4-Chlorobenzoate:coenzyme A (4-CBA:CoA) ligase catalyzes 4-chlorobenzoyl-coenzyme A formation in a two-step reaction consisting of the adenylation of 4-chlorobenzoate with adenosine 5'-triphosphate followed by acyl transfer from the 4-chlorobenzoyl adenosine 5'-monophosphate diester intermediate to coenzyme A. In this study, two core motifs present in the Pseudomonas sp. strain CBS3 4-CBA:CoA ligase (motif I, 161T-S-G-T-T-G-L-P-K-G170, and motif II, 302Y-G-T-T-E306) and conserved among the sequences representing the acyl-adenylate/thioester-forming enzyme family (to which the ligase belongs) were tested for their possible role in substrate binding and/or catalysis. The site-directed mutants G163I, G166I, P168A, K169M, and E306Q were prepared and then subjected to steady-state and transient kinetic studies. The results, which indicate reduced catalysis of the adenylation of 4-chlorobenzoate in the mutant enzymes, are interpreted within the context of the three-dimensional structure of the acyl-adenylate/thioester-forming enzyme family member, firefly luciferase.