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Nature 448, 755-756 (16 August 2007) | doi:10.1038/448755a; Published online 15 August 2007

Biological chemistry: Enzymes line up for assembly

Nicholas M. Llewellyn1 & Jonathan B. Spencer1

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Many enzymes have a series of catalytic sites, lined up like beads on a string. A previously unknown link in one of these molecular assembly lines involves an unexpected approach to a common biochemical reaction.

Nearly 100 years ago, Henry Ford demonstrated the full strength of economist Adam Smith's insights into productivity and the division of labour when he established the first moving assembly line. By shuttling partially constructed cars mechanically from one worker to the next, each performing a single specific task, Ford's assembly line could issue a new Model T every three minutes.

  1. Nicholas M. Llewellyn and Jonathan B. Spencer are in the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
    Email: jbs20@cam.ac.uk

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