I. Yu. Galaev

Purification and substrate specificity of peroxidase from sweet potato tubers

Previously the screening of tropical plants demonstrated a high peroxidase activity in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) tubers. The major peroxidase pool is localized in peel. Using peel of sweet potato as a source, the sweet potato peroxidase (SPP) has been isolated and purified to homogeneity. The enzyme purification included homogenization, extraction of colored compounds and consecutive chromatographies on Phenyl-Sepharose and DEAE-Toyopearl. The purified SPP had specific activity of 4900 U mg(-1) protein, RZ (ratio of absorbances at 403 and 280 nm, respectively) 3.4, molecular mass of 37 kDa and isoelectric point of 3.5. The spectrum of peroxidase from sweet potato is typical for plant peroxidases with a Soret maximum at 401 nm and the maxima in the visible region at 497 and 638 nm, respectively. The substrate specificity of SPP is distinct from the specificity of other plant peroxidases, ferulic acid being the best substrate for SPP. (Less)

Affinity precipitation of α-amylase inhibitor from wheat meal by metal chelate affinity binding using cu(II)-loaded copolymers of 1-vinylimidazole with N-isopropylacrylamide

A method for purifying alpha-amylase inhibitor from wheat meal based on immobilized metal affinity with a thermosensitive copolymer is developed. The studies represent the thermoprecipitation properties of the copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) with iminodiacetic acid (IDA) and 1-vinylimidazole (VI), respectively. The polymer which is obtained by the copolymerization of 1-vinylimidazole and N-isopropylacrylamide, charged with Cu(II), exhibited specific interaction of the metal ions to the protein inhibitor. The precipitation was induced by salt and the recovery of the amylase inhibitor was achieved by dissolving the inhibitor-polymer complex in imidazole buffer and subsequent precipitation of the polymer. A single family of the alpha-amylase inhibitor was recovered from the polymer with 89% yield and about fourfold purification. The SDS-PAGE pattern showed significant purification of the inhibitor. The binding of the inhibitor to the Cu(II)-polymer conjugate depends upon the Cu(II) concentration in the copolymer and also upon the concentration of the protein. The recovered polymer could be reused with reasonable efficiency. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Purification and stability of peroxidase of African oil palm Elaies guineensis

In the previous work, after screening tropical plants (43 species) for peroxidase activity, high activity has been detected in leaves of some palms and especially African oil palm Elaeis guineensis. This palm is widely cultivated in Colombia and presents a promising source for the industrial production of peroxidase. The initial enzyme isolation included homogenization and extraction of pigments using aqueous two phase polymer system. Initially, traditional system, formed by polyethyleneglycol/K2HPO4, was used. The replacement of K2HPO4 with (NH4)2SO4 allowed direct application of the salt phase with accumulated peroxidase on a Phenyl-Sepharose column. The final purification was carried out by liquid chromatography on Sephacryl S200 and DEAE-Toyopearl columns. The specific activity of the purified peroxidase measured toward guaiacol was 4300 units per mg of protein. The molecular weight and isoelectric point for palm peroxidase were 57.000 and 3.8, respectively. Palm peroxidase possesses uniquely high thermostability and is more stable in organic solvents than horseradish peroxidase is.

Reversibly soluble biocatalyst: optimization of trypsin coupling to Eudragit S-100 and biocatalyst activity in soluble and precipitated forms

Eudragit S-100, a copolymer of methacrylic acid and methyl methacrylate is soluble at pH above 5 and insoluble at pH below 4.5. pH-dependent solubility of the polymer is used for the development of reversibly soluble biocatalyst, which combines the advantages of both soluble and immobilized biocatalysts. Activity of trypsin, covalently coupled to Eudragit S-100, was improved by protecting the active site of the enzyme with benzamidine and removing the noncovalently bound proteins with Triton X-100 in 0.15 M Tris buffer (pH 7.6). Accurate choice of coupling conditions combined with proper washing protocol produced highly active enzyme-polymer conjugate with no noncovalently bound protein. Two conjugates with 100-fold difference in the content of trypsin coupled to Eudragit S-100 were studied when the preparations were in soluble and precipitated forms. The K(m)values of the soluble enzyme to the lower molecular weight substrate was less than that of the free enzyme, whereas that to the higher molecular weight substrate was closer to that of the free enzyme. Activities of the soluble and precipitated immobilized trypsin with higher molecular weight substrate were completely inhibited by soy bean trypsin inhibitor, whereas complete inhibition with soy bean trypsin inhibitor was never achieved with lower molecular weight substrate, indicating reduced access of high-molecular weight substrate/inhibitor to some of the catalytically active enzyme molecules in trypsin-Eudragit conjugate.

New polymers forming aqueous two-phase polymer systems.

A new type of polymer, starch‐modified by acrylamide, has been developed for application in aqueous two‐phase systems (ATPS) for protein separation. Partial hydrolysis and acrylamide modification of starch to different degrees make it suitable for forming ATPS with poly(ethylene glycol) in a moderate concentration range. The potential of the polymer to form ATPS with the thermoprecipitating copolymer of 1‐vinylimidazole with N‐vinylcaprolactam (poly‐VI/VCL) has been evaluated. The thermoprecipitation properties of poly‐VI/VCL and Cu(II)‐loaded poly‐VI/VCL have been studied for application in metal affinity partitioning. The formation of ATPS with Cu(II)‐loaded thermoprecipitating copolymer was critically achieved for poly‐VI/VCL (10/90) copolymer in under‐loaded metal concentrations. With the Cu(II)‐loaded copolymer, poly‐VI/VCL in the top phase and modified starch in the bottom phase, the ATPS formed was used for the purification of α‐amylase inhibitor from wheat meal. The protein partitioned in the top phase and phase‐separated polymer‐protein complex could be precipitated by salt. The protein inhibitor was recovered with a yield of 75%.

