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Volume 6, Issue 8 (Suppl) J Biotechnol Biomater
ISSN: 2155-952X JBTBM, an open access journal Bio America 2016
November 28-30, 2016
November 28-30, 2016 San Francisco, USA
13th Biotechnology Congress
Mohamad Maged Galal, J Biotechnol Biomater 2016, 6:8(Suppl)
Functional adaptation of mercuric reductases from the deep brine environment of Atlantis II in the Red
Sea to high temperature
Mohamad Maged Galal
The American University in Cairo, Egypt
The lower convective layer (LCL) of the Atlantis II brine pool of the Red Sea is a unique environment characterized by high salinity
of 4.4 Molar, temperature of 68 οC and very high concentrations of heavy metals. Mercuric reductase enzymes functional in such
extreme conditions could be used in the environmental detoxification of mercurial poisoning. This would be of use in the Egyptian
Gold mines, where mercury used in the extraction process imposes a serious ecological hazard. We constructed an environmental
Atlantis II mercuric reductase library, where we have identified two classes of mercuric reductases. One is the halophilic/thermostable
merA. It is designated ATII-LCL-H. It retains 50% of its activity after 10 minutes incubation at 75 oC. The other is a non-halophilic/
thermostable merA designated as ATII-LCL-NH. It retains 61% of its activity at 65 oC. The ATII-LCL-H merA has two characteristic
signature boxes and a short motif composed of 4 aspartic acids (4D414-417). In order to understand how two enzymes from the same
environment have evolved to withstand heat, we mutated the isoform ATII-LCL-NH. Substitution of 2D at positions 415/416
enhanced the thermal stability while other mutants did the opposite effect. The 2D mutant retains 88.6% of its activity at 65 oC.
Three-dimensional structure prediction revealed newly formed salt-bridges and H-bonds in the 2Dmutant as compared to the parent
molecule.
Biography
Mohamad Maged Galal was graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University in 2007. He has completed his MSc in Biotechnology in 2011 and currently
pursuing PhD from the American University in Cairo, Egypt.