STABILIZATION OF ENZYMES BY ATTACHMENT TO SOLUBLE POLYMERS

HYPOTHESES ABOUT THE STABILIZATION OF ENZYMES BY COVALENT ATTACHMENT TO SOLUBLE POLYMERS ARE TO BE TESTED IN DETAIL TO ISOLATE THE EFFECT OF MULTI-POINT ATTACHMENT FROM OTHER FACTORS KNOWN TO AFFECT ENZYME STABILITY INCLUDING CHEMICAL MODIFICATION, REDUCED PROTEOLYSIS, DIFFUSIONAL EFFECTS, AND SUBUNIT DISSOCIATION. TWO MODEL ENZYME SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN SELECTED BASED ON CRITERIA WHICH WILL ALLOW MEASUREMENT OF THE EFFECT OF MULTI-POINT ATTACHMENT ALONE. EACH ENZYME WILLBE COVALENTLY ATTACHED THROUGH ITS LYSINE RESIDUES TO TWO DIFFERENT ACTIVATED, SOLUBLE POLYMERS. STABILITY TO HEAT, PH CHANGE, AND DENATURATION BY UREA WILL BE STUDIED AS A FUNCTION OF THE NUMBER OF POINTS OF ATTACHMENT TO THE SOLUBLE POLYMER.