Photosensitive copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide and methacryloyl derivative of spyrobenzopyran

The copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and methacryloyl derivative of spirobenzopyran (MSBP) with a molecular weight of 21 000 g/mol and the average molar MSBP content of 1.9% was prepared by free radical polymerization. The copolymer displayed its phase transition in water in the temperature range of 30-50 degreesC. UV irradiation of its aqueous solution caused photoinduced transformation of MSBP units into their coloured merocyanine forms, while the cloud point of the irradiated copolymer shifted by ca. 10 degreesC to lower temperatures. During a long-term exposure to daylight (20 days) the copolymer gradually elapsed to its colourless spiropyran form, the process being ca. 100-times slower than that for monomeric MSBP. Due to the slow reverse isomerization of its merocyanine form and low solubility in water at room temperature the UV irradiated copolymer could be quantitatively separated from aqueous solution by centrifugation

Thermosensitive copolymers of N-vinylimidazole as displacers of proteins in immobilised metal affinity chromatography.

Synthetic copolymers of N-vinylcaprolactam (VCL) and N-vinylimidazole (VI) were studied as thermosensitive, reusable displacers for immobilised metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) of proteins. The copolymer with weight-average molecular mass of 11700 g/mol prepared by free radical polymerisation at a 9:1 monomer molar ratio was separated into several fractions by IMAC and thermal precipitation. The fraction with an average VI content of 8.5% was most efficient as a reusable displacer for IMAC of ovalbumin, lysozyme and other proteins of egg white on Cu2+-IDA-Sepharose. The displacer exhibited a sharp breakthrough curve and binding capacity of 16-20 mg/ml gel, depending on the flow-rate. The recovery of egg white proteins in the course of displacement chromatography was >95%. The displacer could be removed quantitatively from the protein fractions by thermal precipitation at 48 degrees C. Co-precipitation of lysozyme with the displacer was minimal in the presence of 3% (v/v) acetonitrile, while the lysozyme enzymatic activity in the supernatant was completely retained. Addition of free imidazole to the mobile phase increased the rate of protein desorption and allowed better separation of egg white proteins and the displacer in the course of chromatography. The displacement profile of the egg white extract consisted of three zones with different distributions of individual proteins characterised by SDS-PAGE. Regeneration of the column was easily performed with 0.02 M EDTA in 0.15 M sodium chloride, pH 8.0, followed by washing with distilled water and reloading with Cu2+. The displacer could also be regenerated by thermal precipitation at 48 degrees C and subsequent dialysis against dilute hydrochloric acid (pH 2.5).

Size exclusion behavior of hydroxypropylcellulose beads with temperature-dependent porosity.

Beads prepared from a thermosensitive polymer, hydroxypropylcellulose, exhibit temperature-dependent porosity. At temperatures below 40 degrees C the beads are swollen having large pores, while at temperatures above 45 degrees C the beads are in a shrunken state having smaller pores. In the presence of 1 M NaCl the transition temperature decreased to about 30 degrees C. In a swollen state the size of pore is large enough to accommodate lysozyme (mol. mass 14400) and alpha-chymotrypsin (mol. mass 21600) but not bovine serum albumin (mol. mass 67000). When the beads are shrunken, all the proteins are eluted from the column packed with hydroxypropylcellulose beads in the volume close to the void volume of the column.

Imidazole--a new ligand for metal affinity precipitation: precipitation of Kunitz soybean trypsin inhibitor using Cu(II)-loaded copolymers of 1-vinylimidazole with N-vinylcaprolactam or N-isopropylacrylamide

Kunitz soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) was specifically coprecipitated during precipitation of Cu(II)-loaded copolymers induced by increase in temperature and ionic strength. The copolymers used consisted of 1-vinylimidazole andN-vinylcaprolactam orN- isopropylacrylamide. The elution of STI was achieved by solubilization of the STI-Cu(II)-polymer complex in the presence of an excess of the competing ligand, imidazole, and a subsequent precipitation of the polymer with STI remaining free in solution in a purified form as judged by Sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). To the best of our knowledge this is the first reported successful metal affinity precipitation of protein in a heterobifunctional format.

Thermodynamic study of poly(N-vinyl caprolactam) hydration at temperatures close to lower critical solution temperature

The lower critical solution temperature of aqueous solutions of poly(N-vinyl caprolactam) falls in the 305–307 K range and depends on the molecular weight of the polymer. The thermodynamic functions of mixing at 298 K have been calculated from measurements of vapor pressures and heats of dissolution and dilution. Partial Gibbs energy, partial enthalpy, and partial entropy of mixing were negative over the entire range of composition. Increasing temperature resulted in a decrease in the exothermal character of mixing. Excessive heat capacity values, calculated from the dependencies of enthalpy of mixing on temperature, were positive over the entire composition range. Heat capacity of dilute solutions was measured at 298 K and partial heat capacity of poly(N-vinyl caprolactam) at infinite dilution was shown to be positive. The data obtained point out the hydrophilic and hydrophobic hydration of poly(N-vinyl caprolactam) in aqueous solutions. Hydrophobic hydration dominates at temperatures close to binodal curve. As a result, the mutual mixing of the polymer with water is decreased and phase separation takes place.