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Showing papers on "Enzyme assay published in 2008"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is hypothesized that regulation of L-ascorbate biosynthesis might occur at more than one step and warrants further investigation to allow for the manipulation of vitamin C levels in plants.

196 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Studies on wild type and a mutant enzyme successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using microfluidic droplets to provide time-resolved kinetic measurements and the development of an enzyme assay inside picoliter microdroplets.
Abstract: We describe the development of an enzyme assay inside picoliter microdroplets. The enzyme alkaline phosphatase is expressed in Escherichia coli cells and presented in the periplasm. Droplets act as discrete reactors which retain and localize any reaction product. The catalytic turnover of the substrate is measured in individual droplets by monitoring the fluorescence at several time points within the device and exhibits kinetic behavior similar to that observed in bulk solution. Studies on wild type and a mutant enzyme successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using microfluidic droplets to provide time-resolved kinetic measurements.

191 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new strain of Trichoderma harzianum WL1 was isolated from the Western Ghats region of Tamilnadu, India and assayed for laccase activity by ABTS oxidation, suggesting the presence of types I and III Cu centers.

183 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The modified multiplex enzyme assay with premixed S and IS is appropriate for use in high-throughput screening laboratories and shows higher precision than the original method.
Abstract: Background: Reports of the use of multiplex enzyme assay screening for Pompe disease, Fabry disease, Gaucher disease, Niemann-Pick disease types A and B, and Krabbe disease have engendered interest in the use of this assay in newborn screening. We modified the assay for high-throughput use in screening laboratories. Methods: We optimized enzyme reaction conditions and procedures for the assay, including the concentrations of substrate (S) and internal standard (IS), assay cocktail compositions, sample clean-up procedures, and mass spectrometer operation. The S and IS for each enzyme were premixed and bottled at an optimized molar ratio to simplify assay cocktail preparation. Using the new S:IS ratio, we validated the modified assay according to CLSI guidelines. Stability of the S, IS, and assay cocktails were investigated. Dried blood spots from 149 healthy adults, 100 newborns, and 60 patients with a lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) were tested using the modified assay. Results: In our study, the median enzyme activity measured in adults was generally increased 2–3–fold compared to the original method, results indicating higher precision. In the multiplex format, each of the 5 modified enzyme assays enabled unambiguous differentiation between samples from healthy individuals (adults and newborns) and the corresponding disease-specific samples. Conclusions: The modified multiplex enzyme assay with premixed S and IS is appropriate for use in high-throughput screening laboratories.

171 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The extension of the high selectivity and muM sensitivity of the tandem assay principle has allowed for the accurate measurement of D-lysine enantiomeric excesses of up to 99.98 %, as only the L-enantiomer is accepted by the enzyme as a substrate and is converted to the product that is responsible for the observed fluorescence signal.
Abstract: The coupling of an enzymatic transformation with dynamic host-guest exchange allows the unselective binding of macrocycles to be used for highly selective analyte sensing. The resulting supramolecular tandem enzyme assays require the enzymatic substrate and its corresponding product to differ significantly in their affinity for macrocycles, for example, cation receptors, and to show a differential propensity to displace a fluorescent dye from its host-guest complex. The enzymatic transformation results in a concomitant dye displacement that can be accurately followed by optical spectroscopy, specifically fluorescence. By exploiting this label-free continuous enzyme assay principle with the fluorescent dye Dapoxyl and the macrocyclic host cucurbit[7]uril, a multiparameter sensor array has been designed, which is capable of detecting the presence of amino acids (e.g. histidine, arginine, lysine, and tyrosine) and their decarboxylases. Only in the presence of both, the particular amino acid and the corresponding decarboxylase, is the amine or diamine product formed. These products are more highly positively charged than the substrate, have a higher affinity for the macrocycle and, therefore, displace the dye from the complex. The extension of the high selectivity and muM sensitivity of the tandem assay principle has also allowed for the accurate measurement of D-lysine enantiomeric excesses of up to 99.98 %, as only the L-enantiomer is accepted by the enzyme as a substrate and is converted to the product that is responsible for the observed fluorescence signal.

