabolic intermediate. Benzoic acid was further degraded by strain PS9 with m- and/or p-hydroxybenzoic acid but not o-hydroxybenzoic acid as possible intermediates.