Recent advances on protein engineering for improved stability
Jinghao Shi1,2,3, Bo Yuan2,4, Hengquan Yang1,3
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanxi University, 030006, Taiyuan, China.
Biodesign Research
|December 19, 2025
Summary
This review explores engineering enzymes for industrial use, focusing on improving stability in organic solvents and at high temperatures using advanced methods like B-factors, ancestral reconstructions, and machine learning.
Area of Science:
- Biocatalysis
- Protein Engineering
- Industrial Biotechnology
Background:
- Enzyme stability is critical for industrial biocatalyst applicability.
- Organic solvents can enhance substrate solubility and enzyme stability.
- Higher temperatures often increase enzymatic reaction rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in engineering enzymes for industrial solvent and thermostability.
- To provide insights into methodologies for enhancing enzyme stability.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing B-factors for stability analysis.
- Employing ancestral reconstructions to guide enzyme evolution.
- Applying machine learning approaches for enzyme engineering.
Main Results:
- Recent advances enable the engineering of enzymes with improved stability.
- Methodologies like B-factors, ancestral reconstructions, and machine learning are effective.
- Engineered enzymes show enhanced performance in organic solvents and at elevated temperatures.
Conclusions:
- Enzyme engineering is key to meeting industrial demands for stable biocatalysts.
- Advanced computational and experimental methods accelerate the development of robust enzymes.
- Future applications of biocatalysis benefit from enhanced solvent and thermostability.
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