Designing enzymes for use in organic solvents.

Enzymes are routinely used in organic solvents where numerous reactions of interest to synthetic and polymer chemists can be performed with high selectivity. Recently, it has become apparent that the catalytic properties of an enzyme can be tailored to a specific catalytic requirement by the use of solvent and protein engineering. The former involves altering the polarity, hydrophobicity, water content, etc., of the organic milieu, while the later applies site-directed mutagenesis to alter the physicochemical properties of the biocatalyst. The dominant effects of organic solvents on enzyme structure and function, and the potential of solvent and protein engineering to design enzymes to function optimally in organic media, are the major foci of this review.