PNNL

Abstract

Apoferritin is a nanostructured material with a uniform size and spherical structure, and it has excellent bio-compatibility. In this work, we report the use of apoferritin as a novel and biocompatible carrier for stabilizing enzymes and their activities. We used glucose oxidase (GOx) as a model enzyme. GOx was immobilized on the surface of the apoferritin through a green synthetic approach taking advantage of bioaffinity binding between streptavidin and biotin. As a result, a glucose oxidase-biotin/streptavidin/biotin-apoferritin conjugate (Apo-GOx) was prepared using streptavidin as a bridge. The synthesized Apo-GOx was characterized with transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The activity and stability of GOx on the surface of the apoferritin were studied in different environments, such as temperature, chemicals, and pH, in comparison with the biotinylated GOx (B-GOx). The results showed that the activity of GOx on the apoferritin surface was significantly enhanced. The thermal and chemical stability of the GOx on the apoferritin was also greatly improved compared to free B-GOx in a solution. It was found that the activity of the GOx on the apoferritin only lost 30% in comparison to a 70% loss of free B-GOx after a 2-hr incubation at 50oC. There was almost no decrease in activity for the GOx on the apoferritin as compared to an 80% activity decrease for free B-GOx after 30 minutes of incubation in a 5 M urea solution. The GOx immobilized apoferritin nanoparticles exhibited high sensitivity for glucose detection with a detection limit of 3 nM glucose. This work offers a novel approach for immobilizing enzymes with enhanced stability and activity, and this method may find a number of applications, such as in catalysis and bioassys/biosensors.