The increasing requirement to produce platform chemicals and fuels from renewable sources means advances in biocatalysis are rapidly becoming a necessity. Biomass is widely used in nature as a source of energy and as chemical building blocks. However, recalcitrance towards traditional chemical processes and solvents provides a significant barrier to widespread utility. Here, by optimizing enzyme solubility in ionic liquids, we have discovered solvent-induced substrate promiscuity of glucosidase, demonstrating an unprecedented example of homogeneous enzyme bioprocessing of cellulose. Specifically, chemical modification of glucosidase for solubilization in ionic liquids can increase thermal stability to up to 137 °C, allowing for enzymatic activity 30 times greater than is possible in aqueous media. These results establish that through a synergistic combination of chemical biology (enzyme modification) and reaction engineering (solvent choice), the biocatalytic capability of enzymes can be intensified: a key step towards the full-scale deployment of industrial biocatalysis.

从可再生资源生产平台化学品和燃料的需求不断增加，这意味着生物催化的进步正迅速成为必需。生物质在自然界中被广泛用作能源和化学基础材料。然而，对传统化学方法和溶剂的顽抗性为广泛应用提供了重要的障碍。在这里，通过优化酶在离子液体中的溶解度，我们发现了溶剂诱导的葡糖苷酶的底物混杂性，证明了纤维素均质酶生物处理的前所未有的例子。具体而言，对葡萄糖苷酶进行化学修饰以使其在离子液体中溶解，可以将热稳定性提高到137°C，从而使酶活性比在水性介质中高30倍。