Psychrophilic enzymes: structural adaptation, pharmaceutical and industrial applications

Psychrophiles are cold-living microorganisms synthesizing enzymes that are permanently active at almost near-zero temperatures. Psychrozymes are supposed to be structurally more flexible than their homologous proteins. This structural flexibility enables these proteins to undergo conformational changes during catalysis and improve catalytic efficiency at low temperatures. The outstanding characteristics of the psychrophilic enzymes have attracted the attention of the scientific community to utilize them in a wide variety of industrial and pharmaceutical applications. In this review, we first highlight the current knowledge of the cold-adaptation mechanisms of the psychrophiles. In the sequel, we describe the potential applications of the enzymes in different biotechnological processes specifically, in the production of industrial and pharmaceutical products.

Automated summary

Psychrophiles are microorganisms that synthesize enzymes which remain active at near-zero temperatures, with greater structural flexibility than their homologous proteins. This flexibility allows for conformational changes during catalysis and improved efficiency at low temperatures. The unique characteristics of psychrophilic enzymes have led to their potential applications in various industrial and pharmaceutical processes.