Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: Microbial aromatic catabolism offers a promising approach to convert lignin, a vast source of renewable carbon, into useful products. Aryl-O-demethylation is an essential biochemical reaction to ultimately catabolize coniferyl and sinapyl lignin-derived aromatic compounds, and is often a key bottleneck for both native and engineered bioconversion pathways. Here, we report the comprehensive characterization of a promiscuous P450 aryl-O-demethylase, consisting of a cytochrome P450 protein from the family CYP255A (GcoA) and a three-domain reductase (GcoB) that together represent a new two-component P450 class. Though originally described as converting guaiacol to catechol, we show that this system efficiently demethylates both guaiacol and an unexpectedly wide variety of lignin-relevant monomers. Structural, biochemical, and computational studies of this novel two-component system elucidate the mechanism of its broad substrate specificity, presenting it as a new tool for a critical step in biological lignin conversion.
Source: Nature Communications
Language: English
Topic: Lignin and Wood Chemistry
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Fundación Ramón Areces, Diamond Light Source, Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Office of Science, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Division of Chemistry, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Division of Environmental Biology, Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, Bioenergy Technologies Office, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Awards: G1097644813, G1455760090, G1486108657, G14908310, G1538770391, Learning from marine wood borers; enzymes and mechanisms of lignocellulose digestion, G2196865685, Fate of foreign genes in experimental evolution, G2853216374, G2917895714, G2919802334, G3006156186, G3350176979, G3603699681, G3656049197, G3883580859, G3890010759, G399272915, G4105821953, G440252240, G4580282851, Experimental and Theoretical Investigations of Organic Reaction Rates and Mechanisms, 15 NSFBIO - Synthetic Biology for Lignin Utilization, G473123490, G4785159920, G601061201, G6017181652, G645873479, Chemistry without Cofactors: Discovering How a Protein Environment Facilitates Important Reactions with Oxygen, G7021897321, G7233262287, G7619220232, G7908883005, Collaborative Research: Bilateral BBSRC-NSF/BIO: Synthetic Biology for Lignin Utilization, G7963048536, G8116503707, G8142658735, G834333836, G847654844, G8570346810, G944719100
OpenAlex ID: W2809109896