Identification and characterization of benzene carboxylase, the key enzyme in anaerobic benzene degradation

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Anaerobic degradation is one of the most important processes to remove aromatic hydrocarbons from contaminated aquifers. However, the degradation of non-substituted aromatics such as benzene is poorly understood due to the extremely difficult cultivation. Here, we want to identify and describe the initial activation reactions in anaerobic degradation of benzene. An iron-reducing and a sulphate-reducing benzene-degrading culture that was previously enriched in our lab shall be purified and microbiologically described. In parallel, we will identify putative enzymes involved in anaerobic activation of benzene by genome sequencing of our sulphate-reducing culture and proteomic tools. We will then test the enzyme reaction of benzene carboxylase and compared to the results from anaerobic naphthalene degradation.