Engineered Oxalate Decarboxylase Boosts Activity and Stability for Biological Applications

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Enzyme Engineering
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Oxalate decarboxylase (OxDC) from Bacillus subtilis is a Mn-dependent enzyme that metabolizes oxalate.
• OxDC is of interest for treating hyperoxaluria, a condition of excessive oxalate excretion.
• The enzyme's low activity and stability at neutral pH limit its biotechnological applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a more stable and efficient OxDC variant for physiological conditions.
• To overcome the limitations of native OxDC activity at neutral pH.

Main Methods:

• Bioinformatics-guided protein engineering.
• Combinatorial mutagenesis of OxDC.
• Analysis of enzyme activity and thermal stability.

Main Results:

• A double mutant of OxDC was identified with enhanced catalytic efficiency.
• The engineered OxDC exhibited improved stability under physiological conditions (neutral pH).
• The mutant enzyme demonstrates superior performance compared to the wild-type.

Conclusions:

• Protein engineering successfully enhanced OxDC activity and stability at neutral pH.
• The engineered OxDC is a promising tool for intestinal oxalate degradation.
• This development offers potential therapeutic benefits for hyperoxaluria patients.