Volume 6 Issue 4
In Vitro Selection of a Single-Stranded DNA Molecular Recognition Element against the Pesticide Fipronil and Sensitive Detection in River Water
Ka L. Hong and Letha J. Sooter
1Istituto di Bioscienze e Biorisorse, CNR, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy
2Dipartimento Di Chimica, Laboratorio di Chimica Bioinorganica, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Polo Scientifico, Via della Lastruccia 3, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), Italy
3Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine 1°, 98000 Monaco, Monaco
Abstract
CruCA4, a coral α-carbonic anhydrase (CA, EC 4.2.1.1) involved in the biomineralization process of the Mediterranean red coral, Corallium rubrum, was investigated for its activation with a panel of amino acids and amines. Most compounds showed considerable activating properties, with a rather well defined structure–activity relationship. The most effective CruCA4 activators were d-His, 4-H2N-l-Phe, Histamine, Dopamine, Serotonin, 1-(2-Aminoethyl)-piperazine, and l-Adrenaline, with activation constants in the range of 8–98 nM. Other amines and amino acids, such as d-DOPA, l-Tyr, 2-Pyridyl-methylamine, 2-(2-Aminoethyl) pyridine and 4-(2-Aminoethyl)-morpholine, were submicromolar CruCA4 activators, with KA ranging between 0.15 and 0.93 µM. Since it has been shown that CA activators may facilitate the initial phases of in-bone mineralization, our study may be relevant for finding modulators of enzyme activity, which can enhance the formation of the red coral skeleton.
Keywords:carbonic anhydrase; activators; biomineralization; coral; calcification; amine; amino acid