Characterization of 2-phenanthroate:CoA ligase from the sulfate-reducing, phenanthrene-degrading enrichment culture TRIP

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) constitute a class of very toxic and persistent pollutants in the environment. However, the anaerobic degradation of three-ring PAHs such as phenanthrene is barely investigated. The initial degradation step starts with a carboxylation followed by a CoA‑thioesterification reaction performed by an aryl-CoA ligase. The formation of a CoA-thioester is an important step in the degradation pathway of aromatic compounds because the CoA-ester is needed for all downstream biochemical reactions in the pathway. Furthermore, we provide biochemical proof for the identification of the first genes for anaerobic phenanthrene degradation. Results presented here provide information about the biochemical and structural properties of the purified 2‑phenanthroate:CoA ligase and expand our knowledge of aryl-CoA ligases.