Comparative study of the inactivation of horseradish peroxidase under the effect of H2O2 and ionizing radiation

The inactivation of native and recombinant horseradish peroxidase in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and under ionizing radiation was studied. The types of peroxidase activity differ in sensitivity towards the inactivating effect of H₂O₂: the activity in relation to the iodide ion is more stable than the activity in relation to ammonium 2,2-azinobis(3ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) ando-phenylenediamine. Similar inactivation was observed in the course of the radiolysis of peroxidase. It was assumed that the initial period of peroxidase inactivation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide has a radical nature and is related to the generation of Superoxide radicals, which modify the protein moiety, resulting in the destruction of heme. The R-670 compound was not formed under the conditions studied. However, the E EI transition occurred, depending on the radiation dose and the enzyme concentration.Translated fromIzyestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 176–179, January, 1995.     

The role of tryptophan residues in radiation sensitivity of enzymes as exemplified in horseradish peroxidase

The stability of recombinant wild-type horseradish peroxidase and its tryptophan-less mutant Trp117Phe toward γ-radiation was studied. The absence of tryptophan in the enzyme molecule results in a certain stabilization, which is manifested as the absence of the initial drop in activity and appearance of a lag period for doses of up to 45 Gy. Contrary to the wild-type enzyme, the dose response of the mutant is almost independent of the nature of the substrate used to measure the catalytic activity; this indirectly indicates that Trp117 participates in the oxidation of substrates. Pretreatment of the wild-type recombinant enzyme with hydrogen peroxide destabilizes the enzyme towards irradiation, while the same procedure for the mutant enzyme has virtually no effect on the dose response curve. This suggests the modification of Trp117 in the oxidation of the native enzyme with H₂O₂ in the absence of electron-donor substrates, which is the modification of Trp171 in the recombinant lignin peroxidase. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2355–2358, December, 1999.     

Radiation-induced inactivation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme in solutions

The effect of NaCl concentration (0–0.15 mol L⁻¹) and γ-irradiation dose on the catalytic activity of the angiotensin-converting enzyme is considered. Special regions in which a particular mechanism of dose response predominates are identified. In acid and alkaline media, there are regions of substantial enzymic activation; in addition, damped oscillations of the enzymic activity are observed. At pH 7.5, when the enzyme adopts a more “unfolded” conformation, the clearly defined activation peaks on the surface relief are smoothed over, indicating a decrease in the effect of the salt concentration. For Part 2, see Ref. 1. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2359–2363, December, 1999.     

Adsorption and catalytic properties of enzymes on the surface of silicalite-1

Microporous hydrophobic silicalite-1 was used as a carrier for immobilization of different enzymes, such as horseradish peroxidase, calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase and two β-galactosidases of different origin, to create heterogeneous biocatalytic systems. The peculiarities of enzyme adsorption on the surface of silicalite-1, as well as catalytic properties of the obtained systems compared to enzyme activity in solution and on the surface of other carriers, are discussed.     

Synthesis of an enzyme-like imprinted polymer with the substrate as the template, and its catalytic properties under aqueous conditions

Transition state analogues (TSAs) have long been regarded as ideal templates for the preparation of catalytically active synthetic imprinted polymers. In the current work, however, a new type of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized with the substrate (homovanillic acid, HVA) as the template and hemin introduced as the catalytic center, with the use of plural functional monomers to prepare the active sites. The MIP successfully mimicked natural peroxidase, suggesting that it may not be imperative to employ a TSA as the template when preparing enzyme-like imprinted polymers and that the imprinted polymer matrix provided an advantageous microenvironment around the catalytic center (hemin), essentially similar to that supplied by apo-proteins in natural enzymes. Significantly, by taking advantage of the special structure of hemin and multiple-site interactions provided by several functional monomers, the intrinsic difficulties for MIPs in recognizing template molecules in polar solutions were overcome. The newly developed polymer showed considerable recognizing ability toward HVA, catalytic activity, substrate specificity and also stability, which are the merits lacked by the natural peroxidase. Meanwhile, the ease of recovery and reuse the MIP implies the potential for industrial application.     

