Optimization of urease immobilization onto non-porous HEMA incorporated poly(EGDMA) microbeads and estimation of kinetic parameters.

Jack bean urease (urea aminohydrolase, EC 3.5.1.5) was immobilized onto modified non-porous poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate/2-hydroxy ethylene methacrylate), (poly(EGDMA/HEMA)), microbeads prepared by suspension copolymerization for the potential use in hemoperfusion columns, not previously reported. The conditions of immobilization; enzyme concentration, medium pH, substrate and ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) presence in the immobilization medium in different concentrations, enzyme loading ratio, processing time and immobilization temperature were investigated for highest apparent activity. Immobilized enzyme retained 73% of its original activity for 75 days of repeated use with a deactivation constant kd = 3.72 x 10(-3) day(-1). A canned non-linear regression program was used to estimate the intrinsic kinetic parameters of immobilized enzyme with a low value of observable Thiele modulus (phi < 0.3) and these parameters were compared with those of free urease. The best-fit kinetic parameters of a Michaelis-Menten model were estimated as Vm = 3.318 x 10(-4) micromol/s mg bound enzyme protein, Km = 15.94 mM for immobilized, and Vm = 1.074 micromol NH3/s mg enzyme protein, Km = 14.49 mM for free urease. The drastic decrease in Vm value was attributed to steric effects, conformational changes in enzyme structure or denaturation of the enzyme during immobilization. Nevertheless, the change in Km value was insignificant for the unchanged affinity of the substrate with immobilization. For higher immobilized urease activity, smaller particle size and concentrated urease with higher specific activity could be used in the immobilization process.     

Some properties of free and immobilized alpha-amylase from Penicillium griseofulvum by solid state fermentation

Alpha-amylase was produced from Penicillium griseofulvum by an SSF technique. Alpha-amylase was immobilized on Celite by an adsorption method. Various parameters, such as effect of pH and temperature, substrate concentration, operational and storage stability, ability to hydrolyze starch and products of hydrolysis were investigated; these findings were compared with the free enzyme. The activity yield of immobilization was 87.6%. The optimum pH and temperature for both enzymes were 5.5 degrees C and 40 degrees C, respectively. The thermal, and the operational and storage stabilities of immobilized enzyme were better than that of the free enzyme. Km and Vmax were calculated from Lineweaver-Burk plots for both enzymes. Km values were 9.1 mg mL(-1) for free enzyme, and 7.1 mg mL(-1) for immobilized enzyme. The Vmax of the immobilized enzyme was approximately 40% smaller than that of the free enzyme. The hydrolysis ability of the free and immobilized enzyme were determined as 99.3% and 97.9%, respectively. Hydrolysis products of the a-amylase from P. griseofulvum were maltose, unidentified oligosaccharides, and glucose.     

Purification and properties of trimethylamine oxide reductase from Salmonella typhimurium.

The major inducible trimethylamine oxide reductase was purified from Salmonella typhimurium LT2. The molecular weights of the native enzyme were estimated to be 332,000 by gel filtration and 170,000 by nondenaturing disc gel electrophoresis. In sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis, the enzyme formed a single band of molecular weight 84,000. The isoelectric point was 4.28. Maximum activity was at pH 5.65 and 45 degrees C. Reduced flavin mononucleotide, but not reduced flavin adenine dinucleotide, served as an electron donor. The Km for trimethylamine oxide was 0.89 mM and Vmax was 1,450 U/mg of protein. The enzyme reduced chlorate with a Km of 2.2 mM and a Vmax of 350 U/mg of protein.     

