# Mapping the structural basis for mechanistic diversity in metalloenzyme superfamilies

> **NIH NIH R35** · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · 2020 · $385,717

## Abstract

Project Summary
Enzymes that employ transition metals to initiate free-radical mechanisms require exquisite control of highly
reactive intermediates. The mechanism by which diverse outcomes can be controlled by similar enzyme
structures and active sites is not well understood. Global study of entire enzyme classes provides detailed,
testable hypotheses about the means by which distinct outcomes are accomplished, providing deeper insight
into the reactions catalyzed by individual members. This family-wide approach will be essential for controlling
these scaffolds, both in engineering of new protein-based catalysts and in targeting these systems for novel
antimicrobial therapeutics. This approach has already allowed for successful reengineering of non-native
activity into a new scaffold using observations gleaned from structural data. Continued work to reveal the
structural underpinnings of mechanism in complex metalloenzymes will enable exploitation of the seemingly
limitless catalytic capabilities of these systems in the design of new drugs, new technological tools, and new
chemical processes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9933934
- **Project number:** 5R35GM119707-05
- **Recipient organization:** PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** Amie K Boal
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $385,717
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2021-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9933934

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9933934, Mapping the structural basis for mechanistic diversity in metalloenzyme superfamilies (5R35GM119707-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9933934. Licensed CC0.

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