Enzyme immobilization: concepts and effects on proteolysis

In recent years, great advances have been observed in the proteomic area regarding the different approaches adopted as top-down, middle-down and bottom-up. Regarding middle-down and bottom-up approaches, a previous step for protein digestion is necessary for further analysis of the generated peptides. Classical digestion protocols employing proteases are usually carried out in solution, which can lead to a number of disadvantages such as high digestion time, enzymatic autolysis and impossibility to reuse the enzymes. In view of these drawbacks, different approaches have been studied and applied for improving enzymatic efficiency, inhibition of autolysis, reduction of digestion time, and to minimize the number of missed cleavages. In the literature, great efforts have been made in order to achieve maximum efficiency in enzymatic digestion, with emphasis on proteases immobilization. In this review, concepts related to protein digestion, immobilization techniques, as well as the main support used for enzyme immobilization are discussed considering new tools for proteomic analysis.