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Background: Mutation of Trp-40 in the Cel7A cellobiohydrolase from Trichoderma reesei (TrCel7A) causes a loss of crystalline cellulose-degrading ability. Results: Mutant W40A showed reduced specific activity for crystalline cellulose and diffused the cellulose chain from the entrance of the active site tunnel. Conclusion: Trp-40 is essential for chain end loading to initiate processive hydrolysis of TrCel7A. Significance: The mechanisms of crystalline polysaccharide degradation are clarified.

The C-terminus of the fungal laccase from Melanocarpus albomyces (MaL) is processed during secretion at a processing site conserved among the ascomycete laccases. The three-dimensional structure of MaL has been solved as one of the first complete laccase structures. According to the crystal structure of MaL, the four C-terminal amino acids of the mature protein penetrate into a tunnel leading towards the trinuclear site. The C-terminal carboxylate group forms a hydrogen bond with a side chain of His140, which also coordinates to the type 3 copper. In order to analyze the role of the processed C-terminus, site-directed mutagenesis of the MaL cDNA was performed, and the mutated proteins were expressed in Trichoderma reesei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Changes in the C-terminus of MaL caused major defects in protein production in both expression hosts. The deletion of the last four amino acids dramatically affected the activity of the enzyme, as the deletion mutant delDSGL(559) was practically inactive. Detailed characterization of the purified L559A mutant expressed in S. cerevisiae showed the importance of the C-terminal plug for laccase activity, stability, and kinetics. Moreover, the crystal structure of the L559A mutant expressed in S. cerevisiae showed that the C-terminal mutation had clearly affected the trinuclear site geometry. The results in this study clearly confirm the critical role of the last amino acids in the C-terminus of MaL.

The throughput is an important parameter for label-free biosensors. Acoustic resonators like the quartz crystal microbalance have a low throughput because the number of sensors which can be used at the same time is limited. Here we present an array of 64 CMOS-integrated film bulk acoustic resonators. We compare the performance with surface plasmon resonance and the quartz crystal microbalance and demonstrate the performance of the sensor for multiplexed detection of DNA.

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There is an ample number of commercial testing kits available for mycotoxin analysis on the market today, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, membrane-based immunoassays, fluorescence polarisation immunoassays and fluorometric assays. It can be observed from the literature that not only are developments and improvements ongoing for these assays but there are also novel assays being developed using biosensor technology. This review focuses on both the currently available methods and recent innovative methods for mycotoxin testing. Furthermore, it highlights trends that are influencing assay developments such as multiplexing capabilities and rapid on-site analysis, indicating the possible detection methods that will shape the future market.

a b s t r a c tHere, we describe the use of a biolayer interferometry biosensor for the fast and sensitive detection of virus-specific antibodies from human serum samples. Norovirus-like particles and norovirus P-particles were used to functionalise the biosensor tip. The detection of antibodies directly from serum samples was challenging, but the addition of a metal chelator (DAB) combined with an anti-human horseradish peroxidase-tagged antibody enabled enhanced detection of virus-specific antibodies in serum dilutions up to 1:100,000. Biolayer interferometry provides results faster than an ELISA, with results in as little as 10-20 min when using pre-functionalised sensors. Therefore, biolayer interferometry combined with DAB enhancement offers an attractive method for quick and sensitive quantification of biomolecules from complicated sample matrices.

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