Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Molecular Biology

Enzyme Catalysis and Immobilization

A Bacillus enzyme rapidly breaks down PET plastic’s soluble intermediates

Researchers identified a carboxylesterase enzyme from Bacillus halotolerans that rapidly converted the PET intermediates BHET and MHET. It showed much weaker activity against commercial PET powder, highlighting its main strength as an intermediate-processing enzyme rather than a bulk-plastic degrader.

6 days ago·124 views

Abstract editorial illustration accompanying the article: An enzyme library makes a wide range of high-purity amines from equal starting amounts

Materials & Energy

An enzyme library makes a wide range of high-purity amines from equal starting amounts

A study in Nature Communications found that many imine reductases and reductive aminases can make chiral amines from equal amounts of the starting materials. Screening and an AI system helped identify enzymes with broad activity, and selected reactions produced gram quantities of optically pure products.

1 month ago·70 views