Microbial commercial enzymes

Abstract

This review paper provides a nice overview of developments in the use of enzymes for pulp bleaching. This database provides a tool for finding homologues to commercially useful enzymes by scanning metagenomic sequences and microbial genomes. BRENDA provides an excellent compendium of information on a wide range of enzymes, including microbial enzymes that are useful in biotechnology. Many microbial enzymes that are active with carbohydrate substrates are useful in biotechnology. This database focuses on this class of enzymes. Lipases are heavily used in industry, especially for chiral resolution to produce compounds enantiospecifically. This database deals specifically with lipases. Cytochrome P450 enzymes are widespread in biological systems, including bacteria and fungi. These monooxygenases catalyse important biotransformations, for example with steroid substrates. This website provides a number of very useful tool for people studying serine proteases. Cellulases are now being heavily studied for the production of biofuels starting with cellulosic biomass. The term cellulase actually refers to a class of enzymes that act in concert to hydrolyse biomass cellulose. Verenium has discovered or developed many novel microbial enzymes designed to solve problems in industrial catalysis. This association page provides many links to information on commercial aspects of enzymes. This Wikipedia entry on enzymes has a nice section on enzyme applications. It lists many enzyme applications in a well-organized table. This database provides information of the reaction mechanisms of many important enzymes. The information is well curated with mechanisms broken down into a series of intermediate steps that can be viewed as graphical depictions, each on separate pages. This page provides a nice historical perspective on enzymes and their applications. The Biotechnology Industry Organization provides this list of enzymes, their sources and their applications in the biotechnology industries. This page gives a rosy forecast for the growth of the enzyme business in the near future. Genencor is a major enzyme producer. They express, purify and sell largely microbial enzymes for a broad range of industrial and consumer applications. Nozozymes is the world's largest enzyme-producing company. They make enzymes for biofuels, agriculture, food processing and other applications. The Biocataysis/Biodegradation database has information on many enzymes useful in biotechnology; for example: nitrilases, esterases, epoxide hydrolases, amidases and dehalogenases. This Wikipedia entry highlights the restriction enzymes. Restriction enzymes are produced by bacteria and have found great usefulness in recombinant DNA technology. This page of the EBI IntEnz database highlights the laccase enzymes. Laccases are produced by bacteria and fungi. They have usefulness in the pulp and paper industries and in food processing.