Ancestral sequence reconstruction reveals new functional fluorinases and mechanistic insights into enzymatic fluorination

Chemical Communications 2026

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Authors: Shreyas Supekar, Wan Lin Yeo, Elaine Tiong, Juliana Rizal, Ee Lui Ang, Fong Tian Wong, Yee Hwee Lim, Hao Fan
DOI: 10.1039/d5cc06378g
Cited by: 1
References: 27

Abstract

Fluorinases catalyze carbon-fluorine bond formation and represent a rare but valuable enzyme class. We employed ancestral sequence reconstruction to expand fluorinase diversity, identifying seven functional enzymes (28-79% conversion). Comparative analysis revealed previously uncharacterized residues crucial for fluorination, enabling activity rescue in a low-activity ancestral variant.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Fluorine in Organic Chemistry Fluoride Effects and Removal Biochemical and Molecular Research

Publication details

Journal / source
Chemical Communications
Publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Volume
62
Issue
16
Pages
4838–4842
Publication date
1 January 2026
Language
EN