Group enzymology

Harper DB (1977) Microbial metabolism of aromatic nitriles. Enzymology of C-N cleavage by Nocardia sp. (Rhodochrous group) NCIB 11216. Biochem J 165 309-319. 

Shell" and Biotechnology. Xanthan is manufactured by fermentation, a biotechnological process. How could "Shell", an oil company, be interested in such processes The Royal Dutch/Shell Group is, however, no newcomer to biotechnology. The Milstead Laboratory of Chemical Enzymology was set up in 1962 and was headed by Professor John Cornforth, who went on to win the 1975 Nobel prize for Chemistry shortly after he retired. In 1970 a fermentation laboratory was built on the same site. 

Fraenkel-Conrat, H. (1959) Methods for investigating the essential groups for enzyme activity. In Methods in Enzymology, (S.P. Colowick and N.O. Kaplan, eds.), Vol. 4, pp. 247-269. Academic Press, New York. 

In 1958, Peck joined the staff of the enzymology group of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and continued there to work on sulfur metabolism of chemolithoautotrophic bacteria. In 1965, he was called to Athens. Before moving there, he spent a year in the laboratory of Jacques Senez and Jean LeGall. And then he explored the research niche of hydrogenase and sulfur metabolism, which is a gold mine still today, in various directions. 

Selected entries from Methods in Enzymology [vol, page(s)] Eunctional groups on enzymes suitable for binding to matrices. 

Periodic acid oxidation has proved to be a very useful tool in enzymology since a wide variety of biochemicals contain hydroxyl groups on adjacent carbon atoms. For example, periodate-oxidized ATP (also called adenosine 5 -triphosphate 2, 3 -dialdehyde) has often been used as an alternative substrate or an irreversible inhibitor for a wide variety of ATP-utilizing enzymes. This compound, and many others, are now commercially available, even though they are readily synthesized e.g., periodic acid oxidized ADP, AMP, adenosine, P, P -di(adenosine-5 )pentaphosphate, P, P -di(adenosine-5 )tetraphos-phate, GTP, GDP, GMP, guanosine, CTP, CDP, CMP, etc. In the case of the nucleosides, commercial sources also can supply the dialcohol form of the nucleoside i.e., the nucleoside has first been oxidized with periodic acid and then reduced to the dialcohol with borohydride. 

Our chromophoric substrates proved to be valuable in the study of several aspects of the enzymology of these cellulases. A rapid and specific method for purification (affinity chromatography) has been developed. Following our collaboration with several groups, new insights into the domain arrangement and tertiary structures of two cellulases were obtained. Contributions to the elucidation of the synergistic action (adsorption-hydrolysis) of these enzymes were achieved. 

In concert, structure determinations and enzymological studies for catalytic rates and product distributions with structurally varied aldehydes of native enzymes and numerous active-site mutants have allowed us to derive a conclusive blueprint for the catalytic cycle of FucA (Fig. 2.2.5.2). The proposed mechanism, which has general implications for other metal-dependent aldolases, is able to rationalize all key stereochemical issues successfully ]15]. Independent work by other groups has recently provided further insight into related proteins with Fru A and TagA specificity [16]. 

The mechanism of the reaction is outlined in Scheme 6. In order to release ammonia or an amino-acid from an amide or peptide, the leaving group must be protonated, perhaps by the histidinium ion that is formed when the proton is removed from the hydroxyl group of the serine residue. This level of detail in the mechanism, however, was not seriously considered in the early days of mechanistic enzymology. 

---