Using Haloperoxidase Enzymes to Develop Inter- disciplinary Student Work Focussed on Sustainable Exploitation of Marine Natural Resources
Les Jervis (Biological Science, Plymouth) and Simon Belt (Faculty of Science, Plymouth)
Summary The project wil build on work with biology students. It wil also bring research
on the applications of haloperoxidase enzymes into the undergraduate
chemistry curriculum in such a way that chemistry undergraduate students
Use enzymes as catalysts to facilitate the synthesis of organo-halogens,
avoiding hazardous chemical syntheses (green chemistry).
Use modern analytical techniques (GC and GC/MS) to monitor the
formation of product and confirm their identity.
Use haloperoxidases to develop safe biodegradative routes for azo dye
wastes by using seaweed beds as biofilters for dye factory effluent.
Work jointly with marine biology undergraduates to develop a model
system for studying the sustainable production of a bioactive organo-
halogen by ‘green chemistry’ using haloperoxidase catalysts.
Assist in the development of the project via undergraduate research
Interim report
Summary
The project wil build on work with biology students. It wil also bring research
on the applications of haloperoxidase enzymes into the undergraduate
chemistry curriculum in such a way that chemistry undergraduate students
• Use enzymes as catalysts to facilitate the synthesis of organo-
halogens, avoiding hazardous chemical syntheses (green chemistry).
• Use modern analytical techniques (GC and GC/MS) to monitor the
formation of product and confirm their identity.
• Use haloperoxidases to develop safe biodegradative routes for azo dye
wastes by using seaweed beds as biofilters for dye factory effluent.
• Work jointly with marine biology undergraduates to develop a model
system for studying the sustainable production of a bioactive organo-
halogen by ‘green chemistry’ using haloperoxidase catalysts.
• Assist in the development of the project via undergraduate research
The Project
Degradation of the global environment is an issue that concerns everyone and
is of particular interest to the majority of science students. One factor
identified often as being of importance in environmental degradation is the
production, and release into the environment, of organo-halogens such as
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The
former are resistant to biodegradation and accumulate in body fat deposits.
This is of considerable concern in the case of mammals as the PCBs are
released into milk during fat mobilisation in lactating females. The CFCs are
implicated as a major factor in damage to the ozone layer leading to
increased penetration of UV light with potential y serious consequences for
genetic damage. Whilst considerable effort has been devoted to studying the
damaging consequences of man-made organo-halogens, recognition of the
range and scale of production and release of natural organo-halogens from
biological or geological sources has been slow to develop. Recent estimates
suggest that volcanoes release of the order of 11 mil ion tons of hydrogen
fluoride plus 3 mil ion tons of hydrogen chloride per year. Global release of
methyl chloride from biota and from burning biomass is estimated at 4 mil ion
tons per year. These quantities dwarf the release of these compounds from
industry yet the global chemical industry is often seen (including by students
of biological sciences) as the major contributor to the presence of
environmental y damaging halogenated compounds in the environment.
In addition to these simple molecules, living organisms, especial y those from
marine sources, produce a large number of more complex organo-halogens,
many of which have biological/pharmacological activity. In the last 30 years,
more than 3000 such compounds have been isolated and characterised,
including polychlorinated pyrroles similar to PCBs and polybrominated dioxins
as wel as novel compounds with antibiotic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and
anti-cancer activities. Many of the organo-halogens with therapeutic potential
are of marine origin. If they are to be exploited sustainably, then we need to
encourage inter-disciplinary work between marine biologists and chemists.
Such work needs to start at the undergraduate level.
The aim of this project is to build on current work with biologists and develop
practical work that wil be suitable for inter-disciplinary student groups of
chemists and marine biologists. The marine biology students wil gain from
working with chemistry students by having to communicate the opportunities
for developing joint chemical and biotechnological approaches to exploiting
marine natural products from ecological y-fragile sources. Chemists wil
benefit by having to work with biologists to develop ‘green chemistry’
approaches using enzymes for in vitro routes to the production of marine
natural products. In the first phase of the work students wil focus on using
haloperoxidase enzymes to catalyse the in vitro production of several model
• The synthesis of bromoform from 3-oxooctanoic acid • The bromination of trans-stilbene • The bromination of indene and subsequent synthesis of indene oxide,
a precursor used in the synthesis of the HIV-1 protease inhibitor
Students wil also work together to study the decolourisation of synthetic dye
residues by marine macroalgae (seaweeds) to examine the potential for dye
factory effluent treatment by seaweed beds.
References:
Butler, A. and Carter-Franklin, J. N. (2004) The role of vanadium
bromoperoxidase in the biosynthesis of halogenated marine natural products.
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Gribble, G. W. (2004) Natural Organohalogens: A New Frontier for Medicinal
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Harper, D. B. (2000) The Global Chloromethane Cycle: biosynthesis,
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Hjeresen, D. L. Schutt, D. L. and Boese, J. M. (2000) Green Chemistry and
Education. J. Chem. Educ. 77(12), 1543 - 1547.
Jervis, L., Jervis, L. M. and Giovannel i, D. (2005) Aligning Biochemistry to the
Interests of Biology Students Using haloperoxidase to il ustrate reactions of
environmental and biomedical importance.
Biochemical and Molecular Biology Education, 33 (4), 293 – 301.
Littlechild, J. (1999) Current Opinion in Chemical Biology, 3, 28 – 34.
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