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Alternative Mechanism of Enzymatic Photocontrol by Azobenzene
Lahmy, Ranit
, Hiefinger, Caroline, Zeqiri, Fjoralba, Hupfeld, Enrico, Mandl, Sabrina, Stockerl, Willibald J.
, Gschwind, Ruth M.
, König, Burkhard
and Hupfeld, Andrea
(2025)
Alternative Mechanism of Enzymatic Photocontrol by Azobenzene.
ACS Catalysis, pp. 12944-12958.
Date of publication of this fulltext: 22 Jul 2025 11:19
Article
DOI to cite this document: 10.5283/epub.77248
Abstract
Azobenzene is a widely recognized tool for achieving artificial spatiotemporal control of enzyme activity through the use of light. Photocontrol reversibility is typically based on photostationary states with varying E and Z isomer compositions attained through irradiation at specific wavelengths. Here, we report an alternative mechanism for azobenzene based enzyme regulation, discovered through ...
Azobenzene is a widely recognized tool for achieving artificial spatiotemporal control of enzyme activity through the use of light. Photocontrol reversibility is typically based on photostationary states with varying E and Z isomer compositions attained through irradiation at specific wavelengths. Here, we report an alternative mechanism for azobenzene based enzyme regulation, discovered through simultaneous irradiation with two wavelengths. Using two engineered variants of imidazole glycerol phosphate synthase, in which azobenzene was incorporated as an unnatural amino acid to enable reversible control under monochromatic irradiation, we uncovered unique behavior under dichromatic irradiation. Notably, a distinct spectroscopic signal from the azobenzene moiety emerged during simultaneous irradiation at 365:420 nm, inducing the establishment of a second photostationary state, and vanished upon return to the dark. Intriguingly, dichromatic irradiation triggered a reproducible 2-fold increase in catalytic activity and an instantaneous return to baseline activity in the dark for one variant. We could exclude sample heating as cause of this effect, as the other variant and the wild-type enzyme maintained their baseline activity under the same conditions. Remarkably, we could directly correlate this alternative photocontrol with the formation of the second photostationary state. Finally, we demonstrate that photocontrol with dichromatic irradiation appears to be successful in positions with conformational importance for catalysis. These findings reveal an unexplored avenue for azobenzene photoswitching, offering an alternative approach to photocontrol with potential applications in the sequential regulation of multiple enzymes, especially when combined with monochromatic irradiation strategies.
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| Item type | Article | ||||
| Journal or Publication Title | ACS Catalysis | ||||
| Publisher: | American Chemical Society (ACS) | ||||
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| Page Range: | pp. 12944-12958 | ||||
| Date | 15 July 2025 | ||||
| Institutions | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Biochemie, Genetik und Mikrobiologie Chemistry and Pharmacy > Institut für Organische Chemie > Lehrstuhl Prof. Dr. Burkhard König Chemistry and Pharmacy > Institut für Organische Chemie > Arbeitskreis Prof. Dr. Ruth Gschwind | ||||
| Identification Number |
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| Keywords | azobenzene, enzyme catalysis, photocontrol, photoswitches, unnatural amino acids | ||||
| Dewey Decimal Classification | 500 Science > 540 Chemistry & allied sciences 500 Science > 570 Life sciences | ||||
| Status | Published | ||||
| Refereed | Yes, this version has been refereed | ||||
| Created at the University of Regensburg | Yes | ||||
| URN of the UB Regensburg | urn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-772482 | ||||
| Item ID | 77248 |
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