LinA and LinB both lack a typical signal sequence for export, so they may be secreted into the periplasmic space via a hitherto unknown mechanism. Hynkova K, Nagata Y, Takagi M, Damborsky J Department of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. This enzyme hydrolyses a broad range of halogenated aliphatic compounds via an alkyl-enzyme intermediate. The position of the catalytic triad within the sequence of LinB was probed by a site-directed mutagenesis. The catalytic triad residues of the haloalkane dehalogenase LinB are proposed to be D108, H272 and E132.
Some species are capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen.
Although cyanobacteria are present in various environments, including those with extreme conditions or pollutants, their ability to degrade organic xenobiotics is yet to be studied in detail. Earlier research by a current researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory showed that two filamentous, nitrogen-fixing forms of cyanobacteria, Anabaena sp. Furthermore, the ability to degrade lindane has been evaluated for 15 species of cyanobacteria that belong to 7 different genera, including filamentous and unicellular types. The rate of lindane degradation varied among the species. Preliminary evidence was obtained for the ability of Anabaena to degrade trichlorethylene.