Immobilized enzymes - A simple calorimetric method for the determination of the catalytic activity

The results communicated in this paper show that rapid and reliable information about the activity of immobilized enzymes follows from calorimetric measurements. The study was done using spherical and plain carriers as well as different enzymes (urease, glucose-oxidase, invertase). The enzyme thermistor developed by Danielsson et al. was used as a measuring system. This measuring system was applied to investigate the activity of enzyme carrier complexes produced by the sol-gel technique. The influence of processing parameters could be pointed out at complexes of different forms (xerogel, gel on ceramic carrier, thin gel layers on foil, etc.). With the described calorimetric method, a fast and reliable technique for comparative determination of the activity of immobilized enzymes is available. A special advantage of this method is its variability in carriers and the generally applicable thermal measuring principle. Therefore, it seems useful for the development of new immobilization techniques.     

Attachment of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) onto the poly(styrene/acrolein) latexes and onto their derivatives with amino groups on the surface; activity of immobilized enzyme

The polystyrene (P(S)), poly(styrene/acrolein) (P(SA)), and polyacrolein (P(A)) latexes, with varied fraction of polyacrolein in the surface layer (f _A=0, 0.50, 0.63, 0.84, 1.00), were used for the attachment of horseradish peroxidase. Surfaces of latexes were modified by reaction with ethylenediamine. In this step the aldehyde groups from polyacrolein were blocked and the primary amino groups were introduced. The carbohydrate portion of HRP was oxidized in the reaction leading to formation of aldehyde groups. The adsorption and covalent immobilization of HRP onto the P(S), P(SA), and P(A) latexes and of the oxidized HRP (HRP-OX) onto the modified latex particles, with amino groups on the surface (P(SA)-M and P(A)-M), were investigated. The activities of parent and oxidized HRP were compared with activities of the corresponding enzymes in solution. It has been found that whereas HRP is not suitable for the covalent immobilization on P(SA) latex and loses its activity after adsorption onto P(S) latex, HRP-OX can be adsorbed onto P(S) latex and is readily immobilized covalently onto the ethylenediamine modified P(SA) and P(A) latexes, retaining much of its former enzymatic reactivity.This work was supported by the KBN Grant 2 0624 91 01     

The Uncommon Active Site of D-Amino Acid Transaminase from Haliscomenobacter hydrossis: Biochemical and Structural Insights into the New Enzyme

Among industrially important pyridoxal-5’-phosphate (PLP)-dependent transaminases of fold type IV D-amino acid transaminases are the least studied. However, the development of cascade enzymatic processes, including the synthesis of D-amino acids, renewed interest in their study. Here, we describe the identification, biochemical and structural characterization of a new D-amino acid transaminase from Haliscomenobacter hydrossis (Halhy). The new enzyme is strictly specific towards D-amino acids and their keto analogs; it demonstrates one of the highest rates of transamination between D-glutamate and pyruvate. We obtained the crystal structure of the Halhy in the holo form with the protonated Schiff base formed by the K143 and the PLP. Structural analysis revealed a novel set of the active site residues that differ from the key residues forming the active sites of the previously studied D-amino acids transaminases. The active site of Halhy includes three arginine residues, one of which is unique among studied transaminases. We identified critical residues for the Halhy catalytic activity and suggested functions of the arginine residues based on the comparative structural analysis, mutagenesis, and molecular modeling simulations. We suggested a strong positive charge in the O-pocket and the unshaped P-pocket as a structural code for the D-amino acid specificity among transaminases of PLP fold type IV. Characteristics of Halhy complement our knowledge of the structural basis of substrate specificity of D-amino acid transaminases and the sequence-structure-function relationships in these enzymes.     

Changes in substrate specificity of native and recombinant horseradish peroxidase under ionizing radiation

The homogeneous recombinant horseradish peroxidase preparation fromE. coli inclusion bodies exhibits higher specific activity towards ammonium 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) than the native one. The differences in substrate specificity can be assigned to the native enzyme inactivation in the course of metabolic reactions in living plant cells, while the recombinant enzyme reconstructedin vitro completely realizes the original catalytic abilities. Application of the method of radiation-induced inactivation demonstrates the existence of different binding sites for the iodide anion. ABTS, phenol, and guaiacol and allows one to assume a common character of the binding sites of phenol ando-phenylenediamine.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2234–2237, December, 1994.     

