Dehalogenation of chlorinated aliphatic acid by Rhodococcus sp.

Abstract. Environmental pollution from industrial chemicals and herbicide/pesticide from agricultural activities cause a con-siderable problem to the society. 3-chloropropionic acid is synthetic halogenated compounds used in herbicides. An enzyme preparation derived from a soil microorganism, identified as a strain of Rhodococcus sp. by biochemical and partial 16S rRNA sequencing method, acted upon several chlorinated aliphatic acids. The enzyme system was induced by growth of the bacterium on 3-chloropropionic or 3-chlorobutyric acids. The responsible enzyme removed the chlorides ions present on a number of 3- and 4-carbon alkanoic acids if the halogen was on the β- but not on the α-position. No evidence was obtained for 3-hydroxy-propionic acid serving as an intermediate in the metabolism of β-chloropropionic acid