Development of an amperometric hypoxanthine biosensor for determination of hypoxanthine in fish and meat tissue

A hypoxanthine (Hx) biosensor based on immobilized xanthine oxidase (XO) as the bio-component was developed and studied for the rapid analysis of fish (sweet water and marine) and goat meat samples. The biosensor was standardized for the determination of Hx in the range of 0.05 to 2 mM. Crosslinking with glutaraldehyde in presence of BSA as a spacer molecule was used for the method of immobilization. One layer of gelatin (10%) was applied over the immobilized enzyme layer to reduce the leaching out of enzyme from the membrane (cellulose acetate) matrix. The optimum pH of the immobilized system was determined to be 8.5 at 25 degrees C instead 7.0-7.2 for free enzyme system. Km and Vmax values were determined for the immobilized system. The developed sensor was applied to determine the amount of Hx present in fish and meat over a period of time. The stability of the enzyme immobilized membrane was also tested over a period of 30 days.     

A novel matrix for the immobilization of acetylcholinesterase

In this study, a new matrix for immobilization of acetylcholinesterase was investigated by using alginate and kappa-carrageenan. The effects of pH, temperature, storage and thermal stability on the free and immobilized acetylcholinesterase activity were examined. Maximum reaction rate (V(max)) and Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)) was also investigated for free and immobilized enzymes. For free and immobilized enzymes into Ca-alginate and alginate/kappa-carrageenan polymer blends, optimum pH and temperature was found to be 7 and 30 degrees C, respectively. For free enzyme, maximum reaction rate (V(max)) and Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)) values were found to be 6.35 mM and 50 mM min(-1), respectively, the same values for immobilized enzymes were determined as 8.68, 12.7 mM and 39.7, 52.9 mM min(-1), respectively. Storage and thermal stability of acetylcholinesterase was increased by as a result of immobilization.     

Production of lipase in a fermentor using a mutant strain of Corynebacterium species: its partial purification and immobilization

Extracellular Corynebacterium lipase was produced using a 2.5 L Chemap fermentor using 1300 ml fermentation medium at temperature 33 degrees C, agitator speed 50 rpm, aeration rate 1 VVM having KLa 16.21 hr(-1). Crude lipase was purified by salting out method followed by dialysis and immobilized using calcium alginate gel matrix followed by glutaraldehyde cross linking Purification process increased specific activity of enzyme from 2.76 to 114.7 IU/mg. Activity of immobilized enzyme was 107.31 IU/mg. Optimum temperature for purified and immobilized enzyme activity were 65 degrees and 50 degrees C respectively. Optimum pH was 8.0 in both the cases, Km and Vmax value for purified lipase were 111.1 micromol/min and 14.7% respectively. Ca2+ (5 mM) was found to be stimulator for enzyme activity. Immobilized lipase retained 68.18% of the original activity when stored for 40 days.     

Immobilization of Amaranthus leaf oxalate oxidase on alkylamine glass

A membrane bound oxalate oxidase from leaves of Amaranthus spionsus has been partially purified and immobilized on alkylamine glass with a yield of 9.2 mg protein/g support. The enzyme retained 99.4% of initial activity of free enzyme after immobilization. There was no change in the optimum pH (3.5) and Vmax but the temperature for maximum activity was slightly decreased (35 degrees C) and energy of activation (Ea) and Km for oxalate were increased after immobilization. The immobilized enzyme preparation was stable for 6 months, when stored in distilled water at 4 degrees C. Presence of Cl- did not affect the activity of immobilized enzyme.     

Properties of immobilized pepsin on Modified PMMA microspheres

In this work we use micro-size poly(methyl methacrylate)/acrylaldehyde microspheres as a support for pepsin immobilization. The aldehyde groups on the microspheres offer a very simple, mild and firm combination for enzyme immobilization. The amount of enzyme we can bind to this support reaches 82 mg/g, which is much higher than for other supports (mostly less than 10 mg/g). Compared to free enzyme, the Km of immobilized enzyme is increased, whereas the Vmax is decreased. Further, the Vmax/Km value for immobilized pepsin is about 50% of the value for free enzyme. This is better than values reported previously, generally lower than 35%. The optimum temperature shifts from 43 degrees C for free pepsin to 47 degrees C. However, the optimum pH does not change between free and immobilized enzyme. This improved resistance of the immobilized enzyme towards changes in temperature and pH also shows that the aldehyde modified poly(methyl methacrylate)/acrylaldehyde microspheres can be a valuable support for pepsin immobilization.     

