Towards Cellular Activation of an Artificial Metalloenzyme: Development of an Artificial Zymogen

Abstract

Regulation of enzymatic activity is essential for living organisms. Nowadays, with the emergence of synthetic biology, there is a rising interest in placing the activity of synthetic catalysts under the control of a cell. This short review aims at summarizing the regulation strategies developed to date, and at presenting the development of an artificial zymogen, which is upregulated by a natural protease. In our view, this constitutes a first step towards the cellular control of the activity of an artificial metalloenzyme.