Thermophilic enzymes: The key for greener industrial processes

Abstract

Substantial improvements in the industrial production of goods led to a widespread feeling of unlimited access to food, commodities, and energy. As greener alternatives for industrial processes are in demand, scientists have turned to enzymes, looking for apt biocatalysts. Focusing on extremophiles, this mini review draws a comparison between thermophiles and their mesophilic counterparts, exploring what features are instrumental to their thermostability. A higher number of ion-pairs, hydrophobicity of buried side chains, compact tertiary structure cores, and a complex network of hydrogen bonds are the four main characteristics responsible for the robustness of thermophilic enzymes.