Issue 6, 2024

Biocatalysis: landmark discoveries and applications in chemical synthesis

Abstract

Biocatalysis has become an important tool in chemical synthesis, allowing access to complex molecules with high levels of activity and selectivity and with low environmental impact. Key discoveries in protein engineering, bioinformatics, recombinant technology and DNA sequencing have contributed towards the rapid acceleration of the field. This tutorial review explores enzyme engineering strategies and high-throughput screening approaches that have been applied for the discovery and development of enzymes for synthetic application. Landmark developments in the field are discussed and have been carefully selected to highlight the diverse synthetic applications of enzymes within the pharmaceutical, agricultural, food and chemical industries. The design and development of artificial biocatalytic cascades is also examined. This tutorial review will give readers an insight into the landmark discoveries and milestones that have helped shape and grow this branch of catalysis since the discovery of the first enzyme.

Graphical abstract: Biocatalysis: landmark discoveries and applications in chemical synthesis

Article information

Article type
Tutorial Review
Submitted
23 Aug 2023
First published
26 Feb 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Soc. Rev., 2024,53, 2828-2850

Biocatalysis: landmark discoveries and applications in chemical synthesis

A. O’Connell, A. Barry, A. J. Burke, A. E. Hutton, E. L. Bell, A. P. Green and E. O’Reilly, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2024, 53, 2828 DOI: 10.1039/D3CS00689A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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