Nanofibrillar Peptide hydrogels for the immobilization of biocatalysts for chemical transformations.

ABSTRACT: Enzymes are attractive, "green" alternatives to chemical catalysts within the industrial sector, but their robustness to environmental conditions needs optimizing. Here, an enzyme is tagged chemically and recombinantly with a self-assembling peptide that allows the conjugate to spontaneously assemble with pure peptide to form ?-sheet-rich nanofibers decorated with tethered enzyme. Above a critical concentration, these fibers entangle and form a 3D hydrogel. The immobilized enzyme catalyzes chemical transformations and critically its stability is increased significantly where it retains activity after exposure to high temperatures (90 °C) and long storage times (up to 12 months).

SUBMITTER: Hickling C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4316184 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature