Title
Electrogeneration of a Free-Standing Cytochrome c - Silica Matrix at a Soft Electrified Interface
Date Issued
06 April 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
research article
Author(s)
University of Limerick
Abstract
Interactions of a protein with a solid-liquid or a liquid-liquid interface may destabilize its conformation and hence result in a loss of biological activity. We propose here a method for the immobilization of proteins at an electrified liquid-liquid interface. Cytochrome c (Cyt c) is encapsulated in a silica matrix through an electrochemical process at an electrified liquid-liquid interface. Silica condensation is triggered by the interfacial transfer of cationic surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium, at the lower end of the interfacial potential window. Cyt c is then adsorbed on the previously electrodeposited silica layer, when the interfacial potential, Δowφ, is at the positive end of the potential window. By cycling of the potential window back and forth, silica electrodeposition and Cyt c adsorption occur sequentially as demonstrated by in situ UV-vis absorbance spectroscopy. After collection from the liquid-liquid interface, the Cyt c-silica matrix is characterized ex situ by UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, confocal Raman microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy, showing that the protein maintained its tertiary structure during the encapsulation process. The absence of denaturation is further confirmed in situ by the absence of electrocatalytic activity toward O2 (observed in the case of Cyt c denaturation). This method of protein encapsulation may be used for other proteins (e.g., Fe-S cluster oxidoreductases, copper-containing reductases, pyrroloquinoline quinone-containing enzymes, or flavoproteins) in the development of biphasic bioelectrosynthesis or bioelectrocatalysis applications.
Start page
4033
End page
4041
Volume
37
Issue
13
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Física atómica, molecular y química
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85103993373
PubMed ID
Source
Langmuir
ISSN of the container
07437463
Sponsor(s)
The authors are grateful for travel support of the Irish Research Council and Campus France between the French and Irish groups through their joint ULYSSES programme. G.H., M.D., and A.W. are grateful to the French Programme Investissement d’Avenir (PIA) “Lorraine Université d’Excellence” (Reference no. ANR-15-IDEX-04-LUE) and to the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (Hyperion project, grant number ANR-14-CE14-0002-01) for partial funding of the research. M.D.S. acknowledges the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) under Grant No. 13/SIRG/2137 and the European Research Council (ERC) through a Starting Grant (Agreement no. 716792). A.G.-Q. acknowledges funding received from an Irish Research Council (IRC) Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (Grant Number GOIPD/2018/252).
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus