When enzymes are optimized for biotechnological purposes, the goal often is to increase
stability or catalytic efficiency. However, many enzymes reversibly convert their substrate
and product, and if one is interested in catalysis in only one direction, it may be necessary to
prevent the reverse reaction. In other cases, reversibility may be advantageous because
only an enzyme that can operate in both directions can turnover at a high rate even under
conditions of low thermodynamic driving force. Therefore, understanding the basic …