G. T. Beckham

Revisiting the activity of two poly(vinyl chloride)- and polyethylene-degrading enzymes

This study attempts to replicate two recent claims of enzymatic degradation of polyethylene and poly(vinyl chloride) but finds no activity under various conditions, suggesting previous results may have been misinterpreted.

Integration of pH control into Chi.Bio reactors and demonstration with small-scale enzymatic poly(ethylene terephthalate) hydrolysis

The paper enhances the Chi.Bio bioreactor with pH control, demonstrating its effectiveness in PET hydrolysis with reduced enzyme requirements.

Stereoinversion via alcohol dehydrogenases enables complete catabolism of β-1-type lignin-derived aromatic isomers

This paper identifies the catabolic pathway for threo-DGPD in SYK-6, showing it is converted to erythro-DGPD via oxidation and reduction by multiple dehydrogenases, enabling complete catabolism of all four β-1-type lignin-derived isomers.

Machine learning prediction of enzyme optimum pH

This study develops and evaluates machine learning models to predict enzyme optimum pH, finding that language model embeddings significantly improve prediction accuracy, leading to the release of the EpHod model.

Repeated gain and loss of a single gene modulates the evolution of vascular pathogen lifestyles

The paper shows that the gene cbsA acts as a switch for vascular vs. non-vascular pathogenesis in bacteria, with its presence and absence linked to lifestyle evolution.

Molecular mechanism of the chitinolytic monocopper peroxygenase reaction

This paper elucidates the H2O2-mediated reaction mechanism of chitinolytic LPMOs using experimental and computational approaches, revealing key kinetic and structural insights.

Characterizing Activity and Thermostability of GH5 Cellulase Chimeras from Mesophilic and Thermophilic Parents

This study creates GH5 cellulase hybrids from mesophilic and thermophilic parents to identify elements enhancing thermostability, finding improved thermal properties in some hybrids.