海洋极端微生物和极端酶分子生物学研究

分离自海洋极端微生物的极端酶具有超常的生物学稳定性，能够在极端温度、pH值、压力和离子强度下表现出生物学活性，因此海洋极端酶为生物催化和生物转化提供了良机。新的极端物种的发现、基因组序列的确定及基因工程技术的应用，加快了发现和制各新酶的进程。蛋白质工程和定向进化技术进一步改善酶的活性和特异性，促进了海洋极端酶的工业应用。对极端酶的分子生物学研究加深了人们对酶稳定性机制的理解，丰富了分子进化理论。

MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF EXTREME ENZYMES ISOLATED FROM MARINE EXTREMOPHILES

Enzymes from extremophiles (extremozymes) show activity and stability at extremes of temperature, pH value, low water activity and high hydrostatic pressure. Thus, extremozymes have potential applications in biological catalysis and biotransformation. The discovery of the new extremophies, the sequencing of the genomes and the development of gene engineering technology have expedited the discovery and preparation of the novel enzymes. The enzymatic activity and specificity of the extreme enzymes have further been improved by protein engineering and directed evolution, which accelerates the industrial application of the extreme enzymes. Research on the extreme enzymes not only have enhanced our understanding of the have enzymes but also enriched the theory of molecular evolution.