Factors affecting the hydroxylation of aniline by Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Sloane, Crane, and Mayer (2) reported that Mycobacterium smegmatis oxidizes aniline to p-aminophenol. It was also shown (2) that p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) yields p-aminophenol after the PABA is first enzymatically decarboxylated to aniline. It is the purpose of this publication to present data on the effect of pH, citrate, inorganic ions, and inhibitors on this hydroxylation reaction. The data indicate that the hydroxylation of the benzene ring is coupled with the energy-yielding oxidation reactions of the microorganism.