Multidimensional kinetic analysis of immobilized enzymes is essential to understand the enzyme functionality at the interface with solid materials. However, spatiotemporal kinetic characterization of heterogeneous biocatalysts on a microscopic level and under operando conditions has been rarely approached. As a case study, we selected self-sufficient heterogeneous biocatalysts where His-tagged cofactor-dependent enzymes (dehydrogenases, transaminases, and oxidases) are co-immobilized with their corresponding phosphorylated cofactors [nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H), pyridoxal phosphate (PLP), and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)] on porous agarose microbeads coated with cationic polymers. These self-sufficient systems do not require the addition of exogenous cofactors to function, thus avoiding the extensive use of expensive cofactors. To comprehend the microscopic kinetics and thermodynamics of self-sufficient systems, we performed fluorescence recovery after photobleaching measurements, time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, and image analytics at both single-particle and intraparticle levels. These studies reveal a thermodynamic equilibrium that rules out the reversible interactions between the adsorbed phosphorylated cofactors and the polycations within the pores of the carriers, enabling the confined cofactors to access the active sites of the immobilized enzymes. Furthermore, this work unveils the relationship between the apparent Michaelis–Menten kinetic parameters and the enzyme density in the confined space, eliciting a negative effect of molecular crowding on the performance of some enzymes. Finally, we demonstrate that the intraparticle apparent enzyme kinetics are significantly affected by the enzyme spatial organization. Hence, multiscale characterization of immobilized enzymes serves as an instrumental tool to better understand the in operando functionality of enzymes within confined spaces.
Silencing RNA (siRNA) technologies emerge as a promising therapeutic tool for the treatment of multiple diseases. An ideal nanocarrier (NC) for siRNAs should be stable at physiological pH and release siRNAs in acidic endosomal pH, fulfilling siRNA delivery only inside cells. Here, we show a novel application of polyamine phosphate NCs (PANs) based on their capacity to load negatively charged nucleic acids and their pH stability. PANs are fabricated by complexation of phosphate anions from phosphate buffer solution (PB) with the amine groups of poly(allylamine) hydrochloride as carriers for siRNAs. PANs are stable in a narrow pH interval, from 7 to 9, and disassemble at pH's higher than 9 and lower than 6. siRNAs are encapsulated by complexation with poly(allylamine) hydrochloride before or after PAN formation. PANs with encapsulated siRNAs are stable in cell media. Once internalized in cells following endocytic pathways, PANs disassemble at the low endosomal pH and release the siRNAs into the cytoplasm. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images of Rhodamine Green labeled PANs (RG-PANs) with encapsulated Cy3-labeled siRNA in A549 cells show that siRNAs are released from the PANs. Colocalization experiments with labeled endosomes and either labeled siRNAs prove the translocation of siRNAs into the cytosol. As a proof of concept, it is shown that PANs with encapsulated green fluorescence protein (GFP) siRNAs silence GFP in A549 cells expressing this protein. Silencing efficacy was evaluated by flow cytometry, CLSM, and Western blot assays. These results open the way for the use of poly(allylamine) phosphate nanocarriers for the intracellular delivery of genetic materials.
Alcohol dehydrogenase from Bacillus (Geobacillus) stearothermophilus (BsADH) is a NADH-dependent enzyme catalyzing the oxidation of alcohols, however its thermal and operational stabilities are too low for its long-term use under non-physiological conditions. Enzyme immobilizations emerges as an attractive tool to enhance the stability of this enzyme. In this work, we have screened a battery of porous carriers and immobilization chemistries to enhance the robustness of a His-tagged variant of BsADH. The selected carriers recovered close to 50% of the immobilized activity and increased enzyme stability from 3 to 9 times compared to the free enzyme. We found a trade-off between the half-life time and the specific activity as a function of the relative anisotropy values of the immobilized enzymes, suggesting that both properties are oppositely related to the enzyme mobility (rotational tumbling). The most thermally stable heterogeneous biocatalysts were coupled with a NADH oxidase/catalase pair co-immobilized on porous agarose beads to perform the batch oxidation of five different 1,ω-diols with in situ recycling of NAD+. Only when His-tagged BsADH was immobilized on porous glass functionalized with Fe3+, the heterogeneous biocatalyst oxidized 1, 5-pentanediol with a conversion higher than 50% after five batch cycles. This immobilized multi-enzyme system presented promising enzymatic productivities towards the oxidation of three different diols. Hence, this strategical study accompanied by a functional and structural characterization of the resulting immobilized enzymes, allowed us selecting an optimal heterogeneous biocatalyst and their integration into a fully heterogeneous multi-enzyme system.
The development of antifouling coatings with restricted cell and bacteria adherence is fundamental for many biomedical applications. A strategy for the fabrication of antifouling coatings based on the layer-by-layer assembly and thermal annealing is presented. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) assembled from chitosan and hyaluronic acid were thermally annealed in an oven at 37°C for 72h. The effect of annealing on the PEM properties and topography was studied by atomic force microscopy, ζ-potential, circular dichroism and contact angle measurements. Cell adherence on PEMs before and after annealing was evaluated by measuring the cell spreading area and aspect ratio for the A549 epithelial, BHK kidney fibroblast, C2C12 myoblast and MC-3T3-E1 osteoblast cell lines. Chitosan/hyaluronic acid PEMs show a low cell adherence that decreases with the thermal annealing, as observed from the reduction in the average cell spreading area and more rounded cell morphology. The adhesion of S. aureus (Gram-positive) and E. coli (Gram-negative) bacteria strains was quantified by optical microscopy, counting the number of colony-forming units and measuring the light scattering of bacteria suspension after detachment from the PEM surface. A 20% decrease in bacteria adhesion was selectively observed in the S. aureus strain after annealing. The changes in mammalian cell and bacteria adhesion correlate with the changes in topography of the chitosan/hyaluronic PEMs from a rough fibrillar 3D structure to a smoother and planar surface after thermal annealing.
While migration of reversibly immobilized proteins across the volume of supports is investigated in conditions where an external force is applied or under fluid flow conditions, their passive migration upon sample storage and its effect on the protein functionality remain unexplored. Understanding such intraparticle macromolecular migration is essential to develop protein functionalized biomaterials with a longer life span. This work investigates the spatiotemporal migration of His‐tagged immobilized fluorescent proteins inside porous agarose microbeads under different storage conditions. A tool that assesses the intraparticle protein migration across the surface of the porous supports is developed. Differences in migration patterns between different proteins suggest that binding dynamics between proteins and their supports play a key role in their migration. The effect of macromolecular migration on the functional and structural properties of bound proteins and enzymes is also explored. Therefore, single‐particle measurements to understand how the migration process affects the functionality of immobilized enzymes are performed. Evaluating protein migration and understanding the reason behind such phenomena allows gaining control over immobilization processes and design immobilization chemistries that either prevent or promote intraparticle macromolecular diffusion upon storage, depending on the desired final application.
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