Novel interface-binding chloroperoxidase for interfacial epoxidation of styrene

A unique interface-binding chloroperoxidase (CPO) was developed and examined for interfacial biocatalysis. Native CPO was conjugated with polystyrene (PS) to form a surfactant-like structure that self assembled at oil-water interfaces. While enantioselectivity of the enzyme was maintained, the interfacial assembly of the enzyme improved its overall catalytic efficiency as compared to that observed with the enzyme contained in the bulk aqueous phase. The PS conjugated CPO (PS-CPO) showed a 2.5-fold enhancement of enzyme productivity versus native CPO under batch reaction conditions for the epoxidation of styrene, whereas a 25-fold improvement was realized in a continuous feeding reaction to reach a productivity of 10 micromol h-1 mg protein-1. The interface-binding enzyme also demonstrated several other advantages such as suppressing unwanted side reactions including the hydrolysis of styrene epoxide products, stabilizing the enzyme by limiting its exposure to both the oxidant H2O2 and epoxide products, and alleviating the deactivating effect of interfacial stress on enzymes by functioning as a surfactant.     

Stabilization of chloroperoxidase by polyethylene glycols in aqueous media: kinetic studies and synthetic applications

Chloroperoxidase (CPO) is one of the most versatile of the heme peroxidase enzymes for synthetic applications. Despite the potential use of CPO, commercial processes have not been developed because of the low water solubility of many organic substrates of synthetic interest and the limited stability due to inactivation by H(2)O(2). CPO catalytic properties have been studied in aqueous solutions in the presence of short-chain poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs), and the sulfoxidation of thioanisole, as model substrate, has been investigated. The addition of PEGs allows a better substrate solubilization in the reaction mixture and the enzyme to retain more of its initial activity, with respect to pure buffer. Kinetic studies were performed to optimize the experimental conditions, and complete enantioselective conversion to the (R)-sulfoxide (ee = 99%) was observed in the presence of PEG 200 and tri(ethylene glycol). The relevant stabilization of chloroperoxidase due to the presence of PEGs allows the enzyme to convert the substrate with significant product yields even after 10 days, with a consequent increase in enzyme productivity. This is a promising result in view of industrial application of the enzyme.     

Thermodynamic, kinetic, and operational stabilities of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase in sugar and compatible osmolyte solutions

Thermodynamic, kinetic, and operational stabilities of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) were measured and compared in aqueous solutions containing various sugars (sucrose, glucose, and ribose) and compatible osmolytes (betaine and sarcosine). In the measurement of operational stability, native YADH was entrapped and physically immobilized in an ultrafiltration hollow fiber tube to retain the native characteristics of the enzyme. All the additives tested increased thermodynamic stability and kinetic stability of YADH. The order of the magnitude of stabilization effect among additives was different between thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities. Compared to the thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities, the effects of additives were much different in operational stability. Sucrose, glucose, and betaine stabilized YADH substantially while ribose and sarcosine destabilized the enzyme. These results show that the thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities do not necessarily guarantee the operational stability of YADH. The coexistence of stabilizing solute was proved effective to increase the productivity of the bioreactor with immobilized YADH.     

Thermodynamic,kinetic, and operational stabilities of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase in sugar and compatible osmolyte solutions

Thermodynamic, kinetic, and operational stabilities of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) were measured and compared in aqueous solutions containing various sugars (sucrose, glucose, and ribose) and compatible osmolytes (betaine and sarcosine). In the measurement of operational stability, native YADH was entrapped and physically immobilized in an ultrafiltration hollow fiber tube to retain the native characteristics of the enzyme. All the additives tested increased thermodynamic stability and kinetic stability of YADH. The order of the magnitude of stabilization effect among additives was different between thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities. Compared to the thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities, the effects of additives were much different in operational stability. Sucrose, glucose, and betaine stabilized YADH substantially while ribose and sarcosine destabilized the enzyme. These results show that the thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities do not necessarily guarantee the operational stability of YADH. The coexistence of stabilizing solute was proved effective to increase the productivity of the bioreactor with immobilized YADH.     

