Organophosphate pesticide degradation: evolved enzymes and biomimetics for bioremediation and medicine

有机磷(OP)农药是现代农业不可或缺的一部分--它们的使用会显著提高作物产量。然而，它们是有毒的，可能会破坏环境，并导致严重的健康问题。酶目前正被用于处理被有机磷污染的径流水。同样的酶也有可能帮助治疗OP中毒。然而，OP降解酶可以在许多方面进行改进-我们将进化这些酶以增强其催化性能-使它们能够更有效地作用于更多的OP。

Organophosphate (OP) pesticides are an indispensable part of modern agriculture - their use results in dramatically increased crop yields. However, they are toxic and can damage the environment and cause significant health problems. Enzymes are currently being used to treat runoff water that is contaminated with OPs. The same enzymes also have the potential to aid in the treatment of OP poisoning. However, OP degrading enzymes could be improved in many ways - we will evolve these enzymes to enhance their catalytic properties - to enable them to act more efficiently on an increased number of OPs.