Scientists from Stanford University have made a groundbreaking discovery by using over 1000 x-rays to observe the movement of enzymes during reactions, revealing one of the main secrets of life. Their study sheds light on how enzymes are able to accelerate biochemical processes by trillions of times, offering new possibilities in the fields of science and medicine.
Enzymes, often referred to as “biological machines”, have long been a mystery to biochemists. Despite years of research, the exact chemical and physical mechanisms behind their remarkable efficiency have remained elusive. This lack of understanding has hindered scientists from predicting reaction speeds and designing new enzymes with similar exceptional properties.
Under the guidance of biochemistry professor Dan Hershela, the research team developed a novel approach focused on analyzing the various conformations of enzyme ensembles. Instead of viewing enzymes as static structures, the researchers investigated how they transition between different states during catalytic reactions. This breakthrough enabled them to quantify the impact of each structural element on reaction rates for the first time.
The study’s lead author, a graduate student at the NEC, likened enzymes to tense springs: their atoms exist in slightly unstable states, and when a reaction occurs, the stored energy is released, speeding up the process. This principle was found to be universal, not only in serine-free proteases but also in hundreds of other enzymes.
This discovery has the potential to not only revolutionize fundamental science but also transform the way biochemistry is taught. Hershel believes that scientists can now quantitatively explain how enzymes function, leading to a paradigm shift in bioengineering. In the future, this could pave the way for the development of artificial enzymes that rival the effectiveness of natural enzymes.
The research was published on February 14 in the journal Science.