Biotechnology Bulletin ›› 2020, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (11): 164-172.doi: 10.13560/j.cnki.biotech.bull.1985.2020-0065

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Advances in Nitrifying Enzymes

ZHAO Lu-yao1(), CHEN Zhen-ya1, HUO Yi-Xin1,2()   

  1. 1. School of Life Science,Beijing Institute of Technology,Beijing 100081
    2. UCLA Institute for Technology Advancement(Suzhou),Suzhou Industrial Park,Suzhou 215123
  • Received:2020-01-17 Online:2020-11-26 Published:2020-11-20
  • Contact: HUO Yi-Xin E-mail:18810775793@163.com;huoyixin@bit.edu.cn

Abstract:

The nitration of organic compounds especially aromatic nitro-compounds play an important role in chemical production. Aromatic nitro-compounds have become high-value chemical intermediates and industrial products due to their high energy and stable structure. At present,chemical synthesis is the most commonly used nitrification method due to its simple operation,low cost and controllable production conditions. However,this method is of low conversion efficiency and of a lot of waste acid and waste water are produced,and thus causes environmental pollution. These drawbacks restrict the production and application of nitro-compounds. Therefore,it is necessary to seek more efficient and environmental synthesis methods. The application of enzyme catalysis is becoming more and more extensive,and there are abundant microorganisms in nature that can transform nitrogen-containing groups through ammonia or nitrification,providing a repository for enzymatic synthesis of high-energy materials. In this article,we first summarized the types and main functions of nitro-compounds as well as available methods and their deficiencies for synthesizing nitro-compounds. Then we reviewed the types and characteristics of the main nitrifying enzymes in the P450 superfamily,peroxidases and N-oxygenases,analyzed the protein structure and catalytic mechanism of nitrifying enzymes in depth,and listed the directed evolution of nitrifying enzymes. Finally we prospected the research direction of preparing nitro-compounds by using nitrifying enzyme.

Key words: nitration, nitro-compounds, nitrifying enzyme, biosynthesis