Conformational changes of enzymes upon immobilisation

Eco-friendly synthesis of CuInS2 and CuInS2@ZnS quantum dots and their effect on enzyme activity of lysozyme

We report on the green and facile aqueous microwave synthesis of glutathione (GSH) stabilized luminescent CuInS₂ (CIS, size = 2.9 nm) and CuInS₂@ZnS core–shell (CIS@ZnS, size = 3.5 nm) quantum dots (QDs). The core–shell nanostructures exhibited excellent photo- and water/buffer stability, a long photoluminescence (PL) lifetime (463 ns) and high PL quantum yield (PLQY = 26%). We have evaluated the comparative enzyme kinetics of these hydrophilic QDs by interacting them with the model enzyme lysozyme, which was probed by static and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. The quantification of the QD–lysozyme binding isotherm, exchange rate, and critical flocculation concentration was carried out. The core–shell QDs exhibited higher binding with lysozyme yielding a binding constant of K = 5.04 × 10⁹ L mol⁻¹ compared to the core-only structures (K = 6.16 × 10⁷ L mol⁻¹), and the main cause of binding was identified as being due to hydrophobic forces. In addition to the enzyme activity being dose dependent, it was also found that core–shell structures caused an enhancement in activity. Since binary QDs like CdSe also show a change in the lysozyme enzyme activity, therefore, a clear differential between binary and ternary QDs was required to be established which clearly revealed the relevance of surface chemistry on the QD–lysozyme interaction.

Eco-friendly synthesis of CIS and CIS@ZnS quantum dots was carried out, and their interaction with lysozyme revealed spontaneous and hydrophobic binding. Lysozyme helicity and enzymatic activity increased upon complexation.

Multifunctional magnetic particles for effective suppression of non-specific adsorption and coimmobilization of multiple enzymes by DNA directed immobilization

Zwitterion-functionalized magnetic particles can efficiently suppress non-specific adsorption of enzymes and can be used for coimmobilization of multienzymes by DNA directed immobilization.

Attachment of enzymes to hydrophilic magnetic nanoparticles through DNA-directed immobilization with enhanced stability and catalytic activity

An efficient enzyme immobilization strategy based on DNA directed immobilization on hydrophilic polydopamine (PDA) modified magnetic nanoparticles was developed in this study.

The application of magnetically modified bacterial cellulose for immobilization of laccase

The usefulness of bacterial cellulose (BC), obtained from the cultures of Komagataeibacter xylinus exposed to rotating magnetic field (RMF), as a carrier for laccase immobilization was investigated in this study. It was found that the highest yield of laccase immobilization (>70%) was achieved in pH of 4.0 and this value was optimal in the case of both types of cellulose carriers applied. The pH equals 4.0 was also the optimal one with regard to immobilized enzymes' activity, while in case of free laccase, optimal pH value was 3.0. Process of immobilization had an impact on enzyme's optimal temperatures: while free laccase and laccase bound to RMF-unexposed cellulose was the most effective at 60°C, optimal activity of enzyme immobilized on RMF-exposed carrier was reached at 70°C. Laccase immobilized on both type of carriers had also better thermal stability at 70°C compared to free laccase. After 8 cycles of use, laccase immobilized on RMF-exposed BC remained more active than laccase immobilized on RMF-unexposed BC (65% vs. 50% of initial activity, respectively). Our results indicate that RMF-modified BC may be successfully used as a carrier for the laccase immobilization.

Frozen Microemulsions for MAPLE Immobilization of Lipase

Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) was deposited by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) in order to immobilize the enzyme with a preserved native conformation, which ensures its catalytic functionality. For this purpose, the composition of the MAPLE target was optimized by adding the oil phase pentane to a water solution of the amino acid 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-methyl-l-alanine (m-DOPA), giving a target formed by a frozen water-lipase-pentane microemulsion. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate the structure of MAPLE deposited lipase films. FTIR deconvolution of amide I band indicated a reduction of unfolding and aggregation, i.e., a better preserved lipase secondary structure in the sample deposited from the frozen microemulsion target. AFM images highlighted the absence of big aggregates on the surface of the sample. The functionality of the immobilized enzyme to promote transesterification was determined by thin layer chromatography, resulting in a modified specificity.