Synthesis, structure solution, characterization, and catalytic properties of TNU-10: a high-silica zeolite with the STI topology

A high-silica zeolite (Si/Al = 7.1) with the STI framework topology, denoted TNU-10, has been synthesized in the presence of 1,4-bis(N-methylpyrrolidinium)butane and Na(+) cations as structure-directing agents, and its structure in the proton form has been refined against laboratory powder X-ray data in space group Fmmm (a = 13.533(1) A, b = 17.925(2) A, c = 17.651(2) A). The space group symmetry is supported by electron diffraction and energy minimization studies. The as-made and proton form of TNU-10 are extensively characterized by elemental and thermal analyses, scanning electron microscopy, N(2) adsorption, multinuclear solid-state NMR, IR, and temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, and the location of the organic structure-directing agent in the channel system is determined by molecular modeling. The catalytic properties of H-TNU-10 and Co-TNU-10 are evaluated for the skeletal isomerization of 1-butene to isobutene and the selective reduction of NO with methane, respectively. When compared to H-ferrierite, a low selectivity to isobutene is observed for H-TNU-10. However, it is found that Co-TNU-10 exhibits a maximum NO conversion of 93% at 823 K under conditions of high concentrations of methane (16,000 ppm) and water vapor (10%) and in the presence of 2.6% O(2), which is considerable higher than even the value (74%) obtained from Co-ferrierite, known as the best catalyst for this reaction, under the identical conditions.     

Biocatalytic System Made of 3D Chitin,Silica Nanopowder and Horseradish Peroxidase for the Removal of 17α-Ethinylestradiol: Determination of Process Efficiency and Degradation Mechanism

The occurrence of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in the environment and its removal have drawn special attention from the scientific community in recent years, due to its hazardous effects on human and wildlife around the world. Therefore, the aim of this study was to produce an efficient enzymatic system for the removal of EE2 from aqueous solutions. For the first time, commercial silica nanopowder and 3D fibrous chitinous scaffolds from Aplysina fistularis marine sponge were used as supports for horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immobilization. The effect of several process parameters onto the removal mechanism of EE2 by enzymatic conversion and adsorption of EE2 were investigated here, including system type, pH, temperature and concentrations of H₂O₂ and EE2. It was possible to fully remove EE2 from aqueous solutions using system SiO₂(HRP)–chitin(HRP) over a wide investigated pH range (5–9) and temperature ranges (4–45 °C). Moreover, the most suitable process conditions have been determined at pH 7, temperature 25 °C and H₂O₂ and EE2 concentrations equaling 2 mM and 1 mg/L, respectively. As determined, it was possible to reuse the nanoSiO₂(HRP)–chitin(HRP) system to obtain even 55% EE2 degradation efficiency after five consecutive catalytic cycles.     

制备溶剂对NiCoB非晶态合金催化剂结构及糠醛加氢性能的影响

采用化学还原法在不同单一和复配溶剂体系中制备了一系列NiCoB非晶态合金催化剂,对其液相糠醛加氢性能进行了考察,并采用N_2吸附-脱附等温线、ICP、FE-SEM、HRTEM、XRD、XPS等手段进行了表征。结果表明,在相同反应条件下,制备溶剂的表面张力、黏度、极性大小和溶解度常数等对NiCoB非晶态合金催化剂的组成、形貌和结构及其糠醛加氢反应性能均产生重要影响。由甲醇/乙二醇复配溶剂(MEG,体积比1∶1)制备的NiCoB-MEG催化剂具有最理想的糠醛液相加氢制糠醇性能,糠醛转化率达到96.4%,糠醇选择性达到83.49%,这可归因于甲醇和乙二醇之间的协同作用促进了金属组分的分散和还原。     

Comparative study of some synthesised and commercial fluorogenic substrates for horseradish peroxidase and its mimetic enzyme hemin by a flow injection method

Four 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2(1H)-one derivatives, i.e., 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2(lH)-one (DHQ), 3-methyl-3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2(1H)-one (MDHQ), 3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2(1H)-one-6-acid (DHQ-6-A) and 3-methyl-3,4-dihydroquinoxalin-2(1H)-one-6-acid (MDHQ-6-A), and N,N′-dicyanomethyl-o-phenylenediamine (DCM-OPA) were synthesised as potential substrates for horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Of these compounds DCM-OPA, DHQ and MDHQ can be prepared by very simple methods in a pure form in large quantities. Their properties for use as fluorogenic substrates for HRP and its mimetic enzyme hemin were compared with commercially available substrates, i.e., p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (p-HPA), p-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid (p-HPPA), homovanillic acid (HVA) and tyramine, by a flow injection method. The results showed that DCM-OPA and MDHQ were the best among the five synthesised substrates and p-HPPA and p-HPA are better than HVA and tyramine. Substrates p-HPPA, p-HPA, DCM-OPA and MDHQ showed comparable ability for H₂O₂ detection in HRP and hemin catalysed reaction systems, with detection limits in the nmol l⁻¹ region. The stability of DCM-OPA is better than MDHQ, but both are stable for at least a month in a refrigerator.     

