Comparative study of biocatalytic reactions of high and low redox potential fungal and plant laccases in homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions

Abstract

The homogeneous catalytic and heterogeneous bioelectrocatalytic properties of high redox potential fungal laccases and low redox potential plant laccase have been compared. The fungal and plant laccases exhibit radically different catalytic activities as a function of pH with respect to substrates donating only electrons and substrates donating both hydrogen atoms and electrons, as well as in the bioelectrocatalytic reaction of dioxygen reduction. It is suggested that the difference between the biocatalytic properties of these enzymes correlates with their role in lignin metabolism.