Department of Biotechnology, Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla, India.
Biotechnol Adv. 2010 Nov-Dec;28(6):725-41. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2010.05.020. Epub 2010 May 25.
Nitrile hydratase (NHase, EC 4.2.1.84) is one of the key enzymes of nitrile metabolism in a large number of microbes that catalyses the hydration of nitriles to corresponding amides, and has been successfully adopted in chemical industry for production of acrylamide, nicotinamide and 5-cyanovaleramide. However, NHase is still under active consideration of enzymologists to expand its potential for synthesis of various amides. Most of the NHases have been reported for their limited substrates acceptability, low enantioselectivity and thermostability and therefore a considerable improvement is required for developing as robust biocatalyst for synthesis of a range of organic amides. Studies on biochemical properties, gene configuration, active-site chemical models and site-directed mutagenesis have given the insight into the structural and functional characteristics of NHase. Keeping in view, the present review critically describes the available information on natural sources (based on activity and phylogenetic analysis), biochemical properties, catalysis-structure relationship, molecular expression and potential applications of this enzyme.
腈水合酶（NHase，EC 4.2.1.84）是许多微生物中腈类代谢的关键酶之一，它催化腈类化合物水合生成相应的酰胺，已成功应用于化学工业生产丙烯酰胺、烟酰胺和 5-氰基戊酰胺。然而，NHase 仍在被酶学家积极研究，以扩大其在合成各种酰胺方面的潜力。大多数 NHase 的报道表明其底物接受能力有限、对映选择性和热稳定性低，因此需要进行相当大的改进，以开发出用于合成一系列有机酰胺的稳健生物催化剂。对生化特性、基因结构、活性位点化学模型和定点突变的研究为 NHase 的结构和功能特性提供了深入了解。有鉴于此，本综述批判性地描述了该酶的天然来源（基于活性和系统发育分析）、生化特性、催化-结构关系、分子表达和潜在应用的现有信息。
