Characterization of Mutants of Sulfolobus solfataricus Signature Amidase Able to Hydrolyse R-Ketoprofen Amide

The amidase from Sulfolobus solfataricus enantioselectively hydrolyzes S-ketoprofen amide to its corresponding acid. We identify three independent SsAH mutants that hydrolyze R-ketoprofen amide and built computational models of their three-dimensional structure. Interestingly the mutations do not specifically affect residues near the active site, or directly interacting with the substrate.