The activity of immobilized enzymes on different krill chitin preparations

The suitability of krill chitin, prepared by using different concentrations of KOH and HCI for deproteinization and demineralization, respectively, was investigated. The activity of enzymes immobilized on such supports depends on the degree of deproteinization of chitin, availability of amino groups, content of minerals, mesh size, structure of the surface, and conformation of the chitin molecules. It was found that invertase and amyloglucosidase achieved high activity after immobilization on chitin obtained at not too rigorous conditions of deproteinization. However, the activity of immobilized α-amylase and diastase increased significantly with the increase in concentration of KOH used for deproteinization. High content of minerals and proteins in chitin preparation causes a loss of immobilized enzyme activity.     

Raw Starch-digestive Chitin-immobilized Amylase from a Protease—Glycosidase-less Mutant of Aspergillus awamori var. kawachi

The α-amylase and glucoamylase produced by a protease-, glycosidase-less mutant HF-15 of Aspergillus awamori var. kawachi were found to be adsorbable onto chitin. This adsorption was pH-independent, different from the adsorption onto raw corn starch. The binding between amylases and chitin was so tight that a chitin-immobilized amylase was obtained without the aid of a cross linking agent, glutaraldehyde, and it retained more than 90% of the original activity of the free enzyme. The immobilized amylase digested gelatinized potato starch, glycogen and even raw corn starch to the same high extent as glucose similar to the free enzyme, but it was different from the unbound crude enzyme in the lack of transglucosidase activity, and slightly different in pH- and thermo-stabilities. An experiment using the immobilized amylase for alcohol fermentation demonstrated the possibility of recycling the enzyme for raw starch saccharification.     

Self‐renaturing enzymes: Design of an enzyme‐chaperone chimera as a new approach to enzyme stabilization

Molecular chaperones in aqueous‐organic mixtures can broaden the utility of biocatalysis by stabilizing enzymes in denaturing conditions. We have designed a self‐renaturing enzyme‐chaperone chimera consisting of penicillin amidase and a thermophilic chaperonin that functions in aqueous‐organic mixtures. The flexible linker separating the enzyme and chaperone domains was optimized and the design was extended to incorporate a chitin binding domain to facilitate immobilization of the chimera to a chitin support. The initial specific activity of penicillin amidase was not compromised by the enzyme‐chaperone fusion or by immobilization. The total turnover number of immobilized chimera for amoxicillin synthesis in aqueous‐methanol mixtures was 2.8 times higher after 95 h than the total turnover number of the immobilized penicillin amidase lacking a chaperone domain. Similarly, in 32% methanol the soluble chimera was active for over three times longer than the enzyme alone. This approach could easily be extended to other enzyme systems. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 1316–1322. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Mercapto-chitins: a new type of supports for effective immobilization of acid phosphatase

Acid phosphatase was immobilized on two kinds of mercapto-chitins, 2-mercapto-chitin and 6-mercapto-chitin, and assayed with 4-nitrophenyl phosphate as the substrate. The optimal pH values for immobilization were 4.5 and 4.8, respectively. The resulting immobilized enzymes showed maximum activities at pH 6.0 and 5.5, almost the same as that for the soluble enzyme. 6-Mercapto-chitin/enzyme conjugate retained high activity even after repeated uses in batch systems, suggesting effective immobilization through covalent bond formation, while 2-mercapto-chitin/enzyme and chitin/enzyme conjugates showed decreases in activity after a few runs.     

Partially deacetylated chitin as an acid-stable support for enzyme immobilization

Partially deacetylated chitin (PDAC) obtained by boiling chitin in 28.6% (w/w) sodium hydroxide was not dissolved when it was suspended in 2% acetic acid (pH 2.6) at 60°C for 12 h or autoclaved in acetate buffer (pH 5.0) for 20 min. The enzyme binding ability of the PDAC with glutaraldehyde was similar to that of chitosan. Immobilized pullulanase had low enzyme activity for high-molecular-weight material such as pullulan, but its activity for maltosyl β-cyclodextrin was almost the same as that of the free enzyme. The immobilized enzyme produced branched cyclodextrin through a reverse reaction in acetate buffer of pH 3.75 at 53°C.     

