Hofmeister effects in enzymatic activity: Weak and strong electrolyte influences on the activity of Candida rugosa lipase

Andrea Salis*, Dagmar Bilaničova, Barry W. Ninham, Maura Monduzzi

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    119 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The effects of weak and strong electrolytes on the enzymatic activity of Candida rugosa lipase are explored. Weak electrolytes, used as buffers, set the pH, while strong electrolytes regulate the ionic strength. The interplay between pH and ionic strength has been assumed to be the determinant of enzymatic activity. In experiments that probe activities by varying these parameters, there has been little attention focused on the role of specific electrolyte effects. Here we show that both buffers and the choice of background electrolyte ion strongly affect the enzymatic activity of Candida rugosa lipase. The effects here shown are dramatic at high salt concentration; indeed, a 2 M concentration of NaSCN is able to fully inactivate the lipase. By contrast, Na2-SO4 acts generally as an activator, whereas NaCl shows a quasi-neutral behavior. Such specific ion effects are well-known and are classified among the "Hofmeister effects". However, there has been little awareness of them, or of their potential for optimization of activities in the enzyme community. Rather than the effects per se, the focus here is on their origin. New insights into mechanism are proposed.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1149-1156
    Number of pages8
    JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry B
    Volume111
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 8 Feb 2007

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