BioCat Collective

Educating and Building a Broader Biocatalysis Community

Category: Biocatalysis

  • Designing and Engineering Enzymes for New-to-Nature Photobiocatalysis

    Methods Mol Biol. 2026;3032:47-67. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-5257-2_4. ABSTRACT Photobiocatalysis, an interdisciplinary frontier integrating chemistry, biology, and catalysis, drives enzymatic catalysis from natural reactions to new-to-nature transformations via protein engineering and photochemistry. This review centers on enzyme classes, covering nine key families: fatty acid photodecarboxylases (FAPs), nicotinamide-dependent reductases, flavin-dependent “ene”-reductases (EREDs), and others like artificial photoenzymes. We…

  • New-to-Nature Photoenzymatic Catalysis

    Methods Mol Biol. 2026;3032:17-24. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-5257-2_2. ABSTRACT Photoenzymatic catalysis offers a novel methodology to control chemoselectivities and enantioselectivities in photochemistry and biocatalysis, is establishing its standing as an emerging frontier in synthetic chemistry. Herein, we describe a fundamental experimental protocol for preparing and purifying enzymes form Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), including cloning and expression, purification, concentration…

  • Designing and Engineering Enzymes for New-to-Nature Photobiocatalysis

    Methods Mol Biol. 2026;3032:47-67. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-5257-2_4. ABSTRACT Photobiocatalysis, an interdisciplinary frontier integrating chemistry, biology, and catalysis, drives enzymatic catalysis from natural reactions to new-to-nature transformations via protein engineering and photochemistry. This review centers on enzyme classes, covering nine key families: fatty acid photodecarboxylases (FAPs), nicotinamide-dependent reductases, flavin-dependent “ene”-reductases (EREDs), and others like artificial photoenzymes. We…

  • GH172 Difructose Dianhydride I Synthase: A Two-Stepped Journey via Glycosylation and Cyclization Using QM/MM Metadynamics

    Chemistry. 2026 Sep 2:e71544. doi: 10.1002/chem.71544. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT The difructose dianhydride I synthase/hydrolase α FFase 1 catalyzes the reversible transformation of inulobiose into difructose dianhydride I, a component of caramel. The proposed reaction mechanism of such a transformation consists of a glycosylation step followed by a cyclization to yield the dianhydride from…

  • Multidimensional Computational Engineering of Pectate Lyase for Enhanced Thermostability and Moderately Improved Catalytic Efficiency

    J Agric Food Chem. 2026 Aug 26;74(33):26057-26070. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6c06845. ABSTRACT Pectate lyases are promising industrial biocatalysts, but limited thermostability restricts their practical use. Here, we developed a multidimensional consensus computational framework integrating sequence conservation, structural dynamics, and thermodynamic prediction to identify functional mutation hotspots in PcPel1834. Iterative saturation mutagenesis yielded M5 (S212E/Q225L/F241L/L260A/G296T), which showed markedly…

  • Optimization of Laccase PmL Secretion and Thermal Stability via Calculation-Guided Design for Mycotoxin Degradation

    J Agric Food Chem. 2026 Aug 26;74(33):26684-26698. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6c05915. ABSTRACT Mycotoxin contamination causes an annual loss of approximately 30% of global grain production, threatening agricultural economies and food safety. Laccases offer a promising biodegradation route but suffer from low secretion yield and poor stability. This study characterized a novel Priestia megaterium laccase PmL and adopted…

  • Expanding Aldopentose Catalysis of a Novel PQQ-Dependent Glucose Dehydrogenase without Compromising Native d-Glucose Activity

    J Agric Food Chem. 2026 Aug 26;74(33):26532-26543. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6c08393. ABSTRACT Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant renewable resource that is rich in aldohexoses and aldopentoses. Efficient biocatalysts for aldopentose oxidation remain limited, and few enzymes exhibit high catalytic efficiency toward both aldohexoses and aldopentoses. Here, a naturally promiscuous pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase (PQQ-GDH) from Pseudomonas fragi…

  • Biocatalytic Production of Piceatannol-4′-O-Glucoside Using a Novel Glycosyltransferase SoUGT from Saponaria officinalis

    J Agric Food Chem. 2026 Aug 26;74(33):26517-26531. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6c07316. ABSTRACT Piceatannol is a natural stilbene polyphenol with promising bioactivities, but its poor water solubility and low bioavailability limit industrial applications. In this study, a novel UDP-dependent glycosyltransferase, SoUGT, was identified from Saponaria officinalis for regioselective glycosylation of piceatannol. SoUGT belongs to the UGT72 subfamily and…

  • Natural humification-inspired bioenzymatic catalysis drives hydroponic root-zone decontamination and carbon sequestration

    J Hazard Mater. 2026 Aug 31;516:143453. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2026.143453. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Endocrine disruptors bioaccumulate along food chains, impairing reproductive function in wildlife and elevating chronic disease risk in humans. Natural humification-inspired bioenzymatic catalysis (NH-IBC) can interrupt pollutant transfer from crops to higher trophic levels, but its efficacy in hydroponic root-zone decontamination and carbon…

  • Star Polyelectrolyte Coacervates Enable Adaptive and Robust Enzyme Immobilization for Efficient Biocatalysis

    J Am Chem Soc. 2026 Aug 26;148(33):36095-36104. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6c10930. ABSTRACT Enzyme immobilization in solid porous supports often suffers from a trade-off among enzyme loading, mass transport, catalytic activity, and operational stability. Here, we report a liquid-like immobilization platform based on star polyelectrolyte coacervates (SPECs) formed by simple mixing of oppositely charged star polyelectrolytes. The multivalent…