Optimizing the Mass-Specific Activity of Bilirubin Oxidase Adlayers through Combined Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance and Dual Polarization Interferometry Analyses

Hydrogenase-based electrode for hydrogen sensing in a fermentation bioreactor

The hydrogen-based economy will require not only sustainable hydrogen production but also sensitive and cheap hydrogen sensors. Commercially available H₂ sensors are limited by either use of noble metals or elevated temperatures. In nature, hydrogenase enzymes present high affinity and selectivity for hydrogen, while being able to operate in mild conditions. This study aims at evaluating the performance of an electrochemical sensor based on carbon nanomaterials with immobilised hydrogenase from the hyperthermophilic bacterium Aquifex aeolicus for H₂ detection. The effect of various parameters, including the surface chemistry, dispersion degree and amount of deposited carbon nanotubes, enzyme concentration, temperature and pH on the H₂ oxidation are investigated. Although the highest catalytic response is obtained at a temperature around 60 °C, a noticeable current can be obtained at room temperature with a low amount of protein less than 1 μM. An original pulse-strategy to ensure H₂ diffusion to the bioelectrode allows to reach H₂ sensitivity of 4 μA cm^-2 per % H₂ and a linear range between 1 and 20%. Sustainable hydrogen was then produced through dark fermentation performed by a synthetic bacterial consortium in an up-flow anaerobic packed-bed bioreactor. Thanks to the outstanding properties of the A. aeolicus hydrogenase, the biosensor was demonstrated to be quite insensitive to CO₂ and H₂S produced as the main co-products of the bioreactor. Finally, the bioelectrode was used for the in situ measurement of H₂ produced in the bioreactor in steady-state.

Enzymatic and Microbial Electrochemistry: Approaches and Methods

The coupling of enzymes and/or intact bacteria with electrodes has been vastly investigated due to the wide range of existing applications. These span from biomedical and biosensing to energy production purposes and bioelectrosynthesis, whether for theoretical research or pure applied industrial processes. Both enzymes and bacteria offer a potential biotechnological alternative to noble/rare metal-dependent catalytic processes. However, when developing these biohybrid electrochemical systems, it is of the utmost importance to investigate how the approaches utilized to couple biocatalysts and electrodes influence the resulting bioelectrocatalytic response. Accordingly, this tutorial review starts by recalling some basic principles and applications of bioelectrochemistry, presenting the electrode and/or biocatalyst modifications that facilitate the interaction between the biotic and abiotic components of bioelectrochemical systems. Focus is then directed toward the methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of enzyme/bacteria-electrode interaction and the insights that they provide. The basic concepts of electrochemical methods widely employed in enzymatic and microbial electrochemistry, such as amperometry and voltammetry, are initially presented to later focus on various complementary methods such as spectroelectrochemistry, fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy, and surface analytical/characterization techniques such as quartz crystal microbalance and atomic force microscopy. The tutorial review is thus aimed at students and graduate students approaching the field of enzymatic and microbial electrochemistry, while also providing a critical and up-to-date reference for senior researchers working in the field.

From Enzyme Stability to Enzymatic Bioelectrode Stabilization Processes

Bioelectrocatalysis using redox enzymes appears as a sustainable way for biosensing, electricity production, or biosynthesis of fine products. Despite advances in the knowledge of parameters that drive the efficiency of enzymatic electrocatalysis, the weak stability of bioelectrodes prevents large scale development of bioelectrocatalysis. In this review, starting from the understanding of the parameters that drive protein instability, we will discuss the main strategies available to improve all enzyme stability, including use of chemicals, protein engineering and immobilization. Considering in a second step the additional requirements for use of redox enzymes, we will evaluate how far these general strategies can be applied to bioelectrocatalysis.

Development of an open-source thermally stabilized quartz crystal microbalance instrument for biomolecule-substrate binding assays on gold and graphene

The interaction of biomolecules, such as proteins, with biomaterial surfaces is key to disease diagnostic and therapeutic development applications. There is a significant need for rapid, low-cost, field-serviceable instruments to monitor such interactions, where open-source tools can help to improve the accessibility to disease screening instruments especially in low- and middle-income countries. We have developed and evaluated a low-cost integrated quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) instrument for biomolecular analysis based on an open-source QCM device. The custom QCM instrument was equipped with a custom-made electronically controlled isothermal chamber with a closed-loop control routine. A thermal coefficient of 5.6 ppm/°C was obtained from a series of evaluations of the implemented control. Additionally, a custom-designed data acquisition system and a mathematical processing and analysis tool is implemented. The quartz crystal detection chips used here incorporate gold and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) coated surfaces. We demonstrate the system capability to monitor and record the biomolecular interaction between a typical protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) and these two substrates. This instrument was compared to a commercial QCM, demonstrating good correspondence between the computed mass adsorption density responses using the Sauerbrey model. For both Au and rGO surfaces, the custom QCM significantly outperforms the commercial system in limit of detection, sensitivity and linear range. The instrument presented here has the potential to serve as a ubiquitous bioelectronic tool for point-of-care disease screening and rapid therapeutics development.

Direct Electrochemical Enzyme Electron Transfer on Electrodes Modified by Self-Assembled Molecular Monolayers

Self-assembled molecular monolayers (SAMs) have long been recognized as crucial “bridges” between redox enzymes and solid electrode surfaces, on which the enzymes undergo direct electron transfer (DET)—for example, in enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) and biosensors. SAMs possess a wide range of terminal groups that enable productive enzyme adsorption and fine-tuning in favorable orientations on the electrode. The tunneling distance and SAM chain length, and the contacting terminal SAM groups, are the most significant controlling factors in DET-type bioelectrocatalysis. In particular, SAM-modified nanostructured electrode materials have recently been extensively explored to improve the catalytic activity and stability of redox proteins immobilized on electrochemical surfaces. In this report, we present an overview of recent investigations of electrochemical enzyme DET processes on SAMs with a focus on single-crystal and nanoporous gold electrodes. Specifically, we consider the preparation and characterization methods of SAMs, as well as SAM applications in promoting interfacial electrochemical electron transfer of redox proteins and enzymes. The strategic selection of SAMs to accord with the properties of the core redox protein/enzymes is also highlighted.

