Team:NWU-CHINA/Improve
Sense
AlkB2 Introduction
Alkane is a class of highly saturated hydrocarbons in the form of linear, cycloalkane, linear paraffins and etc. And with the relative molecular mass increasing, its solubility reduces. Researches have shown that there are two ways bacteria ingests alkane. The short-chain alkanes are highly water-soluble and can be directly ingested, while for long-chain alkane bacteria, surfactants produced by bacteria can increase solubility of long-chain alkane, which will help bacteria ingests alkane. For example. Pseudomonas aeruginosa can produce rhamnolipid to increase its ingest of n-hexadecane. Alkane oxidase catalyzes is the first step in the metabolic pathway of alkane catabolism, which is the key enzyme for alkane metabolism. The OCT plasmid of the P. putida GPol strain contains a number of genes encoding an alkane degrading enzyme [37]. The ikB gene encodes the protein A1kB as the first enzyme of the alkane metabolic pathway. A1kB is a single oxygenase with heme, and its catalytic action requires the synergistic effect of two soluble electron-transport proteins (A1kG and A1kT). Ferredoxin reductase transfers electrons from NADH to A1kG oxygenated protein through cofactor FAD. A1kG also transfers electrons to A1kB. A1kB electrons are transferred to oxygen molecules to complete the alkylation of alkanes.
