Publications by authors named "Gert Wieland Kohring"

Article Synopsis
  • The authors explain the functional and biological importance of the target proteins in the CASP12 experiment.
  • The crystallographers highlight key structural characteristics of these proteins.
  • They evaluate how accurately the predicted structures matched the actual findings from their crystallographic research.
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Bradyrhizobium japonicum sorbitol dehydrogenase is NADH-dependent and is active at elevated temperatures. The best substrate is D-glucitol (a synonym for D-sorbitol), although L-glucitol is also accepted, giving it particular potential in industrial applications. Crystallization led to a hexagonal crystal form, with crystals diffracting to 2.

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Thiol-ene click chemistry can be exploited for the immobilization of cysteine-tagged dehydrogenases in an active form onto carbon electrodes (glassy carbon and carbon felt). The electrode surfaces have been first modified with vinylphenyl groups by electrochemical reduction of the corresponding diazonium salts generated in situ from 4-vinylaniline. The grafting process has been optimized in order to not hinder the electrochemical regeneration of NAD(+)/NADH cofactor and soluble mediators such as ferrocenedimethanol and [Cp*Rh(bpy)Cl](+).

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Galactitol-1-phosphate 5-dehydrogenase (GPDH) is a polyol dehydrogenase that belongs to the medium-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (MDR) superfamily. It catalyses the Zn(2+)- and NAD(+)-dependent stereoselective dehydrogenation of L-galactitol 1-phosphate to D-tagatose 6-phosphate. Here, three crystal structures of GPDH from Escherichia coli are reported: that of the open state of GPDH with Zn(2+) in the catalytic site and those of the closed state in complex with the polyols Tris and glycerol, respectively.

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Membrane-bounded (S)-mandelate dehydrogenase has been immobilized on the surface of glassy carbon and carbon felt electrodes by encapsulation in a silica film obtained by sol-gel chemistry. Such bioelectrochemical system has been used for the first time for electroenzymatic conversion of (S)-mandelic acid to phenylglyoxylic acid. Apparent Km in this sol-gel matrix was 0.

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A gene in Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110, annotated as a ribitol dehydrogenase (RDH), had 87 % sequence identity (97 % positives) to the N-terminal 31 amino acids of an L-glucitol dehydrogenase from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia DSMZ 14322. The 729-bp long RDH gene coded for a protein consisting of 242 amino acids with a molecular mass of 26.1 kDa.

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1,5-Anhydro-D-fructose (1,5-AF) is an interesting building block for enantioselective and stereoselective organic synthesis. Enzymes acting on this compound are potential targets for structure-based protein/enzyme design to extend the repertoire of catalytic modifications of this and related building blocks. Recombinant 1,5-anhydro-D-fructose reductase (AFR) from Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 was produced in Escherichia coli, purified using a fused 6×His affinity tag and crystallized in complex with the cofactor NADP(H) using the hanging-drop technique.

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A reagentless D-sorbitol biosensor based on NAD-dependent D-sorbitol dehydrogenase (DSDH) immobilized in a sol-gel carbon nanotubes-poly(methylene green) composite has been developed. It was prepared by durably immobilizing the NAD(+) cofactor with DSDH in a sol-gel thin film on the surface of carbon nanotubes functionalized with poly(methylene green). This device enables selective determination of D-sorbitol at 0.

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A new strategy directed to the durable immobilization of NAD(+)/NADH cofactors has been tested, along with a suitable redox mediator (ferrocene), in biocompatible sol-gel matrices encapsulating a bi-enzymatic system (a dehydrogenase and a diaphorase, this latter being useful to the safe regeneration of the cofactor), which were deposited as thin films onto glassy carbon electrode surfaces. It involves the chemical attachment of NAD(+) to the silica matrix using glycidoxypropylsilane in the course of the sol-gel process (in smooth chemical conditions). This approach based on chemical bonding of the cofactor (which was checked by infrared spectroscopy) led to good performances in terms of long-term stability of the electrochemical response.

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We describe the elaboration of a multiscale-tailored bioelectrocatalytic system. The combination of two enzymes, D-sorbitol dehydrogenase and diaphorase, is studied with respect to the oxidation of D-sorbitol as a model system. The biomolecules are immobilized in an electrodeposited paint (EDP) layer.

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A new method is described for immobilisation of enzymes on polymer-coated Pt islands. These islands are deposited on top of a SAM-covered Au(111) electrode by a combination of electroless and electrochemical deposition, which allows for a variation of island size and distance between the islands. Here we describe the immobilisation of pyranose-2-oxidase (P2Ox) and the catalytic response to D-glucose on such a nanopatterned surface, which provides optimum access to the active centres of the enzyme.

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Galactitol 2-dehydrogenase (GatDH) belongs to the protein superfamily of short-chain dehydrogenases. As an enzyme capable of the stereo- and regioselective modification of carbohydrates, it exhibits a high potential for application in biotechnology as a biocatalyst. We have determined the crystal structure of the binary form of GatDH in complex with its cofactor NAD(H) and of the ternary form in complex with NAD(H) and three different substrates.

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In a screening procedure a pink-colored yeast was isolated from enrichment cultures with (2R,3R)-(-)-di-O-benzoyl-tartrate (benzoyl-tartrate) as the sole carbon source. The organism saar1 was identified by morphological, physiological, and 18S ribosomal DNA/internal transcribed spacer analysis as Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, a basidiomycetous yeast. During growth the yeast hydrolyzed the dibenzoyl ester stoichiometrically to the monoester using the separated benzoate as the growth substrate, before the monoester was further cleaved into benzoate and tartrate, which were both metabolized.

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