Work In Progress

Halogenated phenols are a group of organic molecules, characterized by benzene rings with hydroxyl groups and halogen atoms. In general, halogenated phenols tend to be more toxic and less biodegradable than their nonhalogenated counterparts, to note that phenols, cresols, and catechols do not bioaccumulate to any great extent. Used in large quantities for diverse purposes and moderately soluble in water, fugitive phenolics are inevitable and these can be moved around readily by water. It’s been reported that halogenated phenols have accumulated in various anoxic subsurface environments as a consequence of improper disposal. What’s even worse, increasing levels of halogenated phenol detected in humans and wildlife are of particular concern. With an original dehalogenase named RdhANP from Nitratireductor pacificus, we aim to engineer selected microbes to build a dehalogenater, to remove halogen atoms from halogenated phenols, thus reducing their toxicity and facilitate their subsequent treatment. Compared with other enzymes in the dehalogenase subfamily, which are usually membrane-associated and oxygen-sensitive, RdhANP is a soluble, oxygen-tolerant reductive dehalogenase depending on cobalamin (B12) and electron donors (i.e NADPH) for its catalytic activity. After successful heterologous expression of RdhANP, we’d design our dehalogenator to function efficiently in suitable devices.