Thakur Meghna, Dean Scott N, Caruana Julie C, Walper Scott A, Ellis Gregory A
College of Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.
Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Code 6900, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2023 Sep 20;10(9):1099. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering10091099.
The use of biological systems in manufacturing and medical applications has seen a dramatic rise in recent years as scientists and engineers have gained a greater understanding of both the strengths and limitations of biological systems. Biomanufacturing, or the use of biology for the production of biomolecules, chemical precursors, and others, is one particular area on the rise as enzymatic systems have been shown to be highly advantageous in limiting the need for harsh chemical processes and the formation of toxic products. Unfortunately, biological production of some products can be limited due to their toxic nature or reduced reaction efficiency due to competing metabolic pathways. In nature, microbes often secrete enzymes directly into the environment or encapsulate them within membrane vesicles to allow catalysis to occur outside the cell for the purpose of environmental conditioning, nutrient acquisition, or community interactions. Of particular interest to biotechnology applications, researchers have shown that membrane vesicle encapsulation often confers improved stability, solvent tolerance, and other benefits that are highly conducive to industrial manufacturing practices. While still an emerging field, this review will provide an introduction to biocatalysis and bacterial membrane vesicles, highlight the use of vesicles in catalytic processes in nature, describe successes of engineering vesicle/enzyme systems for biocatalysis, and end with a perspective on future directions, using selected examples to illustrate these systems' potential as an enabling tool for biotechnology and biomanufacturing.
近年来，随着科学家和工程师对生物系统的优势和局限性有了更深入的了解，生物系统在制造和医学应用中的使用急剧增加。生物制造，即利用生物学生产生物分子、化学前体等，是一个特别兴起的领域，因为酶系统已被证明在减少对苛刻化学过程的需求和有毒产物形成方面具有高度优势。不幸的是，由于某些产品的毒性或由于竞争性代谢途径导致反应效率降低，其生物生产可能会受到限制。在自然界中，微生物通常将酶直接分泌到环境中或将它们包裹在膜泡内，以使催化作用在细胞外发生，用于环境调节、养分获取或群落相互作用。对于生物技术应用特别感兴趣的是，研究人员表明，膜泡包裹通常赋予更好的稳定性、溶剂耐受性和其他有利于工业制造实践的益处。虽然这仍然是一个新兴领域，但本综述将介绍生物催化和细菌膜泡，强调膜泡在自然催化过程中的用途，描述用于生物催化的工程化膜泡/酶系统的成功案例，并以对未来方向的展望作为结尾，使用选定的例子来说明这些系统作为生物技术和生物制造的赋能工具的潜力。
