Large scale applications of immobilized enzymes call for sustainable and inexpensive solutions: rice husks as renewable alternatives to fossil-based organic resins

Rice husk for physical and covalent immobilization of enzymes: a sustainable and economic alternative to fossil-based organic resins.

Enlarging the tools for efficient enzymatic polycondensation: structural and catalytic features of cutinase 1 from Thermobifida cellulosilytica

Catalytic and structural properties make cutinase 1 from Thermobifida cellulosilytica a more efficient biocatalyst for polycondensations, also of short-chain monomers.

Elucidating the structural and conformational factors responsible for the activity and substrate specificity of alkanesulfonate monooxygenase

The mechanism and substrate specificity of alkanesulfonate monooxygenase (SsuD) was investigated by combining molecular dynamics simulations, docking, and a comprehensive quantitative structure activity relationships (QSAR) analysis. The FMNH(2) dependent monooxygenase undergoes a dynamic conformational change of the active site, passing from a closed to an open state. As a consequence, substrates have access to the active site and the cofactor is then regenerated by the associated oxidoreductase FMN reductase SsuE.. Computational analysis of the interaction of SsuD with FMNH(2) based on molecular docking and multiple 20 ns molecular dynamics simulations pointed out that the conformational change is mainly driven by salt bridge formation between Arg297 and Glu20 or Asp111. A set of substrates accepted by SsuD were described by means of ALMOND chemical descriptors and a partial least square (PLS) mathematical model was constructed. The PLS model correlates the structure of substrates and enzyme activity, namely kinetic properties (k (cat)/K (M)). Therefore, information coming from the PLS analysis goes beyond the simple ability of the enzyme to recognize the substrate, but includes the factors that affect the capacity of the enzyme to reduce the activation energy of the rate determining step of the reaction. The two principal components of the model are able to describe both steric and electronic factors and, more importantly, their interactions. Indeed, interactions of factors appear to affect significantly the ability of SsuD of transforming efficiently a substrate.

BESSICC, a COSMO-RS based tool for in silico solvent screening of biocatalyzed reactions

Many enzymatic reactions are near-equilibrium reactions. This often limits final yield and hence application of biocatalyzed processes in the industrial production. The most widely applied strategy to overcome this issue is solvent selection. It must be underlined that measuring the equilibrium position experimentally is a difficult and time-consuming procedure and any tool for predicting the solvent effect on the reaction equilibrium can be very valuable. The present work reports on the development of BESSICC, an algorithm to calculate the effect of medium composition on biocatalyzed reactions equilibrium. It is based on COSMO-RS calculation of activity coefficients of all the species in the reaction mixture and minimization of Gibbs free energy of the reaction. Starting from one single experimental measurement of the equilibrium position for a given biocatalyzed reaction it can predict the yield of the reaction in any other solvent or solvent mixture. Predictions are accurate, the errors of prediction are in average below 25% for the esterification of dodecanoic acid with menthol and below 65% for esterification of 1-dodecanoic acid with 1-dodecanol. The best predictions show an error well below 5%.

Regioselective Deacetylation of Fully Acetylated Mono- and Di-Saccharides With Hydrazine Hydrate

Selective deacetylation reactions of the peracetylated reducing disaccharides (1), (5), (9), (15), β-D- glucopyranose (17) and 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranose (19), with 1.2 equiv. Of hydrazine hydrate in acetonitrile, gave predominantly the corresponding heptaacetates (2), (6), (10), (16), the tetraacetate (18) and the triacetate (20), with the free hydroxy group at C1. Reaction of (1) with 1.2 equiv. of hydrazine hydrate in N,N- dimethylformamide also afforded the heptaacetate (2), but in lower yield. When reactions of (1), (5) and (9) were performed with 2.5 equiv. of hydrazine hydrate, deacetylation also occurred at other positions to afford the corresponding hexaacetates (3), (7), (11) and (12), with hydroxy groups at C 1,2 or C 1,3, and the pentaacetates (4), (8) and (13), with hydroxy groups at C 1,2,3. Maltose octaacetate (9), in addition, yielded the tetraacetate (14) in which the free hydroxy groups were located at C1,2,2',3. Compound (15) on treatment with 2.5 equiv. of hydrazine hydrate afforded an intractable mixture. The reaction of methyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (21) with 2.5 equiv. of hydrazine hydrate gave the 3,4,6-triacetate (22), a mixture of the 2,6- and the 3,6-diacetates (23) and (24), respectively, the 4,6-diacetate (25), and the 6-acetate (26).

Enzymatic synthesis of ampicillin: a chemometric optimization

Statistical methods of optimization were applied to the enzymatic semisynthesis of ampicillin catalyzed by penicillin acylase. Since the traditional approach fails in determining both the presence of interactions between the variables and their magnitude, the reaction was reconsidered by means of chemometric techniques. In this work we determined the interaction between temperature and pH for the first time.

E. coli penicillin acylase: purification by affinity chromatography and covalent binding to nylon

Penicillin acylase (EC 3.5.1.11) from E. coli, both in solution and immobilized on solid supports, has been commercially exploited for the large scale production of 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA), which is an important intermediate for the manufacturing of semisynthetic penicillins. In this paper a very simple procedure of penicillin acylase purification is reported, which employs only one affinity chromatographic step (Sepharose-phenylacetic column). The enzyme was obtained at a high degree of purity and could be used for immobilization on partially hydrolyzed and activated nylon. Since the support is chemically inert and mechanically stable the catalyst can be used several times without any significant loss of activity, making the process of great commercial importance.