NSF PR 95-43 - June 28, 1995
Media contact: |
Cheryl Dybas |
(703) 306-1070 |
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone
numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current
contact information at media
contacts.
Unconventional Environments Harbor Bacteria with "Extremozymes"
Organisms living in extreme environments -- hot
springs, frozen antarctic waters, alpine summits, desert
sands, and other unusual "habitats," such as airplane fuel
tanks -- are the subject of an article in the July issue
of the journal BIO/TECHNOLOGY. The article is an
outgrowth of a workshop sponsored by the National Science
Foundation on May 25 and 26, 1994 in Washington, D.C.
Researchers have become interested in bacteria
inhabiting extreme environments because they produce
specialized enzymes, dubbed extremozymes, which are useful
as biocatalysts, biological substances that increase the
rates of chemical reactions. Enzymes are the movers-and
shakers inside an organism; powerful proteins, they bring
molecules together to produce the chemical reactions
essential to life. The study of organisms in unusual
ecosystems has shown scientists that biocatalysis is
indeed alive and well in unconventional environments.
Says Marcia Steinberg, program director in NSF's
molecular biochemistry program, "Extremozymes function at
extremes of pH, temperature, pressure, salt, and solvent
conditions. Last year's workshop brought together
representatives from academia, industry, and government to
discuss new developments in research on and potential uses
for these novel enzymes. The article in BIO/TECHNOLOGY
details their findings."
Write authors Michael Adams of the University of
Georgia, Francine Perler of New England Biolabs, and
Robert Kelly of North Carolina State University, "The
study of enzymes isolated from organisms inhabiting
unconventional ecosystems has led to the realization that
biocatalysis need not be constrained to mild conditions
and can be considered in environments long thought to be
destructive to biomolecules."
Given the information acquired from the study of
extremozymes, modification of enzymes to improve their
ranges of stability and activity remains a possibility,
write the scientists. "Ultimately, by expanding the range
of conditions suitable for enzyme function, new
opportunities to use biocatalysis will be created." Those
opportunities include everything from developments in
industrial enzymes and solvent engineering, to refinements
in pulp and paper manufacturing and hydraulic fracturing
of gas and oil wells, to studies of our planet's
biodiversity.
Press releases and other information are now available
electronically on NSFnews, a free service available
via the Internet. To subscribe to NSFnews send an
e-mail message to listmanager@nsf.gov. In the body
of the message (not the subject line) type the words
"subscribe nsfnews" and then type your name (not an
e-mail address). For example: Subscribe nsfnews James
Smith. The system will reply with a confirmation via
e-mail. For additional information about NSFnews send
another e-mail message to listmanager@nsf.gov and
in the body of the message type the word "help".
|