Investigations of the Mechanism of Vanadium Haloperoxidases

University Of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program supports research by Alison Butler, University of California Santa Barbara Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Butler is studying haloperoxidase enzymes, more specifically the vanadium bromoperoxidases found in several types of marine algae. The mechanisms of these enzymes and the biogenesis of halogenated terpene and acetogenin marine natural products will be explored. Using site-directed mutagenesis, Butler will determine the functional role of selected amino acid residues in the enzymes and prepare mutants suitable for in vitro reactivity. These mutants may eventually be used for the industrial synthesis of halogenated compounds suitable for medical applications. In addition to the fundamental bioinorganic chemistry and enzymology proposed, the work has broad implications for marine biology and pharmaceutical chemistry. Butler also trains a diverse group of students in an emerging interdisciplinary field