In situ hybridization of enzymes and their metal-organic framework analogues with enhanced activity and stability by biomimetic mineralisation

By incorporating Cytochrome c (peroxidase, Cyt c) into a skeleton of its corresponding synthetic MOF analogue (peroxidase mimic, CuBDC), approximately 12-fold catalytic efficiency (k_cat/K_M) enhancement is observed compared to free Cyt c. Meanwhile, the shield endowed by CuBDC prevents encapsulated enzymes from deactivation by trypsin digestion, thermal treatment and long-term storage in vitro. This concept of combining enzymes and their MOF mimics with enhanced enzymatic activity and stability may provide new insights into the design of highly active, stable enzyme-MOF composite catalysts and holds promise for applications in biocatalysis, biosensing and drug delivery systems.

Different Covalent Immobilizations Modulate Lipase Activities of Hypocrea pseudokoningii

Enzyme immobilization can promote several advantages for their industrial application. In this work, a lipase from Hypocrea pseudokoningii was efficiently linked to four chemical supports: agarose activated with cyanogen bromide (CNBr), glyoxyl-agarose (GX), MANAE-agarose activated with glutaraldehyde (GA) and GA-crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. Results showed a more stable lipase with both the GA-crosslinked and GA derivatives, compared to the control (CNBr), at 50 °C, 60 °C and 70 °C. Moreover, all derivatives were stabilized when incubated with organic solvents at 50%, such as ethanol, methanol, n-propanol and cyclohexane. Furthermore, lipase was highly activated (4-fold) in the presence of cyclohexane. GA-crosslinked and GA derivatives were more stable than the CNBr one in the presence of organic solvents. All derivatives were able to hydrolyze sardine, açaí (Euterpe oleracea), cotton seed and grape seed oils. However, during the hydrolysis of sardine oil, GX derivative showed to be 2.3-fold more selectivity (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ratio) than the control. Additionally, the types of immobilization interfered with the lipase enantiomeric preference. Unlike the control, the other three derivatives preferably hydrolyzed the R-isomer of 2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutanoic acid ethyl ester and the S-isomer of 1-phenylethanol acetate racemic mixtures. On the other hand, GX and CNBr derivatives preferably hydrolyzed the S-isomer of butyryl-2-phenylacetic acid racemic mixture while the GA and GA-crosslink derivatives preferably hydrolyzed the R-isomer. However, all derivatives, including the control, preferably hydrolyzed the methyl mandelate S-isomer. Moreover, the derivatives could be used for eight consecutive cycles retaining more than 50% of their residual activity. This work shows the importance of immobilization as a tool to increase the lipase stability to temperature and organic solvents, thus enabling the possibility of their application at large scale processes.

Nano-in-Nano Approach for Enzyme Immobilization Based on Block Copolymers

We set up a facile approach for fabrication of supports with tailored nanoporosity for immobilization of enzymes. To this aim block copolymers (BCPs) self-assembly has been used to prepare nanostructured thin films with well-defined architecture containing pores of tailorable size delimited by walls with tailorable degree of hydrophilicity. In particular, we employed a mixture of polystyrene-block-poly(l-lactide) (PS-PLLA) and polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-PEO) diblock copolymers to generate thin films with a lamellar morphology consisting of PS lamellar domains alternating with mixed PEO/PLLA blocks lamellar domains. Selective basic hydrolysis of the PLLA blocks generates thin films, patterned with nanometric channels containing hydrophilic PEO chains pending from PS walls. The shape and size of the channels and the degree of hydrophilicity of the pores depend on the relative length of the blocks, the molecular mass of the BCPs, and the composition of the mixture. The strength of our approach is demonstrated in the case of physical adsorption of the hemoprotein peroxidase from horseradish (HRP) using 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) with H₂O₂ as substrate. The large surface area, the tailored pore sizes, and the functionalization with hydrophilic PEO blocks make the designed nanostructured materials suitable supports for the nanoconfinement of HRP biomolecules endowed with high catalytic performance, no mass-transfer limitations, and long-term stability.

