Team:Bielefeld-Germany/Results/Laccases

Figure 1: The picture was done with [http://jmol.sourceforge.net/ Jmol-software] in combination with the data from the [http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/explore/explore.do?structureId=1GYC RCSB Protein Data Bank]

The iGEM Team successfully produced four active bacterial laccases and an eukaryotic laccase (click for the results):

• Escherichia coli laccase ECOL
• Bacillus pumilus laccase BPUL
• Bacillus halodurans laccase BHAL
• Thermus thermophilus laccase TTHL
• Trametes versicolor laccase TVEL5
• Comparison of the different bacterial laccases

Two of these (ECOL and BPUL) we accomplished to purify. Besides the successfully scale-up fermentation these two laccases could be purified in a high amount to characterize the optimal activity conditions regarding pH, temperature, buffer solutions and organic solvent resistance. Furthermore the iGEM Team Bielefeld demonstrated that the produced laccases can be immobilized maintaining their activity and the degradation capacity was screened for several micro-contaminants. These tests indicate that the ECOL and BPUL are able to degrade ethinyl estradiol and estradiol.