Reconstitution of apo-glucose dehydrogenase on pyrroloquinoline quinone-functionalized Au nanoparticles yields an electrically contacted biocatalyst

An electrically contacted glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) enzyme electrode is fabricated by the reconstitution of the apo-GDH on pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)-functionalized Au nanoparticles (Au-NPs), 1.4 nm, associated with a Au electrode. The Au-NPs functionalized with a single amine group were attached to the Au surface by 1,4-benzenedithiol bridges, and PQQ was covalently linked to the Au-NPs. The apo-GDH was then reconstituted on the PQQ cofactor sites. The surface coverage of GDH corresponded to 1.4 × 10^-12 mol cm ^-2. The reconstituted enzyme revealed direct electrical contact with the electrode surface, and the bioelectrocatalytic oxidation of glucose occurred with a turnover number of 11 800 s^-1. In contrast, a system that included the covalent attachment of GDH to the PQQ-Au-NPs monolayer in a random, nonaligned, configuration revealed lack of electrical communication between the enzyme and the electrode, albeit the enzyme existed in a bioactive structure. The bioelectrocatalytic function of the later system was, however, activated by the diffusional electron mediator 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol. The results imply that the alignment of GDH on a Au-NP through the reconstitution process leads to an electrically contacted enzyme-electrode, where the Au-NP acts as a charge-transfer mediator.