Immobilization of Carbonic Anhydrase: A Review

Abstract

Excessive levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) have a devastating effect on life and the environment. Due to increasing CO₂ emissions, there are several carbon sequestration techniques that have been employed such as oceanic injection, geological injection, and scrubbing and carbonation which are expensive, prone to leakage and have limited efficiency. They also require careful regulation and monitoring. Therefore, there is a need for an efficient and cost-effective technique to combat the ever-increasing levels of CO₂ in the atmosphere. The immobilization of Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) is one such novel technique that has the potential to successfully sequester the CO₂ present in the atmosphere. In the present study, a comparison was drawn between the different techniques and support systems used to immobilize CA. Comparative studies on temperature dependence have shown that immobilization of the enzyme imparts considerable thermal stability to it, the degree of stability varying with different support systems. However, kinetic parameter such as Km has been observed to increase, owing to the diffusion constraints of the substrate to the active site of the enzyme. The carbonation capacity of the immobilized enzyme was observed to be almost equal to the free enzyme, again with variation among different support systems. This paper provides an overview of the various immobilization techniques and their drawbacks. 

Keywords: immobilization, carbonic anhydrase (CA), carbon sequestration

Cite this Article

Shenoy A, Shree Padma M, Sanketi BD, et al. Immobilization of Carbonic Anhydrase: A Review. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Biotechnology. 2016; 6(3): 10–18p.