Structural Studies of a Fungal Polyphenol Oxidase with Application to Bioremediation of Contaminated Water

Autor: Alexandros Valmas, Grigorios Dedes, Maria Dimarogona
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Proceedings, Vol 66, Iss 1, p 10 (2020)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2504-3900
DOI: 10.3390/proceedings2020066010
Popis: Polyphenol oxidases (PPOs) are a group of Cu-containing enzymes exhibiting two activities: catechol oxidase and tyrosinase. Their precise mechanism of action and the structural elements that determine the distinction between the two activities are yet to be fully understood. In nature, PPOs catalyze the oxidation of several phenols to o-quinones, considerably affecting the color and nutritional properties of numerous agricultural products. On the other hand, PPOs have been widely employed as biocatalysts in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. TtPPO is a PPO from the thermophilic fungus Thermothelomyces thermophila (TtPPO), capable of degrading of chlorophenols (CPs), contagious by-products of various pesticides. The present work aims to clarify the structural determinants of TtPPO function, by performing protein-ligand docking experiments via YASARA software. The docking results are compared with biochemical data, and the role of specific amino acids in TtPPO function is investigated. The identification of the amino acids involved in binding of the different substrates to the active site of the enzyme would allow the structure-based design of a more efficient biocatalyst for wastewater treatment.
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