Stabilization ofd-amino acid oxidase from yeastTrigonopsis variabilis used for production of glutaryl-7-aminocephalosporanic acid from cephalosporin C

The studies to improve the production of glutaryl-7-ACA from cephalosporin C are described in this paper. During the conversion of cephalosporin C to keto-adipyl-7-aminocephalosporonic acid by d-amino acid oxidase (d-AAO), with the simultaneous production of equimolar amount of hydrogen peroxide, an incomplete nonenzymatic conversion of the keto form into the glutaryl form occurs, where cephalosporin C as well asd-AAO are partly destroyed in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. d-AAO was immobilized to different carriers in order to achieve better enzyme stability. The activity of immobilizedd-AAO on manganese oxide remained above 100% during the first 9 h of a semicontinuous conversion of cephalosporin C. The presence of catalase coimmobilized with D-AAO and coupled to CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B improved the operation stability ofd-AAO. An additional approach for the continuous transformation of cephalosporin C used whole cells ofTrigonopsis variabilis, containingd-AAO, immobilized to magnetic iron oxide particles.     

Uniform molecularly imprinted microspheres and nanoparticles prepared by precipitation polymerization: the control of particle size suitable for different analytical applications

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are being increasingly used as selective adsorbents in different analytical applications. To satisfy the different application purposes, MIPs with well controlled physical forms in different size ranges are highly desirable. For examples, MIP nanoparticles are very suitable to be used to develop binding assays and for microfluidic separations, whereas MIP beads with diameter of 1.5-3 μm can be more appropriate to use in new analytical liquid chromatography systems. Previous studies have demonstrated that imprinted microspheres and nanoparticles can be synthesized using a simple precipitation polymerization method. Despite that the synthetic method is straightforward, the final particle size obtained has been difficult to adjust for a given template. In this work, we initiated to study new synthetic conditions to obtain MIP beads with controllable size in the nano- to micro-meter range, using racemic propranolol as a model template. Varying the composition of the cross-linking monomer allowed the particle size of the MIP beads to be altered in the range of 130 nm to 2.4 μm, whereas the favorable binding property of the imprinted beads remained intact. The chiral recognition sites were further characterized with equilibrium binding analysis using tritium-labeled (S)-propranolol as a tracer. In general, the imprinted sites displayed a high chiral selectivity: the apparent affinity of the (S)-imprinted sites for (S)-propranolol was 20 times that of for (R)-propranolol. Compared to previously reported irregular particles, the chiral selectivity of competitive radioligand binding assays developed from the present imprinted beads has been increased by six to seven folds in an optimized aqueous solvent.     

Enantiomeric resolution on molecularly imprinted polymers prepared with only non-covalent and non-ionic interactions

Molecular imprints were prepared utilizing only weak bonds between the print molecule and functional monomers; the bonding forces used in the imprinting process were only those weaker than covalent and ionic bonds. Methacrylate-based molecular imprints were prepared using a number of chiral compounds, including N-protected amino acid derivatives, as print molecules. Methacrylic acid was used as the functional monomer because the acid function of the monomer forms hydrogen bonds with a variety of polar functionalities, such as carboxylic acids, carbamates, heteroatoms and carboxylic esters, of the print molecule. Bulk polymers were prepared, ground and sieved to particles of size less than 25 microns, packed into high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) columns and used for enantiomeric separations in the HPLC mode. The polymers were shown to effect efficient enantiomeric resolution of a racemate of the print molecule in addition to substrate selectivity for the print molecule in a mixture of substrates with very similar structures. For example, the enantiomers of Cbz-aspartic acid and Cbz-glutamic acid (Cbz = carbobenzoxy) were resolved with separation factors of 1.9 and 2.5, respectively, on polymers with molecular imprints of the L-form of the respective compounds. In addition, these polymers, prepared against Cbz-L-aspartic acid and Cbz-L-glutamic acid, respectively, had the ability to bind selectively the print molecule from a mixture of both racemates, although the two compounds differ only by one methylene group. The results presented represent a substantial widening of the scope of molecular imprinting in that it may now be possible to prepare molecular imprints against a very large number of compounds.     

