cis
-Dihydrodiendiols are valuable compounds, finding multiple application as chiral synthons in organic chemistry. The biotechnological route for the generation of
cis
-dihydrodiendiols involves the dihydroxylation of aromatic compounds, catalyzed by Rieske non-heme iron dioxygenases. To date, numerous examples of recombinant
E. coli
, harboring such dioxygenases, can be found in the literature. Nevertheless, there is only a minor number of publications, addressing the
E. coli
catalyzed degradation of
cis
-dihydrodiendiols into catechols
via
dehydrogenases. Identification and elimination of such dehydrogenase catalyzed degradation is key for the establishment of enhanced recombinant
E. coli
platforms pursuing the production of
cis
-dihydrodiendiols. Here, we provide a fast and easy strategy for the identification of promiscuous alcohol dehydrogenases in
E. coli
BW25113, catalyzing the degradation of
cis
-dihydrodiendiols into catechols. This approach is based on the screening of dehydrogenase deficient KEIO strains, regarding their incapability of degrading a
cis
-dihydrodiendiol of choice.
Novel screening strategy for
E. coli
BW25113 dehydrogenase knock-outs, incapable of degrading
cis
-dihydrodiendiols was validated for
cis
-1,2-dihydrocatechol as substrate
Corresponding knock-outs can be used for recombinant production of
cis
-dihydrodiendiols
Simple analysis based on liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD)