Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Bases For Breadth - Insights Into How The Mechanism And Dynamics Of Nitroreductase Can Explain This Enzyme's Broad Substrate Repertoire, Warintra Pitsawong

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Nitroreductase from Enterobacter cloacae (NR) is a member of a large family of homologues represented in all branches of the tree of life. However the physiological roles of many of these enzymes remain unknown. NR has distinguished itself on the basis the diverse sizes and chemical types of substrates it is able to reduce (Koder et al 1998). This might be an evolved characteristic suiting NR for a role in metabolism of diverse occasional toxins. While there are numerous studies of determinants of substrate specificity, we know less about mechanisms by which enzymes can be inclusive. Therefore, we present …