Magnetic chitosan beads for covalent immobilization of nucleoside 2'-deoxyribosyltransferase: application in nucleoside analogues synthesis.

Cross-linked magnetic chitosan beads were prepared in presence of epichlorohydrin under alkaline conditions, and subsequently incubated with glutaraldehyde in order to obtain an activated support for covalent attachment of nucleoside 2'-deoxyribosyltransferase from Lactobacillus reuteri (LrNDT). Changing the amount of magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) and epichlorohydrin (EPI) led to different macroscopic beads to be used as supports for enzyme immobilization, whose morphology and properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, spin electron resonance (ESR), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Once activated with glutaraldehyde, the best support was chosen after evaluation of immobilization yield and product yield in the synthesis of thymidine from 2'-deoxyuridine and thymine.