Fabrication and kinetic studies of a novel silver nanoparticles-glucose oxidase bioconjugate.

In this study, a new effective, pH and thermally stable glucose oxidase (GOX)-silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) bioconjugate was designed. AgNPs were synthesized based on the reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO(3)) by sodium borohydride (NaBH(4)) using two simple procedures. Periodic acid was used for oxidation of the GOX and emission of Lucifer yellow (LyCH) was monitored by spectrofluorometer for evaluation of the oxidation properties of the GOX. The oxidized GOX (Ox-GOX) was immobilized on AgNPs by its sugar moieties via 6-aminohexanoic acid (6AHA) as linker. A sample of the synthesized bioconjugate was loaded on 7.5% non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) to confirm its structural and physical stability. The results from enzymatic activity assay showed that the bioconjugate, GOX and Ox-GOX were similar in stability and activity in acidic and basic pH (optimum pH=7.0-8.0). Based on the results from thermal stability assay, it was found that the activity of the bioconjugate was found to be higher at lower temperatures. The V(max) of the bioconjugate, GOX, and Ox-GOX was estimated as 28.6, 6.2, and 6 IU microg(-1) enzyme and the K(m) was calculated as 2.7, 9, and 9.5 mM, respectively. It was found that the immobilization method improves the activity and stability of the GOX in different pH and temperatures. As a conclusion, the proposed method opens up the way to the development of a new bioconjugate with potential use in sensing, and many find potential applications in clinical diagnostics, medicine, and industries.

Elevated expression of human alpha-1 antitrypsin mediated by yeast intron in Pichia pastoris.

Intron-mediated enhancement has been documented in many cases to involve large positive effect on gene expression. To address this, human Alpha-1 antitrypsin (hAAT) gene was integrated into Pichia pastoris with and without a yeast intron generated from the final plasmid pBlu-exII-int-exIII and ligated into the EcoRI/BamHI multiple cloning site of the yeast shuttle vector pHIL-S1. The chimeric exon-intron complex in the middle of the naturally occurring hAAT exons II and III caused a 23-fold enhancement of hAAT expression in P. pastoris, measured through SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analyses.