The chemical structure of a polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). Microbial dehalogenases detoxify PCBs by removing chlorine atoms (Cl).WIKIMEDIA, D.328
Scientists have known for more than a decade that bacteria living in deep-sea sediments produce enzymes that can dehalogenate long-lived environmental toxins such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins. Now, researchers have purified one of these dehalogenases and examined its structure and activity. The results of a study published this week (October 19) in Nature could aid the removal of pollutants.
A team at the University of Manchester in the U.K. showed that the catalytic activity of a reductive dehalogenase from Nitratireductor pacificus was dependent on the cofactor vitamin B12, which is also important for nervous system activities in humans. Most dehalogenases are oxygen-sensitive and associated with bacterial membranes, which make them insoluble and difficult to isolate. In this work, the researchers made use of ...
