Silicatein is an
enzyme capable of catalyzing silica formation
under mild conditions and is a promising catalyst for the fabrication
of biohybrid materials. However, unfavorable aggregation of silicatein
makes it unsuitable for use in material fabrication. In this study,
a soluble protein tag (ProS2) and a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM)
were used to develop a soluble and cellulose-binding fusion silicatein,
ProS2-Sil-CBM, which can be efficiently immobilized on cellulose to
form silica on it. ProS2-Sil-CBM was soluble in aqueous media and
strongly bound to cellulose. ProS2-Sil-CBM bound on cellulose catalyzed
the formation of a silica layer on the cellulose in the presence of
tetraethyl orthosilicate as the substrate. Scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) and surface elemental analysis confirmed the formation of silica
on cellulose. 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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