168 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A comparison suggested that the increased level of N-glycosylation of the recombinant Cel7A (rCel7A) resulted in reduced activity and increased non-productive binding on cellulose, and when treated with the N- Glycosidase PNGaseF, the molecular weight ofThe recombinant enzyme approached that of the commercial enzyme and the activity on cellulOSE was improved.
Abstract: The cellulase producing ascomycete, Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina), is known to secrete a range of enzymes important for ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. It is also widely used for the commercial scale production of industrial enzymes because of its ability to produce high titers of heterologous proteins. During the secretion process, a number of post-translational events can occur, however, that impact protein function and stability. Another ascomycete, Aspergillus niger var. awamori, is also known to produce large quantities of heterologous proteins for industry. In this study, T. reesei Cel7A, a cellobiohydrolase, was expressed in A. niger var. awamori and subjected to detailed biophysical characterization. The purified recombinant enzyme contains six times the amount of N-linked glycan than the enzyme purified from a commercial T. reesei enzyme preparation. The activities of the two enzyme forms were compared using bacterial (microcrystalline) and phosphoric acid swollen (amorphous) cellulose as substrates. This comparison suggested that the increased level of N-glycosylation of the recombinant Cel7A (rCel7A) resulted in reduced activity and increased non-productive binding on cellulose. When treated with the N-glycosidase PNGaseF, the molecular weight of the recombinant enzyme approached that of the commercial enzyme and the activity on cellulose was improved.

145 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results demonstrate that the C-terminal region of ATGL is essential for proper localization of the enzyme and suppresses enzyme activity, implicating species-dependent differences in enzyme regulation.

144 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The chromate reductase was identified to be related to the old yellow enzyme family, in particular the xenobiotic reductases involved in the oxidative stress response as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Bacteria can reduce toxic and carcinogenic Cr(VI) to insoluble and less toxic Cr(III). Thermus scotoductus SA-01, a South African gold mine isolate, has been shown to be able to reduce a variety of metals, including Cr(VI). Here we report the purification to homogeneity and characterization of a novel chromate reductase. The oxidoreductase is a homodimeric protein, with a monomer molecular mass of approximately 36 kDa, containing a noncovalently bound flavin mononucleotide cofactor. The chromate reductase is optimally active at a pH of 6.3 and at 65°C and requires Ca2+ or Mg2+ for activity. Enzyme activity was also dependent on NADH or NADPH, with a preference for NADPH, coupling the oxidation of approximately 2 and 1.5 mol NAD(P)H to the reduction of 1 mol Cr(VI) under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. The Km values for Cr(VI) reduction were 3.5 and 8.4 μM for utilizing NADH and NADPH as electron donors, respectively, with corresponding Vmax values of 6.2 and 16.0 μmol min−1 mg−1. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of chromate reduction was 1.14 × 106 M−1 s−1, which was >50-fold more efficient than that of the quinone reductases and >180-fold more efficient than that of the nitroreductases able to reduce Cr(VI). The chromate reductase was identified to be encoded by an open reading frame of 1,050 bp, encoding a single protein of 38 kDa under the regulation of an Escherichia coli σ70-like promoter. Sequence analysis shows the chromate reductase to be related to the old yellow enzyme family, in particular the xenobiotic reductases involved in the oxidative stress response.

144 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that PFE-derived bioavailable compounds may exert an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the inflammatory cytokine-induced production of PGE2 and NO in vivo.
Abstract: Several recent studies have documented that supplementation with pomegranate fruit extract inhibits inflammatory symptoms in vivo. However, the molecular basis of the observed effects has not been fully revealed. Although previous studies have documented the inhibition of nitric oxide and cyclooxygenase (COX) activity in vitro by plant and fruit extracts added directly into the culture medium but whether concentrations of bioactive compounds sufficient enough to exert such inhibitory effects in vivo can be achieved through oral consumption has not been reported. In the present study we determined the effect of rabbit plasma obtained after ingestion of a polyphenol rich extract of pomegranate fruit (PFE) on COX enzyme activity ex vivo and the IL-1β-induced production of NO and PGE2 in chondrocytes in vitro. Plasma samples collected before and 2 hr after supplementation with PFE were tested. Plasma samples collected after oral ingestion of PFE were found to inhibit the IL-1β-induced PGE2 and NO production in chondrocytes. These same plasma samples also inhibited both COX-1 and COX-2 enzyme activity ex vivo but the effect was more pronounced on the enzyme activity of COX-2 enzyme. Taken together these results provide additional evidence of the bioavailability and bioactivity of compounds present in pomegranate fruit after oral ingestion. Furthermore, these studies suggest that PFE-derived bioavailable compounds may exert an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the inflammatory cytokine-induced production of PGE2 and NO in vivo.

136 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Total biofilm activities and matrix-enzyme activities showed similar capabilities to decompose organic matter compounds, with a greater capacity for peptide decomposition than for polysaccharides, and a low decomposition of chitin and peptidoglycan (β-glucosaminidase).
Abstract: Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) contribute to biofilm stability and adhesion properties. The EPS matrix might also be a site for free extracellular enzyme activity; however, little is known about participation of enzyme activity in EPS during biofilm formation. In this study, we analyzed the activities of β-glucosidase, leu-aminopeptidase, and β-glucosaminidase during the colonization of artificial substrata (glass tiles) in a stream distinguishing enzyme activity in EPS matrix (matrix-enzymes) and total biofilm extracellular enzyme activity. The 1-h incubation of a biofilm suspension and cation-exchange resin followed by centrifugation seems appropriate to extract the matrix fraction (supernatant) and measure matrix enzymes (including free and linked to EPS) in freshwater biofilms, although there is a methodological limitation for using a biofilm suspension instead of an undisrupted biofilm. Total biofilm activities and matrix-enzyme activities showed similar capabilities to decompose organic matter compounds, with a greater capacity for peptide decomposition (leu-aminopeptidase) than for polysaccharides (β-glucosidase), and a low decomposition of chitin and peptidoglycan (β-glucosaminidase). Matrix-enzyme activity increased with colonization time, but more slowly than that of total enzyme activity. At the beginning of the colonization experiment (days 1–4) matrix enzymes accounted for 65–81% of total biofilm enzyme activity. Higher proportion of polysaccharides in EPS versus total biofilm, and higher matrix-enzyme activities per microgram of polysaccharides in the EPS were measured during the first 1–3 days of biofilm formation, indicating a high rate of enzyme release into the matrix during this period. Relative contribution of matrix-enzyme activities decreased as biofilm matures, but was maintained at 13–37% of total enzyme activity at the 42- to 49-day-old biofilm. These enzymes, retained and conserved in the EPS, may contribute to community metabolism. When analyzing extracellular enzymes in biofilms, the contribution of matrix enzymes must be considered, especially for young biofilms.

136 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The stability of crude extracellular protease produced by Bacillus licheniformis RP1, isolated from polluted water, in various solid laundry detergents was investigated and showed excellent stability and compatibility with a wide range of commercial solid detergENTS at temperatures from 40 to 50 degrees C, suggesting its further application in detergent industry.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A Nanostructure-Initiator Mass Spectrometry (NIMS) enzymatic (Nimzyme) assay in which enzyme substrates are immobilized on the mass spectrometry surface by using fluorous-phase interactions, providing an efficient method for detection and characterization of enzyme activities in complex biological mixtures prior to sequencing or cloning efforts.
Abstract: We describe a Nanostructure-Initiator Mass Spectrometry (NIMS) enzymatic (Nimzyme) assay in which enzyme substrates are immobilized on the mass spectrometry surface by using fluorous-phase interactions. This “soft” immobilization allows efficient desorption/ionization while also enabling the use of surface-washing steps to reduce signal suppression from complex biological samples, which results from the preferential retention of the tagged products and reactants. The Nimzyme assay is sensitive to subpicogram levels of enzyme, detects both addition and cleavage reactions (sialyltransferase and galactosidase), is applicable over a wide range of pHs and temperatures, and can measure activity directly from crude cell lysates. The ability of the Nimzyme assay to analyze complex mixtures is illustrated by identifying and directly characterizing β-1,4-galactosidase activity from a thermophilic microbial community lysate. The optimal enzyme temperature and pH were found to be 65°C and 5.5, respectively, and the activity was inhibited by both phenylethyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside and deoxygalactonojirimycin. Metagenomic analysis of the community suggests that the activity is from an uncultured, unsequenced γ-proteobacterium. In general, this assay provides an efficient method for detection and characterization of enzymatic activities in complex biological mixtures prior to sequencing or cloning efforts. More generally, this approach may have important applications for screening both enzymatic and inhibitor libraries, constructing and screening glycan microarrays, and complementing fluorous-phase organic synthesis.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This Perspective briefly reviews the structure and mechanism, physiological role, and upregulation and induction of the enzyme, but focuses on the synthesis of new heterocyclic quinones and their metabolism by recombinant human NQO1.