Physicochemical properties of manganese-containing oxides with a spinel structure prepared with the use of ammonium nitrate and their catalytic activity in carbon monoxide oxidation

Oxide catalysts with the spinel structure with the molar ratios between components Co/Mn = 1: 2, Cu/Mn = 1: 2, and Cu/Co/Mn = 2: 2: 3 (samples I–III, respectively) have been prepared by the decomposition of metal nitrate hydrate solutions in an ammonium nitrate melt. Sample IV with the ratio Cu/Co/Mn = 2: 2: 3 containing 80% γ-Al₂O₃ is obtained by the addition of γ-Al₂O₃ powder to the initial melt. The catalysts are characterized using X-ray diffraction analysis, electron microscopy, and local X-ray analysis. Catalytic activity in the reaction of CO oxidation increased in the order I < II < III < IV. The proposed method is simple, and the synthesis is rapid. Oxides with the spinel structure homogeneous in composition and morphology without any impurities can be prepared by this method. These oxides exhibited high catalytic activity in the reaction of carbon monoxide oxidation.     

Preparation and characterization of loess sediment for use as a reference material in the annual radiation dose determination for luminescence dating

Loess sediment was prepared and characterized with well-established K, Th and U contents, and corresponding ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th and ^235,238U activities, intended for use as a reference material in the annual radiation dose determination for luminescence dating. To this purpose, loess was collected in Volkegem, Belgium, and — after drying, pulverizing and homogenizing — characterized via k ₀-INAA and HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry. This led to 12 kg material with a grain size below 50 μm, with established K, Th and U homogeneity, with the ²³²Th and ²³⁸U decay series proven to be in equilibrium, and with the following K, Th and U reference data: K = 16.5±1.5 g·kg⁻¹ (⁴⁰K = 497±45 Bq·kg⁻¹); Th = 10.4±0.6 mg·kg⁻¹ (²³²Th = 42.2±2.5 Bq·kg⁻¹); U = 2.79±0.12 mg·kg⁻¹ (²³⁸U = 34.5±1.5 Bq·kg⁻¹; ²³⁵U = 1.59±0.09 Bq·kg⁻¹; ^235+238U = 36.1±1.7 Bq·kg⁻¹). These data were confirmed via comparison with the results from NaI(Tl) field gamma-ray spectrometry, thick-source ZnS alpha-counting and thick-source GM beta-counting (after converting all data to Gy·ka⁻¹). The reference material is available (as aliquots up to 200 g) from the Ghent Luminescence Laboratory to all interested luminescence dating laboratories upon motivated request.     

The influence of calcination on the size of nanocrystals, porous structure and acid–base properties of mesoporous anatase used as catalytic support

Mesoporous anatase was prepared following sol–gel and using urea as template. The influence of calcination temperature on the phase stability, nanocrystal/aggregate size, pore size distribution and specific surface area as well as on the acid–base behavior in aqueous solutions was studied using X-ray diffraction, laser-Raman and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies, scanning electron microscopy and laser scattering as well as N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms and potentiometric mass titrations.The crystal structure was kept constant upon calcination over the whole temperature range, 200–500 °C. In this range anatase is constituted from primary nanocrystals. These are assembled into larger, rather spherical, clusters of about 30–40 nm and then into aggregates of various sizes (0.2–0.3 μm and 2–100 μm) with a distribution centered at about 12 μm. Increase of the calcination temperature caused an increase in the size of the primary nanocrystals from 8.1 nm at 200 °C to 17.1 nm at 500 °C, whereas calcination does not influence the morphology at micro-scale. Moreover, increase of the calcination temperature from 200 °C to 500 °C brings about a shift in the mean pore diameter from 47 nm to 91 nm accompanied by a decrease in the specific surface area and pore volume. The above effects were related with the aforementioned increase in the size of the primary nanocrystals. The value of pzc and the values of surface charge determined at various pH do not practically depend on the calcination temperature. The absence of pore space confinement effects was explained in terms of the structure and size of the interface development between the anatase surface and the electrolytic solution.     

