Metabolism of EPTC by a pure bacterial culture isolated from thiocarbamate‐treated soil

A bacterial strain has been isolated from an enhanced thiocarbamate degradation soil and identified as Corynebacterium sp. The strain was capable of rapidly metabolizing EPTC in a liquid culture where the herbicide was the sole source of carbon. Evolution of high quantities of [¹⁴C]carbon dioxide was coupled with a rapid decline of [¹⁴C]EPTC in the medium; after 12 h incubation these accounted for, respectively, 60% and 0% of the recoverable radioactivity. Radioactivity in the polar extract increased gradually up to 20% after 6 h of incubation and then declined slowly. TLC analysis and identification based on comparison to reference compounds showed that the polar extract consisted of EPTC sulfoxide and two conjugates, EPTC‐GSH and EPTC‐cysteine (1·8%, 3·4%, and 16%, respectively). Piperonyl butoxide and tetcyclasis, but not tridiphane, were found to be effective inhibitors of EPTC metabolism in the bacterial culture, suggesting that the breakdown of EPTC might be carried out by a cytochrome P‐450 monooxygenase‐type activity. The thiocarbamate extender, dietholate, also strongly inhibited the metabolism of EPTC in bacterial culture. Based on these results it was postulated that the bacteria metabolize EPTC mainly by hydroxylation of the α‐propyl carbon finally to release [¹⁴C]carbon dioxide, while EPTC sulfoxidation appears to be a minor route.