Hi, I am Maryam,

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I am from Pakistan and joined the Boll group in 2022 with a stipend from DAAD/HEC. I am working on the function and maturation of UbiD-like enzymes from anaerobic bacteria that play an important  role in the elimination of environmentally problematic xenobiotics such as plasticizers. In particular, I am interested in the enzymology of the isophthalic acid degradation pathway. The key enzyme is a so far non-studied UbiD-like isophthaloyl-CoA decarboxylase proposed to harbour an active site prenylated FMN cofactor. The function of this enzyme should be markedly different from that of ortho-phthaloyl-CoA decarboxylase that has already been studied to some detail in the Boll group. I aim at the heterologous expression of the genes encoding the structural subunits and at the in vitro maturation of the expected prenylated flavin cofactor involving UbiX. Knowledge of this system may be useful for related, so far unknown UbiD like enzymes from anaerobic bacteria.