Rachel Martini

Research Description: Cytochrome P450s (CYP) are proteins present in all domains of life that catalyze diverse monooxygenation reactions which are important for many biological functions and biopharmaceutical applications. One of their important features is their self-protection mechanism that directs the oxidizing power of the enzyme towards the substrate instead of allowing it to damage the enzyme itself. This gives CYPs the high turnover rates that make it a good candidate for use in biocatalysis. In order to better understand this mechanism and allow for its adaptation in other enzymes, my work will focus on installing a similar self-protection mechanism into an artificial enzyme that mimics CYP with high activity.