Effects of water miscible organic solvents on the activity and conformation of the Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases from Thermobifida fusca and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus: a comparative study

A broader exploitation of enzymes in organic synthesis can be achieved by increasing their tolerance toward organic solvents. In this study, the stability and activity of Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenases from Thermobifida fusca (PAMO) and Acinetobacter sp. (CHMO) in the presence of water miscible organic solvents were compared. PAMO was more stable than CHMO. The concentration of solvent (v/v) at which it halved its activity (C₅₀) was 4‐ to 16‐fold higher than that observed for CHMO. For PAMO, the C₅₀ varied from 16% to 55% of solvent and followed the destabilizing order methanol < ethanol < 1,4‐dioxane < acetonitrile < trifluoroethanol. In the case of CHMO, the maximal C₅₀ was 7% with methanol and even lower with the other solvents. Therefore, methanol was the most tolerated solvent. In the case of PAMO, methanol induced a significant increase of enzyme activity (up to fivefold), which was optimal at 20% (v/v) solvent. Only minor spectral variations were observed with PAMO in 20% methanol, suggesting that the increase of activity observed in this condition is not due to marked conformational changes. Fluorescence and circular dichroism analyses showed that the lower stability of CHMO toward organic solvent correlates with a more pronounced destructive effect on its secondary and tertiary structure. A possible rationale for the higher stability of PAMO could be inferred from inspection of the PAMO and CHMO (two enzymes of similar size) structure, which revealed a higher (up to twofold) number of ionic bridges in PAMO with respect to CHMO. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:491–499. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Bimolecular fluorescence quenching reactions of the biologically active coumarin composite 2‐acetyl‐3H‐benzo[f]chromen‐3‐one in different solvents

A study on fluorescence quenching was carried out for the coumarin derivative 2‐acetyl‐3H‐benzo[f]chromen‐3‐one (2AHBC) with aniline at room temperature. Efficient fluorescence quenching was observed and Stern–Volmer (S–V) plots showed upward curves from linearity in all solvents of different polarities. For the solute 2AHBC, ground state complex formation does not hold in our study. The kinetic distance (r) value was found to be greater than the encounter distance (R) and indicated that the quenching reaction was held within the sphere of action. Diffusion‐limited reactions were found to be more prominent in high polarity solvents, namely dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), DMF, ACN, methanol, ethanol, propanol and DCM. The relationships between quenching constant (K_SV) and dielectric constants (ε) of the different solvents were studied.     

Effects of the water-miscible organic solvents on lactoperoxidase purified from creek-water buffalo milk

Water buffalo lactoperoxidase (WBLPO) was purified with Amberlite CG-50 (NH₄ ⁺ form) resin, CM-Sephadex C-50 ion-exchange chromatography, and Sephadex G-100 gel-filtration chromatography from skimmed buffalo milk. The purity of the WBLPO was shown with SDS-PAGE. The R_z(A ₄₁₂/A ₂₈₀) value for the WBLPO was 0.9. The optimum pH for the WBLPO was at 6.0. The K _m value at optimum pH and 25°C was 0.13 mM. The V _max value at optimum pH and 25°C was 5.3 mol/min per ml. The K _i values for methanol, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), acetonitrile, isopropanol, tetrahydrofuran (THF), N,N"-dimethylformamide (DMF), and ethylene glycol were 1.087, 0.364, 0.302, 0.459, 0.330, 0.126, 0.093, and 2.125 M, respectively. All the solvents showed competitive inhibition. The I ₅₀ values of methanol, ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, acetonitrile, isopropanol, tetrahydrofuran, N,N"-dimethylformamide, and ethylene glycol were 2.910, 0.942, 0.537, 1.320, 0.875, 0.470, 0.405, and 3.920 M, respectively. Ethylene glycol, methanol, acetonitrile, and ethanol have been found to be very promising solvents for performing biocatalytic reactions with LPO in organic media.     

