Multienzymatic Cascades and Nanomaterial Scaffolding—A Potential Way Forward for the Efficient Biosynthesis of Novel Chemical Products

Abstract

Synthetic biology is touted as the next industrial revolution as it promises access to greener biocatalytic syntheses to replace many industrial organic chemistries. Here, it is shown to what synthetic biology can offer in the form of multienzyme cascades for the synthesis of the most basic of new materials—chemicals, including especially designer chemical products and their analogs. Since achieving this is predicated on dramatically expanding the chemical space that enzymes access, such chemistry will probably be undertaken in cell‐free or minimalist formats to overcome the inherent toxicity of non‐natural substrates to living cells. Laying out relevant aspects that need to be considered in the design of multi‐enzymatic cascades for these purposes is begun. Representative multienzymatic cascades are critically reviewed, which have been specifically developed for the synthesis of compounds that have either been made only by traditional organic synthesis along with those cascades utilized for novel compound syntheses. Lastly, an overview of strategies that look toward exploiting bio/nanomaterials for accessing channeling and other nanoscale materials phenomena in vitro to direct novel enzymatic biosynthesis and improve catalytic efficiency is provided. Finally, a perspective on what is needed for this field to develop in the short and long term is presented.

Interface Visualization of Bio-material Interaction Via Cryo-AEM Using the Biosynthesis of Iron-Based Nanoparticles as a Model

“…Nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms have functional and economic uses and have attracted the attention of scholars in fields such as environmental remediation, functional materials, and biochemistry. − The various microscopic mechanisms of organic–inorganic interaction affect nanoparticle composition, size, morphology, surface properties, and aggregation. , Consequently, the visual analysis of the organic–inorganic interaction at the microscopic interface is of great significance for the precise engineering regulation of biosynthetic nanoparticles. The electron transport at the inorganic–organic interface is a crucial aspect of the microbial synthesis of nanomaterials. , However, due to the diversity of biosynthetic nanoparticles processes (including both intracellular and extracellular synthesis methods, incorporating complex biochemical reactions and fusion of biological organisms), subtle changes at the organic–inorganic interface and in situ characterization are challenging.…”