Enzyme stabilization via bio-templated silicification reactions.

Effective entrapment of enzymes in solid-phase materials is critical to their practical application. The entrapment generally stabilizes biological activity compared to soluble molecules and the material simplifies catalyst integration significantly. A silica sol-gel process based upon biological mechanisms of inorganic material formation (biomineralization) supports protein immobilization reactions within minutes. The material has high protein binding capacity and the catalytic activity of the enzyme is retained. We have demonstrated that both oligopeptides and selected proteins will mediate the biomineralization of silica and allow effective co-encapsulation of other proteins present in the reaction mixture. The detailed methods described here provide a simple and effective approach for molecular biologists, biochemists, and bioengineers to create stable, solid-phase biocatalysts that may be integrated within sensors, synthetic processes, reactive barriers, energy conversion materials, and other biotechnology concepts.