Gujarat

About Authors:
Vedant M. Pandya
Department of biotechnology, shree M & N Virani science college,
Rajkot, India-360005
vedantpandya007@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
A biosensor is a device for the detection of an analyte that combines a biological component with physicochemical detector components. An integrated device consisting of a biological recognition element & a transducer capable of detecting the biological reaction & converting it into a signal which can be processed. Ideally, the sensor shod be self-contained, so that it is not necessary to add reagents to the sample matrix to obtain the desired response. There are a number of analytes which are measured in biological media: pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, partial pressure of oxygen & the ionic concentration of sodium, potassium, calcium & chloride. Biosensors are typically classified by the type of recognition element or transduction element employed. Sensors might be described as a catalytic biosensor if it is recognition element comprised an enzyme or series of enzymes, a living tissue slice, or whole cells derived from microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or yeast. The sensor might be described as a bioaffinity sensor if the basis of operation were a biospecific complex formation. Accordingly, the reaction of an antibody with an antigen or hapten, or the reaction of an ageist or antagonist with a receptor, could be employed. In the former case, the sensor might be called an immunosensor. Since, enzyme-based sensor measure the rate of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction as the basis for their response, any physical measurement which yield a quantity related to this rate can be used for detection. The enzyme may be immobilized on the end of an optical fiber, & the spectroscopic properties related to the disappearance of the reactants or appearance of products of the reaction can be measured. Since biochemical reaction can be either endothermic or exothermic. Miniaturized thermistor based calorimeter called thermistos, have been developed & widely applied, especially for bioprocess monitoring.

About Authors:
Alpeshkumar J.Shiroya*
Bhagwan Mahavir College Of  Biotechnology,
Surat
alpeshshiroya45@yahoo.in

ABSTRACT
Laccases are an interesting group of multi-nuclear copper-containing oxidoreductases, which have been subject of intensive research in last decades due to their ability to oxidize both phenolic and nonphenolic lignin related compounds as well as highly recalcitrant environmental pollutants, which makes them very useful for their application to several biotechnological processes. These oxidase enzymes catalyze oxidation of substrates at the expense of molecular oxygen and produce water as the only by-product. Lacasses are present in higher plants, bacteria, fungi, insects and lichens. The oxidative ability of laccases is employed in a number of industrial and environmental applications including bioremediation, food technology, nanobiotechnology, medicine, pulp and paper industry, textile industry, and cosmetology. Owing to its versatility, laccase is continuously under investigation for new applications. In the recent years, laccases are also used as cleaning agents for certain water purification systems, as catalysts for the manufacture of anti-cancer drugs and even as ingredients in cosmetics. More recently, it is also used in the design of biosensors, biofuel cells, as a medical diagnostics tool and bioremediation agent to clean up herbicides, pesticides and certain explosives in soil. This paper reviews the occurrence, mode of action, general properties, production, immobilization, molecular cloning, and important  application  of laccases  within different industrial and biotechnological area.