DypB peroxidase for aflatoxin removal: New insights into the toxin degradation process

Aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) is one of the most potent carcinogens and a widespread food and feed contaminant. As for other toxins, many efforts are devoted to find efficient and environmentally-friendly methods to degrade AFB₁, such as enzymatic treatments, thus improving the safety of food and feed products. In this regard, the dye decolorizing peroxidase of type B (DypB) can efficiently degrade AFB₁. The molecular mechanism, which is required to drive protein optimization in view of the usage of DypB as a mycotoxin reduction agent in large scale application, is unknown. Here, we focused on the role of four DypB residues in the degradation of AFB₁ by alanine-scanning (residues 156, 215, 239 and 246), which were identified from biochemical assays to be kinetically relevant for the degradation. As a result of DypB degradation, AFB₁ is converted into four products. Interestingly, the relative abundancy of these products depends on the replaced residues. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the role of these residues in the binding step between protein and manganese, a metal ion which is expected to be involved in the degradation process. We found that the size of the haem pocket as well as conformational changes in the protein structure could play a role in determining the kinetics of AFB₁ removal and, consequently, guide the process towards specific degradation products.