{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,12]],"date-time":"2026-04-12T07:48:25Z","timestamp":1775980105524,"version":"3.50.1"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,23]]},"group-title":"Microbiology","reference-count":54,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,23]],"date-time":"2025-03-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742688000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,23]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  Efforts towards microbial conversion of lignin to value-added products face many challenges because lignin\u2019s methoxylated aromatic monomers release toxic C\n                  <jats:sub>1<\/jats:sub>\n                  byproducts such as formaldehyde. The ability to grow on methoxylated aromatic acids (e.g., vanillic acid) has recently been identified in certain clades of methylotrophs, bacteria characterized by their unique ability to tolerate and metabolize high concentrations of formaldehyde. Here, we use a phyllosphere methylotroph isolate,\n                  <jats:italic>Methylobacterium extorquens<\/jats:italic>\n                  SLI 505, as a model to identify the fate of formaldehyde during methylotrophic growth on vanillic acids.\n                  <jats:italic>M. extorquens<\/jats:italic>\n                  SLI 505 displays concentration-dependent growth phenotypes on vanillic acid without concomitant formaldehyde accumulation. We conclude that\n                  <jats:italic>M. extorquens<\/jats:italic>\n                  SLI 505 overcomes potential metabolic bottlenecks from simultaneous assimilation of multicarbon and C\n                  <jats:sub>1<\/jats:sub>\n                  intermediates by allocating formaldehyde towards dissimilation and assimilating the ring carbons of vanillic acid heterotrophically. We correlate this strategy with maximization of bioenergetic yields and demonstrate that formaldehyde dissimilation for energy generation rather than formaldehyde detoxification is advantageous for growth on aromatic acids.\n                  <jats:italic>M. extorquens<\/jats:italic>\n                  SLI 505 also exhibits catabolite repression during growth on methanol and low concentrations of vanillic acid, but no diauxie during growth on methanol and high concentrations of vanillic acid. Results from this study outline metabolic strategies employed by\n                  <jats:italic>M. extorquens<\/jats:italic>\n                  SLI 505 for growth on a complex single substrate that generates both C\n                  <jats:sub>1<\/jats:sub>\n                  and multicarbon intermediates and emphasizes the robustness of\n                  <jats:italic>M. extorquens<\/jats:italic>\n                  for biotechnological applications for lignin valorization.\n                <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1101\/2025.03.22.644763","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,24]],"date-time":"2025-03-24T02:20:47Z","timestamp":1742782847000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Aromatic acid metabolism in\n                  <i>Methylobacterium extorquens<\/i>\n                  reveals interplay between methylotrophic and heterotrophic pathways"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4967-3612","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alekhya M.","family":"Govindaraju","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4071-7204","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Norma Cecilia","family":"Martinez-Gomez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"key":"2026041200220658000_2025.03.22.644763v1.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5772\/intechopen.71210"},{"key":"2026041200220658000_2025.03.22.644763v1.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/femsre\/fux049"},{"key":"2026041200220658000_2025.03.22.644763v1.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/gcbb.12586"},{"key":"2026041200220658000_2025.03.22.644763v1.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cbpa.2015.10.018"},{"key":"2026041200220658000_2025.03.22.644763v1.5","unstructured":"Mart\u00ednez, \u00c1. T. et al. Biodegradation of lignocellulosics: microbial, chemical, and enzymatic aspects of the fungal attack of lignin. 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