Expression of the Caldariomyces fumago chloroperoxidase in Aspergillus niger and characterization of the recombinant enzyme

The Caldariomyces fumago chloroperoxidase was successfully expressed in Aspergillus niger. The recombinant enzyme was produced in the culture medium as an active protein and could be purified by a three-step purification procedure. The catalytic behavior of recombinant chloroperoxidase (rCPO) was studied and compared with that of native CPO. The specific chlorination activity (47 units/nmol) of rCPO and its pH optimum (pH 2.75) were very similar to those of native CPO. rCPO catalyzes the oxidation of various substrates in comparable yields and selectivities to native CPO. Indole was oxidized to 2-oxindole with 99% selectivity and thioanisole to the corresponding R-sulfoxide (enantiomeric excess >98%). Incorporation of (18)O from labeled H(2)18O(2) into the oxidized products was 100% in both cases.     

Effects of additives on the thermostability of chloroperoxidase

The effects of several polyhydroxy compounds (glucose, fructose, gumsugar, galactose, trehalose, dextran, xylose, PEG200, glycerin) and surfactant (dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt, AOT) on the catalytic activity and thermal stability of chloroperoxidase (CPO) in aqueous systems were investigated at various temperatures. A 25% superactivity was found in AOT solutions at 25 degrees C, and it could be maintained during the 882 h. PEG200 and glycerin were proven to be the most efficient stabilizer for CPO in temperatures ranging from 25 to 60 degrees C. Trehalose is more helpful than other sugars for extended storage of CPO. These results are promising in view of industrial applications of this versatile biological catalyst. The protective mechanism of various additives on CPO was discussed.     

Sol-gel based glucose biosensors employing optical oxygen transducers, and a method for compensating for variable oxygen background

Various types of thin-film glucose biosensors based on the use of the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx) have been developed. The luminescent oxygen probe Ru(dpp)--whose emission is quenched by oxygen--is used to measure the consumption of oxygen. Three different combinations of oxygen transducer and sol-gel immobilized GOx were tested. In the first, GOx was sandwiched between a sol-gel layer doped with Ru(dpp) and a second sol-gel layer composed of pure sol-gel (the 'sandwich' configuration). In the second, a sol-gel layer doped with Ru(dpp) was covered with sol-gel entrapped GOx (the 'two-layer configuration'). In the third, both GOx and a sol-gel powder containing GOx were incorporated into a single sol-gel phase (the 'powder configuration'). In all cases, it was found to be essential to add sorbitol which results in a more porous sol-gel in which diffusion is not impaired. The sandwich configuration provides the highest enzyme activity and the largest dynamic range (0.1-15 mM), but suffers from a distinct decrease in sensitivity upon prolonged use. The two-layer configuration has the fastest response time (t90 = 50 s), while the 'powder configuration' provides the best operational lifetime. The storage stability of all configurations exceeds 4 months if stored at 4 degrees C. In an Appendix, equations are derived which describe the response of such sensors, how the effect of varying oxygen supply can be compensated for by making use of two sensors, one sensitive to oxygen only, the other to both oxygen and glucose, and how such sensors can be calibrated using two calibrators only.     

Glucose biosensor based on Au nanoparticles-conductive polyaniline nanocomposite

In this paper, we report a novel glucose biosensor based on composite of Au nanoparticles (NPs)-conductive polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers. Immobilized with glucose oxidase (GOx) and Nafion on the surface of nanocomposite, a sensitive and selective biosensor for glucose was successfully developed by electrochemical oxidation of H2O2. The glucose biosensor shows a linear calibration curve over the range from 1.0x10(-6) to 8.0x10(-4) mol/L, with a slope and detection limit (S/N=3) of 2.3 mA/M and 5.0x10(-7) M, respectively. In addition, the glucose biosensor system indicates excellent reproducibility (less than 5% R.S.D.) and good operational stability (over 2 weeks).     

Preserved enzymatic activity of glucose oxidase immobilized on unmodified electrodes for glucose detection

Glucose sensing electrodes have been realized by immobilizing glucose oxidase (GOx) on unmodified edge plane of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (epHOPG) and the native oxide of heavily doped silicon (SiO2/Si). Both kinds of electrode show direct interfacial electron transfer due to the redox process of the immobilized GOx. The measured formal potential of the redox process agrees with that of the native enzyme, suggesting that the immobilized GOx has retained its enzymatic activity. The electron transfer rates of the GOx immobilized electrode are 2s(-1) for GOx/epHOPG electrode and 7.9s(-1) for GOx/SiO2/Si electrode, which are greater than those for which GOx is immobilized on modified electrodes, probably due to the fact that the enzyme makes direct contact to electrode surface. The preservation of the enzymatic activity of the immobilized GOx has been confirmed by observing the response of the GOx/epHOPG and GOx/SiO2/Si electrodes to glucose with a detection limit of 0.050 mM. The response signals the catalyzed oxidation of glucose and, therefore, confirms that the immobilized GOx retained its enzymatic activity. The properties of the electrode as a glucose sensor are presented.     

