Nitrile hydrolases.

A number of nitrile-related enzymes have been screened over the past year for use in synthetic applications. There have also been significant advances in our understanding of the structures and modes of regulation of metal-containing nitrile hydratases. Enzyme structural characterization has provided new insights into how the molecular structure determines the enzyme function and how an enzyme can be endowed with new properties. This information has important implications for potential future applications other than the present industrial production of acrylamide and nicotinamide.