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Updated: May 2, 2026

A Toolkit to Enable Hydrocarbon Conversion in Aqueous Environments
Published on: October 2, 2012
Biochemical and structural characterisation of a haloalkane dehalogenase from a marine Rhodobacteraceae
Halina R Novak1, Christopher Sayer1, Michail N Isupov1
1The Henry Wellcome Building for Biocatalysis, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
Abstract:
A putative haloalkane dehalogenase has been identified in a marine Rhodobacteraceae and subsequently cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme has highest activity towards the substrates 1,6-dichlorohexane, 1-bromooctane, 1,3-dibromopropane and 1-bromohexane. The crystal structures of the enzyme in the native and product bound forms reveal a large hydrophobic active site cavity. A deeper substrate binding pocket defines the enzyme preference towards substrates with longer carbon chains. Arg136 at the bottom of the substrate pocket is positioned to bind the distal halogen group of extended di-halogenated substrates.
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