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The fragile nature of most enzymes is a major hindrance to their use in industrial processes. Herein, we describe a synthetic chemical strategy to produce hybrid organic/inorganic nanobiocatalysts; it exploits the self-assembly of silane building blocks at the surface of enzymes to grow an organosilica layer, of controlled thickness, that fully shields the enzyme. Remarkably, the enzyme triggers a rearrangement of this organosilica layer into a significantly soft structure. We demonstrate that this change in stiffness correlates with the biocatalytic turnover rate, and that the organosilica layer shields the enzyme in a soft environment with a markedly enhanced resistance to denaturing stresses.

The Nhecolândia is a sub-region of the Brazilian Pantanal wetland, where saline and freshwater lakes coexist in close proximity. Measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content and analysis of fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEM) were conducted in an effort to characterize spatial variability in concentration and source of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and to further understand the hydrochemical functioning of this complex environment. Increasing pH under the influence of evaporation resulted in an increasing DOC solubility ranging from 50 to over 300 mgC L(-1) in surface water. Spectrofluorescence characterisation indicates the presence of several families of dissolved organic matter (fulvic and humic-type and proteinaceous materials), which are related to the type of lake and its hydro-bio-geochemical functioning. Moreover, the fluorescence signatures from lake water DOM and from surrounding soil-water-extracted organic matter (WEOM) show strong similarities although some labile proteinaceous compounds disappeared during humification. Results from the characterisation of DOM and WEOM not only suggest that spectrofluorescence is a reliable technique for the tracing of water flows, but also for the marking of the origin of organic horizons in this environment.

Due to only few experimental evidences, the importance of root-induced alteration of metal dynamic speciation in the rhizosphere in the determination of metal bioavailability to plants is still a matter for debate. The present study thus investigated how root-induced changes in pH and dissolved organic matters (DOM) altered copper (Cu) dynamic speciation in the rhizosphere of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum durum L.). Plants were exposed to a Cu-contaminated soil previously alkalised by liming to cover soil pH values ranging from 4.8 to 7.5. A range of analytical techniques was deployed on soil exposed (i.e. in the rhizosphere) or not (i.e. in the bulk soil) to plant roots, including the measurement and the modelling (using the Humic Ion-Binding Model VI) of Cu2+ activity, the measurement of labile Cu concentration and Cu lability by Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (DPASV) and Diffusive Gradients in Thin films (DGT). Due to root-induced alkalisation, pH reached about 7.3 in the rhizosphere whatever the initial bulk soil pH. Compared to the most acidic bulk soil (pH _ 4.8), Cu2+ activity decreased by three orders of magnitude in the rhizosphere while DPASV-Cu concentration decreased by 6-fold. DOM became the key driver of Cu dynamic speciation in the rhizosphere, where roots induced up to an order of magnitude increase in DOM concentration compared to bulk soils. This resulted in an increase in labile-Cu (both DPASV and DGT) concentrations, in spite of a decrease in Cu2+ activity. Model VI calculations supported a decrease in DOM binding capacity towards Cu in the rhizosphere. DPASV measurements unequivocally demonstrated that the increase in Cu lability in the rhizosphere solution can be attributed to a greater lability of organically-bound Cu. Collectively, our data introduce a consistent picture of root-induced changes of Cu dynamic speciation in the rhizosphere that were notably related to substantial alterations of DOM binding capacity. (Résumé d'auteur

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