biomolecule - enzyme

Enzymes are biological molecules, proteinaceous in nature with the exception of catalytic RNA molecules (ribozymes), and act as catalyst to support almost all of the chemical reactions required to sustain life . Enzymes are very specific; only accelerate the rate of particular reaction by lowering the activation energy without undergoing any permanent change in them, and therefore, are vital biomolecules that support life . They require typically milder condition of temperature and pressure for catalysing reactions, and are used as an alternative to hazardous chemical pollutant owing to their biodegradable and nontoxic nature. In addition to advantages of enzymes over conventional methods, there are some drawbacks of using enzymes in healthcare and other industries. For many mammalian enzymes, 37°C and 7.4 are the optimal temperature and pH, respectively, and their activity is highly sensitive to any change in these parameters. Higher temperature (>40°C), and a large deviation from the physiological pH (7.4) lead to their denaturation, which limits the use of these macromolecules in non-physiological conditions. Additionally, they are susceptible to substrate or product inhibition and their products may cause allergic reactions. The high cost of isolation and purification of enzymes and their difficult recovery for subsequent reuse may discourage their use .  

Microbial enzymes have gained interest for their widespread uses in industries and medicine owing to their stability, catalytic activity, and ease of production and optimization than plant and animal enzymes. The use of enzymes in various industries (e.g., food, agriculture, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals) is increasing rapidly due to reduced processing time, low energy input, cost effectiveness, nontoxic and eco-friendly characteristics. Microbial enzymes are capable of degrading toxic chemical compounds of industrial and domestic wastes (phenoliccompounds, nitriles, amines etc.) either via degradation or conversion.

Enzymes are large macromolecules composed of polymers of amino acids connected by amide bonds, ranging from kilo Dalton(insulin) to mega Dalton (ribosome) in molecular mass. Catalytic site of these macromolecules is often buried deep within hydrophobic pockets, which determines the specificity for their substrate.