Metabolism of dimethylsulphoniopropionate by Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3.

Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 possesses two general pathways for metabolism of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP), an osmolyte of algae and abundant carbon source for marine bacteria. In the DMSP cleavage pathway, acrylate is transformed into acryloyl-CoA by propionate-CoA ligase (SPO2934) and other unidentified acyl-CoA ligases. Acryloyl-CoA is then reduced to propionyl-CoA by AcuI or SPO1914.

Crystal structure of DmdD, a crotonase superfamily enzyme that catalyzes the hydration and hydrolysis of methylthioacryloyl-CoA.

Dimethyl-sulphoniopropionate (DMSP) is produced in abundance by marine phytoplankton, and the catabolism of this compound is an important source of carbon and reduced sulfur for marine bacteria and other organisms. The enzyme DmdD catalyzes the last step in the methanethiol (MeSH) pathway of DMSP catabolism. DmdD is a member of the crotonase superfamily of enzymes, and it catalyzes both the hydration and the hydrolysis of methylthioacryloyl-CoA (MTA-CoA), converting it to acetaldehyde, CO2, MeSH, and CoA.

Decontamination of prion protein (BSE301V) using a genetically engineered protease.

A previous study has demonstrated the potential of alkaline proteases to inactivate bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE301V). Here we explored the use of MC3, a genetically engineered variant of Bacillus lentus subtilisin. MC3 was used to digest BSE301V infectious mouse brain homogenate (iMBH).

Commodity scale production of sugars from starches.

The production of sugars from starch sources is an industry that exists in its present form due to the application of industrial enzymology to solve process related problems. As the industry matures, the demand for more efficient enzymes leading to higher quality products and lower production costs for the starch processor has increased. Researchers are now finding or tailoring enzymes for specific operational needs of the processor using a combination of tools such as protein engineering, directed evolution and improved accessing of natural diversity.