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Fabrication of silica on chitin in ambient conditions using silicatein fused with a chitin-binding domain

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Abstract

High temperatures, harsh pH conditions, and toxic chemicals involved in the conventional synthesis and coating of silica limit the fabrication of new-generation hybrid materials immobilizing live cells and biomolecules such as enzymes and drugs. This hinders the application of inorganic–organic biohybrid materials in various fields, including bioelectronics, energy generation, and biomedicine. Silicatein, an enzyme found in siliceous sponges, catalyzes the polymerization of silica under mild conditions, that is, at room temperature and neutral pH. Silicatein was fused with a chitin-binding domain (ChBD) to selectively bind the fusion silicatein on the chitin material and with a small soluble tag called InakC, a hydrophilic protein from Pseudomonas syringae, to control the unfavorable aggregation of silicatein. The fusion silicatein was soluble in aqueous media and was successfully found to be adsorbed on the chitin material. The immobilized fusion silicatein acted as an interfacial catalyst to fabricate silica on chitin under ambient conditions. This technique can be used to fabricate inorganic–organic hybrid materials to immobilize biomolecules and can be applied to develop novel biocatalytic systems, biosensors, and tissue culture scaffolds.

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Acknowledgments

This work is partly supported by Tonen General Sekiyu research foundation. K. Godigamuwa would like to thank the Uehara Memorial Foundation for their financial support. The authors thank Shuhei Shimoda (Technical Division, Institute for Catalysis, Hokkaido University) for his technical support in surface area measurement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Sustainable Resources Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 8, Kita-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8628, Japan

    Kasun Godigamuwa & Sota Tsujitani

  2. Division of Sustainable Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 8, Kita-Ku, Sapporo, 060-8628, Japan

    Kazunori Nakashima & Satoru Kawasaki

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  1. Kasun Godigamuwa
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  2. Kazunori Nakashima
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Correspondence to Kazunori Nakashima.

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Godigamuwa, K., Nakashima, K., Tsujitani, S. et al. Fabrication of silica on chitin in ambient conditions using silicatein fused with a chitin-binding domain. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 44, 1883–1890 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-021-02568-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-021-02568-w

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