(Gluco) Amylases, what have we learned so far?

摘要

A lot has been learned since information on alpha-amylase structure appeared in 1980, but today close to 500 sequences and 50 crystal structures of amylolytic enzymes do not answer all questions on these enzymes. Major issues are i) long-range enzyme-substrate communication, ii) transglycosylation vs. hydrolysis, iii) attack on macromolecular substrates, iv) domain interplay, and v) relations with other proteins. While traditional structure/function relationship investigations developed enormously thanks to advances in structural biology, protein chemistry and recombinant DNA techniques, the emerging era focuses on i) enzymes with custom-made specificity for substrates and proteinaceous inhibitors, ii) new biophysical methods to depict function, and iii) application of genome, proteome, and PIN analysis. This presentation describes the use of mutagenesis and substrate analogs to gain insight into how amylases operate and can be improved.