- A new project by CiQUS (USC) has succeeded in building for the first time a hybrid system between a miniprotein and a metal (palladium) which behaves like an artificial metalloenzyme within a living cell
- By improving its properties in the future, researchers expect that this type of molecular systems will allow for monitoring cellular chemical reactions and, thus, correcting operating problems related to various diseases. These synthetic systems could also help generate drugs selectively
- This work has been published in the prestigious Angewandte Chemie journal
A new project by scientists from CiQUS (USC) led by Prof. José Luis Mascareñas has succeeded in building for the first time a hybrid system between a miniprotein and a metal (palladium) which behaves like an artificial metalloenzyme within a living cell. This work, which represents significant progress in the creation of artificial enzymes in living cells, is part of the European project MetBioCat, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the Advanced Grant call and conducted exclusively by members of the group working at this Centre: PhD students Soraya Learte and Alejandro Gutiérrez, and postdoc Cristian Vidal.
“Enzymes are proteins that are fundamental to life because they are responsible for catalysing the thousands of chemical reactions that occur in our cells. Some of these proteins can perform their function with the help of certain metals, hence the name of metalloenzymes. For years now, we scientists have tried to develop metalloenzymes that do not exist in nature and can perform new functions. And, despite different artificial metalloenzymes have been prepared so far, placing them within mammalian cells, the proper place for natural enzyme activity, was never achieved before, and we have succeeded in doing that in this work”, explains Prof. Mascareñas, CiQUS scientific director and MetBioCat group coordinator.
Future applications for addressing diseases and drug design
Although so far this synthetic system activity is low, it represents the first step in the right direction. By improving these properties in the future, researchers expect that this type of molecular systems will allow for monitoring cellular chemical reactions and, thus, correcting operating problems related to different diseases.
Furthermore, these synthetic systems could also enable selective generation of drugs, administering them only to cells charged with these artificial catalysts.
The challenge of controlling chemical transformations in the complex cellular environment
This work has succeeded in meeting the challenge of controlling chemical transformations in the cell medium, because the activity and properties of catalysts in such a complex medium as the cellular environment must be maintained, and given the difficulty of passing through the cell membrane in a controlled manner, among other factors. In addition, this analysis by CiQUS has succeeded in “visualizing” that these chemical transformations are taking place thanks to the generation of fluorescent products which are visible through the microscope.