A super highly sensitive glucose biosensor based on Au nanoparticles-AgCl@polyaniline hybrid material

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with an average diameter of 5nm were assembled on the surface of silver chloride@polyaniline (PANI) core-shell nanocomposites (AgCl@PANI). Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) suggested that AuNPs were incorporated on AgCl@PANI through coordination bonds instead of electrostatic interaction. The resulting AuNPs-AgCl@PANI hybrid material exhibited good electroactivity at a neutral pH environment. An amperometric glucose biosensor was developed by adsorption of glucose oxidase (GOx) on an AuNPs-AgCl@PANI modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode. AuNPs-AgCl@PANI could provide a biocompatible surface for high enzyme loading. Due to size effect, the AuNPs in the hybrid material could act as a good catalyst for both oxidation and reduction of H(2)O(2). As the measurement of glucose was based on the electrochemical detection of H(2)O(2) generated by enzyme-catalyzed-oxidation of glucose, the biosensor exhibited a super highly sensitive response to the analyte with a detection limit of 4 pM. Moreover, the biosensor showed good reproducibility and operation stability. The effects of some factors, such as temperature and pH value, were also studied.     

Chemical modification of chloroperoxidase for enhanced stability and activity

Chloroperoxidase from Caldariomyces fumago (CPO, EC 1.11.1.10) is one of the most interesting enzymes from the group of heme peroxidases and has been extensively applied in synthetic processes. Nevertheless, the practical application of CPO is limited due to its very low operational stability, especially in the presence of peroxidative compounds. For this reason, effect of chemical modifications of CPO in the stability of the enzyme was studied. Side-chain selective modifications of amino groups of Lys residues, and carboxyl groups of Asp and Glu residues, as well as crosslinking and periodate oxidation of sugar moiety were carried out. The stability of modified CPOs was evaluated at elevated pH and temperature, and in the presence of tert-butyl hydroperoxide. Effect of modification of CPO on the performance of the reaction of Cbz-ethanolamine oxidation was studied as well. Those modifications that involved carboxyl groups via carbodiimide coupled method and the periodate oxidation of the sugar moiety produced better catalysts than native CPO in terms of stability and activity at elevated pH values and temperatures.     

Proteins modified with DNAzymes or aptamers act as biosensors or biosensor labels

Hybrid systems composed of a glucose oxidase (GOx)/peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme, and of microperoxidase-11 (MP-11)/anti-thrombin aptamer were synthesized. The hybrid systems were employed as amplifying labels for the colorimetric or chemiluminescence detection of an enzyme functions, and thrombin analysis, respectively. In the GOx/DNAzyme system, the GOx-mediated oxidation of glucose led to the formation of H(2)O(2), and this activated the oxidation of ABTS to a colored product, or to the generation of chemiluminescence in the presence of luminol. The MP-11/anti-thrombin aptamer enabled the amplified analysis of thrombin by the MP-11-mediated generation of chemiluminescence in the presence of luminol/H(2)O(2).     

Offline glucose biomonitoring in yeast culture by polyamidoamine/cysteamine-modified gold electrodes

This article deals with the use of pyranose oxidase (PyOx) and glucose oxidase (GOx) enzymes in amperometric biosensor design and their application in monitoring fermentation processes with the combination of flow injection analysis (FIA). The amperometric studies were carried out at -0.7 V by following the oxygen consumption due to the enzymatic reactions for both batch and FIA modes. Optimization studies (enzyme amounts and pH) and analytical parameters such as linearity, repeatability, effect of interference, storage, and operational stabilities have been studied. Under optimized conditions, for the PyOx-based biosensor, linear graph was obtained from 0.025 to 0.5 mM glucose in phosphate buffer (50 mM) at pH 7.0 with the equation of y = 3.358x + 0.028 and R(2) = 0.998. Linearity was found to be 0.01-1.0 mM in citrate buffer (50 mM and pH 4.0) with the equation of y = 1.539x + 0.181 and R(2) = 0.992 for the GOx biosensor. Finally, these biosensor configurations were further evaluated in a conventional flow injection system. Results from batch experiments provide a guide to design sensitive, stable, and interference-free biosensors for FIA mode. Biosensor stability, dynamic range, and repeatability were also studied in FIA conditions, and the applicability for the determination of glucose in fermentation medium could be successfully demonstrated. The FIA-combined glucose biosensor was used for the offline monitoring of yeast fermentation. The obtained results correlated well with HPLC measurements.     

