Raina, VishakhaRentsch, DanielGeiger, ThomasSharma, PoonamBuser, Hans RudolfHolliger, ChristofLal, RupKohler Hans-Peter, E.2010-04-142010-04-142010-04-14200810.1021/jf800465qhttps://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/49370WOS:000258270300079Technical hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and lindane are obsolete pesticides whose former production and use led to widespread contaminations posing serious and lasting health and environmental risks. Out of nine possible stereoisomers, α-, β-, γ-, and δ-HCH are usually present at contaminated sites, and research for a better understanding of their biodegradation has become essential for the development of appropriate remediation technologies. Because haloalkane dehalogenase LinB was recently found responsible for the hydroxylation of β-HCH, δ-HCH, and δ-pentachlorocyclohexene (δ-PCCH), we decided to examine whether β- and γ-PCCH, which can be formed by LinA from α- and γ-HCH, respectively, were also converted by LinB. Incubation of such substrates with Escherichia coli BL21 expressing functional LinB originating from Sphingobium indicum B90A showed that both β-PCCH and γ-PCCH were direct substrates of LinB. Furthermore, we identified the main metabolites as 3,4,5,6-tetrachloro-2-cyclohexene-1-ols and 2,5,6-trichloro-2-cyclohexene-1,4-diols by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gas chromatography−mass spectrometry. In contrast to α-HCH, γ-HCH was not a substrate for LinB. On the basis of our data, we propose a modified γ-HCH degradation pathway in which γ-PCCH is converted to 2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-diol via 3,4,5,6-tetrachloro-2-cyclohexene-1-ol and 2,5,6-trichloro-2-cyclohexene-1,4-diol.text::journal::journal article::research article