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Nature 453, 164-166 (8 May 2008) | doi:10.1038/453164a; Published online 7 May 2008
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Computational biochemistry: Old enzymes, new tricks
Giovanna Ghirlanda1
Abstract
Although enzymes are superb catalysts, their range of reactions is limited to those that support life. Their repertoire could be expanded by a method that allows artificial enzymes to be made from scratch.
Enzymes are astoundingly good catalysts: they allow reactions to occur billions of times faster than would be possible without them, at temperatures much lower than those required by typical synthetic catalysts. But enzymes have evolved to accelerate only biological reactions, under the narrow set of conditions that are compatible with life.
- Giovanna Ghirlanda is in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1604, USA.
Email: giovanna.ghirlanda@asu.edu
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