Redox enzymes immobilization

FIGURE 2.39. Schematic representation of the Bartlett model for electrocatalysis using redox enzymes immobilized in a conducting polymer film. (Ref. 21.)... 

Figure 17.6 Redox hydrogel approach to immobilizing multiple layers of a redox enzyme on an electrode, (a) Structure of the polymer, (b) Voltammograms for electrocatalytic O2 reduction by a carbon fiber electrode modified with laccase in the redox hydrogel shown in (a) (long tether) or a version with no spacer atoms in the tether between the backbone and the Os center (short tether). Reprinted with permission fi om Soukharev et al., 2004. Copyright (2004) American Chemical Society.

Heering HA, Wiertz FGM, Dekker C, de Vries S. 2004. Direct immobilization of native yeast Iso-1 cytochrome c on bare gold Fast electron relay to redox enzymes and zeptomole protein-film voltammetry. J Am Chem Soc 126 11103-11112. 

Biocatalytic fuel cells using isolated redox enzymes were first investigated in 1964 [4], These fuel cells represent a more realistic opportunity for provision of implantable power, given the exquisite selectivity of enzyme catalysts, their activity under physiological conditions, and the relative ease of immobilization of isolated enzymes,... 

In most cases the electronic connection between an immobilized redox enzyme and the electrode requires a mediator to shuttle the electrons to the prosthetic group or some type of wiring that plays the same role. There are cases, however, especially those involving relatively small enzymes, where direct electron transfer takes place between the electrode and the prosthetic group or some electronic relay in the enzyme. Analysis of the catalysis responses then follows the principles described and illustrated in Section 4.3.2. Somewhat more complicated schemes are treated in references7, where illustrative experimental examples can also be found. 

Stabilization of activated oxidoreductases on time scales of months to years has historically been challenging, and the lack of success in this regard has limited the industrial implementation of redox enzymes to applications that do not require long lifetimes. However, as mentioned in the Introduction, some possibility of improved stability has arisen from immobilization of enzymes in hydrophilic cages formed by silica sol—gels and aerogels, primarily for sensor applications.The tradeoff of this approach is expected to be a lowering of current density because... 

A further approach to controlling electrical communication between redox proteins and their electrode support through a photo-command interface includes photo stimulated electrostatic control over the electrical contact between the redox enzyme and the electrode in the presence of a diffusional electron mediator (Scheme 12).[58] A mixed monolayer, consisting of the photoisomerizable thiolated nitrospiropyran units 30 and the semi-synthetic FAD cofactor 25, was assembled on an Au electrode. Apo-glucose oxidase was reconstituted onto the surface FAD sites to yield an aligned enzyme-layered electrode. The surface-reconstituted enzyme (2 x 10-12 mole cm-2) by itself lacked electrical communication with the electrode. In the presence of the positively charged, protonated diffusional electron mediator l-[l-(dimethylamino)ethyl]ferrocene 29, however, the bioelectrocatalytic functions of the enzyme-layered electrode could be activated and controlled by the photoisomerizable component co-immobilized in the monolayer assembly (Figure 12). In the... 

Photoswitchable redox-enzymes 1. Amperometric transduction of optical information - biocomputers 2. Amplification of weak optical signals -photonic amplifiers 3. Multisensor arrays — biosensor and bioelectronics 4. Photoelectrochemical systems Enzyme immobilized on electronic transducer... 

During the last decade, immobilization of oxidase type enzymes by physical entrapment in conducting or ionic polymers has gained in interest, particularly in the biosensor field. This was related to the possibility for direct electron tranfer between the redox enzyme and the electroconducting polymers such as polypyrrole (1,2), poly-N-methyl pyrrole (3), polyindole (4) and polyaniline (5) or by the possibility to incorporate by ion-exchange in polymer such as Nafion (6) soluble redox mediators that can act as electron shuttle between the enzyme and the electrode. 

More recently, a new series of water dispersed anionic polymers, the AQ 29D, 38D and 55D polymers were released by Eastman Kodak. Since that time, these polymers were used as electrode modifier (12, 13), as covering membrane (14) and as support for enzyme immobilization (15, 16). AQ polymers are high molecular weights (14,000 to 16,000 Da) sulfonated polyester type polymers (17, 18). Their possible structures have been recently presented (18). The AQ polymer serie shows many interesting characteristics useful for the fabrication of biosensors. They are water dispersed polymers and thus compatible with enzymatic activity. They have sulfonated pendant groups similar to Nafion and they can act as a membrane barrier for anionic interferring substances and they offer the possibility to immobilize redox mediators by ion exchange. 

A virtually interference-free and reagentless approach is immobilizing the redox enzyme on a suitable electrode surface in such a way that the protein-integrated redox site can directly exchange electrons with the electrode (enzymes with direct electron transfer contact). 

The chemical modification of redox enzymes with electron relay groups permits the mediated electron transfer and the electrical wiring of the proteins [83-85] (Figure 5A). The covalent attachment of electron-relay units at the protein periphery, as well as inner sites, yields short inter-relay electron-transfer distances. Electron hopping or tunneling between the periphery and the active site allows electrical communication between the redox enzyme and its environment. The simplest systems of this kind involve electron relay-functionalized enzymes diffusionally communicating with electrodes [83], but more complex assemblies including immobilized enzymes have also been reported. 

For practical photoinduced synthetic biocatalyzed transformations, it is important to integrate biocatalysts in immobilized matrices that allow the recycling of the photosystems. The fact that bipyridinium sites act as electron mediators for various redox enzymes was used to develop two paradigms for the electrical contacting and photoactivation of the biocatalyst (Figure 39). By one approach, the bipyridinium electron relays are tethered by covalent bonds to the protein backbone (Figure 39A). These electron relays act as oxidative quenchers of the excited state of the dye and, upon photoreduction of the electron acceptor units, they act as electron carriers that activate the reductive functions of the enzyme. As an example, the... 

Enzyme immobilization methods other than using the hydrogels (A) Since appUcations of the redox hydrogels (A) to glucose sensors was first reported by Pishko et al. in 1991, various other methods have been reported to immobilize redox polymers to construct biosensors as indicated (see Section 3.3.3.2). Other recent examples are as follows. 

Applications. A biotinylated GOX-based biosensor was developed based on a new electropolymerized material consisting of a pol3rp3uidyl complex of ruthenium(II) functionalized with a pyrrole group [90]. Because histidine, lysine and arginine functions also coordinate Os /Os , biosensors based on co-electrodeposited GOX, HRP, soybean peroxidase (SBP) and laccase with redox Os /Os polymer have been developed [89]. A metal chelate formed by nickel and nitrilotriacetic acid was used to modify a screen-printed electrode surface. The functionalized support allowed stable attachment of acetylcholinesterase and the resulting biosensor was used for sensitive detection of organophosphorus insecticides [91]. This method is attractive because it ensures a controlled and oriented enzyme immobilization, considerably improving the sensitivity and the detection limit. 

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