Metabolism of the alkane analogue n-dioctyl ether by Acinetobacter species.

Metabolism of n-dioctyl ether by Acinetobacter species HO1-N resulted in formation of 8-n-octoxy-1-octanoic acid and 2-n-octoxy-1-acetic acid. The 16-carbon ether acid was incorporated into the cellular lipids, whereas the 10-carbon ether acid accumulated in the growth medium. Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the cellular phospholipids were similar to hexadecane-grown cells. The growth of Acinetobacter on dioctyl ether occurred at the expense of six-carbon atoms of dioctyl ether.