Special Issue: Artificial Metalloenzymes

Abstract

Now is the perfect time to work in bioinorganic chemistry due to the rise of nanotechnology at the interface of biology and materials science. Although, until recently, bioinorganic chemistry was used to reconstruct metal-binding sites of natural metalloproteins and to elucidate the mechanisms of their functions, the role played by bioinorganic chemistry has changed from fundamental understanding to providing manipulation tools consisting of proteins with metals. In particular, the design of artificial metalloenzymes has grown to an important topic in biology and chemistry due to their potential applications in nanoscience and biotechnology. Several technologies have been developed using combinations of chemical and biological processes and computational methods. One of the general methods used in this field involves the encapsulation of non-natural metal cofactors within protein scaffolds. Because this methodology provides a powerful tool for generating new catalysts that promote single-step catalytic reactions with high activity and selectivity, the range of applications has been extended in pursuit of additional sophisticated and complex enzymatic systems with protein assemblies as employed in nature for elaborate enzymatic reactions such as photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation. In this special issue, thus, we focus on research of artificial metalloenzymes to lead the next generation of bioinorganic chemistry and biomaterial sciences. The issue is organized into nine sections: 1) P450 designed for non-natural reactivity, 2) P450 reactions using decoy molecules, 3) artificial metalloenzymes by cofactor modification of heme proteins, 4) artificial non-heme iron enzymes, 5) directed evolution of artificial metalloenzymes, 6) hybrid nanoreactors by Virus-Like Particles, 7) protein needles designed for catalytic reactions, 8) de novo designed helix bundles with metal binding sites, and 9) asymmetric catalysis in protein and DNA scaffolds. Each part contains articles by experts in the relevant area. The contributors to all the sections of the issue are extremely well known in their areas of research and have made significant contributions to the research of artificial metalloenzymes. We believe that this issue, which has a different scope from previous reviews on bioinorganic chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, and biomineralization, will be of interest not only to specialists but also to readers who are not familiar with bioinorganic chemistry. A large number of people have helped to put this issue together, so that it ultimately provides an invaluable resource for all those working on bioinorganic and coordination chemistry of artificial metalloenzymes. I would especially like to thank all the contributors, who have all produced excellent manuscripts, and made improvements to this issue. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Brian Johnson, Managing Editor at Wiley-VCH, who worked very hard to assemble this issue on time.1 Takafumi Ueno Tokyo Institute of Technology Guest Editor