Of all NMR observable isotopes 19F is the one perhaps most convenient for studies on biodegradation of environmental pollutants. The reasons underlying this potential of 19F NMR are discussed and illustrated on the basis of a study on the biodegradation of fluorophenols by four Rhodococcus strains. The results indicate marked differences between the biodegradation pathways of fluorophenols among the various Rhodococcus species. This holds not only for the level and nature of the fluorinated biodegradation pathway intermediates that accumulate, but also for the regioselectivity of the initial hydroxylation step. Several of the Rhodococcus species contain a phenol hydroxylase that catalyses the oxidative defluorination of ortho-fluorinated di- and trifluorophenols. Furthermore, it is illustrated how the 19F NMR technique can be used as a tool in the process of identification of an accumulated unknown metabolite, in this case most likely 5-fluoromaleylacetate. Altogether, the 19F NMR technique proved valid to obtain detailed information on the microbial biodegradation pathways of fluorinated organics, but also to provide information on the specificity of enzymes generally considered unstable and, for this reason, not much studied so far.

Halophenols and their derivatives are priority pollutants of mainly anthropogenic origin. Over several decades, these compounds have been widely used as building blocks in chemical and pharmaceutical syntheses and as herbicides and pesticides, and they have caused serious local contamination of the environment. Soil microorganisms have developed the capacity of utilizing halophenols for their growth by a diverse set of biodegradation pathways (8). Aerobic soil microorganisms generally degrade mono-and dihalophenols through the initial action of (chloro)phenol ortho-hydroxylases, leading to the formation of halocatechols (1,7,9,10,12). In the framework of a project devoted to the biodegradation of halophenols by gram-positive bacteria, we investigated the formation of hydroxylated intermediates formed upon the conversion of halophenols by various Rhodococcus species and previously demonstrated the formation of (halo)catechols as initial intermediates in the biodegradation pathways (3). However, identification of the subsequent biodegradation pathways of the chlorocatechols appeared hampered by the fact that unequivocal identification of the site of introduction of a third hydroxyl group is difficult because 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) splitting patterns combined with 1 H chemical shift data of the protons present in these metabolites can be compatible with more than one substitution pattern (13). Therefore, in this paper, we have studied the possible formation of trihydroxyfluorobenzene metabolites from fluorophenols by whole cells of Rhodococcus opacus 1cp in detail. The fluorine substituent provides the possibility to detect and quantify the possible hydroxyfluorobenzene intermediates by 19 F NMR, allowing the identification of the exact substitution pattern. Using this technique we unambiguously demonstrate the formation of fluoropyrogallols (1,2,3-trihydroxyfluorobenzenes) as new intermediates in the biotransformation of monofluorophenols by R. opacus 1cp. MATERIALS AND METHODS Chemicals.Phenol was purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany). 2-Fluorophenol, 3-fluorophenol, and 4-fluorophenol were purchased from Janssen Chimica (Beerse, Belgium). Fluorocatechols were prepared from the corresponding fluorophenols using purified phenol hydroxylase from Trichosporon cutaneum (14). Fluoromuconates were prepared and identified as described previously (2) by incubating the fluorocatechols with catechol 1,2-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas arvilla C-1.Growth of R. opacus 1cp. The strain R. opacus 1cp was isolated and maintained as described previously (6). The strain can grow on phenol as the sole source of carbon. For cultivation, a mineral synthetic medium containing, per liter, 1 g of NH 4 NO 3 , 1 g of K 2 HPO 4 , 1 g of KH 2 PO 4 , 0.2 g of MgSO 4 ⅐ 7H 2 O, 0.02 g of CaCl 2 , and 2 drops of a saturated solution of FeCl 3 (pH 7.2) was used. Phenol was used as the source of carbon and was initially added at a 200-mg/liter final concentration. R. opacus 1cp did not grow on either of the three monofluorophenols ...

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Transformation of teflubenzuron, the active component in the insecticide commercialized as Nomolt, by soil microorganisms was studied. It was shown that microorganisms, belonging to Bacillus, Alcaligenes, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter genera are capable to perform the hydrolytic cleavage of the phenylurea bridge of teflubenzuron in different positions, especially active was Bacillus brevis 625. The structure of the intermediates formed was established using TLC, HPLC, mass-spectrometry and 19F NMR techniques. It was shown that for a dose range of 53-132 microM and upon 12 days of fermentation about 30% of the teflubenzuron was modified. About 10-15% was transformed into 2,6-difluorobenzamide, 3-5% into 2,6-difluorobenzoic acid, 10-12% into 2,4-difluoro-3,5-dichloro-aniline. The late compound gave rise to formation of a condensed compound, identified as 1,2-bis(2,4-difluoro-3,5-dichlorophenyl)urea with molecular mass of 420. The results obtained indicate degradation of teflubenzuron by soil microorganisms to be a process to be mediated by microbial consortia, and starting with hydrolysis of the phenylurea bridge by several bacterial species. Subsequent further degradation of the aromatic degradation products has to be mediated by other strains known to be capable of degradation of halogenated aromatics.