Metagenomic Enzyme Mining Project Checklist

This checklist is intended to help prepare a metagenomic enzyme mining request. It can be used before contacting Creative Enzymes or as a project intake form for internal discussion.

Project Basics

Target reaction: Describe the bond, functional group, or conversion of interest.

Target enzyme family: List known or expected enzyme classes, if available.

Project goal: Candidate list, active hits, validated enzymes, assay development, or expression testing.

Application context: Research, biocatalysis, biomass processing, food/feed, environmental, diagnostic, or other use.

Substrate and Assay Information

Substrate name, structure, purity, and supplier or source.
Substrate availability and amount.
Expected product or measurable change.
Known assay method, if available.
Preferred readout: colorimetric, fluorometric, chromatographic, mass spectrometry, plate-based, or other.
Known interference, solubility issue, toxicity, or stability concern.

Input Material

Sequence data: Public accession, assembled contigs, ORFs, protein FASTA, MAGs, or internal database.

Sample source: Soil, compost, marine, wastewater, hot spring, saline, plant-associated, industrial process, or other.

Library material: Existing clone library, metagenomic library, expression library, or candidate panel.

Biosafety details: Required for environmental or biological material.

Desired Conditions

Temperature range.
pH range.
Salt concentration or ionic strength.
Solvent, detergent, cofactor, metal ion, mediator, or additive requirement.
Desired activity, stability, selectivity, or substrate preference.

Expected Deliverables

Annotated and ranked candidate sequence list.
Primary screening data.
Confirmed hit list.
Hit sequence identification.
Expressed or purified candidate enzymes.
Activity validation report.
Recommendations for engineering, immobilization, or production.

Project Readiness Review

Ready for sequence-based mining if:

Sequence data, public dataset accessions, or predicted proteins are available.
The target enzyme family has recognizable sequence features.
The expected output is a candidate list or ranked shortlist.

Ready for function-based screening if:

A library, sample strategy, or candidate panel is available.
A substrate or surrogate substrate can be tested.
Controls and hit confirmation criteria can be defined.

Notes for Internal Project Teams

Before submitting a request, it is useful for technical, purchasing, and project-management contacts to agree on the expected output. A data-only candidate list, a validated active enzyme, and a purified enzyme sample are different scopes. Aligning expectations early helps avoid delays after quotation.

Common Missing Information

Substrate details: Many requests name an enzyme family but do not provide substrate information. Substrate identity and assay readout are critical for screening projects.
Success criteria: Define whether the project needs any active hit, a ranked candidate panel, activity under a specific condition, or purified enzyme material.
Input status: Clarify whether sequence data are raw reads, assembled contigs, predicted ORFs, protein files, existing clones, or environmental samples.
Validation expectation: State whether activity testing, expression screening, purification, or condition profiling is required.

Recommended Submission Format

A concise project request can follow this format: target reaction, target enzyme family, substrate, available input material, preferred route, expected deliverable, required conditions, and timeline. Supporting files can include sequence FASTA files, substrate information, assay notes, sample metadata, or previous screening results.

If the project involves multiple stakeholders, it can be helpful to mark which items are confirmed and which are assumptions. For example, the substrate may be confirmed but the assay readout may still be open. This distinction helps the technical team recommend the right first step.

How the Checklist Helps Quotation

The checklist helps separate data-analysis work from experimental work. It also clarifies whether the project requires candidate discovery, assay development, expression testing, purified enzyme preparation, or activity validation. These distinctions affect timeline, required materials, and deliverables. If the project scope is still unclear, review the project design guide before submitting the checklist.

If the checklist is incomplete, it can still be submitted as a discussion document. The missing items often become the agenda for the first technical review.

For service planning, the checklist can be used before requesting the Metagenomic Enzyme Mining Service. If the main uncertainty is substrate activity, the information here also helps evaluate whether custom substrate screening is needed.

Note: The more clearly the target reaction, substrate, input material, and expected deliverables are defined, the easier it is to select an appropriate discovery workflow.

Submit Project Checklist

FAQs About the Project Checklist

Q: Do all fields need to be completed?

A: No. The checklist is a preparation tool. Missing information can be discussed during feasibility review.
Q: What is the most important section?

A: Target reaction, substrate, input material, and expected deliverables are usually the most important sections.
Q: Can the checklist be used for data-only projects?

A: Yes. For data-only projects, focus on sequence data, target family, ranking criteria, and expected candidate output.
Q: Can the checklist be used for wet-lab screening projects?

A: Yes. For wet-lab projects, substrate, assay readout, sample or library information, controls, and validation expectations are especially important.