RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STATE OF A THERMOSENSITIVE MATRIX AND THE ACTIVITY OF UREASE IMMOBILIZED IN IT

The effect of temperature on kinetic and equilibrium parameters of ure a hydrolysis catalyzed with urease immobilized into a thermosensitive poly-N-isopropylacrylamide gel was studied. The temperature behavior o f the gel-urease system is different from similar systems. After a dec rease in the enzyme activity above the critical temperature, the maxim al rate of the enzymatic reaction and gel swelling ratio begin to incr ease. Urea hydrolysis catalyzed with immobilized urease and shrinking- swelling of the thermosensitive urease-containing gel depend on each o ther. Under collapse, gel swelling ratio increases due to the enzymati c reaction. The rate of the enzymatic reaction no longer follows Micha elis-Menten kinetics, and the dependence of the reaction rate on subst rate concentration becomes more complicated.