BioCat Collective

Educating and Building a Broader Biocatalysis Community

Category: Biocatalysis

  • Tetrahydromethanopterin as a Two-Carbon Carrier: Formation of N5-Ethyl- and N5,N10-Ethylene-Tetrahydromethanopterin in Methanothermobacter marburgensis

    Biochemistry. 2026 Apr 29. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6c00178. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Tetrahydromethanopterin (H4MPT) is the main carbon carrier in methane metabolism, which allows the interconversion of a formyl group into a methyl group. Although typically described as a single carbon (C1) carrier, we identified and characterized N5-ethyltetrahydromethanopterin (N5-ethyl-H4MPT) and N5,N10-(1,1-ethylene)tetrahydromethanopterin (N5,N10-ethylene-H4MPT) in the model methanogen…

  • From haploid inducer to CMS donor: repurposing of CENH3 to create a CMS line in a single step in Brassica napus

    Plant Cell Rep. 2026 Apr 29;45(5):145. doi: 10.1007/s00299-026-03804-x. ABSTRACT Mutation in centromere histone H3 (CENH3) protein could induce a paternal haploid with maternal cytoplasm in rapeseed. By paternal haploid induction, a cytoplasmic male sterile line can be created in any genetic background within one breeding cycle. Hybrid development in rapeseed relies primarily on the three-line…

  • Substrate selectivity of human histidine methyltransferase METTL9

    Protein Sci. 2026 May;35(5):e70590. doi: 10.1002/pro.70590. ABSTRACT Methylation of histidine residues in zinc transporters by histidine methyltransferase METTL9 plays an important role in modulating their metal-binding properties. Here, we report synthetic, enzymatic, and computational studies on human METTL9-catalyzed Nπ-methylation of His375 in zinc transporter SLC39A5-derived peptides in which the histidine substrate and its neighboring residues…

  • Molecular basis for adaptive evolution of aromatic degradation enzymes in bacteria revealed by metagenomics

    Front Microbiol. 2026 Apr 13;17:1795400. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1795400. eCollection 2026. ABSTRACT Aromatic hydrocarbons, including persistent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), impose strong selective pressures that drive the adaptive evolution of bacterial degradation systems. Metagenomic studies have revealed extensive diversification of key catabolic enzymes, such as ring-hydroxylating and ring-cleavage dioxygenases, through the accumulation of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and…

  • From proteins to species ranges: a framework for understanding thermal adaptation during range expansions

    Proc Biol Sci. 2026 Apr 29;293(2069):20252656. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2025.2656. ABSTRACT Traditionally, ecological factors have been the primary focus of species distribution studies, but recent work emphasizes the importance of rapid evolution through local adaptation. Here, we focus on adaptation to temperatures along an environmental gradient, which is an important challenge populations face today. Thermal adaptation may…

  • A programmable pAgo DNase from Hydrogenophilus thermoluteolus guided by small DNA and RNA

    Int J Biol Macromol. 2026 Apr 26:152250. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.152250. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Argonaute (Ago) proteins are programmable nucleases found in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes that use small nucleic acid guides to cleave complementary DNA or RNA targets. However, the limited catalytic efficiency and substrate versatility of currently characterized prokaryotic Argonautes (pAgos) have restricted…

  • Exploring PadR Proteins for Artificial Enzyme Design

    Chembiochem. 2026 Apr 28;27(8):e70308. doi: 10.1002/cbic.70308. ABSTRACT The development of artificial enzymes through incorporation of new-to-nature catalytic functionality into protein scaffolds has emerged as a powerful approach to expand the biocatalytic repertoire. Inspired by the success of Lactococcal multidrug resistance regulator (LmrR), a transcriptional regulator protein, whose unique scaffold has been used for the design…

  • Reprogramming of bacterial virulence by lysine acetylation

    Nat Commun. 2026 Apr 27. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-72244-8. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Gram-negative bacteria use a plethora of virulence factors to infect eukaryotic cells. CE-clan protease-related virulence factors were reported to act as deubiquitinases/ubiquitin-like specific proteases. Some have an additional acetyl-transferase activity. The molecular mechanisms underlying this dual activity and the physiological consequences are only…

  • Single-atom nanozymes: Bridging atomic design and biomedical function through structure-activity-property relationships

    Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2026 Apr 25:115879. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2026.115879. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Single-atom nanozymes (SAzymes), featuring atomically dispersed active sites with well-defined coordination environments, have emerged as a powerful nanoplatform for mimicking metalloenzyme activity with high catalytic precision. However, their broader biomedical application remains limited by insufficient understanding of structure-function relationships and challenges…

  • Mining of Highly Regioselective Carboxyl Glycosyltransferases and Their Application in Biosynthesizing Triterpenoid Glycosides

    J Agric Food Chem. 2026 Apr 27. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5c13556. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Pentacyclic triterpenoids represent important natural products with wide applications as food additives, sweeteners, and dietary supplements. Recently, carboxyl glycosyltransferases (CLGTs) have received extensive attention due to their special role in glycosylating pentacyclic triterpenoids at the carboxyl group for function enhancement. However,…