Amperometric l-glutamate biosensor based on bacterial cell-surface displayed glutamate dehydrogenase

A novel l-glutamate biosensor was fabricated using bacteria surface-displayed glutamate dehydrogenase (Gldh-bacteria). Here the cofactor NADP⁺-specific dependent Gldh was expressed on the surface of Escherichia coli using N-terminal region of ice nucleation protein (INP) as the anchoring motif. The cell fractionation assay and SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that the majority of INP-Gldh fusion proteins were located on the surface of cells. The biosensor was fabricated by successively casting polyethyleneimine (PEI)-dispersed multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), Gldh-bacteria and Nafion onto the glassy carbon electrode (Nafion/Gldh-bacteria/PEI-MWNTs/GCE). The MWNTs could not only significantly lower the oxidation overpotential towards NAPDH, which was the product of NADP⁺ involving in the oxidation of glutamate by Gldh, but also enhanced the current response. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the current–time curve of the Nafion/Gldh-bacteria/PEI-MWNTs/GCE was performed at +0.52 V (vs. SCE) by amperometry varying glutamate concentration. The current response was linear with glutamate concentration in two ranges (10 μM–1 mM and 2–10 mM). The low limit of detection was estimated to be 2 μM glutamate (S/N = 3). Moreover, the proposed biosensor is stable, specific, reproducible and simple, which can be applied to real samples detection.     

反胶束固定化醇脱氢酶的制备及应用研究

研究十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)-辛烷-己醇反胶束体系固定化醇脱氢酶(ADH)的制备及应用。考察了含水量、CTAB和己醇用量对于ADH固定化的影响。对游离酶和固定化酶的催化动力学性质研究表明:酶促反应的最适pH值分别为8.2和8.8,最适温度分别为31℃和20℃,米氏常数分别为12mmol/L和7mmol/L。30℃时,游离酶存放150min后失活90%,固定化酶失活50%,表明反胶束固定化ADH有较好的热稳定性。应用此体系测定了试样中乙醇的含量。     

A Biofuel Cell Based on Biocatalytic Reactions of Glucose on Both Anode and Cathode Electrodes

Biofuel cells based on electrocatalytic oxidation of NADH and reduction of H₂O₂ have been prepared using carbon fiber electrodes functionalized with graphene nano‐flakes. The electrochemical oxidation of NADH was catalyzed by Meldola's blue (MB), while the reduction of H₂O₂ was catalyzed by hemin, both catalysts were adsorbed on the graphene flakes due to their π‐π staking. In the next set of experiments, the MB‐ and hemin‐electrodes were additionally modified with glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) and glucose oxidase (GOx), respectively. The enzyme catalyzed reactions in the presence of glucose, NAD⁺ and O₂ resulted in the production of NADH and H₂O₂ in situ. The produced NADH and H₂O₂ were oxidized and reduced, respectively, at the bioelectrocatalytic electrodes, thus producing voltage and current generated by the biofuel cell. The enzyme‐based biofuel cells operated in a human serum solution modelling an implantable device powered from the natural biofluid. Finally, two enzyme‐based biofuel cell connected in series and operating in the serum solution produced electrical power sufficient for activation of an electronic watch used as an example device.     

Solving the Puzzle of One‐Carbon Loss in Ripostatin Biosynthesis

Ripostatin is a promising antibiotic that inhibits RNA polymerase by binding to a novel binding site. In this study, the characterization of the biosynthetic gene cluster of ripostatin, which is a peculiar polyketide synthase (PKS) hybrid cluster encoding cis‐ and trans‐acyltransferase PKS genes, is reported. Moreover, an unprecedented mechanism for phenyl acetic acid formation and loading as a starter unit was discovered. This phenyl‐C2 unit is derived from phenylpyruvate (phenyl‐C3) and the mechanism described herein explains the mysterious loss of one carbon atom in ripostatin biosynthesis from the phenyl‐C3 precursor. Through in vitro reconstitution of the whole loading process, a pyruvate dehydrogenase like protein complex was revealed that performs thiamine pyrophosphate dependent decarboxylation of phenylpyruvate to form a phenylacetyl‐S ‐acyl carrier protein species, which is supplied to the subsequent biosynthetic assembly line for chain extension to finally yield ripostatin.     

