News — Chicago (April 13, 2025) — Nature has cracked the code on some of the most vexing problems in chemistry. Now, scientists are learning to emulate the remarkable powers of an enzyme known as benzylsuccinate synthase (BSS), which microbes use to break down components of crude oil in oxygen-starved environments.
Researchers could leverage the work to create more efficient and sustainable methods to manufacture chemicals or convert waste from oil spills and abandoned refineries into economically valuable products.
“What makes BSS exciting for biotechnology is its precision; it harnesses reactions that are typically very hard to control, and carries them out safely and efficiently within the enzyme,” said the study’s first author, Shukurah Anas, a doctoral student in the laboratory of Mary C. Andorfer, PhD, at Michigan State University. “Researchers can leverage this natural capability of BSS to engineer enzymes for various industries or to clean up pollutants more efficiently.”
Anas will present the new research at the , which is being held April 12–15 in Chicago.
Enzymes act as molecular machines to speed up chemical reactions. With enzymes such as BSS, nature has evolved ways to trigger complex chemical transformations under mild, biologically compatible conditions—something that chemists strive to replicate in the lab.
BSS caught researchers’ eye for its ability to catalyze reactions that are especially tricky to achieve, namely, the selective formation of carbon-carbon bonds, which are the building blocks of pharmaceuticals and many other valuable chemicals. To accomplish this requires a free radical that could only be produced within living cells until 2023, when Andorfer’s lab developed methods to generate it outside of living cells. The research group recently discovered new details about the chemical processes that regulate free radical production. They also optimized methods for measuring how efficiently BSS interacts with its substrates.
“In this work, we have developed better methods to study BSS in the lab, allowing us to pioneer the engineering of BSS and its related enzymes,” said Anas. “These improved techniques have helped us uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms of how BSS works, paving the way for accelerated development of BSS and similar enzymes as tools in organic synthesis, clean energy production and environmental remediation.”
Next, the researchers plan to improve upon the natural capabilities of BSS by fine-tuning properties such as enzymatic efficiency, selectivity and stability under different temperatures to make it more practical for biotechnological applications. In addition to harnessing the power of BSS, Anas noted that this work could also facilitate the discovery and development of new enzymes for chemical synthesis and manufacturing.
Anas will present this research from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday, April 13, at the Lakeside Center of the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. Contact the media team for more information or to obtain a free press pass to attend the meeting.
About the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
The ASBMB is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization with more than 12,000 members worldwide. Founded in 1906 to advance the science of biochemistry and molecular biology, the society publishes three peer-reviewed journals, advocates for funding of basic research and education, supports science education at all levels, and promotes the diversity of individuals entering the scientific workforce.
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