Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen (The Netherlands).
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2014 Oct 20;53(43):11420-8. doi: 10.1002/anie.201404848. Epub 2014 Sep 22.
Nature's enzymes are an ongoing source of inspiration for scientists. The complex processes behind their selectivity and efficiency is slowly being unraveled, and these findings have spawned many biomimetic catalysts. However, nearly all focus on the conversion of small molecular substrates. Nature itself is replete with inventive catalytic systems which modify, replicate, or decompose entire polymers, often in a processive fashion. Such processivity can, for example, enhance the rate of catalysis by clamping to the polymer substrate, which imparts a large effective molarity. Reviewed herein are the various strategies for processivity in nature's arsenal and their properties. An overview of what has been achieved by chemists aiming to mimic one of nature's greatest tricks is also included.
自然界的酶一直是科学家灵感的不竭源泉。其选择性和高效性背后的复杂过程正在逐渐被揭示，这些发现催生了许多仿生催化剂。然而，几乎所有的研究都集中在小分子底物的转化上。自然界本身就充满了具有创新性的催化系统，这些系统可以修饰、复制或分解整个聚合物，通常是连续进行的。这种连续性可以通过与聚合物底物的紧密结合来提高催化速率，从而产生较大的有效摩尔浓度。本文综述了自然界中实现连续性的各种策略及其特性。同时还概述了化学家们为模仿自然界最伟大的技巧之一而取得的成就。
