Stabilization of free and immobilized enzymes using hyperthermophilic chaperonin

Chaperonins suppress the denaturation of proteins and promote protein folding in vivo. Because hyperthermophilic chaperonins are expected to be used as a stabilizer for proteins, the effects of a group II chaperonin from a hyperthermophilic archaeum, Thermococcus strain KS-1 (T. KS-1 cpn), on the stabilization of mesophilic and thermophilic free enzymes and an enzyme co-immobilized with T. KS-1 cpn were studied. T. KS-1 cpn prevented the thermal inactivation of yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), jack bean urease, and Thermus flavus malate dehydrogenase (MDH) at high temperatures. T. KS-1 cpn also improved the long-term stability of ADH at lower temperatures. Moreover, the residual ADH activity of ADH co-entrapped with T. KS-1 cpn was improved and maintained at a higher level than that of the entrapped ADH without chaperonin. T. KS-1 cpn is useful for the stabilization of free and immobilized enzymes and applicable to various fields of biotechnology.