Nano-Biotechnology in Using Enzymes for Environmental Remediation: Single-Enzyme Nanoparticles

摘要

We have developed armored single-enzyme nanoparticles (SENs), which dramatically stabilize a protease (α-chymotrypsin, CT) by surrounding each enzyme molecule with a porous composite organic/inorganic shell of less than a few nanometers thick. The armored enzymes show no decrease in CT activity at 30℃ for a day while free CT activity is rapidly reduced by orders of magnitude. The armored shell around CT is sufficiently thin and porous that it does not place any serious mass-transfer limitation of substrate. This unique approach will have a great impact in using enzymes in various fields, including environmental remediation.