The Impact of Non-cultivated Biodiversity on Enzyme Discovery and Evolution |
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Authors: | Patrick Lorenz Klaus Liebeton Frank Niehaus Christa Schleper Jürgen Eck |
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Institution: | 1. B.R.A.I.N Aktiengesellschaff, Darmstaedterstrasse 34, 64673 Zwingenberg, Germany;2. Technische Universit?t Darmstadt, Institut für Mikrobiologie und Genetik, Schnittspahnstrasse 10, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany;3. Zentrumfir molekulare Evolution und Biodiversit?t (ZEB), Schnittspahnstrasse 10, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany |
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Abstract: | AbstractThe search for novel enzymes with biotechnological potential in the fine chemical, food and feed, detergent and cosmetics industries is driven by the need to improve existing processes and applications, to design novel processes for innovative products or intermediates or to avoid intellectual property related operative restrictions. Strategies for obtaining novel biocatalysts will be based on screening natural biodiversity or a combination of nature derived scaffolds and optimization by directed evolution technology. Considering the enormous potential of in vitro mutational and recombinatorial strategies to alter genes and improve enzyme properties, we propose that it might be advantageous to select improved molecular starting points before embarking on the arduous walk through sequence space towards optimized performance |
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Keywords: | Enzyme Metagenome Uncultivable microorganisms Sequence space |
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