PEGylation Greatly Enhances Laccase Polymerase Activity

Laccase catalyzes the oxidation and polymerization of phenolic compounds in the presence of oxygen. Herein, we report for the first time that a previous PEGylation of laccase enhances the polymerase activity 3-fold compared with the reaction of the native enzyme, as confirmed by UV/Vis spectroscopy. The polymerization of catechol increased only 1.5-fold if poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was added to the medium reaction. Molecular-dynamics simulations suggest the formation of a miscible complex of polycatechol and PEG, which is responsible to push the reaction forward. In a negative control experiment set, all catalysts were entrapped inside polyacrylamide gels and here the native laccase showed a relatively higher activity. These results suggest that the mobility of PEG is a key feature for the enhancement of the reaction.