Glucose oxidase immobilization on a novel cellulose acetate-polymethylmethacrylate membrane

Glucose oxidase (GOD) was immobilized on cellulose acetate-polymethylmethacrylate (CA-PMMA) membrane. The immobilized GOD showed better performance as compared to the free enzyme in terms of thermal stability retaining 46% of the original activity at 70 degrees C where the original activity corresponded to that obtained at 20 degrees C. FT-IR and SEM were employed to study the membrane morphology and structure after treatment at 70 degrees C. The pH profile of the immobilized and the free enzyme was found to be similar. A 2.4-fold increase in Km value was observed after immobilization whereas Vmax value was lower for the immobilized GOD. Immobilized glucose oxidase showed improved operational stability by maintaining 33% of the initial activity after 35 cycles of repeated use and was found to retain 94% of activity after 1 month storage period. Improved resistance against urea denaturation was achieved and the immobilized glucose oxidase retained 50% of the activity without urea in the presence of 5M urea whereas free enzyme retained only 8% activity.     

A survey of yeast ureases and characterisation of partially purified Rhodosporidium paludigenum urease

Cell-free extracts of a selection of yeasts were analysed for urease activity. Species in the genera Filobasidiella, Rhodotorula and Rhodosporidium had the highest specific activities. Immune inactivation experiments showed widely different degrees of cross-reactivity between antiserum to jack bean urease and yeast ureases, with Rhodosporidium paludigenum (71%) the most and Schizosaccharomyces pombe (3%) the least affected. Only R. paludigenum urease was detected with anti-jack bean urease antiserum on Western blots. The urease of Rhodosporidium paludigenum was partially purified by column chromatography. The native enzyme was found to have a subunit size of 72 +/- 7 kDa probably in an octamer arrangement of 560 +/- 8 kDa, having a specific activity of 62.5 mumol urea hydrolysed min-1 (mg protein)-1. The enzyme was stable in the pH range 5-11 with optimum activity at pH 7.8. Vmax and Km values were determined as 65.2 +/- 3.8 mumol min-1 (mg protein)-1 and 3.81 +/- 0.47 mM, respectively.     

Study of immobilization and properties of urease for creation of a biosensor based on semiconductor structures]

Many-sided investigations of urease immobilization methods were carried out to create the biosensor devices on the base of semiconductor structures. Special attention was concentrated on the biomembrane formation by means of urease and bovine serum albumin (BSA) cross-linking by gaseous glutaraldehyde. Optimal conditions for the formation process were selected which preserve about 20% of total urease activity after the cross-linking. The properties of enzyme immobilized by the above-mentioned method have been comprehensively studied. They included the urease activity dependence on pH, ionic strength, incubation buffer capacity as well as the enzyme stability during its functioning, storing and thermoinactivation. As was shown, for immobilized ureas Km value for urea at pH 7.0 and 20 degrees C is 1.65 time less than for free enzyme. In the presence of EDTA (1 mM) the enzyme activity in the biomembrane is practically unchanged under a month storing. Biomembrane possesses good adhesion to silicon surface and its swelling level under different conditions does not exceed 35%. The conclusion is made about the prospects of the used method of biomembrane formation for biosensor technology based on semiconductor structures.     

Purification and characterization of a recombinant β-galactosidase with transgalactosylation activity from Bifidobacterium infantis HL96

