Glycyl Radical Enzymes
The addition of alkanes across the double bond of fumarate is analogous to the anaerobic activation of toluene, wherein the methyl group of toluene is added across the double bond of fumarate by the glycyl radical enzyme (GRE), benzylsuccinate synthase (Bss). We have recently made an important discovery in strain AK-01 by identifying the genes that encode for a GRE for which expression correlates with growth on hexadecane (Callaghan et al., 2008). The discovery of an enzyme similar to Bss in AK-01 represents an important step in advancing our understanding of anaerobic alkane metabolism. However, significant questions remain about the genetics and regulation of alkylsuccinate synthase (ass) genes in AK-01 as well as other anaerobic alkane degraders. Current projects aim to: investigate the transcriptional regulation of genes in the ass gene clusters in strain AK-01, purify the alklsuccinate synthase enzyme, and solve the crystal structures of the Ass proteins.
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