Peroxidase catalytic cycle of MCM-41-entrapped microperoxidase-11 as a mechanism for phenol oxidation

The encapsulation of microperoxidases (MPs) into molecular sieves with controlled pore size, such as the mesoporous silica MCM-41, represents a nanotechnology strategy to control the catalytic properties of MPs and mimic the enzymatic activity of hemoproteins. In this work, the ferric microperoxidase-11 (MP-11), obtained from trypsin-catalyzed hydrolysis of horse-heart cytochrome c, was entrapped in MCM-41, thus resulting in a catalyst (Fe(III)MP11MCM41) with catalase and monooxygenase properties. The entrapment of MP-11 inside MCM-41 was confirmed by elemental analysis and UV-visible spectrum, with a red shift in the Soret band indicating that the heme group was in a hydrophobic microenvironment. Similarly to catalase, the catalyst Fe(III)MP11MCM41 exhibited specificity for hydrogen peroxide to be converted to a high-valence oxidized intermediate, Compound II. Also mimicking catalase, the cleavage of hydrogen peroxide by MP11MCM41 resulted in O2 production detected by a Clark electrode. Phenol was able to act as reducing agent of MP11MCM41 Compound II leading to the completion of a peroxidase cycle, as confirmed by UV-visible spectrometry and EPR measurements. The analysis of the reaction products by high performance liquid chromatogram coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) revealed 2,4-dihydroxyphenol as the product of phenol oxidation by MP11MCM41. Therefore, in addition to catalase activity, the catalyst MP11MCM41 also displayed monooxygenase properties, which was possible because the MP-11 heme iron promotes homolytic cleavage of the hydrogen peroxide generating hydroxyl radicals. With such characteristics, MCM-41-entrapped MP-11 is a promising catalyst for nanobiotechnological devices.     

Chemo-Enzymatic Fluorescence Labeling Of Genomic DNA For Simultaneous Detection Of Global 5-Methylcytosine And 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine**

5-Methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine are epigenetic modifications involved in gene regulation and cancer. We present a new, simple, and high-throughput platform for multi-color epigenetic analysis. The novelty of our approach is the ability to multiplex methylation and de-methylation signals in the same assay. We utilize an engineered methyltransferase enzyme that recognizes and labels all unmodified CpG sites with a fluorescent cofactor. In combination with the already established labeling of the de-methylation mark 5-hydroxymethylcytosine via enzymatic glycosylation, we obtained a robust platform for simultaneous epigenetic analysis of these marks. We assessed the global epigenetic levels in multiple samples of colorectal cancer and observed a 3.5-fold reduction in 5hmC levels but no change in DNA methylation levels between sick and healthy individuals. We also measured epigenetic modifications in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and observed a decrease in both modification levels (5-hydroxymethylcytosine: whole blood 30 %; peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) 40 %. 5-methylcytosine: whole blood 53 %; PBMCs 48 %). Our findings propose using a simple blood test as a viable method for analysis, simplifying sample handling in diagnostics. Importantly, our results highlight the assay‘s potential for epigenetic evaluation of clinical samples, benefiting research and patient management.     

Harnessing Split-Inteins as a Tool for the Selective Modification of Surface Receptors in Live Cells

Biochemical studies of integral membrane proteins are often hampered by low purification yields and technical limitations such as aggregation causing in vitro manipulations to be challenging. The ability of controlling proteins in live cells bypasses these limitations while broadening the scope of accessible questions owing to the proteins being in their native environment. Here we take advantage of the intein biorthogonality to mammalian systems, site specificity, fast kinetics, and auto-processing nature as an attractive option for modifying surface proteins. Using EGFR as a model, we demonstrate that the split-intein pair Ava^N/Npu^C can be used to efficiently and specifically modify target membrane proteins with a synthetic adduct for downstream live cell application.