A beta-galactosidase isoenzyme, beta-Gall, from Bifidobacterium infantis HL96, was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The molecular mass of the beta-Gall subunit was estimated to be 115 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The enzyme appeared to be a tetramer, with a molecular weight of about 470 kDa by native PAGE. The optimum temperature and pH for o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (ONPG) and lactose were 60 degrees C, pH 7.5, and 50 degrees C, pH 7.5, respectively. The enzyme was stable over a pH range of 5.0-8.5, and remained active for more than 80 min at pH 7.0, 50 degrees C. The enzyme activity was significantly increased by reducing agents. Maximum activity required the presence of both Na+ and K+, at a concentration of 10 mM. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoic acid, divalent metal cations, and Cr3+, and to a lesser extent by EDTA and urea. The hydrolytic activity using lactose as a substrate was significantly inhibited by galactose. The Km, and Vmax values for ONPG and lactose were 2.6 mM, 262 U/mg, and 73.8 mM, 1.28 U/mg, respectively. beta-Gall possesses strong transgalactosylation activity. The production rate of galactooligosaccharides from 20% lactose at 30 and 60 degrees C was 120 mg/ml, and this rate increased to 190 mg/ml when 30% lactose was used.     

Isolation, Purification and Partial Characterisation of Urease from Seeds of Water Melon (Citrullus vulgaris)

Urease from seeds of water melon was purified to apparent homogeniety upto a sp act of 3750 units/mg protein with 31% recovery. Enzyme showed single protein band on native PAGE by urease specific staining. The mol wt of the enzyme was 4,70,000 and the preparation was free from bound nucleotides (A₂₈₀/A₂₆₀=1.14). The enzyme exhibited maximum activity in 50 mM Tris-acetate buffer (pH 8.5). The Km for urease was 8 mM. The enzyme was not inhibited by 25 mM of EDTA in 50 mM Tris-acetate buffer (pH 8.0 and 8.5).     

Sunflower seed lipase: extraction, purification, and characterization

A simple procedure for the extraction of the lipolytic activity from sunflower seed has been developed. Various conditions of extraction have been optimized in order to obtain maximum yield of lipase. A new lipase enzyme was purified by the fractional salt precipitation from the supernatant, dialysis on a cellulose membrane, and gel column chromatography on Sephadex G-75. The lipase was monomeric, with an apparent Mr of 22 kDa and a pI of 8, with the electrophoretic analysis. Kinetics of the enzyme activity versus substrate concentration showed typical lipase behavior, with Km and Vmax, values of 1.33 mM and 555 U/mg. All triglycerides were efficiently hydrolyzed by the enzyme, but this showed a preference towards triglycerides of natural mono unsaturated fatty acids. The optimum temperature, pH, and incubation time for lipolytic activity were 50 degrees C, 7.5, and 5 min, respectively. The stability of the sunflower lipase was investigated under operational and storage conditions. It was found that this enzyme preserved its lipolytic activity at temperatures between at 35-50 degrees C, alkaline pH, and for a period of about four months.     

Enzymatic detection of mercuric ions in ground-water from vegetable wastes by immobilizing pumpkin (Cucumis melo) urease in calcium alginate beads

Present report describes a quick and simple test based on enzyme inhibition for the detection of mercury in aqueous medium by urease immobilized in alginate beads. Urease was extracted from the discarded seeds of pumpkin (Cucumis melo) and was purified to apparent homogeneity (5.2-fold) by heat treatment at 48+/-0.1 degrees C and gel filtration through Sephadex G-200. The homogeneous enzyme preparation (Sp activity 353 U/mg protein, A(280)/A(260)=1.12) was immobilized in 3.5% alginate leading to 86% immobilization. Effect of mercuric ion on the activity of soluble as well as immobilized enzyme was investigated. Hg(2+) exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibition both in the presence and absence of the substrate. The alginate immobilized enzyme showed less inhibition. There was no leaching of the enzyme over a period of 15 days at 4 degrees C. The inhibition was non-competitive and the K(i) was found to be 1.26x10(-1)microM. Time-dependent interaction of urease with Hg(2+) exhibited a biphasic inhibition behavior in which approximately half of the initial activity was lost rapidly (within 10 min) and reminder in a slow phase. Binding of Hg(2+) with the enzyme was largely irreversible, as the activity could not be restored by dialysis. The significance of the observations is discussed.     

