Design of Artificial Enzymes: Insights into Protein Scaffolds

• Published in: Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology Vol. 24; no. 6; pp. e202200566 - n/a
• Main Authors: Hanreich, Stefanie, Bonandi, Elisa, Drienovská, Ivana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 14-03-2023
• Subjects: artificial enzymes; Biocatalysts; Catalysis; Catalytic Domain; Design; enzyme engineering; Enzymes; Enzymes - metabolism; Hydrophobicity; metalloenzymes; Metalloproteins - chemistry; protein design; Protein Engineering - methods; protein scaffolds; Proteins; Scaffolds; protein scaffolds; enzyme engineering; artificial enzymes; protein design; metalloenzymes
• ISSN: 1439-4227; 1439-7633
• DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202200566

The design of artificial enzymes has emerged as a promising tool for the generation of potent biocatalysts able to promote new‐to‐nature reactions with improved catalytic performances, providing a powerful platform for wide‐ranging applications and a better understanding of protein functions and structures. The selection of an appropriate protein scaffold plays a key role in the design process. This review aims to give a general overview of the most common protein scaffolds that can be exploited for the generation of artificial enzymes. Several examples are discussed and categorized according to the strategy used for the design of the artificial biocatalyst, namely the functionalization of natural enzymes, the creation of a new catalytic site in a protein scaffold bearing a wide hydrophobic pocket and de novo protein design. The review is concluded by a comparison of these different methods and by our perspective on the topic.
The design of artificial enzymes has emerged as a promising tool for the generation of potent biocatalysts able to promote new‐to‐nature reactions. This review aims to give a general overview of suitable protein scaffolds, that could be functionalized with an artificial moiety to develop versatile artificial catalysts.