Since the discovery of enzymes as biological catalysts, study of their
enormous catalytic power and exquisite specificity has been central
to biochemistry. Nevertheless, there is no universally accepted comprehensive
description. Rather, numerous proposals have been presented over
the past half century. The difficulty in developing a comprehensive
description for the catalytic power of enzymes derives from the highly
cooperative nature of their energetics, which renders impossible
a simple division of mechanistic features and an absolute partitioning
of catalytic contributions into independent and energetically additive
components. Site-directed mutagenesis has emerged as an enormously
powerful approach to probe enzymatic catalysis, illuminating many
basic features of enzyme function and behavior. The emphasis of site-directed
mutagenesis on the role of individual residues has also, inadvertently,
limited experimental and conceptual attention to the fundamentally
cooperative nature of enzyme function and energetics. The first part
of this review highlights the structural and functional interconnectivity
central to enzymatic catalysis. In the second part we ask: What are
the features of enzymes that distinguish them from simple chemical
catalysts? The answers are presented in conceptual models that, while
simplified, help illustrate the vast amount known about how enzymes
achieve catalysis. In the last section, we highlight the molecular
and energetic questions that remain for future investigation and
describe experimental approaches that will be necessary to answer
these questions. The promise of advancing and integrating cutting
edge conceptual, experimental, and computational tools brings mechanistic
enzymology to a new era, one poised for novel fundamental insights
into biological catalysis.
%0 Journal Article
%1 Krau_2003_517
%A Kraut, Daniel A
%A Carroll, Kate S
%A Herschlag, Daniel
%D 2003
%J Annu. Rev. Biochem.
%K 12704087 Acid Binding Catalysis, Conformation, Enzymes, Gov't, Kinetics, Models, Molecular, Mutagenesis, Non-U.S. Nucleic P.H.S., Relationship, Research Site-Directed, Sites, Structure-Activity Support, Thermodynamics, U.S.
%P 517--571
%R 10.1146/annurev.biochem.72.121801.161617
%T Challenges in enzyme mechanism and energetics.
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.biochem.72.121801.161617
%V 72
%X Since the discovery of enzymes as biological catalysts, study of their
enormous catalytic power and exquisite specificity has been central
to biochemistry. Nevertheless, there is no universally accepted comprehensive
description. Rather, numerous proposals have been presented over
the past half century. The difficulty in developing a comprehensive
description for the catalytic power of enzymes derives from the highly
cooperative nature of their energetics, which renders impossible
a simple division of mechanistic features and an absolute partitioning
of catalytic contributions into independent and energetically additive
components. Site-directed mutagenesis has emerged as an enormously
powerful approach to probe enzymatic catalysis, illuminating many
basic features of enzyme function and behavior. The emphasis of site-directed
mutagenesis on the role of individual residues has also, inadvertently,
limited experimental and conceptual attention to the fundamentally
cooperative nature of enzyme function and energetics. The first part
of this review highlights the structural and functional interconnectivity
central to enzymatic catalysis. In the second part we ask: What are
the features of enzymes that distinguish them from simple chemical
catalysts? The answers are presented in conceptual models that, while
simplified, help illustrate the vast amount known about how enzymes
achieve catalysis. In the last section, we highlight the molecular
and energetic questions that remain for future investigation and
describe experimental approaches that will be necessary to answer
these questions. The promise of advancing and integrating cutting
edge conceptual, experimental, and computational tools brings mechanistic
enzymology to a new era, one poised for novel fundamental insights
into biological catalysis.
@article{Krau_2003_517,
abstract = {Since the discovery of enzymes as biological catalysts, study of their
enormous catalytic power and exquisite specificity has been central
to biochemistry. Nevertheless, there is no universally accepted comprehensive
description. Rather, numerous proposals have been presented over
the past half century. The difficulty in developing a comprehensive
description for the catalytic power of enzymes derives from the highly
cooperative nature of their energetics, which renders impossible
a simple division of mechanistic features and an absolute partitioning
of catalytic contributions into independent and energetically additive
components. Site-directed mutagenesis has emerged as an enormously
powerful approach to probe enzymatic catalysis, illuminating many
basic features of enzyme function and behavior. The emphasis of site-directed
mutagenesis on the role of individual residues has also, inadvertently,
limited experimental and conceptual attention to the fundamentally
cooperative nature of enzyme function and energetics. The first part
of this review highlights the structural and functional interconnectivity
central to enzymatic catalysis. In the second part we ask: What are
the features of enzymes that distinguish them from simple chemical
catalysts? The answers are presented in conceptual models that, while
simplified, help illustrate the vast amount known about how enzymes
achieve catalysis. In the last section, we highlight the molecular
and energetic questions that remain for future investigation and
describe experimental approaches that will be necessary to answer
these questions. The promise of advancing and integrating cutting
edge conceptual, experimental, and computational tools brings mechanistic
enzymology to a new era, one poised for novel fundamental insights
into biological catalysis.},
added-at = {2009-06-03T11:20:58.000+0200},
author = {Kraut, Daniel A and Carroll, Kate S and Herschlag, Daniel},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2eb873cfd5c38176ddc37bf111f91d02c/hake},
description = {The whole bibliography file I use.},
doi = {10.1146/annurev.biochem.72.121801.161617},
file = {Krau_2003_517.pdf:Krau_2003_517.pdf:PDF},
interhash = {ccbc1a2e84f3cf1d6d3e5d3a03dd493f},
intrahash = {eb873cfd5c38176ddc37bf111f91d02c},
journal = {Annu. Rev. Biochem.},
key = 242,
keywords = {12704087 Acid Binding Catalysis, Conformation, Enzymes, Gov't, Kinetics, Models, Molecular, Mutagenesis, Non-U.S. Nucleic P.H.S., Relationship, Research Site-Directed, Sites, Structure-Activity Support, Thermodynamics, U.S.},
pages = {517--571},
pii = {121801.161617},
pmid = {12704087},
timestamp = {2009-06-03T11:21:18.000+0200},
title = {Challenges in enzyme mechanism and energetics.},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.biochem.72.121801.161617},
volume = 72,
year = 2003
}