Identification of a Potent Enzyme for the Detoxification of Zearalenone

The occurrence of mycotoxin zearalenone (ZEN) and its derivatives has been a severe global threat to food and animals. In addition to the chemical and physical degradation methods, a powerful biocatalyst is urgently required for the detoxification of ZEN. Here, an efficient ZEN-degrading lactonase from Gliocladium roseum, named ZENG, was identified for the first time. The recombinant ZENG exhibited the highest activity at pH 7.0 and 38 °C. In addition, the recombinant enzyme showed a high degrading performance toward ZEN and its toxic derivatives α-zearalenol (α-ZOL) and α-zearalanol (α-ZAL), with the specific activities as 315, 187, and 117 units/mg, respectively. To meet the industrial demands, attempts were also made to enhance the thermostability of ZENG using a structure-based modification. Three double-site mutants, including H134L/S136L, H134F/S136F, and H134I/S134I, in the position between the cap and core catalytic domain of ZENG were designed. Finally, the thermostability of both H134L/S136L and H134F/S136F displayed a significant improvement compared to the wild-type enzyme.