Enzyme Catalysis in Non‐Native Environment with Unnatural Selectivity Using Polymeric Nanoreactors
Abstract
The utilization of enzymes for catalysis in organic solvents, while exhibiting selectivity to different substrates, is a big challenge. We report an amphiphilic random copolymer system that self‐assembles with enzymes in an organic solvent to form nanoreactors. These encapsulated enzymes are not denatured and they do preserve the catalytic activity. The cross‐linkable functional groups in the hydrophobic compartments of the polymers offer to control accessibility to the enzyme. This varied accessibility due to the polymer host, rather than the enzyme itself, endows the nanoreactor with an unnatural selectivity. The findings here highlight the significant potential of simple polymer‐based enzyme nanoreactors to execute selective organic reactions under non‐native conditions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 16, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1002/ange.202109477
Entities
People
- Jingjing Gao
- Sankaran Thayumanavan
- Stephanie P. Le
Organizations
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Harvard Medical School
- United States Army Research Laboratory
- University of Massachusetts