Dr. Valeria Califano
Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (STEMS), Italy
Title: Immobilizing lipase on hydrophobic wrinkled silica nanoparticles from a water/oil mixture as a strategy to induce hyperactivation
Biography
Biography: Dr. Valeria Califano
Abstract
Wrinkled Silica Nanoparticles (WSNs) with central-radial pore structure were hydrophobized by chemical vapor deposition of perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (PDTES): surface functionalization was used to design a hydrophobic surface to induce interfacial activation of lipase by lid opening. In fact, lipases are unique often require interfacial activation for full catalytic performance. Actually, since lipids are water insoluble, lipases act on emulsified systems. Upon adsorption at a hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface, lipase undergoes a conformational change from the inactive to the active conformation. This change is promoted by the movement of a helical loop from the ‘closed’ form in which the catalytic site is inaccessible to the ‘open’ active one. To further modulate the closed/open form equilibrium, n-hexane was added to the water/lipase solution, creating a micro-oily environment.