The effect of organic solvents on the equilibrium position of enzymatic acylglycerol synthesis

The effect of organic solvents on the equilibrium position of lipase-catalyzed esterification of glycerol and decanoic acid has been investigated. The reaction is carried out in an aqueous-organic two-phase system. In polar solvents, high mole fractions of monoacylglycerol and low mole fractions of triacylglycerol and measured, while in nonpolar solvents, the measured differences in the mole fractions of monodi-, and triacylglycerols are less. There is a good correlation between the ester mole fractions at equilibrium and the log P of the solvent (partition coefficient in n-octanolwater), however, only if the group of tertiary alcohols is excluded. In the plot of the easter mole fractions as a function of the logarithm of hte solubility of water in the organic solvent, the tertiary alcohols can be included; however, in this case other deviations appear.For the prediction of the effect of organic solvents on the ester mole fractions at reaction equilibrium in nondilute reaction systems with a water activity below 1, the program TREP (Two-phase Reaction Equilibrium Prediction) is developed, which is based on the UNIFAC group contribution method. With this model the equilibrium data are essentially predicted from basic thermodynamic data. The required equilibrium constants are estimated from experiments without an organic solvent in the reaction medium. The mole fractions calculated by TREP show the same trends as the experimentally measured mole fractions; however, some variation is observed in the absolute values. These deviations may be due to inaccuracies in the UNIFAC group contribution method. TREP is found to be a correct method to predict within some limits the ester mole fractions at equilibrium for all mixtures of solvents, substrates, and products. The production of monoester can be enhanced in reaction system with a sufficient high concentration of a polar solvent. In experiments with a triglymeto-decanoic acid ratio of 5, almost no di-and triesters can be detected at equilibrium. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Papain in organic solvents: determination of conditions suitable for biocatalysis and the effect on substrate specificity and inhibition

Synthesis of N-CBZ-(N-Carbobenzoxy)-1-amino-acid methyl esters from N-CBZ-amino acids and methanol has been used as an assay to examine the properties of papain in organic solvents containing small amounts of water. Papain is active in solvents ranging in polarity from acetonitrile to tetrachloromethane. The optimal activity in each solvent varied only about three to four fold, but the amount of added water required to achieve it varied from 4% (v/v) in acetonitrile to 0.05% (v/v) in tetrachloromethane. The enzyme was generally more stable in hydrophobic solvents and at lower water contents. The apparent K(m) value of CBZ-glycine was 26 times higher in acetonitrile than in toluene due to differential partitioning of the substrate between aqueous and organic phases. The substrate specificity of the enzyme was qualitatively little different from that in aqueous solution, with amino acid derivatives still the best substrates. Nitrile analogs of substrates inhibited the enzyme, as they do in aqueous solution, and inhibition by a variety of substituted aromatic hydrocarbons showed that the main specificity of papain for hydrophobic side chains at its S(2) subsite, was little affected. The results show that papain can catalyze reactions under a variety of conditions in organic solvents but its substrate specificity is little changed from that in aqueous media.     

Progress in biocatalysis with immobilized viable whole cells: systems development,reaction engineering and applications

Viable microbial cells are important biocatalysts in the production of fine chemicals and biofuels, in environmental applications and also in emerging applications such as biosensors or medicine. Their increasing significance is driven mainly by the intensive development of high performance recombinant strains supplying multienzyme cascade reaction pathways, and by advances in preservation of the native state and stability of whole-cell biocatalysts throughout their application. In many cases, the stability and performance of whole-cell biocatalysts can be highly improved by controlled immobilization techniques. This review summarizes the current progress in the development of immobilized whole-cell biocatalysts, the immobilization methods as well as in the bioreaction engineering aspects and economical aspects of their biocatalytic applications.     

