Title | A de novo enzyme catalyzes a life-sustaining reaction in Escherichia coli. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2018 |
Authors | Donnelly, AE, Murphy, GS, Digianantonio, KM, Hecht, MH |
Journal | Nat Chem Biol |
Volume | 14 |
Issue | 3 |
Pagination | 253-255 |
Date Published | 2018 03 |
ISSN | 1552-4469 |
Keywords | Catalysis, Computational Biology, Culture Media, Dimerization, Enterobactin, Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli Proteins, Hydrolysis, Iron, Kinetics, Mutagenesis, Mutation, Phenotype, Protein Folding, Siderophores, Synthetic Biology |
Abstract | <p>Producing novel enzymes that are catalytically active in vitro and biologically functional in vivo is a key goal of synthetic biology. Here we describe Syn-F4, the first de novo protein that meets both criteria. Purified Syn-F4 hydrolyzes the siderophore ferric enterobactin, and expression of Syn-F4 allows an inviable strain of Escherichia coli to grow in iron-limited medium. These findings demonstrate that entirely new sequences can provide life-sustaining enzymatic functions in living organisms.</p> |
DOI | 10.1038/nchembio.2550 |
Alternate Journal | Nat Chem Biol |
PubMed ID | 29334382 |