Improving the Stability of Cold-Adapted Enzymes by Immobilization

Cold-adapted enzymes have gained considerable attention as biocatalysts that show high catalytic activity at low temperatures. However, the use of cold-adapted enzymes at ambient temperatures has been hindered by their low thermal stabilities caused by their inherent structural flexibilities. Accordingly, protein engineering and immobilization have been employed to improve the thermal stability of cold-adapted enzymes. Immobilization has been shown to increase the thermal stability of cold-adapted enzymes at the critical temperatures at which denaturation begins. This review summarizes progress in immobilization of cold-adapted enzymes as a strategy to improve their thermal and organic solvent stabilities.