Exploring the Biocatalytic Potential of a Self‐Sufficient Cytochrome P450 from Thermothelomyces thermophila

Among nature’s arsenal of oxidative enzymes, cytochrome P450s (CYPs) catalyze the most challenging reactions, the hydroxylations of non-activated CH bonds. Human CYPs are studied in drug development due to their physiological role at the forefront of metabolic detoxification, but their challenging handling makes them unsuitable for application. CYPs have a great potential for biocatalysis, but often lack appropriate features such as high and soluble expression, self-sufficient internal electron transport, high stability, and an engineerable substrate scope. We have probed these characteristics for a recently described CYP that originates from the thermophilic fungus Thermothelomyces thermophila (CYP505A30), a homolog of the well-known P450-BM3 from Bacillus megaterium. CYP505A30 is a natural monooxygenase-reductase fusion, is well expressed, and moderately tolerant towards temperature and solvent exposure. Although overall comparable, we found the stability of the enzyme’s domains to be inverse to P450-BM3, with a more stable reductase compared to the heme domain. After analysis of a homology model, we created mutants of the enzyme based on literature data for P450-BM3. We then probed the enzyme variants in bioconversions using a panel of active pharmaceutical ingredients, and activities were detected for a number of structurally diverse compounds. Ibuprofen was biooxidized in a preparative scale whole cell bioconversion to 1-, 2- and 3- hydroxyibuprofen.