Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Polyester synthases: natural catalysts for plastics.

Bernd H A Rehm1

  • 1Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstrasse 3, 48149 Münster, Germany. rehm@uni-muenster.de

The Biochemical Journal
|September 5, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Dual-Mode Native Mass Spectrometry Screening Identifies Ginsenoside Ligands of 6-Hydroxymethyl-7,8-Dihydropterin Pyrophosphokinase (HPPK).

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Robust Bioconjugated Antigens Induce Immune Responses Preventing Malaria Infection and its Transmission.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026
Same author

Advancing Collision-Induced Affinity Selection Mass Spectrometry for Quantitative Ligand Analysis in Complex Mixtures.

Analytical chemistry·2026
Same author

Adjuvant-free biopolymer particles mimicking the Chikungunya virus surface induce protective immunity.

Biomaterials·2026
Same author

<i>Atkinsonella hypoxylon</i> virus capsid structure highlights the diversity of capsid proteins among the <i>Partitiviridae</i>.

The Journal of general virology·2026
Same author

Peptide Display Directed Assembly of Biopolymer Core-Silica Shell Particles.

Advanced healthcare materials·2025
Same journal

Nanobodies against Plasmodium adhesins that block receptor engagement and malaria parasite invasion.

The Biochemical journal·2026
Same journal

Persistence without turnover: the RhoG G12E mutant highlights the role of nucleotide cycling in RhoG signaling.

The Biochemical journal·2026
Same journal

Alternative Splicing of Rice Chloroplastic CuZn Superoxide Dismutase, OsCSD2: Impact on expression and protein characteristics.

The Biochemical journal·2026
Same journal

Difference and similarity between the ubiquitous secretory pathway Ca2+-ATPases, SERCA2b, and SPCA1a.

The Biochemical journal·2026
Same journal

A molecular perspective on dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolases structure and function.

The Biochemical journal·2026
Same journal

Proteolytic coordination of the OXPHOS Life Cycle.

The Biochemical journal·2026
See all related articles

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are bacterial biopolyesters. Polyester synthases, key enzymes in PHA biosynthesis, self-assemble on inclusions, increasing activity and revealing a conserved catalytic mechanism.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Microbiology
  • Polymer Science

Background:

  • Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are bacterial biopolyesters synthesized by diverse microorganisms.
  • Polyester synthases are crucial enzymes for PHA biosynthesis, catalyzing the conversion of hydroxyacyl-CoA thioesters.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide an overview of recent biochemical characterizations of polyester synthases.
  • To analyze the structure, function, and catalytic mechanism of polyester synthases.

Main Methods:

  • Cloning and sequencing of 59 polyester synthase genes from 45 bacterial species.
  • Multiple sequence alignment and analysis of primary structures.
  • Biochemical characterization and mutational analysis.
  • Bioinformatic analysis using threading algorithms.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • 59 polyester synthase genes characterized, revealing 8-96% sequence identity with only eight conserved residues.
  • Polyester synthases classified into four groups based on substrate specificity and subunit composition.
  • Evidence suggests polyester synthases belong to the alpha/beta-hydrolase superfamily with a conserved catalytic cysteine.

Conclusions:

  • Polyester synthases exhibit self-assembly onto PHA inclusions, enhancing enzyme activity.
  • A conserved catalytic mechanism, likely involving a cysteine nucleophile, is proposed for polyester synthases.
  • This review compiles current knowledge on PHA synthase genes and their biochemical properties.