Sol-gel immobilization of glutathione transferase: efficient tool for bioremediation

Abstract

Glutathione transferases are multi-functional enzymes with an important role in xenobiotic detoxification. They catalyse the nucleophilic addition of the sulfur atom of glutathione (γ-L-Glu-L-Cys-Gly, GSH) to the electrophilic groups of a large variety of hydrophobic molecules including organic halides, epoxides, arene oxides, α- and β-unsaturated carbonyls, organic nitrate esters, and organic thiocyanates. The conjugation of GSH to such molecules increases their solubility and reduces their toxicity. GSTs represent a versatile tool with a variety of biotechnological applications, in the field of bioremediation to clean up environmentally contaminated sites. The purpose of this project was the study of GST immobilization for the biodegradation of toxic compounds.