Abstract: The quinone reductase enzyme NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is a ubiquitous flavoenzyme that catalyzes the two-electron reduction of quinones. This Perspective briefly reviews the structure and mechanism, physiological role, and upregulation and induction of the enzyme, but focuses on the synthesis of new heterocyclic quinones and their metabolism by recombinant human NQO1. Thus a range of indolequinones, some of which are novel analogues of mitomycin C, benzimidazolequinones, benzothiazolequinones and quinolinequinones have been prepared and evaluated, leading to detailed knowledge of the structural requirements for efficient metabolism by the enzyme. Potent mechanism-based inhibitors (suicide substrates) of NQO1 have also been developed. These indolequinones irreversibly alkylate the protein, preventing its function both in standard enzyme assays and also in cells. Some of these quinones are also potent inhibitors of growth of human pancreatic cancer cells, suggesting a potential role for such compounds as therapeutic agents.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The aim of this study was to combine the advantageous features of UCP donors and fluorescence-quenching assays to construct a sensitive enzyme-activity assay, which Wang et al. have quenched around 70% of the emission of nanosized UCPs by using gold particles.
Abstract: Enzyme-activity assays are used, for example, for screening enzyme inhibitors and activators to discover novel drug candidates. A homogeneous assay principle for hydrolyzing enzymes based on a double-labeled fluorogenic substrate is commonly employed and is suitable for high-throughput screening. This separation-free assay concept relies on the strong distance dependency of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), which takes place only at distances below 10 nm. A synthetic internally quenched substrate for the enzyme is labeled with a fluorophore at one end and a quencher at the other end of the molecule. When the enzyme digests the substrate, the two labels are separated and fluorescence is recovered. The performance of fluorescence-quenching-based homogeneous assays is still limited due to the autofluorescence originating from biological materials. This problem can be solved by a novel label technology based on upconverting phosphors (UCPs), which have the unique property of photoluminescence emission at visible wavelengths under near-infrared (NIR) excitation. No autofluorescence is detected at shorter wavelengths, because the upconversion phenomenon requires sequential multiphoton absorption not observed in nature. Due to the NIR excitation, UCP technology is also applicable to strongly colored samples (for example, whole blood), which absorb at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths, a process that interferes with other fluorescence technologies. The aim of this study was to combine the advantageous features of UCP donors and fluorescence-quenching assays to construct a sensitive enzyme-activity assay. Wang et al. have quenched around 70% of the emission of nanosized UCPs by using gold particles. More efficient quenching, however, is required for a practical assay as described above since the best theoretical signal-to-background ratio with these components would be as poor as 3:1. It is not possible to entirely quench the anti-Stokes photoluminescence originating from multiple dopant ions within submicrometer-sized UCPs because only those emitter ions located near the surface of UCP can be quenched. We have now solved this problem with a sequential energy-transfer-based assay concept (Figure 1a).

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A series of in vitro experiments were completed to evaluate the potential of enzyme extracts, obtained from the white-rot fungi Trametes versicolor (TV1, TV2), Bjerkandera adusta (BA) and Fomes fomentarius (FF), to increase degradation of cell wall components of wheat straw as discussed by the authors.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The result showed that the A3-15 amylase enzyme was both, highly thermostable-alkaline, thermophile and chelator resistant and may be suitable in liquefaction of starch in high temperature, in detergent and textile industries and in other industrial applications.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a case-control study tested the hypothesis that dipeptidyl peptidase IV activity and antigen are decreased in sera of patients with a history of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor-associated angioedema.