Micro-analytical GO/HRP bioreactor for glucose determination and bioprocess monitoring

A bi-enzymatic micro-analytical bioreactor integrated in a FIA system for glucose measurements is described. Its robustness and small dimensions (working volume of about 70 microl containing approximately 1.2 mg GO and 0.26 mg HRP) make it easy to operate. The column is based on immobilisation of glucose oxidase (GO) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) on alkylamine controlled pore glass (CPG) beads. The column has excellent shelf life (no significant loss of activity after 1 year if kept at 4 degrees C), and a very high operational stability that was demonstrated through extensive usage for glucose determinations over 1 year period during which the column retained almost all of its activity. More importantly, this operational stability allows glucose monitoring in the culture media without a decay of signal over the experiment time and consequently no signal correction or re-calibration is needed. This high operational stability was also confirmed by continuous glucose conversion with 30% activity loss after converting quantity of glucose equivalent to 21600 FIA injections of 20 microl with 1.7 mM glucose. Such good performance is a result of an optimised immobilisation method and moreover of the implementation of in situ enzyme stabilisation strategy which consisted on promoting the instantaneous H2O2 consumption produced by the GO. This strategy has the additional advantage of allowing concomitant assay of the H2O2 based on the HAP catalysed co-oxidation of phenol-4-sulphonic acid (PSA) in the presence of 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP). The glucose measurements are reproducible with high precision against the standard HPLC method. Linear range and sensitivity depend on sample injection volume; the upper limit is about 1.1 g/l. Lower detection limit is 10mg/l. The column performance has been validated for E. coli and S. cerevisiae fermentation monitoring, and glucose measurements in an animal cell culture (rat Langerhans islets).     

Novel polymeric microspheres: Synthesis,enzyme immobilization,antimutagenic activity,and antimicrobial evaluation against pathogenic microorganisms

New polymeric microspheres containing azomethine ( 1a ‐ 1c and 2a ‐ 2c ) were synthesized by condensation to compare the enzymatic properties of the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx) and to investigate antimutagenic and antimicrobial activities. The polymeric microspheres were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectra (FT‐IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, thermal gravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy analysis. The catalytic activity of the glucose oxidase enzyme follows Michaelis‐Menten kinetics. Influence of temperature, reusability, and storage capacity of the free and immobilized glucose oxidase enzyme were investigated. It is determined that immobilized enzymes exhibit good storage stability and reusability. After immobilization of GOx in polymeric supports, the thermal stability of the enzyme increased and the maximum reaction rate (V_max) decreased. The activity of the immobilized enzymes was preserved even after 5 months. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of the polymeric microspheres were evaluated by well‐diffusion method against some selected pathogenic microorganisms. The antimutagenic properties of all compounds were also examined against sodium azide in human lymphocyte cells by micronuclei and sister chromatid exchange tests.     

Enzyme-mediated hydrogel encapsulation of single cells for high-throughput screening and directed evolution of oxidoreductases

Directed evolution of oxidoreductases to improve their catalytic properties is being ardently pursued in the industrial, biotechnological, and biopharma sectors. Hampering this pursuit are current enzyme screening methods that are limited in terms of throughput, cost, time, and complexity. We present a directed evolution strategy that allows for large-scale one-pot screening of glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme libraries in well-mixed homogeneous solution. We used GOx variants displayed on the outer cell wall of yeasts to initiate a cascade reaction with horseradish peroxidase (HRP), resulting in peroxidase-mediated phenol cross-coupling and encapsulation of individual cells in well-defined fluorescent alginate hydrogel shells within ~10 min in mixed cell suspensions. Following application of denaturing stress to whole-cell GOx libraries, only cells displaying GOx variants with enhanced stability or catalytic activity were able to carry out the hydrogel encapsulation reaction. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting was then used to isolate the enhanced variants. We characterized three of the newly evolved Aspergillus niger GOx enzyme sequences and found up to ~5-fold higher specific activity, enhanced thermal stability, and differentiable glycosylation patterns. By coupling intracellular gene expression with the rapid formation of an extracellular hydrogel capsule, our system improves high-throughput screening for directed evolution of H ₂O ₂-producing enzymes many folds.     

