Abstract

There are many mononuclear iron containing enzymes in nature that utilize molecular oxygen and transfer one or both oxygen atoms of O2 to substrates. These enzymes catalyze many processes including the biosynthesis of hormones, the metabolism of drugs, DNA and RNA base repair and, the biosynthesis of antibiotics. Therefore, mononuclear iron containing enzymes are important intermediates in bioprocesses and have great potential in the commercial biosynthesis of specific products since they often catalyze reactions regioselectively or stereospecifically. Understanding their mechanism and function is important and will assist in searches for commercial exploitation. In recent years, advances in experimental as well as theoretical methodologies have made it possible to study the mechanism and function of these enzymes and much information on their properties has been gained. This book highlighting recent developments in the field is, therefore, a timely addition to the literature and will interest a broad readership in the fields of biochemistry, inorganic chemistry and computational chemistry. The Editors, leaders in the field of nonheme and heme iron containing monoxygenases, have filled the book with topical review chapters by leaders in the various sub-disciplines.
Dr. Sam P. de Visser is based at the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocenter and School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science in Manchester, UK. His research interests include the study of enzyme function and mechanism using theoretical chemistry techniques and the investigation of mononuclear and binuclear dimetal oxidants of substrate monoxygenation, dioxygenation and dehydrogenation. Dr Visser gained his M.Sc. and Ph.D from the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. His postdoctoral research was at King's College London and then the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has written several review articles and numerous research papers and has acted as a regular reviewer for numerous research journals. He also Guest Edited a special issue of the Journal of Physical Chemistry - A on "Sason Shaik Festschrift". He is a member of a number of scholarly societies and the winner of the Ramsay Memorial Fellowship of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (1997) and the Lise Meitner Minerva Junior Award from the Israel Chemical Society (2003). Dr. Devesh Kumar his based at the Max-Planck-Institut f³r Kohlenforschung, Germany. His research interests include studies of the reactivity of organic substrates with metalloenzymes or biomimetic catalysts and Simulations of intermolecular interactions in mesogens and biological molecules. Dr Kumar obtained is M.Sc. and Ph.D from Gorakhpur University in India. His postdoctoral research, before joining the The Max-Planck-Institut f³r Kohlenforschung, was at Nagarjuna University in India and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has written several review articles and numerous research papers and has acted as a regular reviewer for numerous research journals. He has also delivered several important lectures and is a member of the Indian Biophysics Society. Devesh Kumar is Assistant Editor of Nanoscale Research Letters and has Guest Edited two special issues of the Journal of Physical Chemistry - A.