Optimizing Cytochrome P450 Reductase for Efficient Electron Transfer to Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenases

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The long-term goal of the research program is to engineer enzymes to be efficient biocatalysts for the production of fine chemicals and bioactive natural products. Enzymes, which are large cellular molecules, perform chemical transformations under very mild reaction conditions with exquisite control (i.e. one product typically is produced). In many cases, this makes them cost-effective and sustainable alternatives to traditional chemical catalysts, which often employ high temperatures and toxic metals. The short-term objective of the research program is to improve the biocatalytic feasability of a class of enzymes called cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s). P450s act on a wide array of compounds and perform difficult chemical reactions that cannot be replicated through traditional “bench-top” chemical synthesis. However, P450 chemistry often relies on the transfer of electrons from a second enzyme, cytochrome P450 reductases (CPR), which is a very inefficient catalytic step in a scaled-up industrial process.