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  • Review Article
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Engineering and emerging applications of artificial metalloenzymes with whole cells

Abstract

The field of artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs) is rapidly growing and ArMs are attracting increasing attention, for example, in the fields of biosensing and drug therapy. Protein-engineering methods that are commonly used to tailor the properties of natural enzymes are more frequently included in the design of ArMs. In particular, directed evolution allows the fine-tuning of ArMs, ultimately assisting in the development of their enormous potential. The integration of ArMs in whole cells enables their in vivo application and facilitates high-throughput directed-evolution methodologies. In this Review, we highlight the recent progress of whole-cell conversions and applications of ArMs and critically discuss their limitations and prospects. To focus on ArMs and their specific properties, advantages and challenges, the evolution of natural enzymes for non-natural reactions will not be covered.

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Fig. 1: Applied strategies for ArM-based targeted cancer therapy.
Fig. 2: Proposed strategies for ArM-based drug therapy.
Fig. 3: ArM-based biosensor.
Fig. 4: Applications of ArMs in synthetic biology and industrial microbiology.
Fig. 5: Schematic representation of the steps required in directed-evolution campaigns of an ArM.
Fig. 6: Strategies for the ArM assembly in different cellular compartments for directed evolution.
Fig. 7: Two approaches for synergistic catalysis within an artificial enzyme.
Fig. 8: Whole-cell applications of ArMs.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) through the International Research Training Group ‘Selectivity in Chemo- and Biocatalysis’ (SeleCa) (IRTG 1628) and the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) (FKZ: 031B0297) for financial support.

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D.F.S. conceptualized the review. M.W., U.M. and D.F.S. drafted the review. M.W., U.M., J.S., J.O., D.F.S. and U.S. critically revised the review. J.O. and U.S. acquired funding. M.W. and U.M. contributed equally to this work.

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Correspondence to Daniel F. Sauer or Ulrich Schwaneberg.

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Peer review information Nature Catalysis thanks Jean-Pierre Mahy, Katsunori Tanaka and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Wittwer, M., Markel, U., Schiffels, J. et al. Engineering and emerging applications of artificial metalloenzymes with whole cells. Nat Catal 4, 814–827 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-021-00673-3

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