DNA family shuffling is now well established as a powerful technique to tap into and exploit the molecular diversity of gene families. In this issue, Ness and colleagues (p. 893) use this approach to create a library of chimeric subtilisin proteases. Shuffled clones were identified that were improved over the parent enzyme for four distinct enzymatic properties, suggesting the utility of "molecular breeding" to tailor enzymes for diverse functional parameters.
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Frederickson, R. Breeding molecules. Nat Biotechnol 17, 840 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/12811
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/12811