Variation of Enzyme Structure Site-directed Mutagenesis

In the literature, mutant proteins are often described using the one-letter amino acid code, with the residue number separating wt and mutant residue. Thus D216A represents a mutant in which the wt aspartate has been replaced with alanine. 

The mechanistic conclusions that one can draw from simple kinetic measurements on mutant proteins are limited by a number of factors  

Asp Asn and Glu Gin mutations are inadvisable, as chemical deamidation back to the wt residue is a possibility, particularly with thermostable enzymes. 

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