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Integration of TiO2 into the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii during frustule synthesis.

ABSTRACT: Nature has inspired the design of complex hierarchical structures in the field of material science. Diatoms, unicellular algae with a hallmark intricate siliceous cell wall, have provided such a stimulus. Altering the chemistry of the diatom frustule has been explored to expand on the potential application of diatoms. The ability to modify the diatom in vivo opens the possibility to tailor the diatom to the end application. Herein, we report the chemical modification of the living diatom T. weissflogii using a titania precursor, titanium (IV) bis-(ammonium lactato)-dihydroxide (TiBALDH). Incorporation of Ti into the diatom is achieved via repeated treatment of cultures with non-toxic concentrations of TiBALDH. The characteristic architectural features of the diatom are unaltered following chemical modification. Transformation of the living diatom provides opportunity to confer novel structural, chemical or functional properties upon the diatom. We report on a photocatalytic ability imparted upon the TiBALDH-modified diatom.

SUBMITTER: Lang Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3826116 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Integration of TiO2 into the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii during frustule synthesis.

Lang Yvonne Y del Monte Francisco F Rodriguez Brian J BJ Dockery Peter P Finn David P DP Pandit Abhay A

Scientific reports 20131113

Nature has inspired the design of complex hierarchical structures in the field of material science. Diatoms, unicellular algae with a hallmark intricate siliceous cell wall, have provided such a stimulus. Altering the chemistry of the diatom frustule has been explored to expand on the potential application of diatoms. The ability to modify the diatom in vivo opens the possibility to tailor the diatom to the end application. Herein, we report the chemical modification of the living diatom T. weis ...[more]

PMID: 24220344

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Project description:Proteins immobilized on biosilica which have superior reactivity and specificity and are innocuous to natural environments could be useful biological materials in industrial processes. One recently developed technique, living diatom silica immobilization (LiDSI), has made it possible to immobilize proteins, including multimeric and redox enzymes, via a cellular excretion system onto the silica frustule of the marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. However, the number of application examples so far is limited, and the type of proteins appropriate for the technique is still enigmatic. Here, we applied LiDSI to six industrially relevant polypeptides, including protamine, metallothionein, phosphotriesterase, choline oxidase, laccase, and polyamine synthase. Protamine and metallothionein were successfully immobilized on the frustule as protein fusions with green fluorescent protein (GFP) at the N terminus, indicating that LiDSI can be used for polypeptides which are rich in arginine and cysteine. In contrast, we obtained mutants for the latter four enzymes in forms without green fluorescent protein. Immobilized phosphotriesterase, choline oxidase, and laccase showed enzyme activities even after the purification of frustule in the presence of 1% (wt/vol) octylphenoxy poly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol. An immobilized branched-chain polyamine synthase changed the intracellular polyamine composition and silica nanomorphology. These results illustrate the possibility of LiDSI for industrial applications. IMPORTANCE Proteins immobilized on biosilica which have superior reactivity and specificity and are innocuous to natural environments could be useful biological materials in industrial processes. Living diatom silica immobilization (LiDSI) is a recently developed technique for in vivo protein immobilization on the diatom frustule. We aimed to explore the possibility of using LiDSI for industrial applications by successfully immobilizing six polypeptides: (i) protamine (Oncorhynchus keta), a stable antibacterial agent; (ii) metallothionein (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), a metal adsorption molecule useful for bioremediation; (iii) phosphotriesterase (Sulfolobus solfataricus), a scavenger for toxic organic phosphates; (iv) choline oxidase (Arthrobacter globiformis), an enhancer for photosynthetic activity and yield of plants; (v) laccase (Bacillus subtilis), a phenol oxidase utilized for delignification of lignocellulosic materials; and (vi) branched-chain polyamine synthase (Thermococcus kodakarensis), which produces branched-chain polyamines important for DNA and RNA stabilization at high temperatures. This study provides new insights into the field of applied biological materials.

Dataset Information

Integration of TiO2 into the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii during frustule synthesis.

Publications

Integration of TiO2 into the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii during frustule synthesis.

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