Laccases: structure, function, and potential application in water bioremediation

• Autores: Arregui, Leticia; Ayala, Marcela; Gómez Gil, Ximena; Gutiérrez Soto, Guadalupe; Hernández Luna, Carlos Eduardo; Herrera De Los Santos, Mayra; Levin, Laura Noemí; Rojo Domínguez, Arturo; Romero Martínez, Daniel; Saparrat, Mario Carlos Nazareno; Trujillo Roldán, Mauricio A.; Valdez Cruz, Norma A.
• Año de publicación: 2019
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: BIOREMEDIATION; EMERGING CONTAMINANTS; LACCASES; WATER BODIES
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

The global rise in urbanization and industrial activity has led to the production and incorporation of foreign contaminant molecules into ecosystems, distorting them and impacting human and animal health. Physical, chemical, and biological strategies have been adopted to eliminate these contaminants from water bodies under anthropogenic stress. Biotechnological processes involving microorganisms and enzymes have been used for this purpose; specifically, laccases, which are broad spectrum biocatalysts, have been used to degrade several compounds, such as those that can be found in the effluents from industries and hospitals. Laccases have shown high potential in the biotransformation of diverse pollutants using crude enzyme extracts or free enzymes. However, their application in bioremediation and water treatment at a large scale is limited by the complex composition and high salt concentration and pH values of contaminated media that affect protein stability, recovery and recycling. These issues are also associated with operational problems and the necessity of large-scale production of laccase. Hence, more knowledge on the molecular characteristics of water bodies is required to identify and develop new laccases that can be used under complex conditions and to develop novel strategies and processes to achieve their efficient application in treating contaminated water. Recently, stability, efficiency, separation and reuse issues have been overcome by the immobilization of enzymes and development of novel biocatalytic materials. This review provides recent information on laccases from different sources, their structures and biochemical properties, mechanisms of action, and application in the bioremediation and biotransformation of contaminant molecules in water. Moreover, we discuss a series of improvements that have been attempted for better organic solvent tolerance, thermo-tolerance, and operational stability of laccases, as per process requirements.
Fil: Arregui, Leticia. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana; México
Fil: Ayala, Marcela. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México
Fil: Gómez Gil, Ximena. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México
Fil: Gutiérrez Soto, Guadalupe. Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon.; México
Fil: Hernández Luna, Carlos Eduardo. Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon.; México
Fil: Herrera De Los Santos, Mayra. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México
Fil: Levin, Laura Noemí. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Micología y Botánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Micología y Botánica; Argentina
Fil: Rojo Domínguez, Arturo. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México
Fil: Romero Martínez, Daniel. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México
Fil: Saparrat, Mario Carlos Nazareno. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal; Argentina
Fil: Trujillo Roldán, Mauricio A.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México
Fil: Valdez Cruz, Norma A.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; México