Hydration of proteins profoundly affects their functions. We describe a simple and general method for site-specific analysis of protein hydration based on the in vivo incorporation of fluorescent unnaturalaminoacids and their analysis by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy. Using this method, we investigate the hydration of functionally important regions of dehalogenases. The experimental results
Different Structural Origins of the Enantioselectivity of Haloalkane Dehalogenases toward Linear β-Haloalkanes: Open-Solvated versus Occluded-Desolvated Active Sites
directional interactions. Herein we describe two distinct molecular mechanisms for the enantiodiscrimination of the β‐haloalkane 2‐bromopentane by haloalkane dehalogenases. Highly enantioselective DbjA has an open, solvent‐accessible active site, whereas the engineered enzyme DhaA31 has an occluded and less solvated cavity but shows similar enantioselectivity. The enantioselectivity of DhaA31 arises from