Researchers reveal novel mechanism of enhanced P450 demethylase activity through engineered key gating residues

A crucial step in the degradation and utilization of lignin is the process of O-demethylation of lignin monomers, facilitated by O-demethylases. Current O-demethylases face challenges such as limited substrate specificity, unclear reaction mechanisms, and a lack of reductase chaperones. Therefore, the exploration of new O-demethylases through gene mining and the improvement of existing O-demethylases through protein engineering are of great importance.