Utilization of tannery solid waste for protease production by Synergistes sp. in solid‐state fermentation and partial protease characterization

Synergistes sp. DQ560074 produced a protease in submerged fermentation (SmF) at 400–420 U/mL and in solid‐state fermentation (SSF) at 745–755 U/g. The protease, which belongs to the aspartic protease class, was active over a wide range of pH (5–7) and at high temperatures (25–45°C). The protease is stable and active in various polar protic solvents (50% v/v) like ethanol, isopropanol, n–butanol, in polar aprotic solvents (50% v/v) like acetonitrile, and in non‐polar solvents (50% v/v) such as ethylacetate and toluene, but not in hydrophilic organic solvents (methyl alcohol and acetone). As far as we know, this is the first contribution to the production of a mesophilic protease with solvent stability in SSF using a proteinaceous solid waste.     

Resolution,determination of enantiomeric purity and chiral recognition mechanism of new xanthone derivatives on (S,S)‐whelk‐O1 stationary phase

The enantioresolution and determination of the enantiomeric purity of 32 new xanthone derivatives, synthesized in enantiomerically pure form, were investigated on (S ,S )‐Whelk‐O1 chiral stationary phase (CSP). Enantioselectivity and resolution (α and R_S) with values ranging from 1.41–6.25 and from 1.29–17.20, respectively, were achieved. The elution was in polar organic mode with acetonitrile/methanol (50:50 v/v ) as mobile phase and, generally, the (R )‐enantiomer was the first to elute. The enantiomeric excess (ee ) for all synthesized xanthone derivatives was higher than 99%. All the enantiomeric pairs were enantioseparated, even those without an aromatic moiety linked to the stereogenic center. Computational studies for molecular docking were carried out to perform a qualitative analysis of the enantioresolution and to explore the chiral recognition mechanisms. The in silico results were consistent with the chromatographic parameters and elution orders. The interactions between the CSP and the xanthone derivatives involved in the chromatographic enantioseparation were elucidated.     

Solvent selection and optimization of α‐chymotrypsin‐catalyzed synthesis of N‐Ac‐Phe‐Tyr‐NH2 using mixture design and response surface methodology

A peptide, N‐Ac‐Phe‐Tyr‐NH₂, with angiotensin I‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor activity was synthesized by an α‐chymotrypsin‐catalyzed condensation reaction of N‐acetyl phenylalanine ethyl ester (N‐Ac‐Phe‐OEt) and tyrosinamide (Tyr‐NH₂). Three kinds of solvents: a Tris–HCl buffer (80 mM, pH 9.0), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and acetonitrile were employed in this study. The optimum reaction solvent component was determined by simplex centroid mixture design. The synthesis efficiency was enhanced in an organic‐aqueous solvent (Tris‐HCl buffer: DMSO: acetonitrile = 2:1:1) in which 73.55% of the yield of N‐Ac‐Phe‐Tyr‐NH₂ could be achieved. Furthermore, the effect of reaction parameters on the yield was evaluated by response surface methodology (RSM) using a central composite rotatable design (CCRD). Based on a ridge max analysis, the optimum condition for this peptide synthesis included a reaction time of 7.4 min, a reaction temperature of 28.1°C, an enzyme activity of 98.9 U, and a substrate molar ratio (Phe:Tyr) of 1:2.8. The predicted and the actual (experimental) yields were 87.6 and 85.5%, respectively. The experimental design and RSM performed well in the optimization of synthesis of N‐Ac‐Phe‐Tyr‐NH₂, so it is expected to be an effective method for obtaining a good yield of enzymatic peptide. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012     

Immobilization imparts stability to watermelon urease to work in water miscible organic media

The behaviour of alginate immobilized and soluble watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) urease in water miscible organic solvents like, acetonitrile, dimethylformamide (DMF), ethanol, methanol, and propanol is described. The organic solvents exhibited a concentration dependent inhibitory effect on both the immobilized and the soluble urease in the presence of urea. Pretreatment of soluble enzyme preparations with organic solvents in the absence of substrate for 10 min at 30°C led to rapid loss in the activity, while similar pretreatment of immobilized urease with 50% (v/v) of ethanol, propanol, and acetonitrile was ineffective. Time-dependent inactivation of immobilized urease, both in the presence and in the absence of urea, revealed stability for longer duration of time even at very high concentration of organic solvents. The soluble enzyme, on the other hand, was rapidly inactivated even at fairly lower concentrations. The results suggest that the immobilization of watermelon urease in calcium alginate make it suitable for its application in organic media. the observations are discussed.     

