Method for characterization of the enzyme profile and the determination of CBH I (Cel 7a) core protein in Trichoderma reesei cellulase preparations

Summary Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) was used to characterize a commercial cellulase preparation (Celluclast 1.5L, Novozymes) in relation to its protein profile and activity against hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) and other substrates. Co-elution of CBHII (Cel 6A) with other enzyme components of the cellulase system was characterized by immunochemical assays using monoclonal antibodies, whereas the occurrence of EGII (Cel 5A) was assessed based on its ability to cleave the heterosidic bond of 4-methylumbellyferyl-β-d-cellotrioside (MUmbG₃). The main cellulase constituents of Celluclast 1.5L were pooled into six fractions containing EGII (Cel 5A) and EGIII (Cel 12A) (F1), EGII and CBHII (Cel 6A) (F2), CBHII and EGI (Cel 7B) (F3), EGI (F4), and CBHI (Cel 7A) (F5). The occurrence of CBHI core protein within the CBHI fraction of the FPLC profile was determined by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Using this method, we were able to demonstrate that the batch of Celluclast 1.5L used in this study contained 10.9–18.8% of CBHI as its corresponding free core protein.     

酶法制备功能性纤维低聚糖的研究

研究里氏木霉(Trichoderma reesei)Rut C30纤维素酶单一组分EGI、EGII和CBHI降解纤维素的机理及纤维低聚糖酶法制备技术,进而初步研究纤维低聚糖对青春双歧杆菌的增殖作用。以内切葡聚糖酶EGII酶法制备纤维低聚糖,每克纤维素最佳酶用量1 U,最佳酶解时间90 min,制备得到的纤维低聚糖中纤维二糖、纤维三糖和纤维四糖占总糖的比例分别为43.8%、34.8%和7.9%。以纤维二糖、纤维低聚糖为C源增殖青春双歧杆菌,菌体质量浓度增殖倍数分别为2.14、2.84。     

Enhanced production of cellobiohydrolases in Trichoderma reesei and evaluation of the new preparations in biofinishing of cotton

In the search for suitable cellulase combinations for industrial biofinishing of cotton, five different types of Trichoderma reesei strains were constructed for elevated cellobiohydrolase production: CBHI overproducers with and without endoglucanase I (EGI), CBHII overproducers with and without endoglucanase II (EGII) and strains overproducing both CBHI and CBHII without the major endoglucanases I and II. One additional copy of cbh1 gene increased production of CBHI protein 1.3-fold, and two copies 1.5-fold according to ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). The level of total secreted proteins was increased in CBHI transformants as compared to the host strain. One copy of the cbh2 expression cassette in which the cbh2 was expressed from the cbh1 promoter increased production of CBHII protein three- to four-fold when compared to the host strain. T. reesei strains producing elevated amounts of both CBHI and CBHII without EGI and EGII were constructed by replacing the egl1 locus with the coding region of the cbh1 gene and the egl2 locus with the coding region of cbh2. The cbh1 was expressed from its own promoter and the cbh2 gene using either the cbh1 or cbh2 promoter. Production of CBHI by the CBH-transformants was increased up to 1.6-fold and production of CBHII up to 3.4-fold as compared with the host strain. Approximately similar amounts of CBHII protein were produced by using cbh1 or cbh2 promoters. When the enzyme preparation with elevated CBHII content was used in biofinishing of cotton, better depilling and visual appearance were achieved than with the wild type preparation; however, the improvement was not as pronounced as with preparations with elevated levels of endoglucanases (EG).     

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the cellulase genes of Humicola grisea var. thermoidea

We have cloned an endoglucanase (EGI) gene and a cellobiohydrolase (CBHI) gene of Humicola grisea var. thermoidea using a portion of the Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase I gene as a probe, and determined their nucleotide sequences. The deduced amino acid sequence of EGI was 435 amino acids in length and the coding region was interrupted by an intron. The EGI lacks a hinge region and a cellulose-binding domain. The deduced amino acid sequence of CBHI was identical to the H. grisea CBHI previously reported, with the exception of three amino acids. The H. grisea EGI and CBHI show 39.8% and 37.7% identity with the T. Reesei EGI, respectively. In addition to TATA box and CAAT motifs, putative CREA binding sites were observed in the 5′ upstream regions of both genes. The cloned cellulase genes were expressed in Aspergillus oryzae and the gene products were purified. The optimal temperatures of CBHI and EGI were 60 °C and 55–60 °C, respectively. The optimal pHs of these enzymes were 5.0. CBHI and EGI had distinct substrate specificities: CBHI showed high activity toward Avicel, whereas EGI showed high activity toward carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC).     

Enhanced production of Trichoderma reesei endoglucanases and use of the new cellulase preparations in producing the stonewashed effect on denim fabric

Trichoderma reesei strains were constructed for production of elevated amounts of endoglucanase II (EGII) with or without cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI). The endoglucanase activity produced by the EGII transformants correlated with the copy number of the egl2 expression cassette. One copy of the egl2 expression cassette in which the egl2 was under the cbh1 promoter increased production of endoglucanase activity 2.3-fold, and two copies increased production about 3-fold above that of the parent strain. When the enzyme with elevated EGII content was used, an improved stonewashing effect on denim fabric was achieved. A T. reesei strain producing high amounts of EGI and -II activities without CBHI and -II was constructed by replacing the cbh2 locus with the coding region of the egl2 gene in the EGI-overproducing CBHI-negative strain. Production of endoglucanase activity by the EG-transformant strain was increased fourfold above that of the host strain. The filter paper-degrading activity of the endoglucanase-overproducing strain was lowered to below detection, presumably because of the lack of cellobiohydrolases.     

