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Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

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Nature versus nurture: developing enzymes that function under extreme conditions.

Michael J Liszka¹, Melinda E Clark, Elizabeth Schneider

¹Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. mliszla@berkeley.edu

Annual Review of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

|April 4, 2012

Summary

Bioprospecting and protein engineering are key to developing extremophilic enzymes for industrial applications. This synergy overcomes limitations of natural enzyme diversity and screening challenges for extreme conditions.

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Area of Science:

Biotechnology
Enzyme Engineering
Industrial Microbiology

Background:

Industrial processes often require enzymes stable under extreme conditions (e.g., high temperature, pH).
Extremophilic microorganisms offer a source of naturally robust enzymes.
Limitations exist in natural enzyme diversity and screening capabilities for extreme environments.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the synergistic approaches of bioprospecting and protein engineering for extremophilic enzyme development.
To highlight industrially relevant extremophilic enzymes and their applications.

Main Methods:

Exploration of extremophilic microorganisms for novel enzyme discovery (bioprospecting).
Application of protein engineering techniques (rational mutagenesis, directed evolution) to enhance enzyme properties.
Analysis of biophysical properties and screening under non-natural industrial conditions.

Main Results:

Bioprospecting yields enzymes with inherent tolerance to extreme conditions.
Protein engineering successfully generates enzymes with improved stability and activity.
The combination of both approaches expands the toolkit for industrial biocatalysis.

Conclusions:

The synergy between bioprospecting and protein engineering is crucial for developing robust enzymes for demanding industrial applications.
This integrated strategy enhances the discovery and optimization of extremophilic biocatalysts.