Lipase in aqueous‐polar organic solvents: Activity,structure, and stability

Studying alterations in biophysical and biochemical behavior of enzymes in the presence of organic solvents and the underlying cause(s) has important implications in biotechnology. We investigated the effects of aqueous solutions of polar organic solvents on ester hydrolytic activity, structure and stability of a lipase. Relative activity of the lipase monotonically decreased with increasing concentration of acetone, acetonitrile, and DMF but increased at lower concentrations (upto ～20% v/v) of dimethylsulfoxide, isopropanol, and methanol. None of the organic solvents caused any appreciable structural change as evident from circular dichorism and NMR studies, thus do not support any significant role of enzyme denaturation in activity change. Change in 2D [15N, 1H]‐HSQC chemical shifts suggested that all the organic solvents preferentially localize to a hydrophobic patch in the active‐site vicinity and no chemical shift perturbation was observed for residues present in protein's core. This suggests that activity alteration might be directly linked to change in active site environment only. All organic solvents decreased the apparent binding of substrate to the enzyme (increased K_m); however significantly enhanced the k_cat. Melting temperature (T_m) of lipase, measured by circular dichroism and differential scanning calorimetry, altered in all solvents, albeit to a variable extent. Interestingly, although the effect of all organic solvents on various properties on lipase is qualitatively similar, our study suggest that magnitudes of effects do not appear to follow bulk solvent properties like polarity and the solvent effects are apparently dictated by specific and local interactions of solvent molecule(s) with the protein.     

Heat Effects of Dehydration of Human Serum Albumin in Hydrophilic Organic Solvents

A thermochemical model for describing the transfer of water from the protein phase to the organic solvent liquid phase and for determining how the solvation ability of organic solvents affects this process was developed. Enthalpy changes on the interaction of dried and hydrated human serum albumin (HSA) with hydrophilic organic solvents (dimethyl sulfoxide, formamide, ethanol, methanol and acetic acid) and water were measured by isothermal calorimetry at 25 °C. The initial hydration level of human serum albumin was varied in the entire water content range from 0–30 % [g water/g HSA]. The dependence of the interaction enthalpies on the initial water content is complex. The interaction enthalpies of the dried HSA with organic solvents are exothermic. At low water contents (less than 0.1 g/g), there is a sharp increase in the interaction enthalpy values. At the highest water contents (more than 0.2 g/g), the interaction enthalpies are endothermic for acetic acid and formamide and exothermic for DMSO, methanol, and ethanol. These thermochemical data were analyzed in conjunction with the results for the water adsorption in organic solvents to calculate the molar enthalpies of dehydration of HSA in organic liquids. It was found that the dehydration enthalpy changes may be endothermic or exothermic depending on the initial water content and the water solvation enthalpy value. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that: (i) only the solvation of water by hydrophilic organic solvent determines the changes in the dehydration enthalpy values, and (ii) the data for the enthalpies of solvation of water by the solvent at infinite dilution reflect this effect.     

Chiral HPLC Separation and Modeling of Four Stereomers of DL‐Leucine‐DL‐Tryptophan Dipeptide on Amylose Chiral Column

Chiral high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation and modeling of four stereomers of DL‐leucine‐tryptophan DL‐dipeptide on AmyCoat‐RP column are described. The mobile phase applied was ammonium acetate (10 mM)‐methanol‐acetonitrile (50:5:45, v/v). The flow rate of the mobile phases was 0.8 mL/min with UV detection at 230 nm. The values of retention factors for LL‐, DD‐, DL‐, and LD‐ stereomers were 2.25, 3.60, 5.00, and 6.50, respectively. The values of separation and resolution factors were 1.60, 1.39, and 1.30 and 7.76, 8.05, and 7.19. The limits of detection and quantitation were ranging from 1.0–2.3 and 5.6–14.0 μg/mL. The simulation studies established the elution orders and the mechanism of chiral recognition. It was seen that π–π connections and hydrogen bondings were the main forces for enantiomeric resolution. The reported chiral HPLC method may be applied for the enantiomeric separation of DL‐leucine‐DL‐tryptophan in unknown matrices. Chirality 28:642–648, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Purification and characterization of a mesophilic organic solvent tolerant lipase produced by Acinetobacter sp. K5b4

