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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Synthesis of an Intein-mediated Artificial Protein Hydrogel
Published on: January 27, 2014
Effect of the hydration state of supports before lyophilization on subtilisin-A activity in organic media
1Department of Chemical Technology, The Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, #105-103, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Korea. tw@-control.chalmers.se
Abstract:
Subtilisin-A was colyophilized with various types of support materials, such as Amberlite IRC-50, Celite545, chitosan, DEAE-cellulose, DOWEX-1, zeolite, glass bead, and polystyrene. The colyophilized enzyme was used for the optical resolution of racemic 1-phenylethylamine with 2,2,2-trifluoroethylbutyrate in 3-methyl-3-pentanol. The enzyme activity in organic media changed dramatically according to the hydration state of the support materials before lyophilization. This effect was especially marked with supports of high water capacity (aquaphilicity), such as chitosan and DEAE-cellulose. By hydrating these supports of high aquaphilicity prior to lyophilization, subtilisin-A activity in organic media increased ca. 4-8 times, depending upon the supports used. This result suggests that the hydration state of aquaphilic support materials for colyophilization is critical to determining enzyme activity in organic solvents.
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