Substrate specificity of a new laccase from WRF03.

Various aromatic compounds that are structurally analogous to lignin were tested as possible/preferred substrates for purified laccase from newly isolated white rote fungi, WRF03. The pH optima were tested using different substrates and kinetic studies were conducted at these pH optima. The pH optima in the presence of ABTS, α-naphthol, o-dianisidine, and catechol were 4.5 but 5.0 and 5.5 in the presence of guaiacol and pyrogallol, respectively. The initial velocities obtained from the kinetic study were analyzed using Graph Pad Prism 7 and Lineweaver-Burk plot to obtain kinetic constants ( and ) which were used to calculate substrate specificity. Amongst all the substrates tested, ABTS had the highest specificity-constant (181.51 Ms), and therefore, the most preferred substrate was followed by α-naphthol, -dianisidine, guaiacol, pyrogallol, and catechol. Resorcinol, orcinol, and veratryl alcohol did not display any considerable chemical shift in the presence of WRF03 laccase. Also, oxidation of phenolic substrates appeared to be dependent on the nature of the substituent groups and their relative position on the aromatic nucleus. Since most of these substrates are structural analogs of lignin and many recalcitrant environmental pollutants, the enzyme may find application in delignification, treatment of wastewater containing dyes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).