Agar plate-based screening approach for the identification of enzyme-catalyzed oxidations

Abstract

Biocatalytic oxidation reactions are in high demand. Among the applied enzymes, the heme-thiolate enzyme subfamily of unspecific peroxygenases (UPOs), which relies on hydrogen peroxide as cosubstrate and oxidant, has generated great interest. Almost two decades after their first description, databases provide thousands of putative UPO sequences, but only a few enzymes have been characterized. To address this gap, efficient screening methods for the identification of novel UPOs are necessary. Here, a new screening strategy is presented based on solid cultivation of wild-type fungi. The identification of a promising candidate strain highlights the applicability of this approach.