title: Nature versus nurture: developing enzymes that function under extreme conditions.
abstract: Many industrial processes used to produce chemicals and pharmaceuticals would benefit from enzymes that function under extreme conditions. Enzymes from extremophilic microorganisms have evolved to function in a variety of extreme environments, and bioprospecting for these microorganisms has led to the discovery of new enzymes with high tolerance to nonnatural conditions. However, bioprospecting is inherently limited by the diversity of enzymes evolved by nature. Protein engineering has also been successful in generating extremophilic enzymes by both rational mutagenesis and directed evolution, but screening for activity under extreme conditions can be difficult. This review examines the emerging synergy between bioprospecting and protein engineering in developing extremophilic enzymes. Specific topics include unnatural industrial conditions relevant to biocatalysis, biophysical properties of extremophilic enzymes, and industrially relevant extremophilic enzymes found either in nature or through protein engineering.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. mliszla@berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Liszka
authors.forename: Melinda E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Douglas S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D055162:Biocatalysis; D044602:Cellulases / Q000737:chemistry*; D019020:Directed Molecular Evolution; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D052578:Ionic Liquids / Q000737:chemistry; D008049:Lipase / Q000737:chemistry*; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry*; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054712:Salinity; D055672:Static Electricity
chemical_list: D052578:Ionic Liquids; D008049:Lipase; D044602:Cellulases; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases