Mechanistic insight in peroxidase activity towards industrial applications.

The SEP allowance will be used to support the final year of an on-going PhD student. The first part of the PhD trajectory was performed in the framework of the European Joint Doctorate network PARACAT (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2018-PARACAT-813209). This project is focussed on the implementation of advanced spectroscopic methods (Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, EPR) for cutting edge research in the field of catalysis. The work of Ilenia SERRA focusses on the mechanistic insight in peroxidase activity towards industrial applications, with a focus on chlorite dismutase which is able to decompose harmful chlorite into harmless chloride and dioxygen of industrial and biotechnological interest. While the study so far has focused on the spectroscopic analysis of the resting states proteins under study, the understanding of the non-innocent effect of buffers on the spectroscopic parameters and the development of a freeze-trapping protocol to arrest intermediate reactive states of the protein, the last part of the PhD will focus on the EPR analysis of these intermediate states in order to understand the full biocatalytic mechanism. The spectroscopic approach developed for the study of the proteins will be further used study the effect of incorporation of the proteins in an inorganic matrix for industrial applications.

Keywords:ELECTRON PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE (EPR), BIOCHEMISTRY, BIOTECHNOLOGY

Disciplines:Spectroscopic methods, Characterisation of biologically active (macro)molecules