Computational analysis for the determination of deleterious nsSNPs in human MTHFD1 gene

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common genetic polymorphisms and play a major role in many inherited diseases. Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 1 (MTHFD1) is one of the enzymes involved in folate metabolism. In the present study, the functional and structural consequences of nsSNPs of human MTHFD1 gene was analyzed using various computational tools like SIFT, PolyPhen2, PANTHER, PROVEAN, SNAP2, nsSNPAnalyzer, PhD-SNP, SNPs&GO, I-Mutant, MuPro, ConSurf, InterPro, NCBI Conserved Domain Search tool, ModPred, SPARKS-X, RAMPAGE, FT Site and PyMol. Out of 327 nsSNPs form human MTHFD1 gene, total 45 SNPs were predicted as functionally most significant SNPs, among which 17 were highly conserved and functional, 17 were highly conserved and structural residues. Among 45 most significant SNPs, 15 were predicted to be involved in post translational modifications. The p.Gly165Arg may interfere in homodimer interface formation. The p.Asn439Lys and p.Asp445Asn may interfere in binding interactions of MTHFD1 protein with cesium cation and potassium. The two SNPs (p.Asp562Gly and p.Gly637Cys) might interfere in interactions of MTHFD1 with ligand.     

On the specificity of the amide VI band for the secondary structure of proteins

In this work we analyzed the specificity of the amide VI band for different types of secondary structure elements in protein structures. This band involves the bending motion of the CO group of the peptide chain that is typically observed in the spectral region from 590 to 490 cm⁻¹. The infrared absorbance spectra of a set of polypeptide model compounds of well known secondary structure was obtained at defined pH, including poly (l-lysine), poly (l-tyrosine), poly (l-alanine) and poly (l-histidine). In addition spectra of membrane proteins from the respiratory chain, namely the NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase, the cytochrome c oxidase and its Cu_A fragment, the cytochrome bc₁ complex, a Rieske-type protein and in addition myoglobin, have been comparatively investigated. The systematic analysis of the amide VI band of the polypeptides and the proteins allowed correlating the signal appearing at ∼525 cm⁻¹ to α-helical structures and signals at ∼545 cm⁻¹ to β-sheet contributions. Random coils have been found to contribute at ∼535 cm⁻¹ while the β-turns were observed at ∼560 cm⁻¹.     

Electrochemical studies of single-wall carbon nanotubes as nanometer-sized activators in enzyme-catalyzed reaction

Chronoamperometry based on the “controlling-diffusion layer” concept of the convective system was used to assay the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) on a bare glassy carbon (GC) electrode and a GC electrode modified by a single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) film. The effects of lanthanum ion, oxalic acid, and nicotine on the LDH activity were monitored. Analysis of the experimental results revealed that the single-wall carbon nanotubes could markedly increase the activity of LDH. The activation and inhibition were characterized by three quantities: the real initial reaction rate (V₀) and the maximum reaction rate (V_max) of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction and the Michaelis-Menten constant (K_m). Tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM) images and the Raman spectra unambiguously demonstrated that the single-wall carbon nanotubes could interact with the enzyme LDH while the SWNT-modified electrode was under the potential control. In this case, the activation of SWNT was attributed to the interaction of SWNTs with the enzyme.     

甲基营养细菌No1甲胺脱氢酶的纯化和性质研究

甲基营养细菌Ｎｏ１甲胺脱氢酶是以色氨酸－色氨酰醌为辅基的一种特殊氧化还原酶．粗酶液经纯化后，其比活力和收得率分别为５．１ｎｍｏｌ·ｇ－１和２８％．该酶的分子量为６７０００，等电点为８．３和８．５，组成它的大、小两个亚基的分子量分别为３７０００和１５０００．甲胺脱氢酶有较好的耐热性，它能催化包括一级甲胺和二胺在内的底物反应，与甲胺反应的Ｋｍ值为２６．６μｍｏｌ·Ｌ－１，最适ｐＨ为８．０．其酶催化反应可被Ｃｕ２＋抑制．该酶的吸收光谱是，在３２８ｎｍ和４２６ｎｍ呈现两个特征峰     

The Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Multienzyme Complex

The three enzymes pyruvate dehydrogenase, dihydrolipoamide transacetylase, and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase constitute the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex of E. coli; in mammals the complex also contains a kinase and a phosphatase. Multienzyme complexes are structural, functional, and regulatory units enabling the organism to operate more economically than with single enzymes. The pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex may stand at the switch-point between energy metabolism and gluconeogenesis.     

A Novel Nano-Sensor Based on Rhodamine-β-Isothiocyanate – Doped Silica Nanoparticle for pH Measurement

A novel and simple enzymatic method for the determination of trace cyanide in marine fish is presented. This method is based on the conversion of metal-cyanide complexes by a fungal enzyme extract containing cyanide hydratase (E.C. 4.2.1.66; CyHT) and formamidase (E.C. 3.5.1.49) into formate and ammonia. The formate produced in the sample pretreated with the fungal enzymes was measured by adding formate dehydrogenase (E.C. 1.2.1.2; FDH) and excess NAD⁺. The NADH formed accordingly was monitored at 340nm. The cyanide calibration curve was found to be linear in the range of 10–100µM, and the detection limit was 1.1µM (0.0286ppm). The proposed biotest was successfully applied to the determination of trace cyanide in a tropical marine food fish species (Russells Snapper (Lutjamus russellii)) which had been exposed to cyanide.