Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pablo Aza, Gonzalo Molpeceres, Jesper Vind, Susana Camarero
Summary: Multi-copper oxidases (MCOs) are a diverse group of enzymes that use copper ions to reduce O2 to H2O. Laccases, the largest group of MCOs, have a wide range of biotechnological applications. This study focuses on a specific subgroup of MCOs called laccase-ferroxidases (LAC-FOXs) and aims to better understand their classification and structure-function relationships. By analyzing LAC-FOXs from basidiomycete fungi, the researchers identified two subgroups and investigated the key residues responsible for ferroxidase activity. They also conducted site-directed mutagenesis on one specific LAC-FOX enzyme to determine its catalytic activity and the residues essential for its ferroxidase activity.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Niklas Hirth, Michelle-Sophie Gerlach, Nicole Wiesemann, Martin Herzberg, Cornelia Grosse, Dietrich H. Nies
Summary: The metal-resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans uses its copper resistance components to survive the synergistic toxicity of copper ions and gold complexes in auriferous soils. The interplay of these systems with each other and with glutathione (GSH) was analyzed. All five systems (Cup, Cop, Cus, GSH, and Gig) contributed to copper resistance, with Cup being the most important.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xinzhe Zhong, Caitlin J. Bouchey, Evanta Kabir, William B. Tolman
Summary: By reacting copper-superoxide complexes with dicopper(I) complexes using different ligands, metastable intermediates with (peroxo)dicopper moieties were formed instead of the desired (peroxo)tricopper model under reaction conditions. The structures of these intermediates were proposed to be mu-eta(1): eta(2)-peroxo based on resonance Raman data and consideration of structural preferences for LCuX species.
JOURNAL OF INORGANIC BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Winaki P. Sohtun, Sethuraman Muthuramalingam, Muniyandi Sankaralingam, Marappan Velusamy, Ramasamy Mayilmurugan
Summary: Copper(II) complexes with newer N3O ligands were synthesized and characterized, showing nearly perfect square pyramidal geometry. The complexes exhibited catalytic activity in converting substrates with high yields, following Michaelis-Menten enzymatic reaction kinetics. Studies were conducted in water to simulate enzymatic oxidation conditions.
JOURNAL OF INORGANIC BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Murillo Peterlini Tavares, Thiago Rodrigues Dutra, Tulio Morgan, Rafaela Zandonade Ventorim, Rafaela Ines de Souza Ladeira Azar, Ednilson Mascarenhas Varela, Roberta Corsino Ferreira, Tiago Antonio de Oliveira Mendes, Sebastiao Taveres de Rezende, Valeria Monteze Guimaraes
Summary: The genome of the phytopathogenic fungus Chrysoporthe cubensis contains distinct groups of multicopper oxidase (MCO) coding genes, including laccases, which have potential for biotechnological applications. In this study, the complete genomic arsenal of MCOs from C. cubensis was identified and characterized. Laccases were induced, purified, and tested for improving sugarcane bagasse saccharification. The fungal cultivation in different lignocellulosic biomass yielded more efficient enzymatic extracts than commercial preparations, with the highest laccase activity detected in the crude extract of the fungus cultivated on wheat bran and orange peel (3:1).
PROCESS BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Phebe H. van Langevelde, Errikos Kounalis, Lars Killian, Emily C. Monkcom, Daniel L. J. Broere, Dennis G. H. Hetterscheid
Summary: This study reports a dinuclear copper complex inspired by the active site of multicopper oxidases (MCOs), which undergoes a proton-coupled electron transfer pathway during its electrochemical reduction process, resulting in a larger overpotential. The study also reveals the role of metal-metal cooperativity and the constraints of a rigid ligand framework in catalysis, leading to an improved selectivity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to better stabilization of reaction intermediates between the copper centers.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
A. Zerva, C. Pentari, A. Termentzi, A. H. P. America, D. Zouraris, S. K. Bhattacharya, A. Karantonis, G. I. Zervakis, E. Topakas
Summary: This study isolated, purified, and characterized two novel LMCOs, PcLac1 and PcLac2, from Pleurotus citrinopileatus. PcLac2 was found to have a broader substrate range than PcLac1, but both had similar formal potentials, lower than previously reported laccases. Proteomic analysis confirmed their similarity to other well-characterized laccases from Pleurotus strains. Both LMCOs were able to oxidize ferulic and sinapic acid, producing oligomers with potential antioxidant activity. The findings shed light on the biochemistry and variability of low-redox potential laccases, highlighting their potential value in biocatalysis.
BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Efstratios Nikolaivits, Romanos Siaperas, Andreas Agrafiotis, Jamal Ouazzani, Antonios Magoulas, Anastasia Giot, Evangelos Topakas
Summary: This study screened novel fungal strains isolated as symbionts of marine invertebrates for their ability to remove 2,4,5-trichlorobiphenyl (PCB29) and isolated two enzymes exhibiting laccase activity, with one of them showing improved ability to remove PCB29 in the presence of mediators. RNAseq analysis of the strain revealed a diverse repertoire of multicopper oxidases involved in laccase activities.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Graziela C. Sedenho, Itamar T. Neckel, Rafael N. P. Colombo, Jessica C. Pacheco, Thiago Bertaglia, Frank N. Crespilho
Summary: This study introduces an experimental setup based on X-ray absorption nanospectroelectrochemisty (XA-NSEC) for investigating the water oxidation reaction (WOR) in a copper-containing oxidoreductase enzyme. Through this technique, the characteristics of the enzyme active site and thermodynamic parameters can be detected in real-time, leading to a better understanding of the mechanism of water oxidation bioelectrocatalysis.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Maria Bernal, Ute Kraemer
Summary: The text discusses the interaction between iron and copper in biological systems and their importance in biological processes. Studies have found an inter-dependence of iron and copper in certain eukaryotes, including green algae, yeast, and mammals. In Arabidopsis, copper deficiency can lead to secondary iron deficiency, affecting root-to-shoot iron translocation and ferroxidase activity.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Electrochemistry
Giulia Moro, Vania Brissos, Chiara Zanardi, Ligia O. Martins, Felipe Conzuelo
Summary: The study investigates the redox proteins over an electrode surface. It demonstrates the influence of pH on the redox potential and the need for initial reductive activation for maximum bioelectrocatalytic activity. The study also describes the effect of chloride ions on the bioelectrocatalytic reaction.
ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Maria Carla Martini, Francesca Berini, Luka Ausec, Carmine Casciello, Carolina Vacca, Mariano Pistorio, Antonio Lagares, Ines Mandic-Mulec, Flavia Marinelli, Maria Florencia Del Papa
Summary: In this study, a novel LMCO named Lac80 from Ochrobactrum sp. BF15 was identified and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, allowing for further purification and activity evaluation. Lac80 showed lower activity on 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), pyrocatechol, pyrogallol and vanillic acid, and higher activity on 2,6-dimethoxyphenol among thirteen typical laccase substrates tested. This research highlights the potential use of bacterial laccases in industrial applications and the importance of environmental plasmids as sources of novel enzyme-encoding genes for biotechnological processes.
FOOD TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Se-Min Jung, Minwoo Yang, Woon Ju Song
Summary: Artificial metalloenzymes have provided insights into the emergence, evolution, and diversification of inorganic reactions in protein environments. In this study, we engineered dinuclear copper oxidases by incorporating a metal-ligating unnatural amino acid near the rotational axis of a homo-oligomeric protein. The resulting tailor-made metalloenzymes exhibited various reactivities, demonstrating the diverse chemical repertoire of artificial copper-dependent enzymes.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vania Brissos, Patricia T. Borges, Reyes Nunez-Franco, Maria Fatima Lucas, Carlos Frazao, Emanuele Monza, Laura Masgrau, Tiago N. Cordeiro, Ligia O. Martins
Summary: This study characterizes the molecular features of the evolution of a hyperthermostable metallo-oxidase from the multicopper oxidase family into a laccase by combining mutagenesis with structural, kinetic, and in silico analyses. The results show that residue replacements and distal mutations modulate substrate binding and catalysis, and allosterically coupled, long-range dynamic networks favor catalytically competent conformational states.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shichao Xu, Haifeng Wu, Siyuan Liu, Peidong Du, Hui Wang, Haijun Yang, Wenjie Xu, Shuangming Chen, Li Song, Jikun Li, Xinghua Shi, Zhen-Gang Wang
Summary: In this study, a supramolecular mimetic enzyme with catechol oxidase-like copper-cluster active sites was synthesized. This catalyst exhibits catalytic functions similar to those of copper cluster-dependent oxidases, and its performance surpasses previously reported artificial complexes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Chong-Su Kim
Summary: The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in brain function through the gut-brain axis. This review highlights the effects of gut microbiota-derived dietary metabolites on cell-to-cell interactions in the central nervous system, particularly microglia, astrocytes, and neuronal cells, affecting cognitive function, mood, and behavior. The review also discusses the potential of diet-induced microbial metabolite-based therapies as novel approaches to mental health treatment.
ADVANCES IN NUTRITION
(2024)