Synchronized purification and immobilization of his-tagged β-glucosidase via Fe3O4/PMG core/shell magnetic nanoparticles

A novel Affi-Cova magnetic nanoparticles for one-step covalent immobilization of His-tagged enzyme directly from crude cell lysate

Owing to the rapid advancement of in vitro synthetic biology, functional carriers capable of covalently binding target proteins from crude lysates under mild conditions have garnered escalating attention. Herein, a magnetic nanoparticle with affinity/covalent bifunction (MNP@Affi-Cova) was developed for the direct covalent immobilization of the recombinant enzyme of His-tagged birA (r-birA) from crude cell lysates in a single step. This innovative approach is attributed to the presence of chelated Ni2+ ions and epoxy groups on the surface of the beads. The fabricated magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by SEM, FT-IR spectrum, and zeta potential. The application conditions and stability of the MNP@Affi-Cova beads were systematically evaluated. Notably, the MNP@Affi-Cova beads exhibited a covalent capture efficiency of 91.25 μg r-birA/mg beads from a cell lysate supernatant containing 2.62 mg/mL crude protein. The immobilized r-birA exhibited significantly enhanced pH and thermal stability compared to the free counterpart. Additionally, the reusability of the immobilized r-birA on MNP@Affi-Cova demonstrated the retention of 76.1 % of its initial activity over ten cycles. These results suggest that the MNP@Affi-Cova presents considerable potential as a support for the covalent immobilization of recombinant His-tagged enzymes directly from crude lysates, thereby circumventing the labor-intensive purification process typically required before enzyme immobilization.

De novo transcriptome profiling reveals the patterns of gene expression in plum fruits with bud mutations

Bud mutation is a common technique for plant breeding and can provide a large number of breeding materials. Through traditional breeding methods, we obtained a plum plant with bud mutations (named "By") from an original plum variety (named "B"). The ripening period of "By" fruit was longer than that of "B" fruit, and its taste was better. In order to understand the characteristics of these plum varieties, we used transcriptome analysis and compared the gene expression patterns in fruits from the two cultivars. Subsequently, we identified the biological processes regulated by the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that these DEGs were highly enriched for "single-organism cellular process" and "transferase activity". KEGG analysis demonstrated that the main pathways affected by the bud mutations were plant hormone signal transduction, starch and sucrose metabolism. The IAA, CKX, ARF, and SnRK2 genes were identified as the key regulators of plant hormone signal transduction. Meanwhile, TPP, the beta-glucosidase (EC3.2.1.21) gene, and UGT72E were identified as candidate DEGs affecting secondary metabolite synthesis. The transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) data were also validated using RT-qPCR experiments. The transcriptome analysis demonstrated that plant hormones play a significant role in extending the maturity period of plum fruit, with IAA, CKX, ARF, and SnRK2 serving as the key regulators of this process. Further, TPP, beta-glucosidase (EC3.2.1.21), and UGT72E appeared to mediate the synthesis of various soluble secondary metabolites, contributing to the aroma of plum fruits. The expression of BAG6 was upregulated in "B" as the fruit matured, but it was downregulated in "By". This indicated that "B" may have stronger resistance, especially fungal resistance.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12298-024-01472-3.

Cellulase immobilization to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass: An all-inclusive review

Cellulase-mediated lignocellulosic biorefinery plays a crucial role in the production of high-value biofuels and chemicals, with enzymatic hydrolysis being an essential component. The advent of cellulase immobilization has revolutionized this process, significantly enhancing the efficiency, stability, and reusability of cellulase enzymes. This review offers a thorough analysis of the fundamental principles underlying immobilization, encompassing various immobilization approaches such as physical adsorption, covalent binding, entrapment, and cross-linking. Furthermore, it explores a diverse range of carrier materials, including inorganic, organic, and hybrid/composite materials. The review also focuses on emerging approaches like multi-enzyme co-immobilization, oriented immobilization, immobilized enzyme microreactors, and enzyme engineering for immobilization. Additionally, it delves into novel carrier technologies like 3D printing carriers, stimuli-responsive carriers, artificial cellulosomes, and biomimetic carriers. Moreover, the review addresses recent obstacles in cellulase immobilization, including molecular-level immobilization mechanism, diffusion limitations, loss of cellulase activity, cellulase leaching, and considerations of cost-effectiveness and scalability. The knowledge derived from this review is anticipated to catalyze the evolution of more efficient and sustainable biocatalytic systems for lignocellulosic biomass conversion, representing the current state-of-the-art in cellulase immobilization techniques.

