Biology Tools for Biocatalysis

When molecular biology tools are being used there are six basic steps for obtaining recombinant proteins  

defining primers and restriction sites for successful cloning  

cloning the gene into an appropriate vector and transforming a suitable heterologous host with it (such as an E. coli strain)  

sequencing the clone to confirm the correct sequence of the inserted gene, and 

Biocatalysis. Andreas S. Bommarius and Bettina R. Riebel Copyright 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA, Weinheim ISBN 3-527-30344-8 

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We have examined several systems chosen to illustrate the current role of theory and simulation in biomimetics and biocatalysis. It should be clear that the theory is not done in a vacuum (so to speak) but rather that the theory becomes interesting only for systems amenable to experimental analysis. However, the examples illustrate how the theory can provide new insights and deeper understanding of the experiments. As experience with such simulations accumulates and as predictions are made on more and more complex systems amenable to experiment, it will become increasingly feasible to use the theory on unknown systems. As the predictions on such unknown systems are tested with experiment and as the reliability of the predictions increases, these techniques will become true design tools for development of new biological systems. 

Biocatalysis is the study of biological catalysts with regard to their kinetics, mechanisms, specificity, and application in synthesis and analysis. In addition to the traditional study of mechanistic enzymology, biocatalysis is concerned with the use of recombinant DNA technology, site-specific mutagenesis, directed evolution, pathway engineering, substrate design, and structure-based approaches as tools for the development of novel catalysts and reactions. 

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