Abstract 1922 Role of conserved arginines in substrate binding and flavin dynamics in 6-hydroxynicotinate monooxygenase

N-Heterocyclic aromatic compounds (NHACs) are prevalent in industrial solvents, pesticides, and dyes and pose significant environmental hazards due to their toxicity. Because bacteria can degrade NHACs enzymatically into useful metabolites, effective bioremediation strategies show promise. The well-characterized nicotinic acid (NA) catabolism in Pseudomonas putida offers a valuable model for studying mechanisms of bacterial NHAC degradation – pathways that generally involve aromatic ring hydroxylations to enable their oxidative opening.