Pepsin immobilized in dextran-modified fused-silica capillaries for on-line protein digestion and peptide mapping

On-line digestion of proteins under acidic conditions was studied using micro-reactors consisting of dextran-modified fused-silica capillaries with covalently immobilized pepsin. The proteins used in this study differed in molecular weight, isoelectric point and sample composition. The injected protein samples were completely digested in 3 min and the digest was analyzed with micro-high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The different proteins present in the samples could be identified with a Mascot database search on the basis of auto-MS/MS data. It proved also to be possible to digest and analyze protein mixtures with a sequence coverage of 55% and 97% for the haemoglobin β- and α-chain, respectively, and 35-55% for the various casein variants. Protease auto-digestion, sample carry-over and loss of signal due to adsorption of the injected proteins were not observed. The backpressure of the reactor is low which makes coupling to systems such as Surface Plasmon Resonance biosensors, which do not tolerate too high pressure, possible. The reactor was stable for at least 40 days when used continuously.     

Monitoring of enzyme catalysed reactions by Fourier transform Raman spectrometry

Esterification of mandelic acid catalysed by Candida antarctica lipase B was studied by Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectrometry in non-aqueous medium. It was found that there is a strict correlation between the intensity of the Raman scattering and the activity of the enzyme. FT-Raman spectrometry seems to be a fast and reliable method for selecting the appropriate enzyme and for determining the optimal enzyme water content. In addition, valuable information can be obtained from the spectra regarding the mechanism of enzyme–substrate bonding.     

Controlled Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Heparan Sulfate Oligosaccharides

A chemoenzymatic approach has been developed for the preparation of diverse libraries of heparan sulfate (HS) oligosaccharides. It employs chemically synthesized oligosaccharides having a chemical entity at a GlcN residue, which in unanticipated manners influences the site of modification by NST, C5‐Epi/2‐OST and 6‐OST₁/6‐OST₃, thus resulting in oligosaccharides differing in N/O‐sulfation and epimerization pattern. The enzymatic transformations defined fine substrate requirements of NST, C5‐Epi, 2‐OST, and 6‐OST.     

Flow injection electrochemical enzyme immunoassay based on the use of an immunoelectrode strip integrate immunosorbent layer and a screen-printed carbon electrode

A flow injection amperometric immunoassay system based on the use of screen-printed carbon electrode for the detection of mouse IgG was developed. An immunoelectrode strip, on which an immunosorbent layer and screen-printed carbon electrode were integrated, and a proposed flow cell have been fabricated. The characterization of the flow immunoassay system and parameters affecting the performance of the immunoassay system were studied and optimized. Amperometric detection at 0.0 V (versus Ag/AgCl) resulted in a linear detection range of 30-700 ng ml⁻¹, with a detection limit of 3 ng ml⁻¹. The signal variation among electrode strips prepared from variant batch did not exceed 8.5% (n=7) by measuring 0.5 μg ml⁻¹ antigen standard solution.     

Immobilized enzyme reactor chromatography: optimization of protein retention and enzyme activity in monolithic silica stationary phases

Our group recently reported on the application of protein-doped monolithic silica columns for immobilized enzyme reactor chromatography, which allowed screening of enzyme inhibitors present in mixtures using mass spectrometry for detection. The enzyme was immobilized by entrapment within a bimodal meso/macroporous silica material prepared by a biocompatible sol-gel processing route. While such columns proved to be useful for applications such as screening of protein-ligand interactions, significant amounts of entrapped proteins leached from the columns owing to the high proportion of macropores within the materials. Herein, we describe a detailed study of factors affecting the morphology of protein-doped bioaffinity columns and demonstrate that specific pH values and concentrations of poly(ethylene glycol) can be used to prepare essentially mesoporous columns that retain over 80% of initially loaded enzyme in an active and accessible form and yet still retain sufficient porosity to allow pressure-driven flow in the low μL/min range. Using the enzyme γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT), we further evaluated the catalytic constants of the enzyme entrapped in capillary columns with different silica morphologies as a function of flowrate and backpressure using the enzyme reactor assay mode. It was found that the apparent activity of the enzyme was highest in mesoporous columns that retained high levels of enzyme. In such columns, enzyme activity increased by ∼2-fold with increases in both flowrate (from 250 to 1000 nL/min) and backpressure generated (from 500 to 2100 psi) during the chromatographic activity assay owing to increases in k_cat and decreases in K_M, switching from diffusion controlled to reaction controlled conditions at ca. 2000 psi. These results suggest that columns with minimal macropore volumes (<5%) are advantageous for the entrapment of soluble proteins for bioaffinity and bioreactor chromatography.     

Determination of glucose in fermentation processes by means of an on-line coupled flow-injection system using enzyme sensors based on chemically modified electrodes

The application of an inexpensive, easy-to-make and disposable biosensor, based on a chemically modified graphite electrode with an adsorbed and cross-linked layer of glucose dehydrogenase, as a detector in a flow-injection system for on-line monitoring of glucose in fermenters is described. The performance of the sensor as a function of time is investigated, and used for assaying glucose in a wine fermentation process. It is concluded that the sensor operates satisfactorily during at least 3 days of continuous use. No interference from ethanol is encountered. With regard to practical applications, special emphasis is placed on the interfacing of the fermenter and the analytical system.     

Entropy,Binding Energy,and Enzymic Catalysis

Why are enzyme-catalyzed reactions so much faster than uncatalyzed reactions, and why are enzymes so specific? What is the effect of mere approximation of enzyme and substrate, and what is the influence of the strain energy? Attempts to answer these questions have led to comparisons between entropy changes in intermolecular and intramolecular reactions, and to determinations of the intrinsic energy of the bond arising by non-covalent interaction between enzyme and substrate.