Laccase-Induced Grafting on Plasma-Pretreated Polypropylene

Ion-Selective Potentiometry with Plasma-Initiated Covalent Attachment of Sensing Membranes onto Inert Polymeric Substrates and Carbon Solid Contacts

The physical delamination of the sensing membrane from underlying electrode bodies and electron conductors limits sensor lifetimes and long-term monitoring with ion-selective electrodes (ISEs). To address this problem, we developed two plasma-initiated graft polymerization methods that attach ionophore-doped polymethacrylate sensing membranes covalently to high-surface-area carbons that serve as the conducting solid contact as well as to polypropylene, poly(ethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene), and polyurethane as the inert polymeric electrode body materials. The first strategy consists of depositing the precursor solution for the preparation of the sensing membranes onto the platform substrates with the solid contact carbon, followed by exposure to an argon plasma, which results in surface-grafting of the in situ polymerized sensing membrane. Using the second strategy, the polymeric platform substrate is pretreated with argon plasma and subsequently exposed to ambient oxygen, forming hydroperoxide groups on the surface. Those functionalities are then used for the initiation of photoinitiated graft polymerization of the sensing membrane. Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, water contact angle measurements, and delamination tests confirm the covalent attachment of the in situ polymerized sensing membranes onto the polymeric substrates. Using membrane precursor solutions comprising, in addition to decyl methacrylate and a cross-linker, also 2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate as a covalently attachable H+ ionophore and tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate as ionic sites, both plasma-based fabrication methods produced electrodes that responded to pH in a Nernstian fashion, with the high selectivity expected for ionophore-based ISEs.

Structural and Functional Characterization of Laccase-Induced β-Lactoglobulin-Ferulic Acid-Chitosan Ternary Conjugates

The purpose of current research is to design and acquire novel biological macromolecule materials with enhanced functional properties. Chitosan-ferulic acid binary conjugate (CFC) was synthesized based on the carbodiimide-mediated coupling reaction, and then β-lactoglobulin-ferulic acid-chitosan ternary conjugate (BFCC) was fabricated by laccase induction. Furthermore, the impact of laccase concentration on the formation mechanism of BFCC was investigated by the analyses of reaction group content, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption, circular dichroism (CD), and fluorescence spectroscopy. Results showed that hetero- and homo-conjugates between CFC and β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) were achievable at the low concentration (≤4 U/mL) and high concentration (≥6 U/mL) of laccase, respectively. The CD spectrum indicated that the interaction with CFC made β-LG more disorderly. Functional evaluation results revealed that the antioxidant activity and thermal stability of BFCC were improved compared with β-LG. The knowledge obtained in the present study provided an effective method to acquire innovative biological macromolecule materials with desirable functional characteristics.

Laccase-Mediated Grafting on Biopolymers and Synthetic Polymers: A Critical Review

Laccase-mediated grafting on lignocelluloses has gained considerable attention as an environmentally benign method to covalently modify wood, paper and cork. In recent decades this technique has also been employed to modify fibres with a polysaccharide backbone, such as cellulose or chitosan, to infer colouration, antimicrobial activity or antioxidant activity to the material. The scope of this approach has been further widened by researchers, who apply mediators or high redox potential laccases and those that modify synthetic polymers and proteins. In all cases, the methodology relies on one- or two-electron oxidation of the surface functional groups or of the graftable molecule in solution. However, similar results can very often be achieved through simple deposition, even after extensive washing. This unintended adsorption of the active substance could have an adverse effect on the durability of the applied coating. Differentiating between actual covalent binding and adsorption is therefore essential, but proves to be challenging. This review not only covers excellent research on the topic of laccase-mediated grafting over the last five to ten years, but also provides a critical comparison to highlight either the lack or presence of compelling evidence for covalent grafting.

Efficient production of Al(OH)3-immobilized laccase with a Heterobasidion annosum strain selected by microplate screening

AIMS

  Wild-type white rot fungi are the most important production organisms for laccase, a promising oxidative biocatalyst with numerous applications. This study aimed at identifying novel highly productive strains, finding optimal cultivation conditions for laccase production and establishing a simple immobilization procedure.

METHODS AND RESULTS

  By using a newly developed 96-well microplate cultivation method, 23 species of white rot fungi, represented by 29 strains, were directly compared with regard to the amount of secreted laccase. Both, with glucose and spruce saw dust as growth substrate a Heterobasidion annosum strain and a Physisporinus vitreus strain were the most productive (730–2200 U l−1 of secreted laccase). Cultivation conditions for laccase production with H. annosum were optimized in larger-scale liquid cultures. Aeration with a sparger lead to a 3·8-fold increase in laccase activity when compared to nonaerated flask cultures. More than 3000 U l−1 laccase was produced in glucose medium supplemented with yeast extract and the inducer veratryl alcohol. Culture supernatant was incubated with short-range ordered Al(OH)3 particles to directly immobilize and concentrate laccase by adsorption. Active laccase was recovered in 40% yield and the Al(OH)3-adsorbed laccase was suitable for repeated decolourization of indigo carmine.