Abstract: Angioedema is a potentially life-threatening adverse effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Bradykinin and substance P, substrates of angiotensin-converting enzyme, increase vascular permeability and cause tissue edema in animals. Studies indicate that amino-terminal degradation of these peptides, by aminopeptidase P and dipeptidyl peptidase IV, may be impaired in individuals with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor–associated angioedema. This case-control study tested the hypothesis that dipeptidyl peptidase IV activity and antigen are decreased in sera of patients with a history of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor–associated angioedema. Fifty subjects with a history of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor–associated angioedema and 176 angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor–exposed control subjects were ascertained. Sera were assayed for angiotensin-converting enzyme activity, aminopeptidase P activity, aminopeptidase N activity, dipeptidyl peptidase IV activity, and antigen and the ex vivo degradation half-lives of bradykinin, des-Arg 9 -bradykinin, and substance P in a subset. The prevalence of smoking was increased and of diabetes decreased in case versus control subjects. Overall, dipeptidyl peptidase IV activity (26.6±7.8 versus 29.6±7.3 nmol/mL per minute; P =0.026) and antigen (465.8±260.8 versus 563.1±208.6 ng/mL; P =0.017) were decreased in sera from individuals with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor–associated angioedema compared with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor–exposed control subjects without angioedema. Dipeptidyl peptidase IV activity (21.5±4.9 versus 29.8±6.7 nmol/mL per minute; P =0.001) and antigen (354.4±124.7 versus 559.8±163.2 ng/mL; P =0.003) were decreased in sera from cases collected during angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition but not in the absence of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition. The degradation half-life of substance P correlated inversely with dipeptidyl peptidase IV antigen during angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition. Environmental or genetic factors that reduce dipeptidyl peptidase IV activity may predispose individuals to angioedema.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In vitro experiments revealed that succinyl phosphonate and a carboxy ethyl ester of SP are slow-binding inhibitors of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, displaying greater inhibitory effects than a diethyl esters of SP, a phosphono ethyl Ester ofSP, or a triethyl esterOf SP.
Abstract: The 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex constitutes a mitochondrially localized tricarboxylic acid cycle multienzyme system responsible for the conversion of 2-oxoglutarate to succinyl-coenzyme A concomitant with NAD+ reduction. Although regulatory mechanisms of plant enzyme complexes have been characterized in vitro, little is known concerning their role in plant metabolism in situ. This issue has recently been addressed at the cellular level in nonplant systems via the use of specific phosphonate inhibitors of the enzyme. Here, we describe the application of these inhibitors for the functional analysis of the potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. In vitro experiments revealed that succinyl phosphonate (SP) and a carboxy ethyl ester of SP are slow-binding inhibitors of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex, displaying greater inhibitory effects than a diethyl ester of SP, a phosphono ethyl ester of SP, or a triethyl ester of SP. Incubation of potato tuber slices with the inhibitors revealed that they were adequately taken up by the tissue and produced the anticipated effects on the in situ enzyme activity. In order to assess the metabolic consequences of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex inhibition, we evaluated the levels of a broad range of primary metabolites using an established gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method. We additionally analyzed the rate of respiration in both tuber discs and isolated mitochondria. Finally, we evaluated the metabolic fate of radiolabeled acetate, 2-oxoglutarate or glucose, and 13C-labeled pyruvate and glutamate following incubation of tuber discs in the presence or absence of either SP or the carboxy ethyl ester of SP. The data obtained are discussed in the context of the roles of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex in respiration and carbon-nitrogen interactions.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Under optimized conditions, xylanase production was found to be in the range of 5200-5600 U/g, where as strong inhibition of enzyme activity was observed in the presence of Cu2+, Ag+, Fe2+ and SDS.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A possible significant role of serum paraoxonase alleles in the metabolism of serum lipids and apolipoproteins is suggested.
