OPH

Organophosphorus Hydrolase

What is Organophosphorus Hydrolases?

Environmental neurotoxic organophosphorus compounds (OPs) are components of more than 100 types of commercially available pesticides (e.g., Paraoxon, Parathion, Coumaphos, and Diazinon), and it has been estimated that over 1500 different OPs have been synthesized during the 2nd world war. OPs are also used in chemical nerve agents, such as Sarin, Soman, and VX (15). Organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) from Pseudomonas diminuta (16) or FlaVobacterium sp. (17) is a homodimeric organophosphotriesterase that degrades a broad spectrum of neurotoxic OPs and requires a metal ion as a cofactor for its activity (18). OPH can hydrolyze various phosphorusester bonds, including P-O, P-F, P-CN, and P-S bonds (19).

Structure of OPH

References
(15) Donarski, W. J.; Dumas, D. P.; Heitmeyer, D. P.; Lewis, V. E.; Raushel, F. M. Structure-activity relationship in the hydrolysis of substrates by the phosphotriesterase from Pseudomonas diminuta. Biochemistry 1989, 28, 4650-4655. (16) McDaniel, C. S.; Harper, L. L.; Wild, J. R. Cloning and sequencing of a plasmid-borne gene (opd) encoding a phosphotriesterase. J. Bacteriol. 1988, 170, 2306-2311. (17) Mulbry, W. W.; Karns, J. S. Parathion hydrolase specified by the FlaVobacterium opd gene: relationship between the gene and protein. J. Bacteriol. 1989, 171, 6740-6746. (18) Grimsley, J. K.; Scholtz, J. M.; Pace, C. N.; Wild, J. R. Organophosphorus hydrolase is a remarkably stable enzyme that unfolds through a homodimeric intermediate. Biochemistry 1997, 36, 14366-14374. (19) Lai, K.; Stolowich, N. J.; Wild, J. R. Characterization of P-S bond hydrolysis in organophosphorothioate pesticides by organophosphorus hydrolase. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 1995,318, 59-64. (Source)Dong Gyun Kang, Suk Soon Choi, and Hyung Joon Cha Enhanced Biodegradation of Toxic Organophosphate Compounds Using Recombinant Escherichia coli with Sec Pathway-Driven Periplasmic Secretion of Organophosphorus Hydrolase. 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organophosphate_poisoning