Accelerating Enzymatic Catalysis Using Vortex Fluidics |
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| Authors: | Joshua Britton Luz M Meneghini Prof Dr Colin L Raston Prof Dr Gregory A Weiss |
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| Institution: | 1. Chemical and Physical Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, Australia;2. Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA;3. Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Enzymes catalyze chemical transformations with outstanding stereo‐ and regio‐specificities, but many enzymes are limited by their long reaction times. A general method to accelerate enzymes using pressure waves contained within thin films is described. Each enzyme responds best to specific frequencies of pressure waves, and an acceleration landscape for each protein is reported. A vortex fluidic device introduces pressure waves that drive increased rate constants (kcat) and enzymatic efficiency (kcat/Km). Four enzymes displayed an average seven‐fold acceleration, with deoxyribose‐5‐phosphate aldolase (DERA) achieving an average 15‐fold enhancement using this approach. In solving a common problem in enzyme catalysis, a powerful, generalizable tool for enzyme acceleration has been uncovered. This research provides new insights into previously uncontrolled factors affecting enzyme function. |
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| Keywords: | aldolases biocatalysis enzyme acceleration hydrolases vortex fluidics |
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