More than a Confinement: “Soft” and “Hard” Enzyme Entrapment Modulates Biological Catalyst Function

Abstract

Catalysis makes chemical and biochemical reactions kinetically accessible. From a technological point of view, organic, inorganic, and biochemical catalysis is relevant for several applications, from industrial synthesis to biomedical, material, and food sciences. A heterogeneous catalyst, i.e., a catalyst confined in a different phase with respect to the reagents’ phase, requires either its physical confinement in an immobilization matrix or its physical adsorption on a surface. In this review, we will focus on the immobilization of biological catalysts, i.e., enzymes, by comparing hard and soft immobilization matrices and their effect on the modulation of the catalysts’ function. Indeed, unlike smaller molecules, the catalytic activity of protein catalysts depends on their structure, conformation, local environment, and dynamics, properties that can be strongly affected by the immobilization matrices, which, therefore, not only provide physical confinement, but also modulate catalysis.

Site directed confinement of laccases in a porous scaffold towards robustness and selectivity

“…A control of enzyme orientation is increasingly important for several purposes such as methods development [ 25 , 26 ], biosensors and biochips [ 7 ], catalysis [ 15 , 27 ], electrocatalysis [ 21 , [28] , [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] ]. Amongst these developments examples of oriented enzyme immobilization in a confined environment are available thus stating the great interest of this control [ 12 , 15 , 16 , 19 , 33 ].…”

“Water Association” Band in Saccharide Amorphous Matrices: Role of Residual Water on Bioprotection

“…Saccharide amorphous systems containing globular and membrane proteins have been extensively studied at fixed sugar/protein (S/P) ratio with various complementary techniques (for some reviews see in [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]). A common outcome of many of these studies is that the reduction of protein motions depends on the residual hydration.…”

Applications of Ionic Liquids in Whole-Cell and Isolated Enzyme Biocatalysis

“…The main classes of gel material are inorganic oxide gels, organic polymer gels, and supramolecular gels (gel formation initiated by Low Molecular Weight Gelators) [ 102 , 103 , 104 ].…”