Review
Chemistry, Physical
Lucy C. Ward, Hannah V. McCue, Andrew J. Carnell
Summary: The review focuses on the potential use of carboxyl methyltransferases (CMTs) in industrial biotechnology, highlighting their ability to generate diverse methyl esters under aqueous conditions. Strategies for regenerating the required cofactor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) are discussed, which will further improve the industrial applications of CMTs.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhenhua Wu, Huiting Shan, Yushuai Jiao, Shouying Huang, Xiaodong Wang, Kang Liang, Jiafu Shi
Summary: Enzyme-based nanobiohybrids are a promising biocatalyst family for green and low-carbon manufacturing. However, current strategies face challenges in designing high-performance EnNBHs. Reticular chemistry materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have been considered as good candidates for constructing EnNBHs. This study presents a facile and versatile in situ entrapment strategy using crystalline covalent organic networks (CONs) to enhance the robustness and catalytic efficiency of enzymes under mild conditions.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew J. Laurence, Timothy S. Carpenter, Ted A. Laurence, Matthew A. Coleman, Megan Shelby, Chao Liu
Summary: Proteins embedded in biological membranes play important roles in organisms and are targets for many drugs. However, purifying these insoluble proteins has been challenging, making their detailed characterization difficult. The development of nanodisc techniques and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) has provided new methods for studying membrane proteins. This review summarizes the current nanodisc techniques and FCS fundamentals, and discusses studies that have used FCS and nanodisc technology to investigate various membrane proteins.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sariah Giraldo-Narcizo, Nihal Guenani, Ana Maria Sanchez-Perez, Antonio Guerrero
Summary: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is widely used for single-use applications and using enzymes to hydrolyze PET for sustainable recycling is a promising method. However, the accessibility of the enzyme to the hydrolysable chemical bonds is a challenge. In this study, alkali pre-treatment was used to modify the surface of the plastic and increase the degradation yield.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jie Chen, Sheng Dong, Wenhan Fang, Yiping Jiang, Zhifeng Chen, Xiangquan Qin, Cong Wang, Haifeng Zhou, Longyi Jin, Yingang Feng, Binju Wang, Zhiqi Cong
Summary: We report the selective hydroxylation of alkylbenzenes using an engineered P450 peroxygenase driven by a dual-functional small molecule (DFSM). By combining different P450BM3 variants with DFSMs, more than half of all possible hydroxylated products were obtained from each substrate with high regioselectivity (>99%), enantioselectivity (>99% ee), and high total turnover numbers (up to 80963). Synergistic effects between exogenous DFSMs and the protein environment controlled the regio- and enantioselectivity, as revealed by crystal structure analysis, molecular dynamic simulations, and theoretical calculations. This work has implications for exogenous-molecule-modulated enzymatic regiodivergent and enantioselective hydroxylation with potential applications in synthetic chemistry.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Miquel Garcia-Bofill, Peter W. Sutton, Marina Guillen, Gregorio Alvaro
Summary: Statins inhibit the synthesis of LDL-cholesterol related to cardiovascular diseases. ADH99 and NOX are used for the oxidation of chlorolactol to chlorolactone, leading to improved reaction yield and efficiency.
APPLIED CATALYSIS A-GENERAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Oliver Dumele, Luka Dordevic, Hiroaki Sai, Thomas J. Cotey, M. Hussain Sangji, Kohei Sato, Adam J. Dannenhoffer, Samuel I. Stupp
Summary: This study investigates the synthesis of supramolecular polymers capable of sensitizing catalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen production and successfully develops a supramolecular photocatalytic system that retains long-term photocatalytic activity in all aqueous media. The findings demonstrate the potential of tailored supramolecular polymers as renewable energy and sustainability materials.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Uxue Ballesteros, Emilio J. Gonzalez-Ramirez, Igor de la Arada, Jesus Sot, Asier Etxaniz, Felix M. Goni, Alicia Alonso, Lidia Ruth Montes
Summary: N-maleimide-derivatized phospholipids, particularly PE-mal, have been investigated for their potential usage in protein anchoring to membranes. This study compared the properties of native PE and PE-mal by using spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques on vesicles containing either PE or PE-mal. The results showed that the presence of PE-mal did not perturb the bilayer's fatty acyl chains and permeability, but did increase the order and decrease the fluidity of the bilayers. Additionally, PE-mal induced conformational changes in the polar heads and increased hydration. Overall, the study suggests that PE-mal could serve as a reasonable substitute for PE in model membranes with reconstituted proteins.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rasmus Fromsejer, Marianne L. Jensen, Matthew O. Zacate, Victoria L. Karner, Vincent L. Pecoraro, Lars Hemmingsen
Summary: PAC spectroscopy can be used to measure the rotational diffusion rate of molecules in solution, providing information about nanoviscosity. This technique has potential applications in the study of liquids and biochemistry.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Spectroscopy
Xiangrong Li, Wei Guo, Ruonan Xu, Zhizhi Song, Tianjun Ni
Summary: This study investigated the interaction between gold nanoparticles and various proteins using spectroscopic techniques. The results showed that gold nanoparticles can form a stable protein corona by interacting with proteins, and the nature of the interaction depends on the characteristics of the proteins.
