Reductive deamination as a new step in the anaerobic microbial degradation of halogenated anilines

In this paper we report the isolation and characterization of an anaerobic enrichment culture as well as of a Rhodococcus sp. strain 2 capable of degrading 3,4-dihaloanilines under nitrate reducing conditions. Using mass spectrometry several of the intermediates formed in the process of 3,4-dichloroaniline conversion were identified. Most interesting is the observation of reductive deamination and the formation of 1,2-dichlorobenzene as one of the intermediates. Using 19F NMR and fluorinated 3,4-dihaloaniline model substrates it was corroborated that reductive deamination of the anilines to give dihalobenzene intermediates represents a new initial step in the anaerobic microbial degradation of these halogenated anilines.