Date of Submission

Fall 2024

Academic Program

Division of Science, Mathematics, and Computing; Chemistry and Biochemistry

Project Advisor 1

Emily McLaughlin

Project Advisor 2

Swapan Jain

Abstract/Artist's Statement

New biocatalytic enzymes are being discovered and celebrated for their ability to lower reaction rates and yield high enantiomeric excess. Traditional chemical catalysis in synthetic chemistry often employs metals, many of which are dwindling on our planet, whereas enzymes and biological organisms, which are regenerative and accessible, are worthy alternatives to metal catalysis. In this work, we focus on the acyltransferase enzyme from Mycobacterium smegmatis (MsAct). MsAct has been shown to favor condensation reactions over hydrolysis in aqueous conditions due to its hydrophobic pocket, making it a promising candidate for a wide range of industrial applications. The enzyme has been previously reported to perform trans-esterification, amidation, trans-amidation, and per hydrolysis reactions exceptionally well, and can withstand a wide range of pH (6-10) environments compared to that of other known biocatalysts. Previous studies have also reported MsAct’s performance of the reverse reaction, specifically hydrolysis of the newly formed ester product, after prolonged reaction times, highlighting its dynamic catalytic capabilities. Herein this study explores the relationship between MsAct concentration to perform acetylation reactions, as well as exploring MsAct’s enantioselectivity and its activity towards more polar substrates.

Open Access Agreement

On-Campus only

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

This work is protected by a Creative Commons license. Any use not permitted under that license is prohibited.

Bard Off-campus Download

Bard College faculty, staff, and students can login from off-campus by clicking on the Off-campus Download button and entering their Bard username and password.

Share

COinS