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Maja Leitgeb, Zeljko Knez, Gordana Hojnik Podrepsek
Summary: The objectives of this study were to inactivate certain enzymes in flour using supercritical carbon dioxide and optimize the treatment conditions. The study found that exposure to scCO(2) can decrease the activity of unwanted enzymes in flour. In scCO(2)-treated flour, the fat content decreased significantly, the grain structure remained intact, and the resulting bread had a lower specific surface volume.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
M. L. Hagen, J. B. Harper, A. K. Croft
Summary: This article summarizes the recent developments in protein-ionic solvent interactions, including non-aqueous biocatalysis, improved thermostability of biomaterials, and potential applications in medicine.
CURRENT OPINION IN GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Julio Vacacela, Anna-Lisa Schaap-Johansen, Patricia Manikova, Paolo Marcatili, Marta Prado, Yi Sun, Jon Ashley
Summary: Inspired by molecularly imprinted polymers, this study demonstrates the protein-target mediated synthesis of enzyme-generated aptamers (EGAs) for the first time. Two mechanisms were identified for the formation of EGAs, including binding of random sequences to the target and dynamic competition between TdT enzyme and the target protein. This new approach increases the stringency of EGA-based screening and offers a rational design method for aptamer development.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Leigh A. Stoddart, Joelle Goulding, Stephen J. Briddon
Summary: Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a quantitative spectroscopy technique that has the potential to study the function of membrane proteins, especially with the recent application of native extraction techniques. It can be routinely used in membrane protein drug discovery.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY & CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andre Hadicke, Ana Coutinho, Sarah Roy, Francois Otis, Mustapha Lhor, Line Cantin, Manuel Prieto, Normand Voyer, Christian Salesse
Summary: The absorption of light by rhodopsin leads to the release of all-trans retinal (ATRal) in photoreceptor disc membranes. Retinol dehydrogenase 8 (RDH8) then reduces ATRal into all-trans retinol, the first step of the visual cycle. Membrane binding of RDH8 is mediated by palmitoylated cysteines in its C-terminus, with the amphipathic alpha helical structure playing a key role in membrane binding.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Bernd Wittmann, Felix A. Wenzel, Stephan Wiesneth, Andreas T. Haedler, Markus Drechsler, Klaus Kreger, Juergen Koehler, E. W. Meijer, Hans-Werner Schmidt, Richard Hildner
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
David Golonka, Uwe Gerken, Juergen Koehler, Andreas Moeglich
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
T. Kunsel, A. Loehner, J. J. Mayo, J. Koehler, T. L. C. Jansen, J. Knoester
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lisa M. Guenther, Jasper Knoester, Juergen Koehler
Summary: Linear dichroism (LD) spectroscopy is commonly used to study the mutual orientation of transition-dipole moments of electronically excited states in molecular aggregates, but it is not suitable for extracting accurate information about the arrangement of complex molecular assemblies, especially in hierarchically organized supramolecular structures.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Johannes Maier, Tina Weller, Mukundan Thelakkat, Jurgen Koehler
Summary: Light-induced conversion of photochromic molecules has been intensively studied for various applications, showing high fatigue resistance and potential for super-resolution optical microscopy on frozen biological samples.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
T. Kunsel, L. M. Guenther, J. Koehler, T. L. C. Jansen, J. Knoester
Summary: The study explores the use of single-object spectroscopy to probe size variations of bacteriochlorophyll aggregates in chlorosomes. By combining linear polarization resolved spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy, it is possible to access and probe the typical size of tubular aggregates within chlorosomes, revealing potential differences between individual chlorosomes.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Patrick Beer, Paul M. Reichstein, Konstantin Schoetz, Dominic Raithel, Mukundan Thelakkat, Juergen Koehler, Fabian Panzer, Richard Hildner
