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Future of Enzymology: An Appraisal

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ENZYMES: Catalysis, Kinetics and Mechanisms

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Abstract

There can be no doubt that study of enzymes will continue to occupy the prime position in modern biology (and chemistry!). This much is amply obvious from each and every context and examples that we have come across in the preceding chapters. The study of enzymes in isolation, most often in purified form, has occupied much of the time in this field. However, as we have seen in the last chapter, the importance of understanding enzyme function in vivo is very much appreciated now; this will form one of the frontiers in enzymology. Present emphasis on systems biology is a pointer in this direction. Enzymes in sequence, in combination with other enzymes and other cellular components, bring in interesting features often not manifested by an enzyme in isolation – coupled reactions, regulatory networks, and distributed control of metabolism are some of them.

If we wish to catch up with nature we shall need to use the same methods as she does, and I can foresee a time in which physiological chemistry will not only make greater use of natural enzymes but will actually resort to creating synthetic ones.

–Emil Fischer, 1902 Nobel Lecture

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  1. Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

    N. S. Punekar

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Punekar, N.S. (2018). Future of Enzymology: An Appraisal. In: ENZYMES: Catalysis, Kinetics and Mechanisms. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0785-0_39

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