High throughput covalent immobilization process for improvement of shelf-life,operational cycles,relative activity in organic media and enzymatic kinetics of urease and its application for urea removal from water samples

High throughput covalent urease immobilization was performed through the amide bond formation between the urease and the amino-functional MNPs. The enzyme’s performances, including shelf-life, reusability, enzymatic kinetics, and the enzyme relative activity in organic media was improved. At optimal conditions, the immobilization efficiency was calculated about 95.0% with keeping 94.7% of the urease initial specific activity. The optimal pH for maximum activity of the free and immobilized urease was calculated as 7.0 at 37.0 °C and 8.0 at 60.0 °C, respectively. The kinetics studies showed the K_m of 26.0 mM and 8.0 mM and the V_max of 5.31 μmol mg⁻¹ min⁻¹ and 3.93 μmol mg⁻¹ min⁻¹ for the free and immobilized urease, respectively. The ratio K_cat/K_m as a measure of catalytic efficiency and enzyme specificity was calculated as 0.09 mg mL⁻¹ min⁻¹ and 0.22 mg mL⁻¹ min⁻¹ for the free and immobilized urease, respectively, indicating an improvement in the enzymatic kinetics. The shelf-life and operational studies of immobilized urease indicated that approximately 97.7% and 88.5% of its initial activity was retained after 40 days and 17 operational cycles, respectively. The immobilized urease was utilized to urea removal from water samples with an efficiency between 91.5–95.0%.     

Kinetic properties and storage stability of catalase immobilized on to florisil

The covalent immobilization of bovine liver catalase (CAT) on to florisil via glutaraldehyde was investigated. Optimum immobilization pH and temperature were determined as pH 6.0, 10 degrees C respectively, while the amount of initial CAT per g of carrier and immobilization time was determined as 5 mg g(-1) and 120 min, respectively. The Vmax values for free and immobilized CAT were found to be 1.7 x 10(5) and 2.0 x 10(4) micromol H2O2 min(-1) mg protein(-1), respectively, whereas KM values were 33.3 mM and 1722.0 mM respectively. Operational stability was determined by using a stirred batch-type column reactor. Immobilized CAT retained about 40% of its initial activity after 50 uses. It showed higher storage stability than free CAT at 4 degrees C and 25 degrees C. Its storage stability increased with increasing relative humidity (RH) from 0 to 20% of the medium. The highest storage stability was obtained in 20% RH, however, further increase in RH from 40 to 100% significantly decreased the storage stability.     

Isolation and properties of oxaloacetate keto-enol-tautomerases from bovine heart mitochondria

Two highly purified proteins with quite different properties capable of oxaloacetate keto-enol-tautomerase activity (oxaloacetate keto-enol-isomerase, EC 5.3.2.2) were isolated from the bovine heart mitochondrial matrix. The first protein has an apparent molecular mass of 37 kDa as determined by SDS-gel electrophoresis and Sephacryl SF-200 gel filtration. It is quite stable upon storage at 40 degrees C and reaches the maximal catalytic activity at pH 8.5 with a half-maximal activity at pH 7.0. The enzyme is specifically inhibited by oxalate and diethyloxaloacetate. When assayed in the enol----ketone direction at 25 degrees C (pH 9.0), the enzyme obeys a simple substrate saturation kinetics with Km and Vmax values of 45 microM and 74 units per mg of protein, respectively; the latter value corresponds to the turnover number of 2700 min-1. The second protein has an apparent molecular mass of 80 kDa as determined by SDS-gel electrophoresis and Sephacryl SF-300 gel filtration. The enzyme is rapidly inactivated at 40 degrees C and shows a sharp pH optimum of activity at pH 9.0. The enzyme can be completely protected from thermal inactivation by oxaloacetate and dithiothreitol. The kinetic parameters of the enzyme as assayed in the enol----ketone direction at 25 degrees C (pH 9.0) are: Km = 220 microM and Vmax = 20 units per mg of protein; the latter corresponds to the turnover number of 1600 min-1. The enzyme activity is specifically inhibited by maleate and pyrophosphate. About 30% of the total oxaloacetate tautomerase activity in crude mitochondrial matrix is represented by the 37 kDa enzyme and about 70% by the 80 kDa protein.     

