FEMS Microbiology Letters 1999-12-01

Preferential oxidative dehalogenation upon conversion of 2-halophenols by Rhodococcus opacus 1G.

V S Bondar, M G Boersma, W J van Berkel, Z I Finkelstein, E L Golovlev, B P Baskunov, J Vervoort, L A Golovleva, I M Rietjens

Index: FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 181(1) , 73-82, (1999)

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Abstract

The regiospecificity of hydroxylation of C2-halogenated phenols by Rhodococcus opacus 1G was investigated. Oxidative defluorination at the C2 position ortho with respect to the hydroxyl moiety was preferred over hydroxylation at the non-fluorinated C6 position for all 2-fluorophenol compounds studied. Initial hydroxylation of 2,3, 5-trichlorophenol resulted in the exclusive formation of 3, 5-dichlorocatechol. These results indicate that, in contrast to all other phenol ortho-hydroxylases studied so far, phenol hydroxylase from R. opacus 1G is capable of catalyzing preferential oxidative defluorination but also oxidative dechlorination.