Enzyme Recognition: Substrate‐Baited Nanoparticles: A Catch and Release Strategy for Enzyme Recognition and Harvesting (Small 13/2012)

The cover image illustrates a universal model for concentrating and extracting protein–substrate pairs via substrate-baited nanoparticles, which can be an invaluable tool in recognizing unknown protein–substrate affinities. The isolation of a single type of protein from a complex mixture is vital for the characterization of the function, structure, and interactions of the protein of interest and is typically the most laborious aspect of the protein purification process. Enzyme trapping and recycling is illustrated with the carbazole 1,9a-dioxygenase (CARDO) system, an enzyme important in bioremediation and natural product synthesis. The enzymes are baited by carbazolyl-moieties attached to nanoparticles through a click transformation. The single-step procedure for attracting the enzymes to the particles is capable of concentrating the protein from raw lysate and sequestering all required components of the protein to maintain bioactivity. For more information, please read the Full Paper “Substrate-Baited Nanoparticles: A Catch and Release Strategy for Enzyme Recognition and Harvesting” by S. H. Foulger, and co-workers, beginning on page 2083.