Enzyme immobilization studied through molecular dynamic simulations

In recent years, simulations have been used to great advantage to understand the structural and dynamic aspects of distinct enzyme immobilization strategies, as experimental techniques have limitations in establishing their impact at the molecular level. In this review, we discuss how molecular dynamic simulations have been employed to characterize the surface phenomenon in the enzyme immobilization procedure, in an attempt to decipher its impact on the enzyme features, such as activity and stability. In particular, computational studies on the immobilization of enzymes using i) nanoparticles, ii) self-assembled monolayers, iii) graphene and carbon nanotubes, and iv) other surfaces are covered. Importantly, this thorough literature survey reveals that, while simulations have been primarily performed to rationalize the molecular aspects of the immobilization event, their use to predict adequate protocols that can control its impact on the enzyme properties is, up to date, mostly missing.

Ultrasound-Promoted preparation and application of novel bifunctional core/shell Fe3O4@SiO2@PTS-APG as a robust catalyst in the expeditious synthesis of Hantzsch esters

In this work, D-(-)-α-phenylglycine (APG)-functionalized magnetic nanocatalyst (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@PTS-APG) was designed and successfully prepared in order to implement the principles of green chemistry for the synthesis of polyhydroquinoline (PHQ) and 1,4-dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP) derivatives under ultrasonic irradiation in EtOH. After preparing of the nanocatalyst, its structure was confirmed by different spectroscopic methods or techniques including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The performance of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@PTS-APG nanomaterial, as a heterogeneous catalyst for the Hantzsch condensation, was examined under ultrasonic irradiation and various conditions. The yield of products was controlled under various conditions to reach more than 84% in just 10 min, which indicates the high performance of the nanocatalyst along with the synergistic effect of ultrasonic irradiation. The structure of the products was identified by melting point as well as FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopic methods. The Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@PTS-APG nanocatalyst is easily prepared from commercially available, lower toxic and thermally stable precursors through a cost-effective, highly efficient and environmentally friendly procedure. The advantages of this method include simplicity of the operation, reaction under mild conditions, the use of an environmentally benign irradiation source, obtaining pure products with high efficiency in short reaction times without using a tedious path, which all of them address important green chemistry principles. Finally, a reasonable mechanism is proposed for the preparation of polyhydroquinoline (PHQ) and 1,4-dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP) derivatives in the presence of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@PTS-APG bifunctional magnetic nanocatalyst.

Decorated magnetic nanoparticles with polyvinyl alcohol brushes modified with metal chelate affinity groups for purification of proteins

Refining is a serious challenge in the production of recombinant proteins, and this study proposes a new and easy strategy for the synthesis of magnetic affinity nanoparticles. First, the nanoparticles attached to polyvinyl alcohol brushes were synthesized, and then the hydroxyl groups of this polymer were converted to chelate groups. The nanoparticles were examined by (SEM) scanning electron microscopy, (TEM) transmission electron microscopy, (DLS) dynamic light scattering, (FT-IR) Fourier transform infrared, (XRD) X-ray powder diffraction, (VSM) vibrating sample magnetometry, and (TGA) thermal gravimetric analysis. The results confirm that uniform and spherical magnetic polymer nanoparticles with high magnetization and superparamagnetic properties were successfully synthesized. The S100A9 protein, a His-tagged recombinant protein, was expressed and purified using the synthesized nanoparticles. According to the (SDS-PAGE) sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis results, there is a high degree of resolution in protein separation. The synthesized nanoparticles have a high protein binding capacity of about 208 mg of protein per gram of nanoparticles.

Tag-mediated single-step purification and immobilization of recombinant proteins toward protein-engineered advanced materials

Background

The potential applications of protein-engineered functional materials are so wide and exciting that the interest in these eco-friendly advanced materials will further expand in the future. Tag-mediated protein purification/immobilization technologies have emerged as green and cost-effective approaches for the fabrication of such materials. Strategies that combine the purification and immobilization of recombinant proteins/peptides onto/into natural, synthetic or hybrid materials in a single-step are arising and attracting increasing interest.

Aim of Review

This review highlights the most significant advances of the last 5 years within the scope of tag-mediated protein purification/immobilization and elucidates their contributions for the development of efficient single-step purification and immobilization strategies. Recent progresses in the field of protein-engineered materials created using innovative protein-tag combinations and future opportunities created by these new technologies are also summarized and identified herein.

