Combined C and Cl Isotope Effects Indicate Differences between Corrinoids and Enzyme (Sulfurospirillum multivorans PceA) in Reductive Dehalogenation of Tetrachloroethene, But Not Trichloroethene

The role of the corrinoid cofactor in reductive dehalogenation catalysis by tetrachloroethene reductive dehalogenase (PceA) of Sulfurospirillum multivorans was investigated using isotope analysis of carbon and chlorine. Crude extracts containing PceA-harboring either a native norpseudo-B-12 or the alternative nor-B-12 cofactor-were applied for dehalogenation of tetrachloroethene (PCE) or trichloroethene (TCE), and compared to abiotic dehalogenation with the respective purified corrinoids (norpseudovitamin B-12 and norvitamin B-12), as well as several commercially available cobalamins and cobinamide. Dehalogenation of TCE resulted in a similar extent of C and Cl isotope fractionation, and in similar dual-element isotope slopes (epsilon(C)/epsilon(C)l) of 5.0-5.3 for PceA enzyme and 3.7-4.5 for the corrinoids. Both observations support an identical reaction mechanism. For PCE, in contrast, observed C and Cl isotope fractionation was smaller in enzymatic dehalogenation, and dual-element isotope slopes (2.2-2.8) were distinctly different compared to dehalogenation mediated by corrinoids (4.6-7.0). Remarkably, epsilon(C)/epsilon(C)l of PCE depended in addition on the corrinoid type: epsilon(C)/epsilon(C)l values of 4.6 and 5.0 for vitamin B-12 and norvitamin B-12 were significantly different compared to values of 6.9 and 7.0 for norpseudovitamin B-12 and dicyanocobinamide. Our results therefore suggest mechanistic and/or kinetic differences in catalytic PCE dehalogenation by enzymes and different corrinoids, whereas such differences were not observed for TCE.