Characterization of a thermophilic cytochrome P450 of the CYP203A subfamily from Binh Chau hot spring in Vietnam

Cytochromes P450 (CYPs or P450s) comprise a superfamily of heme‐containing monooxygenases that are involved in a variety of biological processes. CYPs have broad utilities in industry, but most exhibit low thermostability, limiting their use on an industrial scale. Highly thermostable enzymes can be obtained from thermophiles in geothermal areas, including hot springs, offshore oil‐producing wells and volcanoes. Here, we report the identification of a gene encoding for a thermophilic CYP from the Binh Chau hot spring metagenomic database, which was designated as P450‐T2. The deduced amino acid sequence showed the highest identity of 73.15% with CYP203A1 of Rhodopseudomonas palustris, supporting that P450‐T2 is a member of the CYP203A subfamily. Recombinant protein expression yielded 541 nm. The optimal temperature and pH of P450‐T2 were 50 °C and 8.0, respectively. The half‐life of P450‐T2 was 50.2 min at 50 °C, and its melting temperature was 56.80 ± 0.08 °C. It was found to accept electrons from all tested redox partners systems, with BmCPR‐Fdx2 being the most effective partner. Screening for putative substrates revealed binding of phenolic compounds, such as l‐mimosine and emodin, suggesting a potential application of this new thermophilic P450 in the production of the corresponding hydroxylated products.