Key Scientific Concepts of Review

Protein purification/immobilization tags present a remarkable ability to establish specific non-covalent/covalent interactions between solid materials and biological elements, which prompted the creation of tailor-made and advanced functional materials, and of next-generation hybrid materials. Affinity tags can bind to a wide range of materials (of synthetic, natural or hybrid nature), being most suitable for protein purification. Covalently binding tags are most suitable for long-term protein immobilization, but can only bind naturally to protein-based materials. Hybrid affinity-covalently binding tags have allowed efficient one-step purification and immobilization of proteins onto different materials, as well as the development of innovative protein-engineered materials. Self-aggregating tags have been particularly useful in combination with other tags for generating protein-engineered materials with self-assembling, flexible and/or responsive properties. While these tags have been mainly explored for independent protein purification, immobilization or functionalization purposes, efficient strategies that combine tag-mediated purification and immobilization/functionalization in a single-step will be essential to guarantee the sustainable manufacturing of advanced protein-engineered materials.

Characterization of Gentisate 1,2-Dioxygenase from Pseudarthrobacter phenanthrenivorans Sphe3 and Its Stabilization by Immobilization on Nickel-Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles

The aim of this study was the biochemical and kinetic characterization of the gentisate 1,2-dioxygenase (GDO) from Pseudarthrobacter phenanthrenivorans Sphe3 and the development of a nanobiocatalyst by its immobilization on Ni2+-functionalized Fe3O4-polydopamine magnetic nanoparticles (Ni2+-PDA-MNPs). This is the first GDO to be immobilized. The gene encoding the GDO was cloned with an N-terminal His-tag and overexpressed in E. coli. The nanoparticles showed a high purification efficiency of GDO from crude cell lysates with a maximum activity recovery of 97%. The immobilized enzyme was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The reaction product was identified by 1H NMR. Both free and immobilized GDO exhibited Michaelis–Menten kinetics with Km values of 25.9 ± 4.4 and 82.5 ± 14.2 μM and Vmax values of 1.2 ± 0.1 and 0.03 ± 0.002 mM*s−1, respectively. The thermal stability of the immobilized GDO was enhanced at 30 °C, 40 °C, and 50 °C, compared to the free GDO. Stored at −20 °C, immobilized GDO retained more than 60% of its initial activity after 30 d, while the free enzyme completely lost its activity after 10 d. Furthermore, the immobilized nanoparticle–enzyme conjugate retained more than 50% enzyme activity up to the fifth cycle.

Natural deep eutectic solvents as green and biocompatible reaction medium for carbonic anhydrase catalysis

Easy deactivation of free enzymes under non-native condition has become a stumbling block to the industrial application of biocatalysis. Natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) has been exploited as a novel reaction medium for improving enzyme stability. The present work focused on preserving and enhancing the activity of carbonic anhydrase (CA) in a more economical and biocompatible NADES system. We synthesized six choline chloride/betaine-based NADES and analyzed the effects of compositions and concentrations of NADES on their physicochemical properties. The Bet-Gly (1: 2) NADES (55%) was proved to be more suitable as reaction medium for CA by analyzing enzyme activity in the presence of NADES. The enhancement in the stability of CA was found to be as a result of a three-dimensional hydrogen bonding network, rather than the individual or the synergistic effect of betaine and glyceride. The conformational change of CA to become more compact was confirmed both by fluorescence spectrum analysis and circular dichroism analysis. It is worth mentioning that a remarkable thermal stability was maintained when CA was incubated at temperature below 60 °C, and about 96% of activity was still restored in 55% NADES at 60 °C for 12 h.

Insights on the emerging biotechnology of histidine-rich peptides

In the late 70's, the discovery of the restriction enzymes made possible the biological production of functional proteins by recombinant DNA technologies, a fact that largely empowered both biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries. Short peptides or small protein domains, with specific molecular affinities, were developed as purification tags in downstream processes to separate the target protein from the culture media or cell debris, upon breaking the producing cells. Among these tags, and by exploiting the interactivity of the imidazole ring of histidine residues, the hexahistidine peptide (H6) became a gold standard. Although initially used almost exclusively in protein production, H6 and related His-rich peptides are progressively proving a broad applicability in novel utilities including enzymatic processes, advanced drug delivery systems and diagnosis, through a so far unsuspected adaptation of their binding capabilities. In this context, the coordination of histidine residues and metals confers intriguing functionalities to His-rich sequences useable in the forward-thinking design of protein-based nano- and micro-materials and devices, through strategies that are comprehensively presented here.

Development of biocatalysts immobilized on coal ash-derived Ni-zeolite for facilitating 4-chlorophenol degradation

A new type of biocatalyst was developed to facilitate the biochemical decomposition of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) in this study. Oxydoreductases that catalyze the initial steps of 4-CP biodegradation were immobilized on a synthetic inorganic enzyme support. Type-X zeolite, a high-surface area support, was synthesized from coal fly ash, on which nickel ions were plated by impregnation (Ni-zeolite), followed by the effective immobilization (77.5% immobilization yield) of recombinant monooxygenase (CphC-I), dioxygenase (CphA-I), and flavin reductase (Fre) isolated from Pseudarthrobacter chlorophenolicus A6 and Escherichia coli K-12, respectively. The retained catalytic activity of the enzymes immobilized on Ni-zeolite was as high as 64% of the value for the corresponding free enzymes. The Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters v_max and K_M of the immobilized enzymes were determined to be 0.20 mM·min^-1 and 0.44 mM, respectively. These results are expected to provide useful information with respect to the development of novel enzymatic treatments for phenolic hydrocarbon contaminants.

