Whole-cell Rieske non-heme iron biocatalysts.

ABSTRACT

Rieske non-heme iron oxygenases (ROs) possess the ability to catalyze a wide range of reactions. Their ability to degrade aromatic compounds is a unique characteristic and makes ROs interesting for a variety of potential applications. However, purified ROs can be challenging to work with due to low stability and long, complex electron transport chains. Whole cell biocatalysis represents a quick and reliable method for characterizing the activity of ROs and harnessing their metabolic potential. In this protocol, we outline a step-by-step protocol for the overexpression of ROs for whole cell biocatalysis and characterization. We have utilized a caffeine-degrading, N-demethylation system, expressing the RO genes ndmA and ndmD, as an example of this method.