Abstract 1609 Discovery and Characterization of Drug and Food Dye-Modifying Reductases from Human Gut Bacteria

Liver enzymes have long characterized our understanding of the human metabolism of xenobiotics, while only recent focus has been placed on how gut microbes contribute to this process. We focus on drug and food dye metabolism, as characterizing these enzymes can lead to identifying new metabolites and exploring a potential basis for the unique side effects that plague some individuals. Our research group has discovered these enzymes through two main strategies. In one, we look at the promiscuous “azoreductase” protein family, where we are exploring the critical determinants of their substrate specificity related to their enzymatic mechanism.