Microwave irradiation-assisted high-efficiency N-glycan release using oriented immobilization of PNGase F on magnetic particles

Peptide-N-glycosidase F (PNGase F) is the most frequently used enzyme to release N-glycan from glycoproteins in glycomics; however, the releasing process using PNGase F is tedious and can range in duration from hours to overnight. Recently, efforts have been made to accelerate this enzymatic reaction, and they include the use of microwave irradiation, ultrahigh pressure, enzyme immobilization, and other techniques. Here, we developed a novel method combining the oriented immobilization of PNGase F on magnetic particles and microwave-assisted enzymatic digestion techniques to achieve highly efficient release of N-glycans. The oriented immobilization of PNGase F on magnetic particles utilizes the affinity of its co-expressed His-tag towards iminodiacetic acid-Nickel modified magnetic particles. Compared with non-oriented immobilization, the oriented immobilization of PNGase F exhibits several advantages including tolerance to high temperature (52 °C) and the ability to retain strong activity after more than five reuses. When used in combination with microwave irradiation, efficient N-glycan removal from ribonuclease B was achieved within 5 min. The proposed strategy was also used to release glycan from fetuin and human serum and has proven to provide a promising deglycosylation method for the characterization of protein glycosylation.

Synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles with an IDA or TED modified surface for purification and immobilization of poly-histidine tagged proteins

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) chelating with metal ions can specifically interact with poly-histidine peptides and facilitate immobilization and purification of proteins with poly-histidine tags. Fabrication of MNPs is generally complicated and time consuming. In this paper, we report the preparation of Ni(ii) ion chelated MNPs (Ni-MNPs) in two stages for protein immobilization and purification. In the first stage, organic ligands including pentadentate tris (carboxymethyl) ethylenediamine (TED) and tridentate iminodiacetic acid (IDA) and inorganic Fe₃O₄–SiO₂ MNPs were synthesized separately. In the next stage, ligands were grafted to the surface of MNPs and MNPs with a TED or IDA modified surface were acquired, followed by chelating with Ni(ii) ions. The Ni(ii) ion chelated forms of MNPs (Ni-MNPs) were characterized including morphology, surface charge, structure, size distribution and magnetic response. Taking a his-tagged glycoside hydrolase DspB (Dispersin B) as the protein representative, specific interactions were confirmed between DspB and Ni-MNPs. Purification of his-tagged DspB was achieved with Ni-MNPs that exhibited better performance in terms of purity and activity of DspB than commercial Ni-NTA. Ni-MNPs as enzyme carriers for DspB also exhibited good compatibility and reasonable reusability as well as improved performance in various conditions.

This article reports a novel approach for synthesizing magnetic nanoparticles with a modified surface for purification and immobilization of histidine-tagged proteins.

High-efficiency Ni2+-NTA/PAA magnetic beads with specific separation on His-tagged protein

To effective capture and universal enrichment of His-tagged protein, polyacrylic acid (PAA) brushes were used to encapsulate Fe3O4 nanoparticles, connect NTA, and Ni2+ to prepare magnetic beads. These materials provide many advantages, such as excellent stability, tuneable particle size, and a surface for further functionalisation with biomolecules. His-tagged green fluorescence protein (GFP) was separated efficiently, and the binding capacity of Fe3O4/MPS@PAA/NTA-Ni2+ was 93.4 mg/g. Compared with High-Affinity Ni-NTA Resin and Ni-NTA Magnetic Agarose Beads, Fe3O4/MPS@PAA/NTA-Ni2+ nanocomposites exhibited higher separation efficiency and binding capacity towards His-tagged GFP. Moreover, the selectivity and recyclability of them for the target proteins were maintained well after six cycles. This study would widen the application of PAA in constructing multifunctional nanocomposites for biomedical fields.

