view of the enzyme’s component that regulates the ideal temperature. The pig enzyme is represented by the loop region in red, while the Antarctic bacterium is depicted in dark blue. The loop could be moved toward the pig structure and the ideal temperature raised by introducing mutations into the Antarctic structure. Credit: Johan Qvist
For the first time, scientists have been able to use complex computer calculations to forecast how to alter an enzyme’s ideal temperature. As a starting point, an Antarctic bacterium’s cold-adapted enzyme was used. Researchers from Uppsala