脂肪酶催化开环聚合的研究进展

酶是一种绿色、安全、高效、专一的生物催化剂,在反应中具有能耗小、可循环利用和选择性高等优点,更重要的是酶催化聚合能够制备传统的化学催化无法(或难以)实现的聚合物,具有一定的工业化前景。本文简述了酶催化的发展历程、机理以及其制备特殊结构和功能聚合物材料的特点,特别是脂肪酶催化下的开环聚合相对于缩聚反应来说,具有反应条件温和、分子量和结构可控性好等优势,因此重点描述脂肪酶催化开环聚合在合成不同拓扑结构(线型、支化、交联)聚合物中的研究进展。     

植物体系中甲酯酶的底物专一性的理论研究

酶对天然底物的高度专一性是酶的特点之一. 然而关于酶是如何对底物具有高度专一性以及识别能力, 我们的理解仍然缺乏. 本文以植物体系中发现的一组甲酯酶(MESs)对一些底物[包括水杨酸甲酯(MeSA), 茉莉酮酸甲酯(MeJA)和吲哚-3-乙酸甲酯(MeIAA)]的催化反应为例, 报道了同源建模和理论计算对茉莉酮酸甲酯酶(AtMES10)和水杨酸结合蛋白2(SABP2)的研究结果. 基于简单的锁-钥匙理论(底物与酶结合时不发生基团的碰撞或严重排斥), 以底物对接到酶的活性部位(即底物中—COO的一部分占据可被催化丝氨酸亲核进攻的位置) 为原则, 可以在空间上为酶对底物的专一性提供解释. 模拟结果表明, SABP2可对MeSA有高活性, 对MeJA和MeIAA有低或无活性; AtMES10可对MeJA有高活性, 而对MeSA和MeIAA有低或无活性, 这与实验结果相一致. 因此, 相关酶的结构预测与计算机模拟对了解酶的底物专一性具有重要的意义.     

酶催化脂肪族聚酯的合成

脂肪族聚酯是一种可生物降解的新型高聚物,可通过化学催化、发酵和酶催化来合成.酶催化合成聚酯是一种新型的环境友好绿色化学技术,可以在温和条件下高效的合成聚酯,有着传统聚合方法难以比拟的优势.尤其是特种酶的应用,为传统方法难以合成的聚酯,开辟了一条新的合成途径.本文综述了脂肪酶催化缩聚、酯交换、内酯开环聚合等聚酯合成方法,并讨论了反应参数(如溶剂、温度、酶和单体的浓度)对反应的影响.     

Biosynthesis of the Carbonylmethylene Structure Found in the Ketomemicin Class of Pseudotripeptides

We recently discovered novel pseudotripeptides, the ketomemicins, which possess a C‐terminal pseudodipeptide connected with a carbonylmethylene instead of an amide bond, through heterologous expression of gene clusters identified in actinobacteria. The carbonylmethylene structure is a stable isostere of the amide bond and its biological significance has been shown in several natural and synthetic products. Despite the biological importance of these compounds, little is known about how the carbonylmethylene structure is biosynthesized. In this work, we fully characterized the biosynthetic machinery of the pseudodipeptide. An aldolase, dehydratase, PLP‐dependent glycine‐C‐acetyltransferase, and dehydrogenase were involved in the formation of the pseudodipeptide, with malonyl‐CoA and phenylpyruvate as starter substrates.     

Design and development of a fiber-optic immunosensor utilizing near-infrared fluorophores

The design and application of a fluorescent fiber-optic immunosensor (FFOI) are reported. The FFOI is utilized for the detection of antibody/antigen binding within the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region. The technique is developed through the combined use of fiber-optic, semiconductor laser-excitation, fluorescence detection, NIR dye, and immunochemical techniques. The antibody is immobilized on the FFOI and utilized as a recognition component for trace amounts of specific antigen. The FFOI is constructed to utilize an antibody sandwich technique. The assay involves the immobilization of the capture antibody on the sensing tip of the FFOI followed by the exposure of the immobilized sensing tip to the antigen. The antigen-coated FFOI is then introduced to a second antibody previously labeled with the NIR dye. Typical measurements are performed in about 15 min. A semiconductor laser provides the excitation (780 nm) of the immune complex. The resulting emission is detected by a silicon photodiode detector (820 nm). The intensity of the resulting fluorescence is directly proportional to the concentration of the antigen. The sensitivity of the analysis reaches 10 ng/ml and the response time is 10–15 min.