An Artificial Metal-Free Peroxidase Designed Using a Ferritin Cage for Bioinspired Catalysis.
Tian, J., Maity, B., Furuta, T., Pan, T., Ueno, T.(2025) Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 64
- PubMed: 40272036 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202504608
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
9KF5, 9KF7, 9KF8, 9KF9, 9KFA - PubMed Abstract: 
Developing artificial enzymes is challenging because it requires precise design of active sites with well-arranged amino acid residues. Histidine-rich oligopeptides have been recently shown to exhibit peroxidase-mimetic activities, but their catalytic function relies on maintaining unique supramolecular structures. This work demonstrates the design of a specific array of histidine residues on the internal surface of the ferritin cage to function as an active center for catalysis. The crystal structures of the ferritin mutants revealed histidine-histidine interactions, forming well-defined histidine clusters (His-clusters). These mutants exhibit peroxidase-mimetic activities by oxidizing 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Molecular dynamics simulations further highlight the co-localization of TMB and hydrogen peroxide at the histidine-rich clusters, indicating that the confined environment of the ferritin cage enhances their interactions. This study presents a simple yet effective approach to design metal-free artificial enzymes, paving the way for innovations in bioinspired catalysis.
- School of Life Science and Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8501, Japan.
Organizational Affiliation: