Beilstein Talk "Accelerating evolution of biocatalyzed oxidation reactions"

Beilstein Talks

The Beilstein Talks are an established addition to the projects of the Beilstein-Institut supporting communication and information in science. These online talks are free to attend; a simple registration is all that is required.

Accelerating evolution of biocatalyzed oxidation reactions

Joelle N. Pelletier / University of Montreal, Canada
March 19, 2026, 3–4 pm CET

Online live talk

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Introduction

Enzymes collectively display a great breadth of catalytic properties yet are individually confined to one or a few specific catalytic tasks. Despite key advances in enzyme engineering, our capacity to predict the effects of mutations on function remains nebulous. Here we present advances in engineering non-native biocatalyzed transformations to procure useful products. We focus on cytochrome P450 oxidase from Bacillus megaterium (P450 BM3) in its capacity to functionalize unactivated C-H bonds. We present cost-effective, high-throughput colorimetric screening at the whole-cell level to streamline discovery of new reactivity in panels of hundreds of P450 BM3 variants. We greatly expand the diversity of P450 BM3 variants that display promiscuous aromatic hydroxylation and epoxidation reactivity. We look ahead to the potential for large experimental datasets to train design algorithms for enzyme engineering.