Dehaloperoxidase: A bioremediation enzyme

This project is intended to give undergraduate students introduction into some of the tools used to understand protein engineering as it pertains to bioremediation. Specifically, we will use dehaloperoxidase (DHP) as a catalyst that can be tested for its ability to oxidize substrates. We can modify DHP to prevent the entry of a substrate into the protein or change its catalytic rate. This is done by site-directed mutagenesis.

In this project you will create a mutation of DHP according to your design so that it alters the properties of DHP in a way that can be tested. The design of enzymes is a challenging area for research and we can only begin the process of understanding this area in this project. However, we can give you the tools to do further work.

The larger research projects in this area are described on the research part of the website.

The specifics of the DHP project are discussed here.

The step-by-step procedure for modification of a DHP protein is given here.