Application of an alchemical free energy method for the prediction of thermostable DuraPETase variants

Non-equilibrium (NEQ) alchemical free energy calculations are an emerging tool for accurately predicting changes in protein folding free energy resulting from amino acid mutations. In this study, this method in combination with the Rosetta ddg monomer tool was applied to predict more thermostable variants of the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) degrading enzyme DuraPETase. The Rosetta ddg monomer tool efficiently enriched promising mutations prior to more accurate prediction by NEQ alchemical free energy calculations. The relative change in folding free energy of 96 single amino acid mutations was calculated by NEQ alchemical free energy calculation. Experimental validation of ten of the highest scoring variants identified two mutations (DuraPETase S61M and DuraPETase S223Y ) that increased the melting temperature ( T m ) of the enzyme by up to 1 °C. The calculated relative change in folding free energy showed an excellent correlation with experimentally determined T m resulting in a Pearson’s correlation coefficient of r = − 0.84. Limitations in the prediction of strongly stabilizing mutations were, however, encountered and are discussed. Despite these challenges, this study demonstrates the practical applicability of NEQ alchemical free energy calculations in prospective enzyme engineering projects. Key points • Rosetta ddg monomer enriches stabilizing mutations in a library of DuraPETase variants • NEQ free energy calculations accurately predict changes in T m of DuraPETase • The DuraPETase variants S223Y, S42M, and S61M have increased T m Graphical Abstract