Modification of Galactose Oxidase to Introduce Glucose 6-Oxidase Activity

Combinatorial saturation mutagenesis was applied to create a mutant of the copper enzyme galactose oxidase with novel activity. The selective oxidation of the 6-hydroxyl group of D-glucose to introduce an aldehyde functionality is not catalyzed by known oxidase enzymes but was achieved through mutagenesis experiments. The mutant enzyme produced is a possible starting point for the development of glucose 6-oxidase for synthetic use in food, pharmaceuticals, and materials applications.