Simple Purification and Immobilization of His-Tagged Organophosphohydrolase from Cell Culture Supernatant by Metal Organic Frameworks for Degradation of Organophosphorus Pesticides

Coordinating unsaturated metal sites (CUS) on the surface of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could be used to adsorb His-tagged proteins. The specific adsorption between CUS and His-tagged proteins could reduce preparation steps, shorten preparation time, and could also avoid the binding between the metal ion of metalloenzyme active center and the chelating agent to ensure the enzyme activity. In this study, MIL-88A was synthesized by hydrothermal method and used to purify and immobilize His-tagged organophosphohydrolase (OpdA) in one step for organophosphate bioremediation. Under optimized conditions, OpdA@MIL-88A had a maximal activity of 1554 U/g_protein, which was nearly 5 times higher than free OpdA. Compared with free OpdA, OpdA@MIL-88A exhibited improved organic solvent tolerance, SDS tolerance, thermal stability, and storage stability. OpdA@MIL-88A was used to degrade organophosphorus pesticides on grapes and cucumbers. After reuse 6 times, OpdA@MIL-88A retained more than 66% and 61% of the initial activity, respectively. Therefore, this proposed strategy provided a facile and effective method for degradation of organophosphorus pesticides.

Self-Assembled Au@Fe Core/Satellite Magnetic Nanoparticles for Versatile Biomolecule Functionalization

Although the functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with biomolecules has been widely explored for various biological applications, achieving efficient bioconjugations with a wide range of biomolecules through a single, universal, and versatile platform remains a challenge, which may significantly impact their applications' outcomes. Here, we report a novel MNP platform composed of Au@Fe core/satellite nanoparticles (CSNPs) for versatile and efficient bioconjugations. The engineering of the CSNPs is facilely formed through the self-assembly of ultrasmall gold nanoparticles (AuNPs, 2-3 nm in diameter) around MNPs with a polysiloxane-containing polymer coating. The formation of the hybrid magnetic nanostructure is revealed by absorption spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), element analysis using atomic absorption spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The versatility of biomolecule loading to the CSNP is revealed through the bioconjugation of a wide range of relevant biomolecules, including streptavidin, antibodies, peptides, and oligonucleotides. Characterizations including DLS, TEM, lateral flow strip assay, fluorescence assay, giant magnetoresistive nanosensor array, high-performance liquid chromatography, and absorption spectrum are performed to further confirm the efficiency of various bioconjugations to the CSNP. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the CSNP is a novel MNP-based platform that offers versatile and efficient surface functionalization with various biomolecules.

Cross-Linking with Polyethylenimine Confers Better Functional Characteristics to an Immobilized β-glucosidase from Exiguobacterium antarcticum B7

β-glucosidases are ubiquitous, well-characterized and biologically important enzymes with considerable uses in industrial sectors. Here, a tetrameric β-glucosidase from Exiguobacterium antarcticum B7 (EaBglA) was immobilized on different activated agarose supports followed by post-immobilization with poly-functional macromolecules. The best result was obtained by the immobilization of EaBglA on metal glutaraldehyde-activated agarose support following cross-linking with polyethylenimine. Interestingly, the immobilized EaBglA was 46-fold more stable than its free form and showed optimum pH in the acidic region, with high catalytic activity in the pH range from 3 to 9, while the free EaBglA showed catalytic activity in a narrow pH range (>80% at pH 6.0–8.0) and optimum pH at 7.0. EaBglA had the optimum temperature changed from 30 °C to 50 °C with the immobilization step. The immobilized EaBglA showed an expressive adaptation to pH and it was tolerant to ethanol and glucose, indicating suitable properties involving the saccharification process. Even after 9 cycles of reuse, the immobilized β-glucosidase retained about 100% of its initial activity, demonstrating great operational stability. Hence, the current study describes an efficient strategy to increase the functional characteristics of a tetrameric β-glucosidase for future use in the bioethanol production.

Multi-point enzyme immobilization, surface chemistry, and novel platforms: a paradigm shift in biocatalyst design

Engineering enzymes with improved catalytic properties in non-natural environments have been concerned with their diverse industrial and biotechnological applications. Immobilization represents a promising but straightforward route, and immobilized biocatalysts often display higher activities and stabilities compared to free enzymes. Owing to their unique physicochemical characteristics, including the high-specific surface area, exceptional chemical, electrical, and mechanical properties, efficient enzyme loading, and multivalent functionalization, nano-based materials are postulated as suitable carriers for biomolecules or enzyme immobilization. Enzymes immobilized on nanomaterial-based supports are more robust, stable, and recoverable than their pristine counterparts, and are even used for continuous catalytic processes. Furthermore, the unique intrinsic properties of nanomaterials, particularly nanoparticles, also confer the immobilized enzymes to be used for their broader applications. Herein, an effort has been made to present novel potentialities of multi-point enzyme immobilization in the current biotechnological sector. Various nano-based platforms for enzyme/biomolecule immobilization are discussed in the second part of the review. In summary, recent developments in the use of nanomaterials as new carriers to construct robust nano-biocatalytic systems are reviewed, and future trends are pointed out in this article.

