Design and Evaluation of Artificial Hybrid Photoredox Biocatalysts.

A pair of 9-mesityl-10-phenyl acridinium (Mes-Acr+ ) photoredox catalysts were synthesized with an iodoacetamide handle for cysteine bioconjugation. Covalently tethering of the synthetic Mes-Acr+ cofactors with a small panel of thermostable protein scaffolds resulted in 12 new artificial enzymes. The unique chemical and structural environment of the protein hosts had a measurable effect on the photophysical properties and photocatalytic activity of the cofactors. The constructed Mes-Acr+ hybrid enzymes were found to be active photoinduced electron-transfer catalysts, controllably oxidizing a variety of aryl sulfides when irradiated with visible light, and possessed activities that correlated with the photophysical characterization data. Their catalytic performance was found to depend on multiple factors including the Mes-Acr+ cofactor, the protein scaffold, the location of cofactor immobilization, and the substrate. This work provides a framework toward adapting synthetic photoredox catalysts into artificial cofactors and includes important considerations for future bioengineering efforts.

Orthogonal Expression of an Artificial Metalloenzyme for Abiotic Catalysis.

A cytochrome P450 was engineered to selectively incorporate Ir(Me)-deuteroporphyrin IX (Ir(Me)-DPIX), in lieu of heme, in bacterial cells. Cofactor selectivity was altered by introducing mutations within the heme-binding pocket to discriminate the deuteroporphyrin macrocycle, in combination with mutations to the P450 axial cysteine to accommodate a pendant methyl group on the Ir(Me) center. This artificial metalloenzyme was investigated for activity in non-native metallocarbenoid-mediated olefin cyclopropanation reactions and showed enhanced activity for aliphatic and electron-deficient olefins when compared to the native heme enzyme. This work provides a general strategy to augment the chemical functionality of heme enzymes in cells with application towards abiotic catalysis.

An Evolved Orthogonal Enzyme/Cofactor Pair.

We introduce a strategy that expands the functionality of hemoproteins through orthogonal enzyme/heme pairs. By exploiting the ability of a natural heme transport protein, ChuA, to promiscuously import heme derivatives, we have evolved a cytochrome P450 (P450BM3) that selectively incorporates a nonproteinogenic cofactor, iron deuteroporphyrin IX (Fe-DPIX), even in the presence of endogenous heme. Crystal structures show that selectivity gains are due to mutations that introduce steric clash with the heme vinyl groups while providing a complementary binding surface for the smaller Fe-DPIX cofactor. Furthermore, the evolved orthogonal enzyme/cofactor pair is active in non-natural carbenoid-mediated olefin cyclopropanation. This methodology for the generation of orthogonal enzyme/cofactor pairs promises to expand cofactor diversity in artificial metalloenzymes.

Viscosity and temperature effects on the rate of oxygen quenching of tris-(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II).

We compare the bimolecular quenching rate constant (k2) of luminescent tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) by oxygen in water, ethylene glycol and glycerol as a function of temperature and viscosity to several theoretical models. The Smoluchowski equation with experimentally determined diffusion coefficients produced calculated values that were in the best agreement with experiment. For the less viscous solvent, water, this equation produced a value that was approximately an order of magnitude larger than the experimental value. With an increase in solvent viscosity, the Smoluchowski value approached the experimental value. Using the Smoluchowski equation with calculated diffusion coefficients based on the known radii of the reacting species produced deviations an order of magnitude larger in water and a factor of two or three lower in ethylene glycol and glycerol. If an assumption is made that the radii of both molecules are equal, we have the Stokes Einstein equation, and the only parameters become temperature and viscosity. Using this relationship, the calculated values for water are about a factor of two larger and with ethylene glycol and glycerol about a factor of 6 smaller than experimental data. These results show that bimolecular quenching is a more complex process affected by many parameters such as solvent cage effects in addition to viscosity and temperature.