Ultrasound assisted intensification of enzyme activity and its properties: a mini-review

Over the last decade, ultrasound technique has emerged as the potential technology which shows large applications in food and biotechnology processes. Earlier, ultrasound has been employed as a method of enzyme inactivation but recently, it has been found that ultrasound does not inactivate all enzymes, particularly, under mild conditions. It has been shown that the use of ultrasonic treatment at appropriate frequencies and intensity levels can lead to enhanced enzyme activity due to favourable conformational changes in protein molecules without altering its structural integrity. The present review article gives an overview of influence of ultrasound irradiation parameters (intensity, duty cycle and frequency) and enzyme related factors (enzyme concentration, temperature and pH) on the catalytic activity of enzyme during ultrasound treatment. Also, it includes the effect of ultrasound on thermal kinetic parameters and Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters (k_m and V_max) of enzymes. Further, in this review, the physical and chemical effects of ultrasound on enzyme have been correlated with thermodynamic parameters (enthalpy and entropy). Various techniques used for investigating the conformation changes in enzyme after sonication have been highlighted. At the end, different techniques of immobilization for ultrasound treated enzyme have been summarized.

Effect of Surface Crowding and Surface Hydrophilicity on the Activity, Stability and Molecular Orientation of a Covalently Tethered Enzyme

We have investigated two surface properties that are generally thought to have an important influence of enzyme activity and stability: surface hydrophobicity and surface crowding. Here two variants of an engineered bacterial nitro-reductase were covalently tethered to orient the protein's pseudo-2-fold symmetry axis either parallel or perpendicular to the surface. The surface hydrophobicity was systematically varied by changing the ratio of methyl- to hydroxyl-groups displayed on the SAM surface, and the effects on enzyme activity, thermal stability, and structure investigated. Increasing surface hydrophobicity progressively decreased enzyme activity, but had no effect on thermal stability. Surface-sensitive sum frequency generation and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform IR spectroscopies indicated that the enzyme is not denatured by the more hydrophobic surface, but is more likely trapped in less active conformations by transient hydrophobic interactions. In contrast, increasing enzyme surface concentration increased the specific activity of the parallel oriented enzyme, but had no effect on the activity of the perpendicularly oriented enzyme, suggesting that crowding effects are highly context dependent.

Solution-Processed Organic and Halide Perovskite Transistors on Hydrophobic Surfaces

Solution-processable electronic devices are highly desirable due to their low cost and compatibility with flexible substrates. However, they are often challenging to fabricate due to the hydrophobic nature of the surfaces of the constituent layers. Here, we use a protein solution to modify the surface properties and to improve the wettability of the fluoropolymer dielectric Cytop. The engineered hydrophilic surface is successfully incorporated in bottom-gate solution-deposited organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and hybrid organic-inorganic trihalide perovskite field-effect transistors (HTP-FETs) fabricated on flexible substrates. Our analysis of the density of trapping states at the semiconductor-dielectric interface suggests that the increase in the trap density as a result of the chemical treatment is minimal. As a result, the devices exhibit good charge carrier mobilities, near-zero threshold voltages, and low electrical hysteresis.

Enzyme Shielding in a Large Mesoporous Hollow Silica Shell for Improved Recycling and Stability Based on CaCO3 Microtemplates and Biomimetic Silicification

We report a novel "anchor-shield" approach for synthesizing a yolk-shell-structured biocatalytic system that consists of a phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) protein particle core and a hollow silica shell with large mesopores by a combination of CaCO₃ microtemplates and biomimetic silicification. The method is established upon filling porous CaCO₃ cores with PAL via co-precipitation, controlled self-assembly and polycondensation of silanes, cross-link of the PAL molecules, and subsequent CaCO₃ dissolution. During this process, the self-assembled layer of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide served as a structure-directing agent of the mesostructure and directed the overgrowth of the mesostructured silica on the external surface of PAL/CaCO₃ hybrid microspheres; after CaCO₃ dissolution, the cross-linked PAL particles were encapsulated in the hollow silica shell. The hollow silica shell around the enzyme particles provided a "shield" to protect from biological, thermal, and chemical degradation for the enzyme. As a result, the recycling of the PAL enzyme was improved remarkably in comparison to adsorbed PAL on CaCO₃. PAL particles with a hollow silica shell still retained 60% of their original activity after 13 cycles, whereas adsorbed PAL on CaCO₃ microparticles lost activity after 7 cycles. Moreover, immobilized PAL exhibited higher stability against a proteolytic agent, denaturants, heat, and extreme pH than adsorbed PAL on CaCO₃ microparticles. These results demonstrated that the "anchor-shield" approach is an efficient method to obtain a stable and recycled biocatalyst with a yolk-shell structure.