Enhanced reactivity of Rhizopus oryzae lipase displayed on yeast cell surfaces in organic solvents: potential as a whole-cell biocatalyst in organic solvents

Immobilization of enzymes on some solid supports has been used to stabilize enzymes in organic solvents. In this study, we evaluated applications of genetically immobilized Rhizopus oryzae lipase displayed on the cell surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in organic solvents and measured the catalytic activity of the displayed enzyme as a fusion protein with alpha-agglutinin. Compared to the activity of a commercial preparation of this lipase, the activity of the new preparation was 4.4 x 10(4)-fold higher in a hydrolysis reaction using p-nitrophenyl palmitate and 3.8 x 10(4)-fold higher in an esterification reaction with palmitic acid and n-pentanol (0.2% H2O). Increased enzyme activity may occur because the lipase displayed on the yeast cell surface is stabilized by the cell wall. We used a combination of error-prone PCR and cell surface display to increase lipase activity. Of 7,000 colonies in a library of mutated lipases, 13 formed a clear halo on plates containing 0.2% methyl palmitate. In organic solvents, the catalytic activity of 5/13 mutants was three- to sixfold higher than that of the original construct. Thus, yeast cells displaying the lipase can be used in organic solvents, and the lipase activity may be increased by a combination of protein engineering and display techniques. Thus, this immobilized lipase, which is more easily prepared and has higher activity than commercially available free and immobilized lipases, may be a practical alternative for the production of esters derived from fatty acids.     

Asymmetric ketone reduction with immobilized yeast in hexane: biocatalyst deactivation and regeneration

There is a need to develop methods for producing enantiomerically pure pharmaceuticals because the racemic mixtures made today will probably not be allowed in the future. Synthetic chiral catalysts are being developed for this purpose, as well as new product separation techniques. Another possible option is to use biocatalysts, such as purified enzymes or whole microbial cells, since these can result in the production of mostly a single enantiomer. This study emphasizes the use of alginate-entrapped yeast cells to catalyze the reduction of ketones as a model system. The emphasis is on the factors that might limit the reactivity of such cells, such as equilibrium conditions, substrate or product inhibition, solvent toxicity, loss of cell viability, or the degradation of intracellular levels of enzymes or cofactors.It was found that there was a progressive loss of catalytic activity of the immobilized yeast cells, which appeared to be mainly associated with a loss of cell viability and a decline of intracellular NAD(H) levels during the reaction. The other factors investigated did not have a large effect. A regeneration scheme was developed in order to replenish the intracellular NAD(H) lost during the reaction, which involved removing the biocatalyst from the reaction and supplying the cells with a nutrient source. This resulted in an increase in the NAD(H) to initial levels and also resulted in a maintenance of the ketone reduction rate over time.     

Solvent effects on biocatalysis in organic systems: equilibrium position and rates of lipase catalyzed esterification

Porcine pancreatic lipase immobilized on celite particles has been employed as a catalyst for the esterification of dodecanol and decanoic acid in a predominantly organic system. Solvent influence on the equilibrium position and on the catalyst activity has been studied using 20 solvents, including aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, ethers, ketones, nitro- and halogenated hydrocarbons, and esters. The equilibrium constant for esterification correlates well with the solubility of water in the organic solvent, which in turn shows a good relationship with a function of Guttman's donor number and the electron pair acceptance index number of the solvent. This may be rationalized in terms of the requirements for solvation of water and of the reactants. The catalyst activity, measured as the initial rate of the esterification reaction, is best correlated as a function of both n-octanol-water partition coefficient (log P) and either the electron pair acceptance index or the polarizability.     

Solvent selection for biocatalysis in mainly organic systems: predictions of effects on equilibrium position

Predictions may be made for the influence of solvent choice on the equilibrium position of biocatalyzed reactions, based on data for the liquid-liquid distribution of the reactants. The most reliable predictions are probably for dilute systems, based on partition coefficients or correlations derived from them. The effective equilibrium constant for esterification reactions is predicted to alter by more than four orders of magnitude on changing between different water-immiscible solvents. The equilibrium constant correlates well with the solubility of water in the solvent, and is most favorable for synthesis in the least polar solvents (aliphatic hydrocarbons). Similar effects seem to apply for other reactions, including oxidation of alcohols and hydrolysis of chlorides. Predictions can be made for nondilute systems using the UNIFAC system of group contributions, but the reliability of these is more questionable.     

Peptide synthesis by proteases in organic solvents: medium effect on substrate specificity.

