Molecular analysis of pentachlorophenol degradation

A limited number of microorganisms have been described for their ability to partially degrade pentachlorophenol (PCP), or to completely mineralize it. Several years ago we chose one of these microorganisms, Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 39723, for use in a detailed molecular analysis of the catabolism of PCP. This strain was chosen because it had previously been studied in great detail for its growth characteristics in relation to degradation of PCP. In this paper we provide an overview of the degradation pathway of PCP to 2,6-dichloro-p-hydroquinone by Flavobacterium. The specific biochemical reactions and the genes encoding the enzymes are reviewed. The successful transformation and site specific mutagenesis of Flavobacterium, as well as the discovery of two new pcp alleles is also presented.