Photocontrol of urease activity in spiropyran collagen membrane.

1. Collagen fibrils were modified with beta-1-[3,3-dimethyl-6'-nitrospiro-(indoline-2,2'-2H-benzopyran)] propionic anhydride. 2. Urease (urea amidohydrolase, EC 3.5.1.5) was immobilized in spiropyran collagen membrane. The activity of the urease-spiropyran collagen membrane was found to increase in the dark and then decrease with visible light irradiation. 3. The optimum pH of the urease-spiropyran collagen membrane under visible light was lowered in the dark. 4. The apparent Michaelis constant (K'm) of the urease-spiropyran collagen membrane in the dark was almost the same as that under visible light. The apparent maximum velocity was increased in the dark. 5. The diffusion coefficient of urea through the spiropyran collagen membrane in the dark was 1.4 times that under visible light. However, the increase of the diffusion rate was not responsible for the activity increase of the urease-spiropyran collagen membrane.