Summary: In this study, individual nanoscale aggregates of the conjugated polymer P3HT were examined using photoluminescence spectroscopy to reveal varying levels of structural and electronic disorder. The findings indicate that the P3HT aggregates exhibit H-type nature and undergo partial planarization upon cooling from room temperature to low temperature. These spectral changes are indicative of intra-chain torsional disorder, which ultimately contributes to both intra- and inter-aggregate disorder.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY A
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tatas Hardo Panintingjati Brotosudarmo, Bernd Wittmann, Soichiro Seki, Ritsuko Fujii, Juergen Koehler
Summary: The SCP complex in marine alga Codium fragile has a similar structure to the major light-harvesting complexes in higher plants, LHC II, but with a reversed Chl a:Chl b ratio and accommodates different carotenoids. Fluorescence emission spectra and lifetimes were recorded from ensembles and single SCP complexes. Significant differences were observed in the data obtained from single SCP complexes as compared to ensemble complexes, which is attributed to different excitation intensities and suggests an aging process of SCP complexes during storage.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tatas Hardo Panintingjati Brotosudarmo, Bernd Wittmann, Soichiro Seki, Ritsuko Fujii, Juergen Koehler
Summary: The spectral response of the SCP complex from Codium fragile to green and red light excitation differs significantly, which may be associated with the alga's adaptation to its natural underwater habitat.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Correction
Chemistry, Physical
Tatas Hardo Panintingjati Brotosudarmo, Bernd Wittmann, Soichiro Seki, Ritsuko Fujii, Jurgen Kohler
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Elina Multamaki, Andres Garcia de Fuentes, Oleksii Sieryi, Alexander Bykov, Uwe Gerken, Americo Tavares Ranzani, Juergen Koehler, Igor Meglinski, Andreas Moeglich, Heikki Takala
Summary: In optogenetics, BphP photoreceptors control cellular processes by sensing red and farred light and regulating downstream gene expression. By reprogramming bacterial gene expression from blue-light to red-light control, pREDusk and pREDawn systems enable high spatial resolution and tissue penetration, providing red-light-regulated expression for diverse use cases in bacteria.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Inga Elvers, Tu C. Nguyen-Phan, Alastair T. Gardiner, C. Neil Hunter, Richard J. Cogdell, Jurgen Koehler
Summary: In this study, we investigated the fluorescence kinetics of LH2 complexes from Marichromatium purpuratum using cryo-EM structure. By applying the phasor formalism, we identified three lifetime components associated with quenched state, singlet-triplet annihilation, and fluorescence decay. Furthermore, we found that the number of decay components depends on the excitation wavelength.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sebastian Stater, Felix A. Wenzel, Hannes Welz, Klaus Kreger, Jurgen Kohler, Hans-Werner Schmidt, Richard Hildner
Summary: Funneling excitation energy toward lower energy excited states is a key concept in photosynthesis, often realized with at most two types of pigment molecules. However, current synthetic approaches rely on Fo''rster-type energy-transfer cascades along chemically different molecules. Here, we demonstrate a novel concept where an excited-state energy gradient is achieved along micrometer-long supramolecular nanofibers based on a single component, the conjugated polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene), P3HT. This gradient is attributed to defect fractionation during nanofiber growth and provides guidelines for designing supramolecular structures with intrinsic energy gradients for nanophotonic applications.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Andrea Albert, Martina Fried, Mukundan Thelakkat, Juergen Koehler
Summary: This study reports the spectroscopic characterization of two emissive photochromic molecules that undergo a photocyclization/cycloreversion reaction upon illumination with light in the UV and VIS spectral ranges. The emission can be modulated between high and low levels by adjusting the illumination intensity, with a contrast ratio exceeding 80%.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Bernd Wittmann, Till Biskup, Klaus Kreger, Jurgen Koehler, Hans-Werner Schmidt, Richard Hildner
Summary: The study demonstrates an all-optical approach to manipulate singlet exciton transport pathways within supramolecular nanostructures via singlet-triplet annihilation, enabling effective control of singlet exciton motion. This reversible, all-optical manipulation of singlet exciton transport opens up new possibilities for the design principles of functional photonic nanodevices.
NANOSCALE HORIZONS
(2021)
