Fungal degradation of benzoic acid and related compounds.

Most knowledge of the degradation of aromatic compounds has been gained through investigation of the pathways in bacteria. In recent years, however, significant developments have been made in the understanding of the degradation of these compounds in yeasts and moulds. Many similarities have been identified between the bacteria and the yeasts and moulds but some significant differences occur. This review highlights these differences and discusses the current understanding of the fungal degradation of benzoate and some substituted benzoates. The pathways for the further conversion of the ring-fission substrates, which are common to all fungi capable of degrading these aromatic compounds, are also presented.