Directed evolution of enzymes (Arnold)
Evolución dirigida de enzimas (Arnold)
- Date
- 1993 · confidence high
- Place
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, California, United States
- Credited to
- Frances H. Arnold; Willem Stemmer (DNA shuffling, 1994)
- Field
- Life & health
What it is
Arnold applied cycles of random mutagenesis and selection to subtilisin until it worked in an organic solvent. Directed evolution improves enzymes without knowing their structure, replacing rational design with screening.
Chen and Arnold (PNAS 1993) and Stemmer's DNA shuffling (Nature 1994, Affymax) are complementary milestones. 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Arnold, with Smith and Winter).
What it led to
- industrial enzymes for detergents, biofuels and fine chemicals
- biocatalytic synthesis of drugs (sitagliptin, Merck–Codexis)
- directed evolution of new reactions (silicon–carbon) and of editing proteins