Biotechnological applications of elastin-like polypeptides and the inverse transition cycle in the pharmaceutical industry

Proteins are essential throughout the biological and biomedical sciences and the purification strategies of proteins of interest have advanced over centuries. Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are compound polymers that have recently been highlighted for their sharp and reversible phase transition property when heated above their lower critical solution temperature (LCST). ELPs preserve this behavior when fused to a protein, and as a result providing a simple method to isolate a recombinant ELP fusion protein from cell contaminants by taking the solution through the soluble and insoluble phase of the ELP fusion protein, a technique designated as the inverse transition cycle (ITC). ITC is considered an inexpensive and efficient way of purifying recombinant ELP fusion proteins. In addition, ELPs render recombinant fusion protein more stability and a longer clear time in blood stream, which give ELPs a lot of valuable applications in the biotechnological and pharmaceutical industry. This article reviews the modernizations of ELPs and briefly highlights on the possible use of technologies such as the automatic piston discharge (APD) centrifuges to improve the efficiency of the ITC in the pharmaceutical industry to obtain benefits.

Multifunctional elastin-like polypeptide renders β-glucosidase enzyme phase transition and high stability

BACKGROUND

In the enzymatic conversion of biomass, it becomes an important issue to efficiently and cost-effectively degrade cellulose into fermentable glucose. β-Glucosidase (Bgluc), an essential member of cellulases, plays a critical role in cellulosic biomass degradation. The difficulty in improving the stability of Bgluc has been a bottleneck in the enzyme-dependent cellulose degradation. The traditional method of protein purification, however, leads to higher production cost and a decrease in activity. To simplify and efficiently purify Bgluc with modified special properties, Bgluc-tagged ELP and His with defined phase transitions was designed to facilitate the process.

RESULTS

Here, a novel binary ELP and His tag was fused with Bgluc from termite Coptotermes formosanus to construct a Bgluc-linker-ELP-His recombinant fusion protein (BglucLEH). The recombinant plasmid Bgluc expressing a His tag (BglucH) was also constructed. The BglucLEH and BglucH were expressed in E. coli BL21 and purified using inverse transition cycling (ITC) or Ni-NTA resin. The optimum salt concentration for the ITC purification of BglucLEH was 0.5 M (NH₄)₂SO₄ and the specific activity of BglucLEH purified by ITC was 75.5 U/mg for substrate p-NPG, which was slightly higher than that of BglucLEH purified by Ni-NTA (68.2 U/mg). The recovery rate and purification fold of BglucLEH purified by ITC and Ni-NTA were 77.8%, 79.1% and 12.60, 11.60, respectively. The results indicated that purification with ITC was superior to the traditional Ni-NTA. The K _m of BglucLEH and BglucH for p-NPG was 5.27 and 5.73 mM, respectively. The K _ca t/K _m (14.79 S^-1 mM^-1) of BglucLEH was higher than that of BglucH (12.10 S^-1 mM^-1). The effects of ELP tag on the enzyme activity, secondary structure and protein stability were also studied. The results showed that ELP tag did not affect the secondary structure or enzyme activity of Bgluc. More importantly, ELP improved the protein stability in harsh conditions such as heating and exposure to denaturant.

CONCLUSION

The Bgluc-linker-ELP-His system shows wide application prospect in maintaining the activity, efficient purification and improving the stability of Bgluc. These properties of BglucLEH make it an interesting tool to reduce cost, to improve the efficiency of biocatalyst and potentially to enhance the degradation of lignocellulosic biomass.

A Compartmented Flow Microreactor System for Automated Optimization of Bioprocesses Applying Immobilized Enzymes

In the course of their development, industrial biocatalysis processes have to be optimized in small-scale, e. g., within microfluidic bioreactors. Recently, we introduced a novel microfluidic reactor device, which can handle defined reaction compartments of up to 250 μL in combination with magnetic micro carriers. By transferring the magnetic carriers between subsequent compartments of differing compositions, small scale synthesis, and bioanalytical assays can be conducted. In the current work, this device is modified and extended to broaden its application range to the screening and optimization of bioprocesses applying immobilized enzymes. Besides scaling the maximum compartment volume up to 3 mL, a temperature control module, as well as a focused infrared spot were integrated. By adjusting the pump rate, compartment volumes can be accurately dosed with an error <5% and adjusted to the requested temperature within less than a minute. For demonstration of bioprocess parameter optimization within such compartments, the influence of pH, temperature, substrate concentration, and enzyme carrier loading was automatically screened for the case of transferring UDP-Gal onto N-acetylglucosamine linked to a tert-butyloxycarbonyl protected amino group using immobilized β1,4-galactosyltransferase-1. In addition, multiple recycling of the enzyme carriers and the use of increased compartment volumes also allows the simple production of preparative amounts of reaction products.