Confinement effect on the structure and elasticity of proteins interfacing polymers

The ordered nanostructured surfaces provide confined environments that allow functionalization of proteins. Here, we used the nanopores of poly(methyl methacrylate) films to attach fibrinogen and lysozyme, and discussed the changes in proteins' structures and elasticity upon confinement. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic analysis of protein secondary structures reveals that fibrinogen undergoes less structural change and behaves less stiff when the pore size is close to the protein size. Lysozyme, on the other hand, retains its native-like structure, however, it exhibits the highest modulus in 15 nm pores due to the lower macromolecular crowding effect the protein faces compared to lysozyme within larger pores. These findings manifest the effect of confinement and crowding on the conformation and elasticity of different shaped proteins tethered on surfaces.

Encapsulating Proteins in Nanoparticles: Batch by Batch or One by One

Encapsulation of proteins in nanoparticles (NPs) can greatly improve the properties of proteins such as their stability against denaturation and degradation by proteases, and branches out the applications of natural proteins from their intrinsic localizations and functions in living organisms for biomedical and industrial applications. We recently developed several methods to armor proteins in NPs with sizes from nanometers up to >100nm, batch by batch or one by one, covalently or noncovalently, for a wide range of applications from biocatalysis to bioimaging and drug delivery. In this chapter, we provide detailed protocols on these methods. Key steps of specific protocols are explained with particular examples to help other laboratories to adopt and modify these methods for their own purposes. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are summarized, and guidelines for choosing the right method for a given application, as well as the current challenges and future directions of this field, are discussed.

Encapsulation of Spherical Cross-Linked Phenylalanine Ammonia Lyase Aggregates in Mesoporous Biosilica

Cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) have recently emerged as a promising tool for enzyme immobilization because of their simplicity and low cost. However, a lack of good size and morphological control over the as-prepared CLEAs has limited their practical applications. For example, the prepared CLEAs exhibit amorphous large clusters that would cause significant mass-transfer limitations, which lead to a low catalytic efficiency. Here, inspired by biomineralized core-shell structures in nature, we develop a novel mesoporous spherical CLEA with a biosilica shell by using phenylalanine ammonia lyase based on CaCO₃ microtemplates and biomimetic mineralization. The resultant CLEAs exhibited a spherical structure with good monodispersity instead of the amorphous clusters of conventional CLEAs and showed activity higher than that of conventional CLEAs. Moreover, the thermostability, tolerance against denaturants, and mechanical stability of the spherical CLEAs with a biosilica shell were enhanced significantly compared with those of conventional CLEAs. In particular, the spherical CLEAs with a biosilica shell retained 70% of their original activity after 13 cycles, whereas the conventional CLEAs retained only 35% of their original activity. This approach could be an efficient strategy for improving the catalytic properties of CLEAs.

Immobilized enzymes: understanding enzyme – surface interactions at the molecular level

Interactions between immobilized enzymes and supporting surfaces are complex and context-dependent and can significantly alter enzyme structure, stability and activity.

Synthesis of paramagnetic dendritic silica nanomaterials with fibrous pore structure (Fe3O4@KCC-1) and their application in immobilization of lipase from Candida rugosa with enhanced catalytic activity and stability

Paramagnetic mesoporous fibrous silica (Fe₃O₄@KCC-1) was prepared and its surface was functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES).

Electrostatics-mediated α-chymotrypsin inhibition by functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes

Electrostatics-mediated α-chymotrypsin inhibition by functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Facile fabrication of lipase to amine functionalized gold nanoparticles to enhance stability and activity

Schematic illustration of the formation of a AuNPs-NH₂-lipase nanozyme composite involving activation of accessible acidic amino acids (Step 1), and conjugation to amine functionalized gold nanoparticles (Step 2).