Immobilization of chitosan-invertase neoglycoconjugate on carboxymethylcellulose-modified chitin

Saccharomyces cerevisiae invertase, chemically modified with chitosan, was immobilized on a carboxymethylcellulose-coated chitin support via polyelectrolyte complex formation. The yield of immobilized protein was determined to be 72% and the enzyme retained 68% of the initial invertase activity. The optimum temperature for invertase was increased by 5 degrees C and its thermostability was enhanced by about 9 degrees C after immobilization. The immobilized enzyme was stable against incubation in high ionic strength solutions and was 12.6-fold more resistant to thermal treatment at 65 degrees C than the native counterpart. The prepared biocatalyst retained 98% and 100% of the original catalytic activity after 10 cycles of reuse and 70 h of continuous operational regime in a packed bed reactor, respectively. The immobilized enzyme retained 95% of its activity after 50 days of storage at 37 degrees C.     

Lactase and other enzymes bound to chitin with glutaraldehyde

Acid tolerant lactase (I), α-chymotrypsin (II), and acid phosphatase (III) were immobilized on chitin with glutaraldehyde. Pretreatments of the chit in with acid, alkali, ammonia, and pronase were compared with respect to release of titratable amino groups and ability to retain lactase activity. Shrimp chitin appeared to be more sensitive to pretreatment conditions and so effort was concentrated on crab. An acid-alkali pretreatment was selected as most practical and economical, and the properties of enzymes fixed on crab chitin were studied intensively. The pH optima of the fixed enzymes were shifted about one pH unit; the shift for I was toward more acid pH, for II was toward alkaline pH, and for III was toward acid pH. The retained activity of immobilized I was approximately 60% that of the native enzyme. A column in continuous operation with I on chitin-glutaraldehyde gave an apparent activity half-life of 27 days.     

Chitin-binding domain based immobilization of D-hydantoinase

Chitin-binding domain (ChBD) of chitinase A1 from Bacillus circulans WL-12 comprises 45 amino acids and exhibits remarkably high specificity to chitin (Hashimoto, M., Ikegami, T., Seino, S., Ohuchi, N., Fukada, H., Sugiyama, J., Shirakawa, M., Watanabe, T., 2000. Expression and characterization of the chitin-binding domain of chintinase A1 from B. circulans WL-12. J. Bacteriol. 182, 3045-3054.). To investigate the feasibility of exploiting ChBD as affinity tags to confine enzymes of interest on chitin, ChBD fused to the C-terminus of the gene encoding D-hydantoinase was constructed. Subsequent expression of the hybrid protein in Escherichia coli gave a soluble fraction accounting for 8% of total cell protein content. Direct adsorption of the ChBD-fused D-hydantoinase on chitin beads was carried out, and SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the linkage between the fusion protein and the affinity matrix was highly specific, substantially stable, and reversible. As compared to its free counterpart, the immobilized D-hydantoinase exhibited higher tolerance to heat and gained a half life of 270 h at 45 degrees C. In addition, the shelf life (defined as 50% of initial activity remained) of the immobilized enzyme stored at 4 degrees C was found to reach 65 days. Furthermore, D-hydantoinase immobilized on chitin could be reused for 15 times to achieve the conversion yield exceeding 90%. Overall, it illustrates the great usefulness of ChBD for enzyme immobilization.     

Isolation of chitin synthetase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Purification of an enzyme by entrapment in the reaction product

Chitin synthetase, in the zymogen form, was extracted with digitonin from a particulate fraction from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and converted into active form by treatment with immobilized trypsin. When the activated enzyme was incubated with UDP-GlcNAc and other components of an assay mixture, a chitin precipitate formed, trapping a large portion of the synthetase. The enzyme was easily extracted frm the chitin gel with a recovery of approximately 50% and an enrichment of approximately 100-fold. Further purification was obtained by repeating the chitin step. After polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, the purified synthetase showed a major band corresponding to Mr 63,000, a weaker band at Mr 74,000, and some other minor bands. Under nondenaturing conditions, an Mr of 570,000 was calculated for the enzyme from Stokes radius and sedimentation coefficient determinations. After electrophoresis in a nondenaturing gel and incubation with the components of the standard assay, chitin was formed and precipitated in the gel, yielding an opaque band. Soluble oligosaccharides were not precursors for insoluble chitin, suggesting that synthesis of chitin chains takes place by a processive mechanism. N-Acetylglucosamine stimulated the purified synthetase only slightly and did not participate as a primer in the reaction. The same chain length, somewhat more than 100 units of GlcNAc, was determined in samples of chitin that had been synthesized either in vivo, or with a membrane preparation or with purified synthetase. These results suggest that chitin synthetase itself is capable both of initiating chitin chains without a primer and of determining their length.     