Magnetic nanoparticles as versatile carriers for enzymes immobilization: A review

Enzymes are highly efficient biocatalysts and widely employed in biotechnological sectors. However, lack of (re)-purification and efficient recovery of enzymes are among the most critical and challenging aspects, which render them enormously expensive for industrial exploitability. Aiming to tackle these challenges, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have gained a special place as versatile carriers and supporting matrices for immobilization purposes, owing to the exceptional properties of MNPs, such as large surface area, large surface-to-volume ratio, and mobility and high mass transference. More importantly, they can also be easily separated and recovered by applying an external magnetic field. Apart from their biocompatible micro-environment, the utilization of such MNPs represents a noteworthy green chemistry approach, since it lengthens the biocatalyst lifetime through multiple recovery cycles. According to the literature evidence, various modification and/or functionalization approaches have been developed to produce MNPs for the effective immobilization of a broad variety of industrially important enzymes and biomolecules with improved characteristics. Enzymes immobilized on MNPs displayed a wide-working pH and temperature range, as well as, improved thermal and storage stabilities than that of their pristine counterparts. Co-immobilization of multi-enzymes could also be accomplished through nanoparticle-based approaches. This review presents an updated outlook on the development and characterization of MNPs, in particular, iron-based MNPs-derived nano-constructs as support materials for enzyme immobilization.

Magneto-optical and thermal characteristics of magnetite nanoparticle-embedded DNA and CTMA-DNA thin films

Recently, DNA molecules embedded with magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles (MNPs) drew much attention for their wide range of potential usage. With specific intrinsic properties such as low optical loss, high transparency, large band gap, high dielectric constant, potential for molecular recognition, and their biodegradable nature, the DNA molecule can serve as an effective template or scaffold for various functionalized nanomaterials. With the aid of cetyltrimethylammonium (CTMA) surfactant, DNA can be used in organic-based applications as well as water-based ones. Here, DNA and CTMA-DNA thin films with various concentrations of MNPs fabricated by the drop-casting method have been characterized by optical absorption, refractive index, Raman, and cathodoluminescence measurements to understand the binding, dispersion, chemical identification/functional modes, and energy transfer mechanisms, respectively. In addition, magnetization was measured as a function of either applied magnetic field or temperature in field cooling and zero field cooling. Saturation magnetization and blocking temperature demonstrate the importance of MNPs in DNA and CTMA-DNA thin films. Finally, we examine the thermal stabilities of MNP-embedded DNA and CTMA-DNA thin films through thermogravimetric analysis, derivative thermogravimetry, and differential thermal analysis. The unique optical, magnetic, and thermal characteristics of MNP-embedded DNA and CTMA-DNA thin films will prove important to fields such as spintronics, biomedicine, and function-embedded sensors and devices.

Magnetic Combined Cross-Linked Enzyme Aggregates of Ketoreductase and Alcohol Dehydrogenase: An Efficient and Stable Biocatalyst for Asymmetric Synthesis of (R)-3-Quinuclidinol with Regeneration of Coenzymes In Situ

Enzymes are biocatalysts. In this study, a novel biocatalyst consisting of magnetic combined cross-linked enzyme aggregates (combi-CLEAs) of 3-quinuclidinone reductase (QNR) and glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) for enantioselective synthesis of (R)-3-quinuclidinolwith regeneration of cofactors in situ was developed. The magnetic combi-CLEAs were fabricated with the use of ammonium sulfate as a precipitant and glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker for direct immobilization of QNR and GDH from E. coli BL(21) cell lysates onto amino-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The physicochemical properties of the magnetic combi-CLEAs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and magnetic measurements. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) images revealed a spherical structure with numerous pores which facilitate the movement of the substrates and coenzymes. Moreover, the magnetic combi-CLEAs exhibited improved operational and thermal stability, enhanced catalytic performance for transformation of 3-quinuclidinone (33 g/L) into (R)-3-quinuclidinol in 100% conversion yield and 100% enantiomeric excess (ee) after 3 h of reaction. The activity of the biocatalysts was preserved about 80% after 70 days storage and retained more than 40% of its initial activity after ten cycles. These results demonstrated that the magnetic combi-CLEAs, as cost-effective and environmentally friendly biocatalysts, were suitable for application in synthesis of (R)-3-quinuclidinol essential for the production of solifenacin and aclidinium with better performance than those currently available.

