Computer-controlled system for the study of oxidase reactions: application to the peroxidase-oxidase oscillator.

An apparatus for the study of bisubstrate oxidase reactions at maintained steady-state substrate concentrations is described, and its specific application to the peroxidase-oxidase biochemical oscillator is reported. Instrument control and data acquisition are provided by custom software written in LabVIEW. The software allows measurement, recording, and control of dissolved oxygen through a Clark-type oxygen electrode, reaction monitoring by a UV/vis spectrophotometer, and controlled substrate delivery by a syringe infusion pump. For peroxidase from horseradish, the optimal pH for oscillatory behavior was found to be in the range 4.5-5.5.