The extracellular lipase produced by Acinetobacter sp. K5b4 was purified to homogeneity using ultrafiltration (cutoff 30?KDa) followed by gel filtration chromatography on Sephadex G-50. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity with an apparent molecular mass of 133?KDa by SDS-PAGE. This purification resulted on 10.24 fold with 18.3% recovery. The K_m and V_max of purified enzyme when using pNPL hydrolysis were 4.0?mM and 73.53?nmol/ml/min, respectively. The pure enzyme was greatly stimulated in the presence of 20, 40 and 60% (v/v) methanol, DMSO and acetone whereas, ethanol, acetonitrile and propanol decreased the enzyme activity. Maximum enzyme activity was achieved at pH 7.0 and incubation temperature of 27?°C. The enzyme was stable within a pH range of 6.5 to 7 at 27?°C for 1?h. The enzyme activity was enhanced up to 36% by KCl, BaCl₂, MgCl₂ and CaCl₂ while obviously inhibited (10–20%) by CoCl₂, ZnCl₂, MnCl₂ and CuCl₂. No inhibitory effects were observed with 1.0 and 5.0?mM of 2-mercaptoethanol and EDTA. Similarly, SDS at 1.0?mM does not affect the enzyme activity while high reduction (80%) was observed at 5.0?mM SDS concentration. The enzyme was active against p-nitrophenyl esters of C8, C12 and C16 with highest preference to the medium carbon chain p-nitrophenyl caprylate (C8). The fact that the enzyme displays distinct stability in the presence of methanol, DMSO and acetone suggests that this lipase is suitable as biocatalyst in organic synthesis where such hydrophilic organic solvents are used as a reaction media.     

Use of a Novel Sub‐2 µm Silica Hydride Vancomycin Stationary Phase in Nano‐Liquid Chromatography. II. Separation of Derivatized Amino Acid Enantiomers

A novel vancomycin silica hydride stationary phase was synthesized and the particles of 1.8 µm were packed into fused silica capillaries of 75 µm internal diameter (I.D.). The chiral stationary phase (CSP) was tested for the separation of some derivatized amino acid enantiomers by using nano‐liquid chromatography (nano‐LC). Some experimental parameters such as the type and the content of organic modifier, the pH, and the concentration of the buffer added to the mobile phase were modified and the effect on enantioselectivity, retention time, and enantioresolution factor was studied. The separation of selected dansyl amino acids (Dns‐AAs), e.g., Asp, Glu, Leu, and Phe in their enantiomers was initially achieved utilizing a mobile phase containing 85% (v/v) methanol (MeOH) and formate buffer measuring the enantioresolution factor and enantioselectivity in the range 1.74–4.17 and 1.39–1.59, respectively. Better results were obtained employing a more polar organic solvent as acetonitrile (ACN) in the mobile phase. Optimum results (Rs 1.41–6.09 and α 1.28–2.36) were obtained using a mobile phase containing formate buffer pH 2.5/water/MeOH/ACN 6:19:12.5:62.5 (v/v/v/v) in isocratic elution mode at flow rate of 130 nL/min. Chirality 27:767–772, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Influence of Water Miscible Organic Solvents on α-chymotrypsin in Solution and Immobilized on Eupergit CM

The effects of the water-miscible organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, acetonitrile, N,N′-dimethylformamide and tetrahydrofuran) on the stability and catalytic activity of α-chymotrypsin (CT) immobilized on Eupergit CM were studied. Enhanced stabilities and activities were observed both as a consequence of immobilization and the presence of organic solvent, which in combination provide long term (at least 24 h) retention of activity, and up to 50-fold increase in 50% (v/v) methanol in buffer. Low quantities (20%, v/v) of acetonitrile not only prevented CT inactivation by autolysis at 20°C but also induced a significant increase in the activity of both free (six-fold) and immobilized (two-fold) CT.Linus Olofsson and Pernilla Söderberg authors have contributed equally to the work.     

