Enzyme gene technology

In the early days of enzyme study research focused on the isolation of enzymes. The studies were laborious and time-consuming. This situation has been greatly improved by innovations such as the HPLC system and microcapillary electrophoresis, which have enabled the purification of a small amount of enzyme effectively. We in general can isolate and purify most enzymes by a combination of gene technology with these methods without difficulty. 

Using modem gene technology the catalytic properties of enzymes could be improved or custom-tailored for specific reactions. Even the design and engineering of synthetic catalysts may become feasible. 

The term enzyme engineering [11] (see Fig. 1) describes a range of techniques from deliberate chemical modification to remodeling a wild-type enzyme by gene technology. Subti-ligase , a mutant of subtilisin BNP , was prepared by Jackson et al. [12] by protein design and used in a further total synthesis of RNase... 

In the cell, these enzymes are involved in DNA replication, degradation of foreign DNA, repairing of mutated DNA, and recombining different DNA molecules. The enzymes used in gene technology are produced like any other enzyme but their purification needs extra attention. 

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