Biocatalysis and Biotransformation of Extremozymes

Dear Colleagues,

“Normal is passé, extreme is chic”, as NASA’s Lynn J. Rothschild and Rocco L. Mancinelli said some years ago. The discovery of extreme environments and organisms which thrive in them had an impact on science similar to that on the refutation of the Ptolemaic vision. The awareness that the definition of life was very far from its "anthropocentric" connotation has in fact given a huge boost in various fields of knowledge, from basic research on the origin of life to astrobiology (life outside the Earth).

Undoubtedly, extremophilic microorganisms represent an impressive "treasure chest" of new enzymes, and their associated studies have led to the realization that biocatalysis goes beyond mild conditions, pushing the boundaries of pH, temperature, pressure, ionic environments and solvents, thought before to be destructive to biomolecules. Although yet to be fully realized, our understanding of the tenets underlying enzymatic function under extreme reaction conditions has led to the identification of some of the molecular mechanisms that play key roles in the success of extremozymes. Our expanded knowledge of the evolutionary trajectories of diverse enzymes across different environmental gradients therefore offers the opportunity to improve enzymes in terms of stability and activity, and/or the development of efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly industrial technologies.

This Special Issue is devoted to basic research on enzymes that function under harsh reaction conditions, for example in DNA transactions at high temperatures and/or radiations, or cellular metabolism under freezing water. We further welcome applied research that employs these biocatalysts in different “biotech” fields, including in the decomposition of hardly soluble and insoluble polymers for sustainable energy production and in food and detergent industries.

Reviews and original research papers from fundamental research to industrial application are welcome.

The main topics include but are not limited to:

- Enzyme evolution and adaptation;

- Catalysis at temperature extremes;

- Stabilization of mesophilic enzymes by protein engineering;

- DNA-associated extremozymes;

- Enzymes in polar environments;

- Extremophiles catalysts for sustainable bio-refineries;

- Novel and sustainable enzymes from marine extremophilic sources;

- Biotechnology of extremozymes.

Submit your paper and select the Journal “Catalysts” and the Special Issue “Biocatalysis and Biotransformation of Extremozymes” via: MDPI submission system. Please contact the Guest Editor or the journal editor ([email protected]) for any queries. Our papers will be published on a rolling basis and we will be pleased to receive your submission once you have finished it.

Dr. Giuseppe Perugino
Prof. Dr. Isaac Cann
Dr. Anna Valenti
Dr. Cinzia Verde
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• extremozyme
• biotechnological tools
• biotransformation in harsh conditions
• rational and irrational enzyme engineering
• enzyme evolution
• origin of life
• biocatalysis