Discovery of noncanonical cytochrome P450 enzymes in nature - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #cytochrome P450
- #biocatalysis
- #enzyme diversity
- Researchers discovered noncanonical cytochrome P450 enzymes (ncCYPs) that do not have the universally conserved proximal cysteine ligand.
- Bioinformatic analysis identified 20 distinct ncCYP families in microbial genomes with alternative residues (e.g., serine, selenocysteine) at the ligand position.
- A serine-ligated ncCYP exhibits a high-spin ferric resting state and catalyzes azide reduction and nitrene insertion reactions, confirmed by crystal structure.
- The study reports the first native selenocysteine-ligated CYP found in nature, expanding the known diversity of CYP metalloenzymes for biocatalytic applications.