Alkane hydroxylases (AlkB) are a class of environmentally-useful proteins that play an important role in the bioremediation of oil because they catalyze the conversion of alkanes to alcohols.  AlkB is a membrane-spanning metalloenzyme that converts alkanes ranging from five carbons to thirty-two carbons to their corresponding alcohols.  Within nature there are hundreds of AlkB homologues with certain residues consistently conserved while others have very little conservation.  To gain a better understanding of the relationship between AlkB structure and function (in the absence of a crystal structure) as well as the reason for the tremendous genetic diversity found in nature, the substrate ranges of  several different AlkBs were tested using an activity assay we developed.  Results from the different AlkBs were compared and examined in light of a bioinformatic analysis of more than 200 AlkB sequences.  Tentative conclusions were drawn about key structural determinants of enzyme function.<br/>

Exploring the substrate preferences in diverse alkane monooxygenases (AlkBs)

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.