John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
Researchers at Stanford University have made significant progress in understanding how enzymes dramatically accelerate biochemical reactions. Using over 1,000 X-ray snapshots, the team has shed light on this longstanding mystery, potentially influencing fields from basic science to drug discovery.
Dan Herschlag, a professor of biochemistry at Stanford's School of Medicine and senior author of the study, highlighted the extraordinary speed at which enzymes operate: "When I say enzymes speed up reactions, I mean as in a trillion-trillion times faster for some reactions." Despite their importance, there has been a lack of specific understanding regarding the chemical and physical interactions that enable such high reaction rates.
Siyuan Du, a doctoral student and first author of the study published in Science on February 13th, explained that they have quantified and rigorously detailed what features in enzymes provide catalysis. This new approach could pave the way for designing enzymes that match those found in nature.
The research builds upon existing theories by focusing on "ensembles," or different physical states that enzymes transition through during catalysis. Herschlag noted that previous models emphasized positioning chemicals on the enzyme but lacked quantitative measurement until now.
Du elaborated on how an enzyme's oxygen atom interacts with a carbon atom on its target molecule: "There's a little bit of tension forcing these atoms together and when the reaction happens all that pent-up energy pushes the reaction forward."
The study examined serine proteases—a common subject in biochemistry education—and found similar catalytic strategies across various enzyme families. Du stated: "Nature has evolved these mechanisms independently... we may be able to copy nature and use this to design new enzymes."
This research could revolutionize biochemistry education and expedite scientific advancements across multiple fields. Herschlag emphasized: "We need to better understand enzymes before we can expect to have real power over them and engineer better ones."
The study included contributions from several Stanford researchers and was funded by the National Science Foundation.
For more information, contact Taylor Kubota at tkubota@stanford.edu.
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