MODULAR CONSTRUCTION OF ENZYMES - NOVELTY BIOCATALYSTS FROM UNRELATEDPROTEINS

About 30 years ago all known enzymes were each allotted a formal name and number (main category 1-6) that is definitive for that enzyme (alt hough usually including isoenzymes with the same bioconversion result) . A mild problem arose in more recent years when a few particular bact erial enzymes were found to possess dual specificity and function, eac h manifest by one protein domain (the result of gene fusion it would s eem). Now, this can be deliberately arranged by modular addition of ex tra activities: such as oxidoreductase ability (category 1 activity) a dded to a simple hydrolase enzyme (category 3 activity enzyme). Multip le catalysis by proteins (and other polymers) will become the tailor-m ade (or off the peg) choice of bioconversion-chemists in the twenty-fi rst century: biomimetics may be built into such proteins as an optimal extra.