Scientific American
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Learning about the inner workings of microbes can lead to discovery of ways to isolate and use their components to develop new, synthetic nanostructures that carry out some of the functions of living cells.
In this figure, an enzyme (green) has been embedded in a synthetic membrane that enhances its activity and stability. The enzyme transforms toxic substances (purple molecules at left) to harmless by-products (yellow and red molecules at right).
The knowledge gained from Genomes to Life research could enable others to develop efficient enzyme-based ways to produce energy, remove or inactivate contaminants, and store carbon to mitigate global climate change. Other potential highly useful applications are food processing, pharmaceuticals, separations, and the production of industrial chemicals.
[C. Lei, Y. Shin, J. Liu, and E. J. Ackerman (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124, 11242–43 (2002)]