Unspecific
peroxygenases (UPOs) are fungal secreted counterparts
of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenases present in most living cells.
Both enzyme types share the ability to perform selective oxygenation
reactions. Moreover, the Marasmius rotula UPO (MroUPO) catalyzes reactions of interest compared with the
previously described UPOs, including formation of reactive epoxy fatty
acids. To investigate substrate epoxidation, the most frequent positions
of oleic acid at the MroUPO heme channel were predicted
using binding and molecular dynamics simulations. Then, mutations
in neighbor residues were designed aiming at modulating the enzyme
epoxidation vs hydroxylation ratio. Both the native (wild-type recombinant) MroUPO and the mutated variants were expressed in Escherichia coli as active enzymes, and their action on
oleic and other fatty acids was investigated by gas chromatography–mass
spectrometry in combination with kinetic analyses. Interestingly,
a small modification of the channel shape in the I153T variant increased
the ratio between epoxidized oleic acid and its additionally hydroxylated
derivatives. A fully opposite effect was attained with the double
I153F/S156F variant that completely abolished the ability of the MroUPO to epoxidize oleic acid (while no activity was detected
for the I153V variant). The rationale for these results was revealed
by the substrate positioning in the above computational simulations,
which predict a shorter distance between the oleic acid double bond
and the oxygen atom of the peroxide-activated heme (compound I) in
the I153T variant than in the native enzyme, promoting epoxidation.
In contrast, the I153F/S156F double mutation fully prevents the approach
of oleic acid in the bent conformation required for double-bond epoxidation,
although its (sub)terminal hydroxylation was predicted and experimentally
confirmed. The I153T mutation also increased the UPO selectivity on
polyunsaturated fatty acid epoxidation, strongly reducing the ratio
between simple epoxides and their hydroxylated derivatives, with respect
to the native UPO.