The substrate specificities of alpha-chymotrypsin and subtilisins for peptide synthesis in hydrophilic organic solvents were investigated. Chymotrypsin exhibited high specificity to aromatic amino acids as acyl donors, while subtilisin Carlsberg and subtilisin BPN' were specific to aromatic and neutral aliphatic amino acids, in accordance with the S1 specificities of the enzymes for peptide hydrolysis in aqueous solutions. On the contrary, chymotrypsin exhibited higher specificities to hydrophilic amino acid amides as acyl acceptors (nucleophiles) for peptide synthesis with N-acetyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester, in contrast to the S1' specificity for peptide hydrolysis and peptide synthesis in aqueous solutions. Furthermore, nucleophile specificity changed with the change in water-organic solvent composition; the increase in water content led to increase in relative reactivity of leucinamide to that of alaninamide. It was also found that protection of the carboxyl group of alanine by amidation is much preferable to protection by esterification in terms of reactivity as nucleophiles.     

Studies on immobilized trypsin in high concentrations of organic solvents.

Trypsin was covalently immobilized on porous glass in the presence and absence of a specific substrate and reacted in various organic solvents of different dielectric constants. Optimum solvent concentration, pH profile, Km(app), Vmax(app), productivity versus temperature, activity, and reaction rates were determined. Reaction rates of six lysyl dipeptides were compared. Crystalline trypsin was dansylated for studies by nanosecond fluorescence techniques to determine the effects of introducing high concentrations of organic solvents on the molecule. The results indicated that greater reaction rates were observed with dipeptides having more acidic carboxyl terminal groups. The data also indicated that greater reaction rates were observed in higher concentrations of solvents of lower dielectric constants. Nanosecond fluorescence spectroscopy of trypsin in high concentrations of a low dielectric constant solvent indicated major dehydration even though maximal enzyme activity was achieved under these conditions.     

Synthesis of aspartame precursor with an immobilized thermolysin in mixed organic solvents

N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, a precursor of the synthetic sweetener, aspartame, was synthesized from N-(benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-aspartic acid and L-phenylalanine methyl ester with an immobilized thermolysin (EC 3.4.24.4) in the mixed organic solvent system of tert-amyl alcohol and ethyl acetate. A mixed solvent consisting of tert-amyl alcohol and ethyl acetate at a ratio of 33:67 (v/v) was found to be the most suitable with respect to synthetic rate and stability of the immobilized enzyme. The reaction continued to proceed quite successfully in a column reactor at 40 degrees C and at a space velocity of 3.6 h(-1) with a yield of 99%, using 40 mM Z-Asp and 200 mM PheOMe dissolved in the mixed solvent as the substrate. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Characteristics of nearly dry enzymes in organic solvents: implications for biocatalysis in the absence of water

We have examined enzymes in nearly anhydrous organic solvents spanning a wide range of dielectric constants using a combination of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, high-pressure kinetic studies and the electrostatic model of Kirkwood. This approach enabled us to investigate the relationship between catalytic activity, protein flexibility and solvent polarity for an enzymatic reaction proceeding through a highly polar transition state in the near absence of water. Further insights into water-protein interactions and the involvement of water in enzyme structure and function have been obtained by EPR and multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance studies of enzymes suspended and immobilized in organic solvents with and without added water. In these systems, correlations were observed between the water content and enzyme activity, flexibility, and active-site polarity, although the structural properties of suspended and immobilized enzymes differed markedly. These results have helped to elucidate the role of water in molecular events at the enzymic active site leading to improved biocatalysis in low-water environments.     

Continuous conversion of sucrose to fructose and gluconic acid by immobilized yeast cell multienzyme complex

A multienzyme complex consisting of invertase, glucose oxidase, and catalase was reconstituted by binding glucose oxidase using concanavalin A (Con A) to the cell wall of Sacchararomyces cerevisiae, previously induced for maximal activities of invertase and catalase. The cell flocculate obtained was stabilized by entrapment in polyacrylamide using γ irradiation at 100 kR. This complex showed a shortening of the lag period and enhancement in gluconic acid production as compared to a similar mixture of soluble enzymes. The efficacy of the multienzyme complex has been compared with that of mixed multienzyme system composed of individually immobilized enzymes. The immobilized multienzyme complex in a continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor system could be operated for continuous conversion of sucrose to fructose and gluconic acid. The reactor system did not show any loss in efficiency in a continuous operation over 20 days.     

Influence of cinnamaldehyde on UV-induced gene conversion and point mutation in yeast: effect on protein synthesis.

