Publications by authors named "Rosa Pia Ferrari"

Three genes encoding heme hydroperoxidases (katA, katB, and katC) have been identified in the soil bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti. The recombinant proteins were overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified in order to achieve a spectral and kinetic characterization. The three proteins contain heme b with high-spin Fe(III).

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The hydrogen peroxide-oxidation of 2,4-dichlorophenol catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase has been studied by means of UV-visible spectroscopy and mass spectrometry in order to clarify the reaction mechanism. The dimerization of 2,4-dichlorophenol to 2,4-dichloro-6-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-phenol and its subsequent oxidation to 2-chloro-6-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-1,4-benzoquinone together with chloride release were observed. The reaction rate was found to be pH-dependent and to be influenced by the pK(a) value of 2,4-dichlorophenol.

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The interaction of native bovine lactoperoxidase (nbLPO) with four substrates has been studied and compared with that of recombinant human myeloperoxidase (rhMPO). Kinetic, spectroscopic and binding parameters extrapolated for each enzyme-substrate adduct have been interpreted in the light of the structural data available for myeloperoxidase (X-ray structure) and lactoperoxidase (3D-model), respectively. The differences in the reactivity and affinity of nbLPO and rhMPO towards SCN(-), catechol, dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylpropionic acid are here discussed and related to a different structure of the organic substrate access channel as well as to a different accessibility of the heme pocket in the two enzymes.

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The reaction mechanism of the oxidation of 2,6-dichlorophenol (2,6-DCP) by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and H2O2 has been investigated and the reaction products have been characterized by UV-visible and mass spectrometry. Evidence for the dimerization of 2,6-DCP to 3,3',5,5'-tetrachloro-4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl and the subsequent fast oxidation of this product to the corresponding 3,3',5,5'-tetrachlorodiphenoquinone have been collected. The reaction rate was found to decrease markedly as soon as the pH was raised, with a clear inflection point at pH congruent with 6.

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Electrochemical biosensors have found wide application in food and clinical areas, as well as in environmental field. A large number of articles focused on horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-based biosensors have been published in the last decade, due to the capability of HRP to quantitatively detect the presence of hydrogen peroxide produced in a reaction. At present a large body of multi-enzymatic amperometric biosensors are realized by entrapping HRP together with other enzymes into a polymeric matrix; these systems represent a promising example of simple, low-cost electrochemical tools for the analysis of bioanalytes in solution, such as glucose, choline and cholesterol.

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