Abstract: One hundred and sixty-three healthy Chinese subjects of both sexes were studied for serum paraoxonase (PON) polymorphism, and levels of lipids and apolipoproteins in order to examine effects of PON alleles on these parameters. The level of serum triglyceride was significantly higher in high activity allele (PON*B) compared with that in low activity allele (PON*A) in both sexes (P less than 0.01). The subjects with PON A had significantly higher LDL cholesterol (P less than 0.05) and lower Apo A-II and ApoB levels. The influence of serum paraoxonase on serum lipids was estimated further by Spearman's rank correlation. In the males, there was a significant negative correlation of serum paraoxonase activity with total (P less than 0.05) and LDL (P less than 0.01) cholesterol levels, and positive correlation with HDL cholesterol and Apo A-II levels (P less than 0.05). Serum paraoxonase activity had a high positive correlation with serum triglyceride levels in both sexes (P less than 0.001). Serum ApoB level had a positive correlation with the enzyme activity only in females (P less than 0.01). The allelic effect of PON on these parameters was studied by multiple regression analysis. The high activity allele (PON*B) was associated with higher serum triglyceride level (P less than 0.001) and ApoB (P less than 0.001), while it had lowering influence on total cholesterol (P less than 0.05) and LDL cholesterol (P less than 0.005) in men. The average allelic effect of PON was found to be about 22% for serum triglycerides, 11% for LDL cholesterol, 14% for Apo A-II and 19% for Apo B in the present study. This study suggests a possible significant role of serum paraoxonase alleles in the metabolism of serum lipids and apolipoproteins.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In inhibiting urease the metal ions showed a common feature in that they inhibited the enzyme within a comparable micromolar range, and also in that their inhibition was multisite, while the main distinguishing feature in their action consisted of the involvement of enzyme thiol groups in the reaction.
Abstract: The inhibition of urease by heavy metal ions has been habitually ascribed to the reaction of the ions with enzyme thiol groups, resulting in the formation of mercaptides. To probe the modes of metal binding to the enzyme, in this work the reaction of mono- (Ag, Hg) and di- (Cu, Hg) valent metal ions with jack bean urease was studied. The enzyme was reacted with different concentrations of the metal ions for different periods of times, when its residual activity was assayed and thiol content titrated. The titration carried out with DTNB was done to examine the involvement of urease thiol groups in metal ion binding. The binding was further probed by reactivation of the metal ion-enzyme complexes with DTT, EDTA and dilution. The results are discussed in terms of the HSAB concept. In inhibiting urease the metal ions showed a common feature in that they inhibited the enzyme within a comparable micromolar range, and also in that their inhibition was multisite. By contrast, the main distinguishing feature in their action consisted of the involvement of enzyme thiol groups in the reaction. Hg (2+) and Hg2(2+) inhibition was found thoroughly governed by the reaction with the enzyme thiols, and the complete loss of enzyme activity involved all thiols available in the enzyme under non-denaturating conditions. In contrast, Ag+ and Cu2+ ions for the complete inactivation of the enzyme required 53 and 60% of thiols, respectively. Accordingly, Ag+ and Cu2+ binding to functional groups in urease other than thiols, i.e. N- and O-containing groups, cannot be excluded. Based on the reactivation experiments this seems particularly likely for Cu2+, whose concurrent binding to thiols and other groups might distort the architecture of the active site (the mechanism of which remains to be elucidated) resulting in the observed inhibitory effects.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It was demonstrated that carbonic anhydrase enzyme in erythrocytes was significantly inhibited by the ethanol both in in vitro and in vivo.
Abstract: The ethanol is a widely consumed as sedative-hypnotic drug throughout the world. In this study, the effects of ethanol were investigated on carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzyme activities both in vitro in human erythrocyte and in vivo in Sprague-Dawley rat erythrocyte. For in vitro study, the human carbonic anhydrase-I (HCA-I) and -II (HCA-II) are purified by Sepharose 4B-L-tyrosine-sulphanilamide affinity chromatography. In vivo CA enzyme activity was determined colorimetrically by using CO(2)-hydration method of Wilbur and Anderson. Rat blood samples were taken from each rat before and after the ethanol administration at different times (1 h, 3 h, and 5 h). Rat erythrocyte CA activity was significantly inhibited by pharmacological dosage of the ethanol (2 mL.kg(- 1)) for up to 3 h (p < 0.001) following intraperitoneally administration. The ethanol showed in vitro inhibitory effects on HCA-I and HCA-II hydratase activity, determined by colorimetrically using the CO(2)-hydratase method. The inhibitor concentrations causing up to 50% inhibition (IC(50)) were 2.09 M for HCA-I (r(2):0.9273) and 1.83 M for HCA-II (r(2):9749). In conclusion, it was demonstrated that carbonic anhydrase enzyme in erythrocytes was significantly inhibited by the ethanol both in in vitro and in vivo.