The activity of cinnamaldehyde (CIN), a bioantimutagen in bacterial systems, was tested in the D7 strain of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast cells were UV-irradiated and post-incubated in liquid growth medium for 2 and 4 h with different concentrations of cinnamaldehyde. During the post-incubation period, DNA-damage-specific functions may be induced. This in turn may affect the genotoxicity and in fact a weak decrease in UV-induced convertant and revertant frequencies was observed after 4 h of post-incubation. The presence of CIN in the growth medium increased the UV-induced gene conversion and reversion. The addition of cycloheximide abolished this effect. To evaluate the CIN effect on protein synthesis, extracts of cells UV-treated and post-incubated for 2 h in the presence of 35S-methionine were performed. SDS-gel electrophoresis demonstrated the inhibitory effect of CIN on a UV-specific protein. This work suggests that CIN might interfere with DNA-damage-inducible systems although it did not exert an antimutagenic activity in our experimental conditions.     

Improved activity and stability of an immobilized recombinant laccase in organic solvents

Laccase (E.C. 1.10.3.2) from Trametes versicolor was immobilized (adsorbed) by drying on various supports (glass, glass powder, silica gel, and Nylon 66 membrane). The enzyme activity and stability were determined in diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, and methylene chloride. The initial rate for the oxidation of syringaldazine varied up to 245-fold depending on the solvent and support, the best results being obtained with Nylon 66 membrane. No inactivation of immobilized laccase over 72 h was observed in diethyl ether and ethyl acetate, while exposure to methylene chloride resulted in significant activity decreases regardless of the support material.     

Denaturation capacity: a new quantitative criterion for selection of organic solvents as reaction media in biocatalysis.

The process of reversible denaturation of several proteins (alpha-chymotrypsin, trypsin, laccase, chymotrypsinogen, cytochrome c and myoglobin) by a broad series of organic solvents of different nature was investigated using both our own and literature data, based on the results of kinetic and spectroscopic measurements. In all systems studied, the denaturation proceeded in a threshold manner, i.e. an abrupt change in catalytic and/or spectroscopic properties of dissolved proteins was observed after a certain threshold concentration of the organic solvent had been reached. To account for the observed features of the denaturation process, a thermodynamic model of the reversible protein denaturation by organic solvents was developed, based on the widely accepted notion that an undisturbed water shell around the protein globule is a prerequisite for the retention of the native state of the protein. The quantitative treatment led to the equation relating the threshold concentration of the organic solvent with its physicochemical characteristics, such as hydrophobicity, solvating ability and molecular geometry. This equation described well the experimental data for all proteins tested. Based on the thermodynamic model of protein denaturation, a novel quantitative parameter characterizing the denaturing strength of organic solvents, called the denaturation capacity (DC), was suggested. Different organic solvents, arranged according to their DC values, form the DC scale of organic solvents which permits theoretical prediction of the threshold concentration of any organic solvent for a given protein. The validity of the DC scale for this kind of prediction was verified for all proteins tested and a large number of organic solvents. The experimental data for a few organic solvents, such as formamide and N-methylformamide, did not comply with equations describing the denaturation model. Such solvents form the group of so-called 'bad' solvents; reasons for the occurrence of 'bad' solvents are not yet clear. The DC scale was further extended to include also highly nonpolar solvents, in order to explain the well-known ability of enzymes to retain catalytic activity and stability in biphasic systems of the type water/water-immiscible organic solvent. It was quantitatively demonstrated that this ability is accounted for by the simple fact that nonpolar solvents are not sufficiently soluble in water to reach the inactivation threshold concentration.     

Effect of organic solvents on penicillin acylase-catalyzed reactions: interaction of organic solvents with enzymes

The effects of various organic solvents on penicillin acylase-catalyzed synthesis of β-lactam antibiotics (pivampicillin and ampicillin) have been investigated in water-solvent mixtures. The rates of penicillin acylase-catalyzed reactions were found to be significantly reduced by the presence of a small amount of organic solvent. In particular, the rate of enzyme catalysis was extremely low in the presence of ring-structured solvents and acids while enzyme activities were fully restored after removing the solvents. This indicates that interactions between the solvents and the enzyme are specific and reversible. To correlate the inhibitory effects of organic solvents with solvent properties the influence of solvent hydrophobicities and solvent activity on the rate of pivampicillin synthesis was examined. The reaction rate was found to decrease with increasing solvent hydrophobicities, and a better correlation was observed between the reaction rate and solvent activity. The effects of ionic strength on the synthesis of pivampicillin and ampicillin were also examined. The ionic strength dependence indicates that electrostatic interactions are involved in the binding of ionic compounds to the enzyme. On the basis of the active site structure of penicillin acylase, a possible mechanism for molecular interactions between the enzyme and organic solvents is suggested.     

Synthesis of lovastatin with immobilized Candida rugosa lipase in organic solvents: Effects of reaction conditions on initial rates

Lipase from Candida rugosa immobilized on a nylon support has been used to synthesize lovastatin, a drug which lowers serum cholesterol levels, by the regioselective acylation of a diol lactone precursor with 2-methylbutyric acid in mixtures of organic solvents. Analogs of lovastatin having a different side chain were also obtained through this method by reacting the diol substrate with different carboxylic acids. The selection of reaction conditions that maximize the initial reaction rate is investigated. Since the diol substrate has very low solubility in non-polar solvents, reaction solvents consisting of mixtures of hexane with a different, more polar cosolvent are considered. For each of the cosolvent mixtures studied, the reaction rate is maximum for an intermediate percentage of cosolvent in hexane. With total concentrations of the diol lactone in the range 6.25-12.5 mM, maximum initial rates correspond approximately to those cosolvent concentrations that permit a complete solubilization of the substrate. At higher cosolvent concentrations, lower rates are obtained. When considering the same dissolved substrate concentration, the reaction rate was found to increase with increasing values of logP(mix) and decreasing values of the dielectric constant, when varying the composition of a binary solvent mixture. However, when comparing different cosolvents, no general trend with respect to these properties was observed. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 56:671-680, 1997.     

Effect of support material and enzyme pretreatment on enantioselectivity of immobilized subtilisin in organic solvents

Subtilisin Carlsberg was covalently attached to five macroporous acrylic supports of varying aquaphilicity (a measure of hydrophilicity). Kinetic parameters of the transesterification of S and R enantiomers of secphenethyl alcohol with vinyl butyrate, catalyzed by various immobilized subtilisins, were determined in anhydrous dioxane and acetonitrile. Enzyme enantioselectivity in acetonitrile, but not in dioxane, correlated with the aquaphilicity of the support; a mechanistic rationale for this phenomenon was proposed. Although the catalytic activity of immobilized subtilisin in anhydrous solvents strongly depended on enzyme pretreatment, the enantioselectivity was essential conserved. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Transphosphatidylation reaction of phosphatidylcholine to 4-methoxyphenol in water-immiscible organic solvents with immobilized phospholipase D

Immobilized phospholipase D (PLD) from Streptomyces sp. catalyzed the transfer reaction of the dipalmitoylphosphatidyl residue from 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-sn-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) to an aromatic hydroxy group on 4-methoxyphenol in water-immiscible organic solvents, to afford 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-sn-phosphatidyl-4-methoxyphenol (DPP-PMP) with a 45% yield, accompanied by a trace amount of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-sn-phosphatidic acid sodium salt (DPPA-Na). The formation of DPP-PMP was affected by organic solvents used in the reaction. Benzene, toluene, and methylene chloride gave DPP-PMP with moderate yields but use of diethyl ether resulted in a low yield of DPP-PMP. In both ethyl acetate and water-miscible organic solvents, the transfer reaction did not take place. Immobilization of PLD was carried out by adding a 1 % volume of PLD solution to a suspension of a cation-exchange resin (Amberlite IRC-50, 5% w/v) in benzene with stirring and sonication. In a repeated batch reaction for DPP-PMP synthesis with immobilized PLD, after ten batch cycles the enzyme retained 74% of its initial activity.     

Nitrile-converting enzymes as a tool to improve biocatalysis in organic synthesis: recent insights and promises

Nitrile-converting enzymes, including nitrilase and nitrile hydratase (NHase), have received increasing attention from researchers of industrial biocatalysis because of their critical role as a tool in organic synthesis of carboxylic acids and amides from nitriles. To date, these bioconversion approaches are considered as one of the most potential industrial processes using resting cells or purified enzymes as catalysts for production of food additives, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical precursors. This review focuses on the distribution and catalytic mechanism research of nitrile-converting enzymes in recent years. Molecular biology aspects to improve the biocatalytic performance of microbial nitrilase and NHase are demonstrated. The process developments of microbial nitrilase and NHase for organic synthesis are also discussed.