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Updated: Dec 28, 2025
Monitoring Protein-Ligand Interactions in Human Cells by Real-Time Quantitative In-Cell NMR using a High Cell Density Bioreactor
Published on: March 9, 2021
The NMR tube bioreactor.
Alexandra V Chatzikonstantinou1, Antonis D Tsiailanis2, Ioannis P Gerothanassis2
1Laboratory of Biotechnology, Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece; Department of Chemistry, Section of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
This study introduces the NMR tube bioreactor method for enzyme research. It efficiently predicts enzyme substrates, monitors biotransformation products in real-time, and screens compounds for protein interactions.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry and synthetic chemistry, focusing on enzymatic processes.
Background:
- Enzymes are crucial cellular components and can function as "green" factories for generating therapeutic compounds.
- Understanding enzyme substrates and product interactions with target proteins is vital for drug discovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the "NMR tube bioreactor" method for enzyme substrate prediction and reaction monitoring.
- To demonstrate the method's capability in real-time monitoring of enzymatic biotransformations and screening of products.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing an "NMR tube bioreactor" for enzymatic reactions.
- Performing real-time monitoring of multiple biotransformation products within the NMR tube.
- Screening biotransformation products as potential ligands for protein targets without prior fractionation.
Main Results:
- The method enables prediction of potential enzyme substrates.
- It allows for the exploitation of enzymatic regioselectivity.
- Real-time monitoring of multiple biotransformation products is achieved without isolation.
Conclusions:
- The NMR tube bioreactor is an efficient tool for enzyme substrate mapping and biotransformation analysis.
- This method facilitates the screening of enzymatic products as protein ligands.
- It offers a streamlined approach for discovering bioactive compounds and understanding enzyme function.
