Laccases

Product description:Laccases (EC 1.10.3.2) are copper-containing oxidase enzymes that are found in many plants, fungi, and microorganisms. The copper is bound in several sites; Type 1, Type 2, and/or Type 3. The ensemble of types 2 and 3 copper is called a trinuclear cluster (see figure). Laccases act on phenols and similar molecules, performing a one-electron oxidations, which remain poorly defined. It is proposed that laccases play a role in the formation of lignin by promoting the oxidative coupling of lignols, a family of naturally occurring phenols.Laccases can be polymeric, and the enzymatically active form can be a dimer or trimer. Other laccases, such as ones produced by the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus, play a role in the degradation of lignin, and can therefore be included in the broad category of ligninases.Spectrophotometry can be used to detect laccases, using the substrates ABTS, syringaldazine, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol, and dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine. Activity can also be monitored with an oxygen sensor, as the oxidation of the substrate is paired with the reduction of oxygen to water.
Applications and potential utility:Laccases have been examined as the cathode in enzymatic biofuel cells. They can be paired with an electron mediator to facilitate electron transfer to a solid electrode wire.Laccases are some of the few oxidoreductases commercialized as industrial catalysts. The enzymes can be used for textile dyeing/textile finishing, wine cork making, teeth whitening, and many other industrial, environmental, diagnostic, and synthetic uses.Laccases can be used in bioremediation. Protein ligand docking can be used to predict the putative pollutants that can be degraded by laccase