Biotechnology Letters, Vol.31, No.1, 107-111, 2009
Recyclable chaperone-conjugated magnetic beads for in vitro refolding of Burkholderia cepacia lipase
Polymer-coated magnetic beads have become widely used in biological applications because of their facile recovery and easily modifiable surface. Herein, we report the application of magnetic beads to in vitro refolding of B. cepacia lipase. Magnetic particles (Fe3O4) prepared by co-precipitation of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions under basic conditions were subsequently coated with carboxylic acid-containing polystyrene by emulsion polymerization. The polymer-coated magnetic beads were then conjugated with molecular chaperone proteins to assist with refolding. The chaperone-conjugated magnetic beads efficiently refolded B. cepacia lipase and were easily reused. The beads showed comparable refolding activity to the soluble chaperone, and retained more than 95% of their refolding activity after five cycles of refolding B. cepacia lipase.