JSON
Fink MJ, Syrén PO
Curr Opin Chem Biol 37 (-) 107-114 [2017-04-00; online 2017-03-05]
Herein we highlight recent findings on the importance of water networks in proteins, and their redesign and reconfiguration as a new engineering strategy to generate enzymes with modulated binding affinity and improved catalytic versatility. Traditionally, enzyme engineering and drug design have focused on tailoring direct and favorable interactions between protein surfaces and ligands/transition states to achieve stronger binding, or an accelerated manufacturing of medicines, biofuels, fine chemicals and materials. In contrast, the opportunity to relocate water molecules in solvated binding pockets by protein design to improve overall energetics remains essentially unexplored, and fundamental understanding of the elusive processes involved is poor. Rewiring water networks in protein interiors impacts binding affinity, catalysis and the thermodynamic signature of biochemical processes through dynamic mechanisms, and thus has great potential to enhance binding specificity, accelerate catalysis and provide new reaction mechanisms and chemistry, that were not yet explored in nature.
PubMed 28259084
DOI 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.02.013
Crossref 10.1016/j.cbpa.2017.02.013
pii: S1367-5931(17)30026-1