Nanosecond Laser-Fabricated Monolayer of Gold Nanoparticles on ITO for Bioelectrocatalysis

Redox enzymes can be envisioned as biocatalysts in various electrocatalytic-based devices. Among factors that play roles in bioelectrochemistry limitations, the effect of enzyme-enzyme neighboring interaction on electrocatalysis has rarely been investigated, although critical in vivo. We report in this work an in-depth study of gold nanoparticles prepared by laser ablation in the ultimate goal of determining the relationship between activity and enzyme density on electrodes. Nanosecond laser interaction with nanometric gold films deposited on indium tin oxide support was used to generate in situ gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) free from any stabilizers. A comprehensive analysis of AuNP size and coverage, as well as total geometric surface vs. electroactive surface is provided as a function of the thickness of the treated gold layer. Using microscopy and electrochemistry, the long-term stability of AuNP-based electrodes in the atmosphere and in the electrolyte is demonstrated. AuNPs formed by laser treatment are then modified by thiol chemistry and their electrochemical behavior is tested with a redox probe. Finally, enzyme adsorption and bioelectrocatalysis are evaluated in the case of two enzymes, i.e., the Myrothecium verrucaria bilirubin oxidase and the Thermus thermophilus laccase. Behaving differently on charged surfaces, they allow demonstrating the validity of laser treated AuNPs for bioelectrocatalysis.

Aldehyde-Mediated Protein-to-Surface Tethering via Controlled Diazonium Electrode Functionalization Using Protected Hydroxylamines

We report a diazonium electro-grafting method for the covalent modification of conducting surfaces with aldehyde-reactive hydroxylamine functionalities that facilitate the wiring of redox-active (bio)molecules to electrode surfaces. Hydroxylamine near-monolayer formation is achieved via a phthalimide-protection and hydrazine-deprotection strategy that overcomes the multilayer formation that typically complicates diazonium surface modification. This surface modification strategy is characterized using electrochemistry (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. Thus-modified glassy carbon, boron-doped diamond, and gold surfaces are all shown to ligate to small molecule aldehydes, yielding surface coverages of 150-170, 40, and 100 pmol cm^-2, respectively. Bioconjugation is demonstrated via the coupling of a dilute (50 μM) solution of periodate-oxidized horseradish peroxidase enzyme to a functionalized gold surface under biocompatible conditions (H₂O solvent, pH 4.5, 25 °C).

In Situ Fluorescence Tomography Enables a 3D Mapping of Enzymatic O2 Reduction at the Electrochemical Interface

Getting information about the fate of immobilized enzymes and the evolution of their environment during turnover is a mandatory step toward bioelectrode optimization for effective use in biodevices. We demonstrate here the proof-of-principle visual characterization of the reactivity at an enzymatic electrode thanks to fluorescence confocal laser scanning microscopy (FCLSM) implemented in situ during the electrochemical experiment. The enzymatic O₂ reduction involves proton-coupled electron transfers. Therefore, fluorescence variation of a pH-dependent fluorescent dye in the electrode vicinity enables reaction visualization. Simultaneous collection of electrochemical and fluorescence signals gives valuable space- and time-resolved information. Once the technical challenges of such a coupling are overcome, in situ FCLSM affords a unique way to explore reactivity at the electrode surface and in the electrolyte volume. Unexpected features are observed, especially the pH evolution of the enzyme environment, which is also indicated by a characteristic concentration profile within the diffusion layer. This coupled approach also gives access to a cartography of the electrode surface response (i.e., heterogeneity), which cannot be obtained solely by an electrochemical means.

Inhibition in multicopper oxidases: a critical review

This review critiques the literature on inhibition of O₂-reduction catalysis in multicopper oxidases like laccase and bilirubin oxidase and provide recommendations for best practice when carrying out experiments and interpreting published data.

Controlling Redox Enzyme Orientation at Planar Electrodes

Redox enzymes, which catalyze reactions involving electron transfers in living organisms, are very promising components of biotechnological devices, and can be envisioned for sensing applications as well as for energy conversion. In this context, one of the most significant challenges is to achieve efficient direct electron transfer by tunneling between enzymes and conductive surfaces. Based on various examples of bioelectrochemical studies described in the recent literature, this review discusses the issue of enzyme immobilization at planar electrode interfaces. The fundamental importance of controlling enzyme orientation, how to obtain such orientation, and how it can be verified experimentally or by modeling are the three main directions explored. Since redox enzymes are sizable proteins with anisotropic properties, achieving their functional immobilization requires a specific and controlled orientation on the electrode surface. All the factors influenced by this orientation are described, ranging from electronic conductivity to efficiency of substrate supply. The specificities of the enzymatic molecule, surface properties, and dipole moment, which in turn influence the orientation, are introduced. Various ways of ensuring functional immobilization through tuning of both the enzyme and the electrode surface are then described. Finally, the review deals with analytical techniques that have enabled characterization and quantification of successful achievement of the desired orientation. The rich contributions of electrochemistry, spectroscopy (especially infrared spectroscopy), modeling, and microscopy are featured, along with their limitations.

A sensitivity metric and software to guide the analysis of soft films measured by a quartz crystal microbalance

The TPM-sensitivity metric guides the analysis of viscoelastic thin films studied with a quartz crystal microbalance.