Anthranilate (2-aminobenzoate) is an important intermediate in tryptophan metabolism. In order to investigate the degradation of tryptophan through anthranilate by Burkholderia cepacia, several plasposon mutations were constructed of strain DBO1 and one mutant with the plasposon insertion in the anthranilate dioxygenase (AntDO) genes was chosen for further study. The gene sequence obtained from flanking DNA of the plasposon insertion site revealed unexpected information. B. cepacia DBO1 AntDO (designated AntDO-3C) is a three-component Rieske-type [2Fe-2S] dioxygenase composed of a reductase (AndAa), a ferredoxin (AndAb), and a two-subunit oxygenase (AndAcAd). This is in contrast to the two-component (an oxygenase and a reductase) AntDO enzyme from Acinetobacter sp. strain ADP1, P. aeruginosa PAO1, and P. putida P111. AntDO from strains ADP1, PAO1, and P111 are closely related to benzoate dioxygenase, while AntDO-3C is closely related to aromatic hydrocarbon dioxygenases from Novosphingobium aromaticivorans F199 and Sphingomonas yanoikuyae B1 and 2-chlorobenzoate dioxygenase from P. aeruginosa strains 142 and JB2. Escherichia coli cells expressing the functional AntDO-3C genes transform anthranilate and salicylate (but not 2-chlorobenzoate) to catechol. The enzyme includes a novel reductase whose absence results in less efficient transformation of anthranilate by the oxygenase and ferredoxin. AndR, a possible AraC/XylS-type transcriptional regulator, was shown to positively regulate expression of the andAcAdAbAa genes. Anthranilate was the only effector (of 12 aromatic compounds tested) that was able to induce expression of the genes.