Electrochemical characterization of the pyranose 2-oxidase variant N593C shows a complete loss of the oxidase function with full preservation of substrate (dehydrogenase) activity

This study presents the first electrochemical characterization of the pyranose oxidase (POx) variant N593C (herein called POx-C), which is considered a promising candidate for future glucose-sensing applications. The resulting cyclic voltammograms obtained in the presence of various concentrations of glucose and mediator (1,4-benzoquinone, BQ), as well as the control experiments by addition of catalase, support the conclusion of a complete suppression of the oxidase function and oxygen reactivity at POx-C. Additionally, these electrochemical experiments demonstrate, contrary to previous biochemical studies, that POx-C has a fully retained enzymatic activity towards glucose. POx-C was immobilized on a special screen-printed electrode (SPE) based on carbon ink and grafted with gold-nanoparticles (GNP). Suppression of the oxygen reactivity at N593C-POx variant is a prerequisite for utilizing POx in electrochemical applications for glucose sensing. To our knowledge, this is the first report presented in the literature showing an absolute conversion of an oxidase into a fully active equivalent dehydrogenase via a single residue exchange.