Towards the development of molecularly imprinted artificial receptors for the screening of estrogenic chemicals.

Molecularly imprinted polymers are prepared using various steroid compounds as the templates. The imprinted polymers can selectively re-bind the original print molecules, which leads to versatile potential applications. The feasibility of using these artificial receptors to replace their biological counterparts for preliminary screening of a chemical library is demonstrated. A steroid library composed of 22 closely related compounds is screened with an estrogen specific polymer. The print molecule is identified with accuracy and structural similarities of other members are correlated with normalized retention indices. Molecularly imprinted artificial receptors are envisioned as being useful for screening purposes in drug discovery or for identifying endocrine-disrupting chemicals.     

Catalysis of benzisoxazole isomerization by molecularly imprinted polymers

A tailor-made catalytically active polymer catalyzing the benzisoxazole isomerization is described. Kinetic studies carried out in water/ethanol (3:1, v/v) at room temperature, showed a rate acceleration (k_MIP/k_control) of 7.2-fold compared to the control polymer. The imprinted polymer exhibits Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a K_m of 0.484 mM and a k_cat of 0.205 min⁻¹. Compared with the uncatalyzed reaction, a rate enhancement ((k_cat/K_m)/k_uncat) of 4 × 10⁴ fold was obtained. Substrate selectivity, accessible binding site analysis, dissociation constant determination, and inhibition study were also performed.     

Selection of a cyclic nonapeptide inhibitor to α-chymotrypsin using a phage display peptide library

A cyclic nonapeptide library displayed on filamentous bacteriophages was selected 6 times against α-chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.21.1) at three different pH conditions (6.5, 7.0, and 7.5). Phage peptide clones from the sixth selection, at all three pH conditions, interacted more strongly with α-chymotrypsin than the original library and a wild-type phage did. DNA sequencing of the selected phage peptide clones showed that different cyclic nonapeptide sequences had been selected at the different pH conditions. The oxidized form of the synthetic peptide, Cys-Cys-Phe-Ser-Trp-Arg-Cys-Arg-Cys, selected at pH 7.5, could completely inhibit the enzymatic activity of α-chymotrypsin. The structurally related enzymes trypsin (bovine) and elastase (porcine) were only marginally inhibited by the same peptide under the same conditions. The inhibition constant for α-chymotrypsin was estimated to be 10^-6 M. Phage clones expressing this peptide had a lower affinity for phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride-modified α-chymotrypsin than for natural α-chymotrypsin as determined by an enzyme immunosorbent assay. This peptide phage clone was also competitively prevented from binding to α-chymotrypsin by the corresponding synthetic oxidized peptide. Collectively, the results suggest that the oxidized form of the selected peptide Cys-Cys-Phe-Ser-Trp-Arg-Cys-Arg-Cys interacts with the active site of α-chymotrypsin and acts as a specific inhibitor to the enzyme. To our knowledge, the selected sequence Cys-Cys-Phe-Ser-Trp-Arg-Cys-Arg-Cys has not been found in nature. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis of a new amino acid based cross-linker for preparation of substrate selective acrylic polymers

The synthesis of N,O-bisacryloyl-L-phenylalaninol is described as well as its application in the preparation of a L-phenylalanine ethyl ester selective acrylic polymer.     

Determination by the enzyme thermistor of cellobiose formed on degradation of cellulose

A calorimetric assay procedure for the determination of cellobiose has been developed. The cellobiose is hydrolyzed by β-glucosidase and the glucose formed is measured calorimetrically by an enzyme thermistor containing co-immobilized glucose oxidase and catalase. The system was optimized with regard to the arrangement of the enzymes, the pH-dependence of the separate enzymic steps, and of the total system. By placing the β-glucosidase in a precolumn that could be switched in and out of the flow through the enzyme thermistor, both cellobiose and glucose present in the sample could be determined. The performance with standard solutions and with crude samples from cellulose degradation experiments was investigated.