Engineering Neofunctionalization in a Model Triterpene Synthase (HEMMINGS_U17DTP1)

酶工程作为发现新化合物和生产高价值化学品的途径，在英国生物经济中发挥着重要作用。到2018年，全球工业酶市场预计将达到70亿美元。植物来源的天然产品形成了一大系列化合物，经常被发现用于制药、农业和工业生物技术应用，但它们的商业开发往往受到其合成难度的限制。在东英吉利大学的安德鲁·赫明斯博士和约翰·英尼斯中心的安妮·奥斯本教授的合作下，一个重大项目正在进行中，该项目旨在开发能够产生新颖、可开发的化合物的经过工程的天然产品生物合成酶。一个博士研究生已经可以进行激动人心的研究，旨在重新设计一种关键的三萜生物合成酶。成功的候选人将在尝试设计这一目标的催化性能方面发挥核心作用。为了实现这一目标，他们将接受蛋白质工程、分子和结构生物学、分析生物化学和计算建模等尖端方法的培训。这项研究将广泛利用东亚大学的当地设施，包括结构和分子生物化学中心(CMSB)和John Innes中心。

Enzyme engineering plays a major role in the UK bioeconomy as a route to the discovery of novel compounds and the production of high-value chemicals. The global market for industrial enzymes is predicted to reach $7bn by 2018.Plant-derived natural products form a large set of compounds frequently found to have pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial biotechnology applications yet their commercial exploitation is often limited by their synthetic intractability. In a collaboration between the groups of Dr. Andrew Hemmings (University of East Anglia) and Professor Anne Osbourn (John Innes Centre) a major project is underway to develop engineered natural product biosynthetic enzymes capable of producing novel, exploitable compoundsA PhD research studentship has become available to carry out exciting research aimed at reengineering a critical triterpene biosynthetic enzyme. The successful candidate will play a central role in attempts to engineer the catalytic properties of this target. To achieve this they will receive training in cutting edge methods of protein engineering, molecular and structural biology, analytical biochemistry and computational modelling. The research will make extensive use of local facilities at UEA including the Centre for Structural and Molecular Biochemistry (CMSB) and at the John Innes Centre.