Immobilization of chloroperoxidase onto highly hydrophilic polyethylene chains via bio-conjugation: Catalytic properties and stabilities

Chloroperoxidase (CPO) was covalently immobilized on poly(hydroxypropyl methacrylate-co-polyethyleneglycole-methacrylate) membranes, which were characterized, by swelling test, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and contact angle measurement. The K_m and V_max values for free and immobilized CPO were found to be 34.6 and 47.2 μM, and 287.5 and 245.2 U/mg protein, respectively. The optimum pH for both the free and immobilized enzyme was observed at 3.0. The immobilized enzyme showed wide pH and temperature profiles. Most importantly, the increased thermal, storage and operational stability of immobilized CPO should depend on the creation of a comfortable strong hydrophilic microenvironment on the designed support to the host enzyme molecule.     

Palm tree peroxidase-based biosensor with unique characteristics for hydrogen peroxide monitoring

Three amperometric enzyme electrodes have been constructed by adsorbing anionic royal palm tree peroxidase (RPTP), anionic sweet potato peroxidase (SPP), or cationic horseradish peroxidase (HRP-C) on spectroscopic graphite electrodes. The resulting H(2)O(2)-sensitive biosensors were characterized both in a flow injection system and in batch mode to evaluate their main bioelectrochemical parameters, such as pH dependency, I(max), K(M)(app), detection limit, linear range, operational and storage stability. The obtained results showed a distinctly different behavior for the plant peroxidase electrodes, demonstrating uniquely superior characteristics of the RPTP-based sensors. The broader linear range observed for the RPTP-based biosensor is explained by a high stability of this enzyme in presence of H(2)O(2). The higher storage and operational stability of RPTP-based biosensor as well as its capability to measure hydrogen peroxide under acidic conditions connect with an extremely high thermal and pH-stability of RPTP.     

Deactivation mechanisms of chloroperoxidase during biotransformations

Inactivation mechanisms of chloroperoxidase (CPO) from Caldariomyces fumago have been investigated with the aim of improving the practical utility of CPO for hydrocarbon oxidation. Deactivation studies in the presence of oxidants (i.e., hydrogen peroxide and t-butyl hydroperoxide) indicated that CPO lost oxidation activity toward hydrocarbon substrates during dismutation of hydrogen peroxide. The loss of enzyme activity was accompanied by the apparent destruction of the heme rather than aggregation or denaturation of the apo-protein. The decrease of enzyme activity was significantly retarded by adding the radical scavenger t-butyl alcohol at pH 4.1, or by optimizing the reaction pH. CPO retained greatest oxidation activity at pH 5-6, which may produce a more favorable ionization state of the key amino acid (Glu-183) and thus reduce radical formation. As a result of higher activity at pH 5-6, the total turnover numbers (TTN, defined as the amount of product produced over the catalytic lifetime of the enzyme) for the oxidation of toluene and o-, m-, p-xylenes in substrate/aqueous emulsion systems ranged from ca. 10% to 110% higher at pH 5.5 (20,000 to 45,000 mol product/mol enzyme) compared to pH 4.1. Furthermore, TTNs of CPO increased with increasing turnover frequencies, indicating that higher activity toward reducing substrates reduces radical formation and stabilizes CPO toward inactivation by H(2)O(2). These findings demonstrate the important relationship between CPO stability and activity, and illustrate that large improvements in CPO activity and stability can be achieved through solvent engineering.     

Synthetic active site analogues of heme-thiolate proteins. Characterization and identification of intermediates of the catalytic cycles of cytochrome P450cam and chloroperoxidase

In view of recent results from different sources, the reaction mechanisms of two heme-thiolate proteins, cytochrome P450cam and chloroperoxidase (CPO), are discussed. In this context a mechanism of CPO is proposed which includes H2O2 cleavage, subsequent formation of compound I and the identification of two elusive intermediates. The HOCl adduct of the iron(III)porpyhrin is the catalytically competent Cl+ donor chlorinating activated C-H bonds of substrates bound to the enzyme. Pulse-EPR characterization of an enzyme model of the resting state of P450cam suggests a role of the electric field of the protein for stabilizing the low-spin state of the cofactor of the enzyme. It is further suggested that the same effect of the protein may trigger the reactivity of compound I such that both concerted and two-step reactions are feasible within the concept of a Two-State-Reactivity. This review emphasizes the value of synthetic enzyme models complementing investigations of the native proteins.