Enzymology (ENZ)
The group carries out fundamental and applied research in the field of enzymology: the bio-chemistry, biophysics and molecular biology of enzymes in living cells and as purified chemical compounds.
Emphasis is on the bioconversions by redox enzymes, in particular metalloenzymes, from extremophilic organisms, i.e. with a putative, intrinsic added value of stability under typical operational conditions for practical applications. A general Leitmotiv is the study of physiologi-cally related proteins (e.g., metallo-enzymes, metal transport, metal insertion) as elements of a sub-network of the cell machinery with the objective to gather an understanding of integrated biological functioning.
A key academic problem that inspires the research is the nature of the role of metal ions in living cells. This problem is broken down into a number of partial questions of metal usage, e.g., in metalloenzymes by particular cells under specific conditions: which ones, why, for what pur-poses, how (e.g., what coordination chemistry) with subsequent questions on interrelationships (metalloproteomics) and towards possible practical applications. The research also leads to development of advanced physico-chemical methodologies in enzymology (rapid kinetics, spec-troscopy).
The Enzymology group collaborates with the Biocatalysis and Organic Chemistry group, with the Analytical Biotechnology group, and also with the Molecular Biophysics group in the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience Delft. The group is strongly involved in the Delft Centre for Life Science and Technology (programme 1 and 5) and in the research and education of the Graduate Research School BSDL (sector 1).
Group leader
prof.dr. Wilfred R. Hagen
Permanent staff
prof.dr. Simon de Vries
dr.ir. Peter-Leon Hagedoorn (assistant professor)
Keywords
Enzymology, metalloproteins, functional proteomics, hyperthermophiles, enantioselectivity, rapid kinetics, epr spectroscopy, bioelectrochemistry.
Contact Information
Department of Biotechnology
Julianalaan 67
2628 BC Delft
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)15 2782683
Web: www.bt.tudelft.nl/enz