Toxicity assessment of common organic solvents using a biosensor based on algal photosynthetic activity measurement

The acute toxicities of common organic solvents (e.g., methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, acetonitrile, and dimethylformamide) were evaluated using a biosensor based on microalgal photosynthesis measurement. The biosensor was air-tight, with no headspace, preventing volatile organic toxicants from escaping into the environment as well as partitioning from the aqueous phase into the headspace until equilibrium was reached. Both the incubating and exposure times were set at 10 min. It was observed that only 2 h was needed to obtain complete dose-related inhibition of photosynthetic activity. The results showed that all the tested organic solvents inhibited algal photosynthesis with EC₅₀ ranging between 589 and 2,570 mM. The inhibition of these solvents was in the order: isopropanol > acetone > acetonitrile > ethanol > dimethylformamide > methanol. The quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) between toxicity data and partition coefficient of the examined compounds could be modeled as follows: ${\text{log}}_{{10}} {\text{EC}}_{{50}} \;{\left( {\mu {\text{M}}} \right)} = - 0.6428\;{\text{log}}\;P + 5.76\;{\left( {{\text{R}}^{2} \approx 0.88} \right)}The acute toxicities of common organic solvents (e.g., methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, acetonitrile, and dimethylformamide) were evaluated using a biosensor based on microalgal photosynthesis measurement. The biosensor was air-tight, with no headspace, preventing volatile organic toxicants from escaping into the environment as well as partitioning from the aqueous phase into the headspace until equilibrium was reached. Both the incubating and exposure times were set at 10 min. It was observed that only 2 h was needed to obtain complete dose-related inhibition of photosynthetic activity. The results showed that all the tested organic solvents inhibited algal photosynthesis with EC₅₀ ranging between 589 and 2,570 mM. The inhibition of these solvents was in the order: isopropanol > acetone > acetonitrile > ethanol > dimethylformamide > methanol. The quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) between toxicity data and partition coefficient of the examined compounds could be modeled as follows: \textlog₁₀ \textEC₅₀   ( m\textM ) = - 0.6428  \textlog  P + 5.76  ( \textR² ? 0.88 ){\text{log}}_{{10}} {\text{EC}}_{{50}} \;{\left( {\mu {\text{M}}} \right)} = - 0.6428\;{\text{log}}\;P + 5.76\;{\left( {{\text{R}}^{2} \approx 0.88} \right)}. This indicates that the photosynthetic activity of the microalga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata is highly dependent on the hydrophobicity of these commonly used organic solvents.     

NMR studies on thermal stability of α‐helix conformation of melittin in pure ethanol and ethanol–water mixture solvents

Thermal stability of the α‐helix conformation of melittin in pure ethanol and ethanol–water mixture solvents has been investigated by using NMR spectroscopy. With increase in water concentration of the mixture solvents (from 0 wt% to ~71.5 wt%) as well as temperature (from room temperature to 60 °C), the intramolecular hydrogen bonds formed in melittin are destabilized and the α‐helix is partially uncoiled. Further, the hydrogen bonds are found to be more thermally stable in pure ethanol than in pure methanol, suggesting that their stability is enhanced with increase in the size of the alkyl groups of alcohol molecules. Copyright © 2011 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Liquid chromatographic direct resolution of flecainide and its analogs on a chiral stationary phase based on (+)‐(18‐crown‐6)‐2,3,11,12‐tetracarboxylic acid

Flecainide, an antiarrythmic agent, and its analogs were resolved on a high performance liquid chromatographic chiral stationary phase (CSP) based on (+)‐(18‐crown‐6)‐2,3,11,12‐tetracarboxylic acid with the use of a mobile phase consisting of methanol‐acetonitrile‐trifluoroacetic acid‐triethylamine (80/20/0.1/0.3, v/v/v/v). The chiral resolution was quite successful, the separation factors (α) and the resolutions (R_S) for 20 analytes including flecainide being in the range of 1.19–1.82 and 1.73–6.80, respectively. The ortho‐substituent of the benzoyl group of analytes was found to cause decrease in the retention times of analytes probably because of the conformational deformation of analytes originated from the steric hindrance exerted by the ortho‐substituent. Chirality, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Alcalase-catalyzed, kinetically controlled synthesis of a precursor dipeptide of RGDS in organic solvents

