Indigoid dyes by group e monooxygenases: Mechanism and biocatalysis

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Thomas Heine - , Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (Author)
  • Carolin Großmann - , Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (Author)
  • Sarah Hofmann - , Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (Author)
  • Dirk Tischler - , Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, Ruhr University Bochum (Author)

Abstract

Since ancient times, people have been attracted by dyes and they were a symbol of power. Some of the oldest dyes are indigo and its derivative Tyrian purple, which were extracted from plants and snails, respectively. These 'indigoid dyes' were and still are used for coloration of textiles and as a food additive. Traditional Chinese medicine also knows indigoid dyes as pharmacologically active compounds and several studies support their effects. Further, they are interesting for future technologies like organic electronics. In these cases, especially the indigo derivatives are of interest but unfortunately hardly accessible by chemical synthesis. In recent decades, more and more enzymes have been discovered that are able to produce these indigoid dyes and therefore have gained attention from the scientific community. In this study, group E monooxygenases (styrene monooxygenase and indole monooxygenase) were used for the selective oxygenation of indole (derivatives). It was possible for the first time to show that the product of the enzymatic reaction is an epoxide. Further, we synthesized and extracted indigoid dyes and could show that there is only minor by-product formation (e.g. indirubin or isoindigo). Thus, group E monooxygenase can be an alternative biocatalyst for the biosynthesis of indigoid dyes.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)939-950
Number of pages12
Journal Biological chemistry
Volume400
Issue number7
Publication statusPublished - 26 Jun 2019
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

PubMed 30844759
ORCID /0000-0002-7109-2788/work/142249503

Keywords

Keywords

  • dye production, epoxidation, flavoprotein, indole monooxygenase, styrene monooxygenase

Library keywords