Polyelectrolyte complex formation mediated immobilization of chitosan-invertase neoglycoconjugate on pectin-coated chitin

Saccharomyces cerevisiae invertase, chemically modified with chitosan, was immobilized on pectin-coated chitin support via polyelectrolyte complex formation. The yield of immobilized enzyme protein was determined as 85% and the immobilized biocatalyst retained 97% of the initial chitosan-invertase activity. The optimum temperature for invertase was increased by 10 °C and its thermostability was enhanced by about 10 °C after immobilization. The immobilized enzyme was stable against incubation in high ionic strength solutions and was 4-fold more resistant to thermal treatment at 65 °C than the native counterpart. The biocatalyst prepared retained 96 and 95% of the original catalytic activity after ten cycles of reuse and 74 h of continuous operational regime in a packed bed reactor, respectively.     

Biocomplex of subtilisin Carlsberg with chitosan as an effective biocatalyst for hydrolysis and synthesis of peptides

New biocatalysts, preparations of subtilisin Carlsberg immobilized on chitosan (a deacetylated derivative of chitin), were obtained. The enzyme content, hydrolytic activity, and ability to catalyze peptide bond formation in organic solvents were characterized for these preparations. The influence of the form and composition of the biocomplex (content of the enzyme and glutaraldehyde, the cross-linking agent) and buffer pH on the biocata-lytic properties of the immobilized enzyme was studied in the reactions of peptide bond hydrolysis. The synthase activity of the preparations was investigated in the reaction of synthesis of Z-Ala-Ala-Leu-Phe-pNA in a 6 : 4 DMF-acetonitrile mixture in dependence on the reaction time. The yield of this product was 100% after only 40 min.     

Biocomposite of subtilisin Carlsberg with chitosan as an effective biocatalyst for hydrolysis and synthesis of peptides

New biocatalysts, preparations of subtilisin Carlsberg immobilized on chitosan (a deacetylated derivative of chitin), were obtained. The enzyme content, hydrolytic activity, and ability to catalyze peptide bond formation in organic solvents were characterized for these preparations. The influence of the form and composition of the biocomplosite (content of the enzyme and glutaraldehyde, the cross-linking agent) and buffer pH on the biocatalytic properties of the immobilized enzyme was studied in the reactions of peptide bond hydrolysis. The synthase activity of the preparations was investigated in the reaction of synthesis of Z-Ala-Ala-Leu-Phe-pNA in a 6:4 DMF-acetonitrile mixture in dependence on the reaction time. The yield of this product was 100% after only 40 min.     

Immobilization of chitosan-modified invertase on alginate-coated chitin support via polyelectrolyte complex formation

Saccharomyces cerevisiae invertase was chemically modified with chitosan and further immobilized on sodium alginate-coated chitin support. The yield of immobilized protein was determined as 85% and the enzyme retained 97% of the initial chitosan-invertase activity. The optimum temperature for invertase was increased by 10 °C and its thermostability was enhanced by about 9 °C after immobilization. The immobilized enzyme was stable against incubation in high ionic strength solutions and was four-fold more resistant to thermal treatment at 65 °C than the native counterpart. The biocatalyst prepared retained 80% of the original catalytic activity after 50 h under continuous operational regime in a packed bed reactor.     

Immobilization of pancreatic lipase on chitin and chitosan

In this study, porcine pancreatic lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) was immobilized on chitin and chitosan by adsorption and subsequent crosslinking with glutaraldehyde, which was added before (conjugation) or after (crosslinking) washing unbound proteins. Conjugation proved to be the better method for both supports. The properties of free and immobilized enzymes were also investigated and compared. The results showed that the pH optimum was shifted from 8.5 to 9.0 for both the immobilized enzymes. Also, the optimum temperature was shifted from 30 to 40 degrees C for chitin-enzyme and to 45 degrees C for chitosan-enzyme conjugates. The immobilization efficiency is low, but the immobilized enzymes have good reusability and stability (storage and operational). Besides these properties, the immobilized lipases were also suitable for catalyzing esterification reactions of fatty acids and fatty alcohols, both with a medium chain length. According to our results, esterification activities of immobilized lipases were two- and four-fold higher for chitosan- and chitin-enzyme, than for the free enzyme, respectively. The immobilization procedure shows a great potential for commercial applications of the immobilized lipase, a relatively low cost commercial enzyme.     

α-Chymotrypsin Immobilized on Chitin. Relationships Between the Enzyme Kinetic Constant and Support Structure

-Chymotrypsin was immobilized on chitin from squills, lobsters and prawns by means of glutaraldehyde. Hydrolase and peptide synthetase activities were determined in aqueous and homogeneous aqueous-organic media, respectively.

The results show -chymotrypsin immobilized on chitin from prawn to be the most active immobilized derivative based on its synthetase activity (90% yield of Bz-Tyr-Leu-NH₂ in carbonate buffer, p^H 9 containing 70% 1,4- butanediol).

The relationship between the kinetic constant of hydrolysis and chitin structure was also studied. -Chymotrypsin immobilized on prawn chitin was found to be the best derivative in kinetic terms.

The stability of the three derivatives was studied at 37C.     

Enhanced levan production using chitin-binding domain fused levansucrase immobilized on chitin beads

Levan is a homopolymer of fructose which can be produced by the transfructosylation reaction of levansucrase (EC 2.4.1.10) from sucrose. In particular, levan synthesized by Zymomonas mobilis has found a wide and potential application in the food and pharmaceutical industry. In this study, the immobilization of Z. mobilis levansucrae (encoded by levU) was attempted for repeated production of levan. By fusion levU with the chitin-binding domain (ChBD), the hybrid protein was overproduced in a soluble form in Escherichia coli. After direct absorption of the protein mixture from E. coli onto chitin beads, levansucrase tagged with ChBD was found to specifically attach to the affinity matrix. Subsequent analysis indicated that the linkage between the enzyme and chitin beads was substantially stable. Furthermore, with 20% sucrose, the production of levan was enhanced by 60% to reach 83 g/l using the immobilized levansucrase as compared to that by the free counterpart. This production yield accounts for 41.5% conversion yield (g/g) on the basis of sucrose. After all, a total production of levan with 480 g/l was obtained by recycling of the immobilized enzyme for seven times. It is apparent that this approach offers a promising way for levan production by Z. mobilis levansucrase immobilized on chitin beads.     

Chitinase production following co-immobilization ofMicromonospora chalcae with chitin in calcium alginate

Summary The actinomyceteMicromonospora chalcae produces a chitinolytic system following growth on chitin containing medium. When the organism was co-immobilized in calcium alginate, the amount of chitinase produced was 2-fold higher than the levels produced by the free system. When the immobilized organism was used in a batch fed reactor system it was capable of producing much more enzyme than the free system.     

Immobilizing of Bacillus mucilaginosus--a producer of exopolysaccharides,on chitin

The bacteria Bacillus mucilaginosus were immobilized on chitin sorbents. Exopolysaccharides produced by B. mucilaginosus were capable of sorbing efficiently copper ions. A composite biosorbent involving the chitin derivative Khizitel with immobilized B. mucilaginosus cells at the stage of active exopolysaccharide synthesis was developed.     

Bioremediation of crude oil polluted seawater by a hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strain immobilized on chitin and chitosan flakes

In this laboratory-scale study, we examined the potential of chitin and chitosan flakes obtained from shrimp wastes as carrier material for a hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strain. Flakes decontamination, immobilization conditions and the survival of the immobilized bacterial strain under different storage temperatures were evaluated. The potential of immobilized hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strain for crude oil polluted seawater bioremediation was tested in seawater microcosms. In terms of removal percentage of crude oil after 15 days, the microcosms treated with the immobilized inoculants proved to be the most successful. The inoculants formulated with chitin and chitosan as carrier materials improved the survival and the activity of the immobilized strain. It is important to emphasize that the inoculants formulated with chitin showed the best performance during storage and seawater bioremediation.     

Immobilization of Bacillus mucilaginosus,a Producer of Exopolysaccharides,on Chitin

The bacteria Bacillus mucilaginosus were immobilized on chitin sorbents. Exopolysaccharides produced byB. mucilaginosus were capable of efficiently sorbing copper ions. A composite biosorbent involving the chitin derivative Khizitel with immobilized B. mucilaginosus cells at the stage of active exopolysaccharide synthesis was developed.