The protease-catalyzed, kinetically controlled synthesis of a precursor dipeptide of RGDS, Z-Asp-Ser-NH2 in organic solvents was studied. Alcalase, an industrial alkaline protease, was used to catalyze the synthesis of the target dipeptide in water-organic cosolvents systems with Z-Asp-OMe as the acyl donor and Ser-NH2 as the nucleophile. Acetonitrile was selected as the organic solvent from acetonitrile, ethanol, methanol, DMF, DMSO, ethyl acetate, 2-methyl-2-propanol, and chloroform tested under the experimental conditions. The conditions of the synthesis reaction were optimized by examining the effects of several factors, including water content, temperature, pH, and reaction time on the Z-Asp-Ser-NH2 yields. The optimum conditions are pH 10.0, 35 degrees C, in acetonitrile/Na2CO3-NaHCO3 buffer system (85:15, v/v), 6 h, with a dipeptide yield of 75.5%.     

Solution conformation of a tetradecapeptide stabilized by two di‐n‐propyl glycine residues

The solution conformation of a designed tetradecapeptide Boc‐Val‐Ala‐Leu‐Dpg‐Val‐Ala‐Leu‐Val‐Ala‐Leu‐Dpg‐Val‐Ala‐Leu‐OMe (Dpg‐14) containing two di‐n‐propyl glycine (Dpg) residues has been investigated by ¹H NMR and circular dichroism in organic solvents. The peptide aggregates formed at a concentration of 3 mM in the apolar solvent CDCl₃ were broken by the addition of 12% v/v of the more polar solvent DMSO‐d₆. Successive N_iH N_i+1H NOEs observed over the entire length of the sequence in this solvent mixture together with the observation of several characteristic medium‐range NOEs support a major population of continuous helical conformations for Dpg‐14. Majority of the observed coupling constants ( ) also support ? values in the helical conformation. Circular dichroism spectra recorded in methanol and propan‐2‐ol give further support in favor of helical conformation for Dpg‐14 and the stability of the helix at higher temperature. Copyright © 2010 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SYNTHESIS OF A PRECURSOR TRIPEPTIDE Z-Asp-Val-Tyr-OH OF THYMOPENTIN BY CHEMO-ENZYMATIC METHOD

The precursor tripeptide of thymopentin was synthesized by a combination of chemical and enzymatic methods. First, Val-Tyr-OH dipeptide was synthesized by a novel chemical method in two steps involving preparation of NCA-Val. Second, the linkage of the third amino acid Z-Asp-OMe to Val-Tyr-OH was completed by an enzymatic method under kinetic control. An industrial alkaline protease alcalase was used in water–organic cosolvent systems. The synthesis reaction conditions were optimized by examining the effects of several factors including organic solvents, water content, temperature, pH, and reaction time on the yield of Z-Asp-Val-Tyr-OH. The optimum condition is of pH 10.0, 35°C, acetonitrile/Na₂CO₃-NaHCO₃ buffer system (85:15, v/v), and reaction time of 2.5 hr, which achieves tripeptide yield of more than 70%.     

Bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by fungal laccases engineered by directed evolution

Fungal laccases are useful for several remarkable transformations, such as bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), synthesis of phenolic-based resins, oxidation of lignin derivatives and others. Most of these substrates are barely water-soluble, and although polar organic co-solvents may be added to enhance their solubility, transformation rates dramatically decrease due to the negative effect of organic solvents on the protein structure. Laccase from Myceliophthora thermophila variant T2 (MtLT2) has been submitted to laboratory evolution in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the aim of improving activity and stability in organic co-solvents. Some 4500 clones created by random mutagenesis were screened in two rounds of directed evolution. Libraries were explored under increasing concentrations of acetonitrile and ethanol, and several mutants with improved features were purified and further characterised. Turnover rates of MtLT2 in 30% (v/v) acetonitrile and 50% (v/v) ethanol were increased up to 6.5- and 7.5-fold, respectively. The best variants showed similar rates in 20% (v/v) acetonitrile or 30% (v/v) ethanol as the parent type in aqueous media. Mutant laccases were also tested for the oxidation of anthracene in the presence of 20% (v/v) acetonitrile.