Human serum albumin-based peroxidase having an iron protoporphyrin IX in artificial heme pocket.

Cooking up enzymes: Iron protoporphyrin IX (heme) is bound within a hydrophobic cavity in subdomain IB of human serum albumin (HSA). Site-specific mutations to introduce proximal and distal histidines into the heme pocket of HSA conferred a peroxidase activity to the prosthetic heme group. The catalytic activity of the recombinant HSA(mutant)-heme complex for guaiacol oxidation is 17-fold higher than that of HSA(wild type)-heme.