Enzymes for the homeland defense: optimizing phosphotriesterase for the hydrolysis of organophosphate nerve agents.

ABSTRACT: Phosphotriesterase (PTE) from soil bacteria is known for its ability to catalyze the detoxification of organophosphate pesticides and chemical warfare agents. Most of the organophosphate chemical warfare agents are a mixture of two stereoisomers at the phosphorus center, and the S(P)-enantiomers are significantly more toxic than the R(P)-enantiomers. In previous investigations, PTE variants were created through the manipulation of the substrate binding pockets and these mutants were shown to have greater catalytic activities for the detoxification of the more toxic S(P)-enantiomers of nerve agent analogues for GB, GD, GF, VX, and VR than the less toxic R(P)-enantiomers. In this investigation, alternate strategies were employed to discover additional PTE variants with significant improvemen

SUBMITTER: Tsai PC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3447986 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature