Monday, May 19, 2008
Student Union Building, Upper (Queensborough Community College)
340

Engineering Fluorinated Phosphotriesterases to Detoxify Organophosphates

Peter James Baker and Jin Kim Montclare. Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, NY

Abstract

Organophosphates (OPs) are a synthetic class of compounds used in a variety of functions ranging from mild pesticides to potent nerve agents. These compounds inhibit acetylcholinesterases, resulting in toxicity to a wide range of animals, including humans. Several phosphotriesterases have been reported in the literature to hydrolyze and detoxify these agents. We have globally replaced phenylalanine with para-fluoro-phenylalanine into a phosphotriesterase from Pseudomonas diminuta. The enzyme bearing the fluorinated amino acid is shown to have an enhanced thermostability as compared to the wild-type enzyme, potentially making this a useful for bioremediation application.