A novel strategy for the efficient removal of toxic cyanate by the combinatorial use of recombinant enzymes immobilized on aminosilane modified magnetic nanoparticles

Cyanase detoxifies cyanate by transforming it to ammonia and carbon dioxide in a bicarbonate-dependent reaction, however, dependence on bicarbonate limits its utilization in large-scale applications. A novel strategy was therefore developed for overcoming this bottleneck by the combined application of cyanase (rTl-Cyn) and carbonic anhydrase (rTl-CA). The synergistic effect of rTl-Cyn and rTl-CA could reduce the dependence of bicarbonate by 80%, compared to using rTl-Cyn alone. Complete degradation of cyanate (4 mM) was achieved with buffered conditions and 85 ± 5% degradation with industrial wastewater sample, when 20 U of rTl-Cyn was applied. Furthermore, a similar percentage of degradation was achieved using 80% less bicarbonate, when rTl-Cyn and rTl-CA were used together under identical conditions. In addition, rTl-Cyn and rTl-CA were immobilized onto the magnetic nanoparticles and their catalytic activity, stability and reusability were also evaluated. This is the first report on the synergistic biocatalysis by rTl-Cyn and rTl-CA, for cyanate detoxification.

Selective binding, magnetic separation and purification of histidine-tagged protein using biopolymer magnetic core-shell nanoparticles

In previous studies, we synthesized the magnetic core-shell structured Fe₃O₄/PMG/IDA-Ni²⁺ nanoparticles. The Ni²⁺ on the surface of nanoparticles provides abundant docking sites for histidine, and the composite nanoparticles showed potential applications in the separation and purification of histidine-tagged (His-tagged) proteins. Meanwhile, the presence of the superparamagnetic core (Fe₃O₄) in the nanoparticles allows them to be quickly separated and purified by an external magnetic field. Herein, the ability of magnetic nanoparticles to purify His-tagged human superoxide dismutase 1 (hSOD1) was verified. SDS-PAGE and activity data showed His-tagged hSOD1 specifically bound to Fe₃O₄/PMG/IDA-Ni²⁺, and there was no significant competition for binding between final and three intermediate products. The binding capacity of nanoparticles can reach to 62.0 mg/g (dry weight of hSOD1/nanoparticles). The nanoparticle-bound hSOD1 exhibited better thermal and storage stability compared to free hSOD1. Furthermore, the purification efficiency of the magnetic nanoparticles in the separation and purification of His-tagged proteins was comparable to the other two commercial materials (High Affinity Ni-NTA Resin, HisPur Ni-NTA Magnetic Beads). Finally, the magnetic nanoparticles can be reused in the binding of His-tagged protein for multiple times. In conclusion, the nanoparticles are ready to be applied in the separation and purification of His-tagged protein.

Binding patterns of homo-peptides on bare magnetic nanoparticles: insights into environmental dependence

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) are intensively investigated for applications in nanomedicine, catalysis and biotechnology, where their interaction with peptides and proteins plays an important role. However, the characterisation of the interaction of individual amino acids with MNP remains challenging. Here, we classify the affinity of 20 amino acid homo-hexamers to unmodified iron oxide nanoparticles using peptide arrays in a variety of conditions as a basis to identify and rationally design selectively binding peptides. The choice of buffer system is shown to strongly influence the availability of peptide binding sites on the MNP surface. We find that under certain buffer conditions peptides of different charges can bind the MNP and that the relative strength of the interactions can be modulated by changing the buffer. We further present a model for the competition between the buffer and the MNP's electrostatically binding to the adsorption sites. Thereby, we demonstrate that the charge distribution on the surface can be used to correlate the binding of positively and negatively charged peptides to the MNP. This analysis enables us to engineer the binding of MNP on peptides and contribute to better understand the bio-nano interactions, a step towards the design of affinity tags for advanced biomaterials.

Siderophore coated magnetic iron nanoparticles: Rational designing of water soluble nanobiosensor for visualizing Al3+ in live organism

This article aims to establish the judicious use of iron-binding chemistry of microbial chelators in order to functionalize the surface of iron nanoparticles to develop non-toxic nanobiosensor. Anchoring a simple siderophore 2,3-dihydroxybenzoylglycine (H₃L), which bears catechol and carboxyl functionalities in tandem, on to the surface of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles has developed a unique nanobiosensor HL-FeNPs which showed highly selective and sensitive detection of Al³⁺ in 100% water at physiological pH. The biosensor HL-FeNPs, with 20nM limit of detection, behaves reversibly and instantly. In-vivo bio-imaging in live brine shrimp Artemia confirmed that HL-FeNPs could be used as fluorescent biomarker for Al³⁺ in live whole organisms. Magnetic nature of the nanosensor enabled HL-FeNPs to remove excess Al³⁺ by using external magnet. To our knowledge, the possibility of microbial chelator in the practical development of Al³⁺ selective nanobiosensor is unprecedented.