Companion Papers Published in the Journal of Molecular Biology

The first manuscript by Abeyrathna, Khoury, Kucharzyk and Banta describes the discovery that the alcohol dehydrogenase D from Pyrococcus furiosus has a previously unreported metal ion binding site with high affinity for lanthanides.  Upon immobilization we show the thermostable protein can be used for lanthanide separations. In the second manuscript by Gokulu, Abeyrathna and Banta, we discover that lanthanides can also affect enzymatic catalysis via interactions with the cofactor/complexes.  Addition of lanthanides accelerates alcohol oxidation and retards ketone reduction leading to a modulation of the apparent equilibrium constant.  These results demonstrate there are previously unknown lanthanide-dependent interactions in this class of enzymes, and this may indicate a broader role of lanthanides in biology.