Nickel ferrite spinel as catalyst precursor in the dry reforming of methane:Synthesis,characterization and catalytic properties

Dry reforming of methane by CO2 using nickel ferrite as precursor of catalysts was investigated.Nickel ferrite crystalline particles were prepared by coprecipitation of nitrates with NaOH or ammonia followed by calcination,or by hydrothermal synthesis without calcination step.The textural and structural properties were determined by a number of analysis methods,including X-ray diffraction (XRD),Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS),among which X-ray diffraction (XRD) was at room and variable temperatures.All synthesized oxides showed the presence of micro or nanoparticles of NiFe2O4 inverse spinel,but Fe2O3 (hematite) was also present when ammonia was used for coprecipitation.The reducibility by hydrogen was studied by temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and in situ XRD,which showed the influence of the preparation method.The surface area (BET),particle size (Rietveld refinement),as well as surface Ni/Fe atomic ratio (XPS) and the behavior upon reduction varied according to the synthesis method.The catalytic reactivity was investigated using isopropanol decomposition to determine the acid/base properties.The catalytic performance of methane reforming with CO2 was measured with and without the pre-treatment of catalysts under H2 in 650-800 C range.The catalytic conversions of methane and CO2 were quite low but they increased when the catalysts were pre-reduced.A significant contribution of reverse water gas shift reaction accounted for the low values of H2 /CO ratio.No coking was observed as shown by the reoxidation step performed after the catalytic reactions.The possible formation of nickel-iron alloy observed during the study of reducibility by hydrogen was invoked to account for the catalytic behavior.     

Development and validation of a capillary electrophoresis method for the characterization of sulfoethyl cellulose

To characterize sulfoethyl cellulose el samples, a capillary electrophoresis method was developed and validated sulfoethyl cellulose el was hydrolyzed, and the resulting d ‐glucose derivatives were analyzed after reductive amination with 4‐aminobenzoic acid using 150 mM boric acid, pH 9.5, as background electrolyte at 20°C and a voltage of 28 kV. Peak identification was derived from capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry using 25 mM ammonia adjusted to pH 6.2 by acetic acid as electrolyte. Besides mono‐, di‐, and trisulfoethyl d ‐glucose small amounts of disaccharides could be identified resulting from incomplete hydrolysis. The linearity of the borate buffer‐based capillary electrophoresis method was evaluated using d ‐glucose in the concentration range of 3.9–97.5 μg/mL, while limits of detection and quantification derived from the signal‐to‐noise ratio of 3 and 10 were 0.4 ± 0.1 and 1.2 ± 0.3 μg/mL, respectively. Reproducibility and intermediate precision were determined using a hydrolyzed sulfoethyl cellulose el sample and ranged between 0.2 and 8.8% for migration times and between 0.3 and 10.4% for peak area. The method was applied to the analysis of the degree of substitution of synthetic sulfoethyl cellulose el samples obtained by variation of the synthetic process and compared to data obtained by elemental analysis.     

Light gasoil of catalytic cracking: A quantitative description of the physical properties by joint use of chromato-mass-spectrometry and molecular dynamics

In the present work, the composition and relative density of light gasoil of catalytic cracking (LGCC) were studied using chromato-mass-spectrometry and its key physical properties were numerically simulated using molecular dynamics. We have studied the distribution of hydrocarbon compounds over narrow fractions of LGCC. We have applied the ASTM D2892-11a standard distillation to find the component composition of LGCC and its narrow fractions obtained from a mixture of West Siberian oils. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed using the GROMOS96 54a7 force field for the ensemble of constant number of particles (N), pressure (P) and temperature (T) (NPT) ensemble under the constant temperature and constant pressure conditions. The topologies of the structures under study were generated by the automated topology builder (ATB) service. Both the chromatographic mass spectrometry experiments and molecular dynamics simulations indicate the contents of aromatic hydrocarbons in LGCC from the mixture of West Siberian oils up to 80 wt%.