Journal ArticleDOI
Wei Chen1, Haiqin Chen1, Yu Xia1, J. Zhao1, Fengwei Tian1, H. Zhang1 
TL;DR: The results suggest that this recombinant thermostable enzyme may be suitable for both the hydrolysis of lactose and the production of galactooligosaccharides in milk processing.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A novel method of increasing both the reaction rate and the sensitivity of low-abundance enzyme assay using a micro/nanofluidic preconcentration chip is reported, which could be used as a generic micro reaction platform to study any enzyme-substrate systems, or other biochemical reaction systems in low concentration ranges.
Abstract: We report a novel method of increasing both the reaction rate and the sensitivity of low-abundance enzyme assay using a micro/nanofluidic preconcentration chip. The disposable preconcentration device made out of PDMS with a surface-patterned ion-selective membrane increases local enzyme/substrate concentrations for rapid monitoring of enzyme activity. As a model system, we used trypsin as the enzyme and BODIPY FL casein as the fluorogenic substrate. We demonstrated that the reaction rate of trypsin−BODIPY FL was significantly enhanced by increasing the local concentrations of both trypsin and BODIPY FL casein in the preconcentration chip. The reaction time required to turn over substrates at 1 ng/mL was only ∼10 min compared to ∼1 h without preconcentration, which demonstrates a significantly higher reaction rate through the increase of the concentrations of both the enzyme and substrate. Furthermore, trypsin activity can be measured down to a concentration level of 10 pg/mL, which is a ∼100 fold enhancem...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An unusual halotolerant-alkaline laccase from Streptomyces psammoticus has been purified to homogeneity through anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography steps with an overall purification fold of 12.1.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The mechanism of action of TCS-induced anti-androgenicity in rat Leydig cells was demonstrated and it was suggested that the disruption of the activity of adenylyl cyclase enzyme by TCS in turn leads to the disruptions of intermediate steroidogenic cascade causing a depressed testosterone production.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The stabilization of a lipase from Bacillus thermocatenulatus (BTL2) by a new strategy is described, where the lipase is selectively adsorbed on hydrophobic supports and the carboxylic residues of the enzyme are modified with ethylenediamine, generating a new enzyme having 4-fold more amino groups than the native enzyme.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Lipase from a solvent tolerant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PseA has been purified by gel exclusion chromatography leading to 8.6-fold purification and 51.6% recovery and showed random positional specificity for triolein hydrolysis.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The unhydrolysed fraction was still found to contain over 40% of carbohydrates after enzymatic treatment despite the extensive enzyme dosages used, indicating that the majority of the BSG biomass is rather recalcitrant towards the cellulose-hemicellulase enzyme mixtures applied in this study.
Abstract: In this work four commercial cellulase-hemicellulase mixtures with different activity profiles were used for solubilization of carbohydrates from brewers' spent grain (BSG). After the enzyme treatment, both the solubilised fraction and the unhydrolysed residue were characterized. Treatment with 5,000 nkat/g xylanase for 5 h at 50 degrees C resulted in the solubilisation of 13-14% of the BSG dry weight as monosaccharides. This corresponded to the solubilisation of 26-28% of the original carbohydrates and 30-34% of original arabinoxylans, depending on the enzyme cocktail used. The relatively low hydrolysis level indicates that the majority of the BSG biomass is rather recalcitrant towards the cellulose-hemicellulase enzyme mixtures applied in this study. The enzyme activity profile had a crucial impact on the chemistry of the oligosaccharides produced through the solubilisation of BSG. The presence of feruloyl esterase (FAE) activity in the enzyme cocktail resulted in the production of free ferulic acid, arabinoxylo-oligosaccharides and their corresponding monomers. However, when the enzyme mixture was devoid of FAE activity, ferulic acid was still bound to the oligosaccharides. The unhydrolysed fraction was still found to contain over 40% of carbohydrates after enzymatic treatment despite the extensive enzyme dosages used. The protein fraction remained largely unaffected (i.e. insoluble) by the carbohydrate-disrupting enzyme treatments. In addition to the recalcitrant carbohydrates, the residue was enriched with lignin and lipid type structures.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that N-glycosylation is crucial for ADAM10 processing and resistance to proteolysis, and results suggest that it is required for full-enzyme activity.