Enzyme ancestors resurrected to boost thermal stability

Researchers have made more active, heat tolerant versions of two potentially useful enzymes by reconstructing the forms thought to exist in the ancestor to all modern vertebrates 450 million years ago. They say this approach – demonstrated on a cytochrome P450 and a ketol-acid reductoisomerase (KARI) – could be useful for designing biocatalysts that are able to carry out desirable chemical transformations under industrial conditions.