The catalytic mechanism of the beta-xylosidase purified from the culture filtrate of Trichoderma koningii G-39 was investigated. By NMR spectroscopy, the stereochemistry of the enzyme catalyzing the hydrolysis of 2,4-dinitrophenyl and p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylosides was found unequivocally to involve retention of the anomeric configuration. Based on the k(cat) values of a series of arylxylosides with leaving group pK(a)s in the range of 4-10, an extended Bronsted plot was constructed with a slope (beta(lg)) near zero. Enzymatic hydrolysis of aryl-beta-D-xylosides in acetate buffer (pH 4.0) containing 3 or 5% methanol showed a constant product ratio (methylxyloside/xylose), indicating the presence of a common intermediate, probably the xylosyl-enzyme intermediate. In the presence of DTT, the k(cat) values of p-cyanophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside and p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside increased greatly. A two-step mechanism involving the formation and breakdown of the xylosyl-enzyme intermediate was therefore proposed. The rate-limiting step is the breakdown of the intermediate. The secondary deuterium kinetic isotope effect (k(H)/k(D)) measured for 2,4-dinitrophenyl-beta-D-xyloside was 1.02+/-0.01, suggesting that the transition state for breakdown of the xylosyl-enzyme intermediate is S(N)2-like.