CONCLUSIONS

  Microplate cultivation allowed a large-scale comparison of the capacity of different fungal species for laccase production. Laccase secretion of a highly productive H. annosum strain was found to vary strongly with different cultivation conditions. Adsorption to Al(OH)3 proved to be suitable as direct immobilization technique.

Improved polymer encapsulation on multiwalled carbon nanotubes by selective plasma induced controlled polymer grafting

Surface graft polymerization on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with several grafting mechanisms is nowadays a demanding field of nanocomposites in order to enhance the load carrying capacity, thus improving the overall performance of the composites. Here, we demonstrate the covalent grafting of a sulfonic acid terminated monomer, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid onto sidewalls of MWCNTs via a comparative study between oxygen plasma induced grafting (OPIG), nitrogen plasma induced grafting (NPIG), and nitrogen + oxygen plasma induced grafting (NOPIG) with the aim to identify the most effective process for the preparation of polymer encapsulated carbon nanotubes. From the detail surface analysis, it has been noticed that NOPIG offered much better surface grafting than that of the OPIG and NPIG. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that MWCNTs modified by NOPIG possess much thicker and uniform polymer coatings throughout. From thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the grafting degree was found to be ~80 wt % for the NOPIG sample.

Grafting of poly-L-lysine dendrigrafts onto polypropylene surface using plasma activation for ATP immobilization - Nanomaterial for potential applications in biotechnology

The present work describes a new environmental friendly strategy for the development of surfaces with high amine density via the grafting of native or modified poly-L-lysine dendrigraft (DGL G3) onto plasma activated polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyimide, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface. Modified DGL G3 was prepared by replacement of few peripheral amines by various functionalities. Grafting efficiency was determined by wettability measurements, IRTF, XPS, AFM, and by colorimetry using optimized Coomassie Brilliant Blue method tailored for surface analysis. It was shown that a 4-7nm DGL G3 monolayer with 4×10(14)aminecm(-)(2) was covalently grafted onto various surfaces. Immobilization of adenosine triphosphate on the DGL-g-PP material from dilute solution was studied by bioluminescence and proved the ability of the material to interact with polyanionic biological compounds: 1 ATP complex with 5 amine groups. So, this material has a potential use in diagnostic and more widely for biotechnology due to its high capacity for biomolecule immobilization.

Two novel class II hydrophobins from Trichoderma spp. stimulate enzymatic hydrolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) when expressed as fusion proteins

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) can be functionalized and/or recycled via hydrolysis by microbial cutinases. The rate of hydrolysis is however low. Here, we tested whether hydrophobins (HFBs), small secreted fungal proteins containing eight positionally conserved cysteine residues, are able to enhance the rate of enzymatic hydrolysis of PET. Species of the fungal genus Trichoderma have the most proliferated arsenal of class II hydrophobin-encoding genes among fungi. To this end, we studied two novel class II HFBs (HFB4 and HFB7) of Trichoderma. HFB4 and HFB7, produced in Escherichia coli as fusions to the C terminus of glutathione S-transferase, exhibited subtle structural differences reflected in hydrophobicity plots that correlated with unequal hydrophobicity and hydrophily, respectively, of particular amino acid residues. Both proteins exhibited a dosage-dependent stimulation effect on PET hydrolysis by cutinase from Humicola insolens, with HFB4 displaying an adsorption isotherm-like behavior, whereas HFB7 was active only at very low concentrations and was inhibitory at higher concentrations. We conclude that class II HFBs can stimulate the activity of cutinases on PET, but individual HFBs can display different properties. The present findings suggest that hydrophobins can be used in the enzymatic hydrolysis of aromatic-aliphatic polyesters such as PET.

Mild and highly flexible enzyme-catalyzed modification of poly(ethersulfone) membranes

Poly(ethersulfone) (PES) membranes are widely used in industry for separation and purification purposes. However, the drawback of this type of membranes is fouling by proteins. For that reason, modification of PES membranes has been studied to enhance their protein repellence. This paper presents the first example of enzyme-catalyzed modification of PES membranes. Various phenolic acids (enzyme substrates) were bound to a membrane under very mild conditions (room temperature, water, nearly neutral pH) using only laccase from Trametes versicolor as catalyst. The extent of modification, monitored, for example, by the coloration of the modified membranes, can be tuned by adjusting the reaction conditions. The most significant results were obtained with 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and gallic acid as substrates. The presence of a covalently bound layer of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid on the grafted membranes was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS), and NMR. In the case of gallic acid, PES membrane modification is mainly caused by adsorption of enzymatically formed homopolymer. The ionization potential of the substrates, and the electronic energies and spin densities of the radicals that are intermediates in the attachment reaction were calculated (B3LYP/6-311G(d,p)) to determine the reactive sites and the order of reactivity of radical substrates to couple with the PES membrane. The calculated order of reactivity of the substrates is in line with the experimental observations. The calculated spin densities in the phenolic radicals are highest at the oxygen atom, which is in line with the formation of ether linkages as observed by IRRAS. The liquid fluxes of the modified membranes are hardly influenced by the grafted layers, in spite of the presence of a substantial and stable new layer, which opens a range of application possibilities for these modified membranes.