Aromatic pollutants pose a serious environmental problem. Petroleum and its derivates belong to the most abundant contaminants in the Czech Republic and their sanation is a priority objective for improving the life quality of the population. Bioremediation is a technology taking advantage of the natural capacity of soil and water microbial community to degrade environmental pollutants. Deeper understanding and detailed knowledge on specialized bacterial species, pathways and genes is required for selection, optimization and application of targeted bioremediation approach and for monitoring of its results. Recent analysis of a metagenomic library constructed from highly contaminated soil of the former military air-base Hradčany has identified a novel group of catabolic genes encoding extradiol dioxygenase similar to DbtC of Burkholderia sp. DBT1. The DbtC-like enzymes are among the three priority groups of extradiol dioxygenases with biodegradation relevance for the locality. The present study of soil bacterial isolates and metagenomic fosmid clones harboring the genes of interest gained evidence about the dbtC-like genes as a part of highly mobile gene cassette. Transposon insertion mutagenesis identified the genes joined with the expression of the extradiol dioxygenase activity. The dbtC-like genes were...

Quantum chemistry has nowadays become a powerful and efficient tool that can be successfully used for studies of biosystems. It is therefore possibleto model the enzyme active-site and the reactions undergoing into it, as well as obtaining quite accurate energetic profiles. Important conclusions can be drawn from such profiles about the  plausibility of different putative mechanisms. Density Functional Theory is used in the present thesis for investigation of the catalytic mechanism of dioxygenase metallo-enzymes and synthetic model complexes. Three enzymes were studied – Homoprotocatechuate 2,3-dioxygenase isolated from Brevibacterium fuscum (Bf 2,3-HPCD), Manganese-Dependent Homoprotocatechuate 2,3-Dioxygenase (MndD) and Homogentisate Dioxygenase (HGD). Models consisting of 55 to 208 atoms have been built from X-ray crystal structures and used in the calculations. The computed energies were put in energy curves and were used for estimation of the feasibility of the suggested reaction mechanisms. A non-heme [(L4Me4)Fe(III)]+3 complex that mimics the reactivity of intradiol dioxygenases, and a heme [T(o-Cl)PPFe] complex catalyzing the stepwise oxidation of cyclohexane to adipic acid, were also studied. For the enzymes and the non-heme biomimetic complex the reaction was found to follow a mechanism that was previously suggested for extradiol and intradiol dioxygenases – ordered substrates binding and formation of peroxo species, which further undergoes homolytic O-O bond cleavage. Different reaction steps appear to be rate limiting in the particular cases: proton transfer from the substrate to the peroxide in Bf 2,3-HPCD, the formation of the peroxo bridge in HGD and the biomimetic complex, and notably, spin transition in MndD. The catalytic oxidation of cyclohexane to adipic acid in the presence of molecular oxygen as oxidant was studied, a reaction of great importance for the chemical industry. Reaction mechanism is suggested, involving several consecutive oxidative steps. The highest calculated enthalpy of activation is 17.8 kcal/mol for the second oxidative step. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: In progress, Paper 5: In progress

Organoarsenicals such as methylarsenical methylarsenate (MAs(V)) and aromatic arsenicals including roxarsone (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylarsenate or Rox(V)) have been extensively used as an herbicide and growth enhancers in animal husbandry, respectively. They undergo environmental degradation to more toxic inorganic arsenite (As(III)) that contaminates crops and drinking water. We previously identified a bacterial gene (arsI) responsible for aerobic MAs(III) demethylation. The gene product, ArsI, is a Fe(II)-dependent extradiol dioxygenase that cleaves the carbon-arsenic (C-As) bond in MAs(III) and trivalent aromatic arsenicals. The objective of this study was to elucidate the ArsI mechanism. Using isothermal titration calorimetry, we determined the dissociation constants (Kd) and ligand-to-protein stoichiometries (N) of ArsI for Fe(II), MAs(III) and aromatic phenyl arsenite. Using a combination of methods including chemical modification, site-directed mutagenesis, and fluorescent spectroscopy, we demonstrated that amino acid residues predicted to participate in Fe(II)-binding (His5-His62-Glu115) and substrate binding (Cys96-Cys97) are all involved in catalysis. Finally, the products of Rox(III) degradation were identified as As(III) and 4-hydroxy-2-nitrophenol, demonstrating that ArsI is a dioxygenase that incorporates one oxygen atom from dioxygen into the carbon and the other to the arsenic to catalyze the cleavage of the C-As bond. These results augment our understanding of the mechanism of this novel C-As lyase.