Purification and characterization of an L-arabinose isomerase from an isolated strain of Geobacillus thermodenitrificans producing D-tagatose

The araA gene, encoding l-arabinose isomerase (AI), from the thermophilic bacterium Geobacillus thermodenitrificans was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant AI was isolated with a final purity of about 97% and a final specific activity of 2.10 U/mg. The molecular mass of the purified AI was estimated to be about 230 kDa to be a tetramer composed of identical subunits. The AI exhibited maximum activity at 70 degrees C and pH 8.5 in the presence of Mn2+. The enzyme was stable at temperatures below 60 degrees C and within the pH range 7.5-8.0. d-Galactose and l-arabinose as substrate were isomerized with high activities. Ribitol was the strongest competitive inhibitor of AI with a Ki of 5.5mM. The apparent Km and Vmax for L-arabinose were 142 mM and 86 U/mg, respectively, whereas those for d-galactose were 408 mM and 6.9 U/mg, respectively. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) was 48 mM(-1)min(-1) for L-arabinose and 0.5mM(-1)min(-1) for D-galactose. Mn2+ was a competitive activator and increased the thermal stability of the AI. The D-tagatose yield produced by AI from d-galactose was 46% without the addition of Mn2+ and 48% with Mn2+ after 300 min at 65 degrees C.     

Investigations into enzymes of nitrogen metabolism of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete, Suillus bovinus

Axenic mycelia of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete, Suillus bovinus, were grown in liquid media under continuous aeration with compressed air at 25 degrees C in darkness. Provided with glucose as the only carbohydrate source, they produced similar amounts of dry weight with ammonia, with nitrate or with alanine, 60-80% more with glutamate or glutamine, but about 35% less with urea as the respectively only exogenous nitrogen source. In crude extracts of cells from NH4(+)-cultures, NADH-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase exhibited high aminating (688 nmol x mg protein(-1) x min(-1)) and low deaminating (21 nmol x mg protein(-1) x min(-1)) activities. Its Km-values for 2-oxoglutarate and for glutamate were 1.43 mM and 23.99 mM, respectively. pH-optimum for amination was about 7.2, that for deamination about 9.3. Glutamine synthetase activity was comparatively low (59 nmol x mg protein(-1) x min(-1)). Its affinity for glutamate was poor (Km = 23.7 mM), while that for the NH4+ replacing NH2OH was high (Km = 0.19 mM). pH-optimum was found at 7.0. Glutamate synthase (= GOGAT) revealed similar low activity (62 nmol x mg protein(-1) x min(-1)), Km-values for glutamine and for 2-oxoglutarate of 2.82 mM and 0.28 mM, respectively, and pH-optimum around 8.0. Aspartate transaminase (= GOT) exhibited similar affinities for aspartate (Km = 2.55 mM) and for glutamate (Km = 3.13 mM), but clearly different Km-values for 2-oxoglutarate (1.46 mM) and for oxaloacetate (0.13 mM). Activity at optimum pH of about 8.0 was 506 nmol x mg protein(-1) x min(-1) for aspartate conversion, but only 39 nmol x mg protein(-1) x min(-1) at optimum pH of about 7.0 for glutamate conversion. Activity (599 nmol x mg protein(-1) x min(-1)), substrate affinities (Km for alanine = 6.30 mM, for 2-oxoglutarate = 0.45 mM) and pH-optimum (6.5-7.5) proved alanine transaminase (= GPT) also important in distribution of intracellular nitrogen. There was comparatively low activity of the obviously constitutive enzyme, urease, (42 nmol x mg protein(-1) x min(-1)) whose substrate affinity was rather high (Km = 0.56 mM). Nitrate reductase proved substrate induced; activity could only be measured after exposure of the mycelia to exogenous nitrate. Routes of entry of exogenous nitrogen and tentative significance of the various enzymes in cell metabolism are discussed.