Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Biocatalysis

Expanding beyond the capability of nature

Nature Chemical Biology volume 21, pages 32–34 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Biocatalysts have many benefits for speeding up specific transformations, but the chemistry used by naturally occurring catalysts is limited. Pioneering work in 2016 used directed evolution to create heme-dependent enzymes able to form new silicon–carbon bonds, showcasing the approach’s power to attain catalysts capable of new-to-nature chemistry.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: First report and evolution of enzymatic C–Si bond formation.

References

  1. Buller, R. et al. Science 382, eadh8615 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Zeymer, C. & Hilvert, D. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 87, 131–157 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Lovelock, S. L. et al. Nature 606, 49–58 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Kan, S. B. J., Lewis, R. D., Chen, K. & Arnold, F. H. Science 354, 1048–1051 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Wang, Z. J., Peck, N. E., Renata, H. & Arnold, F. H. Chem. Sci. 5, 598–601 (2014).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Tyagi, V., Bonn, R. B. & Fasan, R. Chem. Sci. 6, 2488–2494 (2015).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Franz, A. K. & Wilson, S. O. J. Med. Chem. 56, 388–405 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lewis, R. D. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, 7308–7313 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Garcia-Borràs, M. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 143, 7114–7123 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Kissman, E. N. et al. Nature 631, 37–48 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ji, P., Park, J., Gu, Y., Clark, D. S. & Hartwig, J. F. Nat. Chem. 13, 312–318 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. Sarai, N. S. et al. Science 383, 438–443 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Chen, K. & Arnold, F. H. Nat. Catal. 3, 203–213 (2020).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology (VISTEC), Wangchan Valley, Rayong, Thailand

    Kridsadakorn Prakinee & Pimchai Chaiyen

Authors
  1. Kridsadakorn Prakinee
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pimchai Chaiyen
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pimchai Chaiyen.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Prakinee, K., Chaiyen, P. Expanding beyond the capability of nature. Nat Chem Biol 21, 32–34 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-024-01793-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-024-01793-0

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing