Digestion of protein substrates by subtilisin: immobilization changes the pattern of products

Subtilisin BPN' (Bacillus protease strain N') was immobilized on glass-bead carriers of controlled pore size by the glutaraldehyde method. The Vmax and Km values of the synthetic substrate were similar for immobilized and free enzymes. However, the hydrolytic patterns of immobilized and free enzymes toward casein and carboxymethylated lysozyme were different. The free enzyme rapidly hydrolyzed the substrate in the early stage of the reaction to produce peptides of various sizes. The immobilized enzyme, however, slowly digested the casein and lysozyme during digestion; even in the late stage of digestion the original substrates were present in the reaction mixture. The peptide size produced by immobilized enzyme depended on the pore size of the carrier; enzyme immobilized on glass of smaller pore size produced smaller peptide products. These phenomena found with our system of immobilized protease and a protein substrate can be explained by a multiple attack mechanism, in which the substrate that has been forced to enter the matrix is attacked many times by the protease to be completely hydrolyzed, because the substrate and the intermediate-sized product are trapped inside the matrix under reduced diffusion movement. To explain the effective digestion that forms amino acids, we have proposed that a multiple type of attack is responsible for the intracellular protein degradation that takes place in cellular organelles in which hydrolytic enzymes are entrapped.     

Detoxification of organophosphate pesticides using an immobilized phosphotriesterase from Pseudomonas diminuta

A purified phosphotriesterase was successfully immobilized onto trityl agarose in a fixed bed reactor. A total of up to 9200 units of enzyme activity was immobilized onto 2.0 mL of trityl agarose (65 mumol trityl groups/mL agarose), where one unit is the amount of enzyme required to catalyze the hydrolysis of one micromole of paraoxon in one min. The immobilized enzyme was shown to behave chemically and kinetically similar to the free enzyme when paraoxon was utilized as a substrate. Several organophosphate pesticides, methyl parathion, ethyl parathion, diazinon, and coumaphos were also hydrolyzed by the immobilized phosphotriesterase. However, all substrates exhibited an affinity for the trityl agarose matrix. For increased solubility and reduction in the affinity of these pesticides for the trityl agarose matrix, methanol/water mixtures were utilized. The effect of methanol was not deleterious when concentrations of less than 20% were present. However, higher concentrations resulted in elution of enzyme from the reactor. With a 10-unit reactor, a 1.0 mM paraoxon solution was hydrolyzed completely at a flow rate of 45 mL/h. Kinetic parameters were measured with a 0.1-unit reactor with paraoxon as a substrate at a flow rate of 22 mL/h. The apparent K(m) for the immobilized enzyme was 3-4 times greater than the K(m) (0.1 mM) for the soluble enzyme. Immobilization limited the maximum rate of substrate hydrolysis to 40% of the value observed for the soluble enzyme. The pH-rate profiles of the soluble and immobilized enzymes were very similar. The immobilization of phosphotriesterase onto trityl agarose provides an effective method esterase onto trityl agarose provides an effective method for hydrolyzing and thus detoxifyuing organophosphate pesticides and mammalian acetylcholinesterase inhinbitors.     

Immobilization of goat brain aminopeptidase B in calcium alginate beads

Aminopeptidase B, an arginyl aminopeptidase, was purified from goat brain with a purification factor of ～280 and a yield of 2.7%. It was entrapped in calcium alginate together with bovine serum albumin. The optimal conditions for immobilization for maximum activity yield were 1% CaCl₂ and 2.5% alginate. The immobilized enzyme retained ～62% of its initial activity and could be used for five successive batch reactions with retention of 30% of the initial activity. The pH and temperature optima of the free and immobilized enzyme were pH 7.4, 45°C and pH 7.8, 50°C respectively, while the pH and thermal stability as well as the stability of the enzyme in organic solvents were improved significantly after entrapment. The K_m value for the immobilized enzyme was about twofold higher than that of the soluble enzyme. Because of this increased stability, the immobilized enzyme may be useful in the meat processing industry.     

Yeast alcohol dehydrogenase immobilized in a glutaraldehyde–albumin matrix: Kinetics and cofactor diffusional effects*

This study was carried out to define how the overall rate of reaction would be influenced by different degrees of diffusional resistance to cofactor transport within an oxidoreductase membrane matrix. To accomplish this, 0.7–6.6μM yeast alcohol dehydrogenase was immobilized in an albumin matrix crosslinked with 2.5 or 5.0% glutaraldehyde to give 102–1685 μM thick membranes. The enzyme half-life was at least doubled at pH 7.5 or 8.8 on immobilization. Values of the kinetic constants for the soluble and immobilized enzyme were determined at 25°C and pH 8.8 over the range of 0.01–1.0M bulk solution concentration of ethanol as substrate and 140–1000μM bulk solution concentration of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) as cofactor, to give essentially single substrate kinetics in NAD⁺. Equilibrium partitioning of ethanol and NAD⁺ between the solution and membrane was measured and used in the data analysis. The four kinetic constants for the soluble enzyme agreed with literature values; and all increased with immobilization of the enzyme. The Michaelis constants for NAD⁺ and for ethanol were greater for the immobilized enzyme. The diffusional resistance to NAD⁺ transport, presented in terms of the Thiele modulus, showed that the overall rate of reaction was decreased by about 50% even at values of the modulus as low as 2.0.     

Stabilization of pancreatic ribonuclease A by immobilization on Sepharose-linked antibodies that recognize the labile region of the enzyme.

The stabilizing potential of the antibodies recognizing the labile region of pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase) has been investigated. The dodecapeptide SRNLTKDRAKPV corresponding to the labile region 32--43 on RNase was synthesized by the solid-phase method. Antiserum raised against the dodecapeptide-bovine serum albumin conjugate showed good cross-reactivity with the peptide and native RNase. RNase immobilized on Sepharose support precoupled either with the antipeptide immunoglobulin (IgG) or anti-RNase IgG proved to be more resistant to thermal inactivation than the soluble enzyme. Besides, stability against inactivation by trypsin at 55 degrees C was markedly high when enzyme was immobilized on the antipeptide IgG support, as compared to the soluble and other immobilized preparations. These results suggest that matrices bearing antibodies recognizing specific labile regions of enzyme may be useful in selectively improving their stability against specific forms of inactivation.     

Effects of immobilization on the kinetics of enzyme-catalyzed reactions. I. Glucose oxidase in a recirculation reactor system.

Glucose oxidase from Aspergillus niger was immobilized on nonporous glass beads by covalent bonding and its kinetics were studied in a packed-column recycle reactor. The optimum pH of the immobilized enzyme was the same as that of soluble enzyme; however, immobilized glucose oxidase showed a sharper pH-activity profile than that of the soluble enzyme. The kinetic behavior of immobilized glucose oxidase at optimum pH and 25 degrees C was similar to that of the soluble enzyme, but the immobilized material showed increased temperature sensitivity. Immobilized glucose oxidase showed no loss in activity on storage at 4 degrees C for nearly ten weeks. On continuous use for 60 hr, the immobilized enzyme showed about a 40% loss in activity but no change in the kinetic constant.     

A novel procedure for the preparation and characterization of catalytically active fatty acid synthetase immobilized on sepharose beads

A novel procedure for immobilization of enzymatically active fatty acid synthetase is presented. The enzyme is coupled to a Sepharose 4B matrix containing covalently attached antibodies which recognize, and bind specifically to, the thioesterase domain of this polyfunctional enzyme. A continuous flow system is described for assay of the immobilized enzyme. Fatty acid synthetase activity apparently is not limited by movement of substrates through the Nernst diffusion layer surrounding the matrix particles, since normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics are observed and reaction rates are independent of flow rate. The Km values for acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, the pH/activity profile, and the reaction products are essentially the same as for the freely soluble enzyme, although the specific activity is lower by about 55%. The preparation and characterization of immobilized subunits of the enzyme could provide a valuable approach for studying the role of structural and functional subunit interactions in the enzyme. In addition, the immobilized enzyme offers a model for studying the properties of this enzyme in a highly structured environment such as might exist in vivo, permitting study of both physical and functional interactions of fatty acid synthetase with other lipogenic enzymes.     

The mechanism of cobalamin binding to hog intrinsic factor

Chicken brain Arylsulfatase A (E.C.3.1.6.1) was immobilized by interaction with Concanavalin A. The immobilized enzyme retained its catalytic activity and this enzyme can be reused without appreciable loss of activity. The storage stability of bound and soluble enzymes was comparable and binding of enzyme to Concanavalin A increases its thermal stability. Kinetic studies indicated that bound enzyme shows similar anomalous kinetics as that of free enzyme but slight change was observed in relation to pH optima, Km value and activation energy.     

Stabilization of polyacrylamide gel immobilized horseradish peroxidase by its covalent coupling to albumin]

Pretreatment of peroxidase by its covalent coupling to inert proteins and albumin by means of glutaraldehyde considerably increases the thermostability and specific activity of polyacrylamide gel (PAAG) immobilized peroxidase. The effects of PAAG composition on the catalytic properties of the immobilized oligomers: peroxidase-inert proteins-albumin, are studied. The oligomers immobilized in 40% PAAG (10% N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) possess the maximal specific activity (4.5 nmol/g). The effects of oligomer composition on their catalytic activity and stability in PAAG are studied. The stability of oligomers of optimal composition (ratio of albumin/peroxidase is 2.4), incorporated into 40% PAAG, is 15 times higher as compared to that of the soluble enzyme and 250 times higher as compared to that of the enzyme incorporated into PAAG without pretreatment. A mechanism of stabilizing effect exerted by albumin on peroxidase in PAAG-immobilized oligomers, is discussed.     

Development of continuous microwave-assisted protein digestion with immobilized enzyme

In this study, an easy and efficiency protein digestion method called continuous microwave-assisted protein digestion (cMAED) with immobilized enzyme was developed and applied for proteome analysis by LC–MSⁿ. Continuous microwave power outputting was specially designed and applied. Trypsin and bromelain were immobilized onto magnetic micropheres. To evaluate the method of cMAED, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and protein extracted from ginkgo nuts were used as model and real protein sample to verify the digestion efficiency of cMAED. Several conditions including continuous microwave power, the ratio of immobilized trypsin/BSA were optimized according to the analysis of peptide fragments by Tricine SDS–PAGE and LC–MSⁿ. Subsequently, the ginkgo protein was digested with the protocols of cMAED, MAED and conventional heating enzymatic digestion (HED) respectively and the LC–MSⁿ profiles of the hydrolysate was compared. Results showed that cMAED combined with immobilized enzyme was a fast and efficient digestion method for protein digestion and microwave power tentatively affected the peptide producing. The cMAED method will be expanded for large-scale preparation of bioactive peptides and peptide analysis in biological and clinical research.     

Immobilization of rat lung soluble guanylate cyclase on alkyl-agarose gels.

The soluble guanylate cyclase from rat lung was immobilized by absorption rather than covalent attachment on hexyl-, octyl-, or decyl-agarose. The enzyme retained activity after being bound to these matrices and could be compared to the soluble, mobile form of the enzyme. Compared to the soluble enzyme, the immobilized guanylate cyclase had a lower apparent maximal velocity and a higher apparent Km for MeGTP in the presence of Mg2+, Ca2+, or Mn2+. The apparent maximum velocity was reduced to the same extent by hexyl-, octyl-, or decyl-agarose, but the reduction in activity was greater with Mg2+ than with Ca2+ or Mn2+. Both the soluble and immobilized guanylate cyclase displayed concave downward patterns on double reciprocal polots as a function of Mn2+, and Ca2+ caused apparent activation of either form of the enzyme. MnATP appeared to be a linear competitive inhibitor with respect to MnGTP for both forms of the enzymes but the ki was 3 micron for the soluble form and 30 micron for the immobilized form. These results demonstrate that the soluble form of guanylate cyclase from rat lung retains many of its basic properties after being immobilized on a hydrophobic matrix; however, rather pronounced decreases in the maximum velocity and increases in the apparent Michaelis constant for MeGTP, particularly for MgGTP, are observed upon immobilization.     

Preparation and properties of co-reticulated invertase supported by an ultrafiltration membrane.

Yeast invertase was co-reticulated with glutaraldehyde to bovine serum albumin to give a soluble bound enzyme that was immobilized as a tightly adhering layer on the active surface of an ultrafiltration membrane. The Michaelis constant and stability of this immobilized-enzyme system are compared with those of the enzyme either in the native form or immobilized as a dynamically formed gel layer on an ultrafiltration membrane, as previously described by us [Drioli, Gianfreda, Palescandolo & Scardi (1975) Biotechnol, Bioeng, 17, 1365-1367].     

Effect of immobilization on stability and properties of N-acetyl-β-d-hexosaminidase from Turbo cornutus

A mixture of glycosidases from the liver of the gastropod Turbo cornutus was co-immobilized with bovine serum albumin and glutaraldehyde, and then cast as membranes. The properties of immobilized N-acetyl-β-d-hexosaminidase were studied. The recovery of N-acetyl-β-d-hexosaminidase after immobilization was unaffected by increasing the concentration of glutaraldehyde, but was decreased by increasing the bovine serum albumin concentration. The immobilized enzyme showed enhanced resistance towards proteolytic and thermal inactivation. While the pH optimum for the soluble enzyme was 4.0, a bimodal pH curve with optima at 3.4 and 5.0 was observed after insolubilization. This bimodality was abolished when the immobilized enzyme was assayed in the presence of M NaCl. The K_m values, for p-nitrophenyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-β-d-glucopyranoside, of the immobilized isoenzymes of N-acetyl-β-d-hexosaminidase were larger than those of their soluble counterparts. No loss of activity could be detected in the membrane after using it for 24 consecutive assays or after storage for at least 50 days at 4°.     

Characterization of glucose oxidase immobilized on collagen

Summary The enzyme glucose oxidase (E.C. 1.1.3.4) was immobilized on collagen — a proteinaceous material found in biological systems as a structural material for a wide variety of cells and membranes. The novel technique of electrocodeposition, which utilizes the principles of electrophoresis, was used to deposit the enzyme-collagen complex on stainless steel helical supports. This technique has been developed in our laboratory. The mechanism of complex formation between collagen and enzyme involves multiple salt linkages, hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions.As a first step toward examining its feasible technical use, the kinetic behavior of the collagen-supported glucose oxidase was studied in a batch recycle type reactor and was compared with that for the soluble form. A novel reactor configuration consisting of multiple concentric electrocodeposited helical coils was used. The reactor was found to attain a stable level of activity which was maintained for several months under cyclic testing. The optimum levels of pH and temperature for the immobilized form of the enzyme were the same as those of the soluble enzyme, but the immobilized enzyme was more active than the soluble form at higher temperatures and pH. The values of the Michaelis-Menten parameters indicate that the overall reaction rate of the immobilized enzyme may be partially restricted by bulk and matrix diffusion.     

Immobilization of lactase from Kluyveromyces lactis greatly reduces the inhibition promoted by glucose. full hydrolysis of lactose in milk

The kinetic constants (Km, Vmax, and inhibition constants for the different products) of soluble and different immobilized preparations of beta-galactosidase from Kluyveromyces lactis were determined. For the soluble enzyme, the Km was 3.6 mM, while the competitive inhibition constant by galactose was 45 mM and the noncompetitive one by glucose was 758 mM. The immobilized preparations conserved similar values of Km and competitive inhibition, but in some instances much higher values for the noncompetitive inhibition constants were obtained. Thus, when glyoxyl or glutaraldehyde supports were used to immobilize the enzyme, the noncompetitive inhibition was greatly reduced (Ki approximately 15,000 and >40,000 mM, respectively), whereas when using sugar chains to immobilize the enzyme the behavior had an effect very similar to the soluble enzyme. These results presented a great practical relevance. While using the soluble enzyme or the enzyme immobilized via the sugar chain as biocatalysts in the hydrolysis of lactose in milk only around 90% of the substrate was hydrolyzed, by using of these the enzyme immobilized via the glyoxyl or the glutaraldehyde groups, more than 99% of the lactose in milk was hydrolyzed.     

Sepharose-bound trypsin and activated sepharose-bound trypsinogen. Studies with small and large substrates

Several enzymic and physical properties of Sepharose-bound trypsin and activated Sepharose-bound trypsinogen have been compared to those of the soluble enzyme. Sepharose-bound trypsinogen could be activated to the same extent as soluble trypsinogen; the release of the activation peptide and formation of the active site occurred as expected in the presence of catalytic amounts of trypsin. With synthetic substrates, the relative activity and pH dependence of both immobilized trypsin preparations were essentially identical and nearly the same as the soluble enzyme. Sepharose-trypsin also formed an inactive complex with soybean trypsin inhibitor, with 85% of the active sites participating. In contrast, the activity of Sepharose-trypsin with chymotrypsinogen and with trypsinogen as substrates was only 40% that of soluble trypsin. There is evidence for some catalytic heterogeneity of active sites of bound trypsin; probably those sites buried within the gel have a limited catalytic efficiency with macromolecular substrates. The immobilized enzyme is more stable than the soluble enzyme at elevated temperatures and to concentrated urea, and denaturation by urea at pH 8 is fully reversible since the loss of molecules by autolysis is eliminated.     

Immobilized phospholipase A2 from cobra venom. Prevention of substrate interfacial and activator effects

The activation of cobra venom phospholipase A2 by activators (containing phosphorylcholine moieties) appears to depend upon the aggregation state of the enzyme, and the presence of a lipid-water interface. The characteristics of this activation were studied by comparing the behavior of the enzyme immobilized on an agarose gel to that of the soluble enzyme. The immobilized enzyme displays only a few per cent of the soluble enzyme activity toward micellar dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (PC). However, the relative loss of activity is much less with micellar dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine or soluble diheptanoyl-PC. The affinity for Ca2+ is increased about 10-fold by immobilization while the apparent pKa of the enzyme is decreased by 0.5-0.8 pH units. Activation energies are similar for the two enzyme forms and are independent of the physical state of the substrate used. Catalytic constants of the enzyme toward monomeric PC are not changed by immobilization. Yet, activators of the soluble enzyme have negligible effect on the immobilized enzyme, either in the presence or absence of an interface. Monomeric activators promote the binding of the soluble enzyme to the immobilized form. Apparently, immobilization mainly produces monomerically constrained enzyme which cannot be activated under any condition, whereas normally, activators in the presence of lipid-water interfaces induce the formation of enzyme dimers or possibly higher order aggregates.     

Limited modifications of soya proteins by immobilized subtilisin: comparison of products from different reactor types

A comparison of different immobilized enzyme reactors has been made for the limited modification of soya storage proteins and the products compared with those from action of the soluble enzyme. Clarified total water extracts of soya protein were subjected to the action of subtilisin in a soluble and immobilized form. The sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) electrophoresis patterns of soya proteins modified by enzyme in the two forms differed for unbuffered soya protein at the same pH of 8.0. However, identical patterns could be obtained by a downward adjustment of the pH of soya protein treated with immobilized enzyme. The same SDS electrophoresis pattern could be obtained for a packed column of immobilized enzyme and a well-mixed vessel by buffering. Operation of the column reactor at higher superficial linear velocities (above 1.47 cm/min), higher protein concentrations (8.8% w/v), and prolonged periods (24 h) led to a bed compression attributed to the protein coating of the support.     

Properties of a reversible soluble-insoluble cellulase and its application to repeated hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose

Cellulase was covalently immobilized on an enteric coating polymer, Eudragit L, that is reversibly soluble and insoluble depending on the pH of the medium. The hydrolysis of solid cellulose with the immobilized enzyme can take advantage of the soluble property of the immobilized enzyme itself at the most reactive pH value; on the other hand, recovery of the enzyme can take advantage of the insoluble property of the enzyme at other pH values. It was experimentally confirmed that 100% of immobilized enzyme activity in solution can be recovered by precipitation and by dissolving it again by alternative change of pH. After a period of hydrolysis, immobilized enzyme and unreacted cellulose were precipitated together to remove the product-the soluble sugar solution-by changing pH. Following this, a new buffer solution was added to the precipitate to dissolve it and resume the reaction. This was repeated several times. The hydrolysis rate of this process increased significantly compared with that of a batch process. Utilization of the reversible soluble-insoluble carrier for immobilizing enzyme is promising, not only for cellulose-cellulase systems, but also for other heterogeneous reaction systems.