Effects of non-ionic surfactants on the interactions between cellulases and tannic acid: a model system for cellulase-poly-phenol interactions

Addition of non-ionic surfactants (NIS) is known to accelerate enzymatic lignocellulose hydrolysis. The mechanism behind this accelerating effect is still not elucidated but has been hypothesized to originate from favorable NIS-lignin interactions which alleviate non-productive adsorption of cellulases to lignin. In the current work we address this hypothesis using tannic acid (TAN) as a general poly-phenolic model compound (for lignin and soluble phenolics) and measure the mutual interactions of cellulases (CBHI, CBHII, EGI, EGII and BG), TAN and NIS (Triton X-100) using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The experimental results suggest rather strong enzyme-specific interactions with TAN in reasonable agreement with enzyme specific lignin inhibition found in the literature. Enzyme-TAN interactions were disrupted by the presence of NIS by a mechanism of strong TAN-NIS interaction. The presence of NIS also alleviated the inhibitory effect of TAN on cellulase activity. All together the current work provides strong indications that favorable NIS-poly-phenol interactions alleviate non-productive cellulase-poly-phenol interactions and hence may provide a mechanism for the accelerating effect of NIS on lignocellulose hydrolysis.     

Evaluation of minimal Trichoderma reesei cellulase mixtures on differently pretreated Barley straw substrates

The commercial cellulase product Celluclast 1.5, derived from Trichoderma reesei (Novozymes A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark), is widely employed for hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks. This enzyme preparation contains a broad spectrum of cellulolytic enzyme activities, most notably cellobiohydrolases (CBHs) and endo-1,4-beta-glucanases (EGs). Since the original T. reesei strain was isolated from decaying canvas, the T. reesei CBH and EG activities might be present in suboptimal ratios for hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulosic substrates. We employed statistically designed combinations of the four main activities of Celluclast 1.5, CBHI, CBHII, EGI, and EGII, to identify the optimal glucose-releasing combination of these four enzymes to degrade barley straw substrates subjected to three different pretreatments. The data signified that EGII activity is not required for efficient lignocellulose hydrolysis when addition of this activity occurs at the expense of the remaining three activities. The optimal ratios of the remaining three enzymes were similar for the two pretreated barley samples that had been subjeced to different hot water pretreatments, but the relative levels of EGI and CBHII activities required in the enzyme mixture for optimal hydrolysis of the acid-impregnated, steam-exploded barley straw substrate were somewhat different from those required for the other two substrates. The optimal ratios of the cellulolytic activities in all cases differed from that of the cellulases secreted by T. reesei. Hence, the data indicate the feasibility of designing minimal enzyme mixtures for pretreated lignocellulosic biomass by careful combination of monocomponent enzymes. This strategy can promote both a more efficient enzymatic hydrolysis of (ligno)cellulose and a more rational utilization of enzymes.     

Circular Dichroism Studies on Conformation of Cellobiohydrolase and Endoglucanase from Trichoderma pseudokiningii S-38: Effects of pH and Ligand Binding

Effects of pH and ligand binding upon the conformation of Cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) and endoglucanase I (EGI) from Trichoderma pseudokiningii S-38 have been studied by circular dichroism measurements. In the high-pH range (6–9), increasing pH resulted in a similar conformational change occurring in free CBHI and EGI, while such treatment gave different changes of the two enzyme conformations in the presence of cellobiose. On the other hand, in the low-pH region, with both CBHI an EGI in the active form, decreasing pH resulted in a large conformational change of free EGI compared to that of free CBHI, whereas ligand binding resulted in a similar change of both CBHI and EGI, independent of pH change.     

Circular Dichroism Studies on Conformation of Cellobiohydrolase and Endoglucanase from Trichoderma pseudokiningii S-38: Effects of pH and Ligand Binding

Effects of pH and ligand binding upon the conformation of Cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) and endoglucanase I (EGI) from Trichoderma pseudokiningii S-38 have been studied by circular dichroism measurements. In the high-pH range (6–9), increasing pH resulted in a similar conformational change occurring in free CBHI and EGI, while such treatment gave different changes of the two enzyme conformations in the presence of cellobiose. On the other hand, in the low-pH region, with both CBHI an EGI in the active form, decreasing pH resulted in a large conformational change of free EGI compared to that of free CBHI, whereas ligand binding resulted in a similar change of both CBHI and EGI, independent of pH change.     

Effect of Urea on the Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Lignocellulosic Substrate and Its Mechanism

Effect of hydrogen bond breaker (urea) addition on the enzymatic hydrolysis of Avicel and eucalyptus pretreated by dilute acid (Eu-DA) was investigated. Urea enhanced the enzymatic hydrolysis of Eu-DA at 50 or 30 °C when the concentration of urea was below 60 g/L, while it inhibited the hydrolysis of Avicel. Low concentration urea (<?240 g/L) had little effect on the cellulase spatial structure and its activity. But it decreased cellulase binding to cellulose surface to inhibit the cellulose hydrolysis. Meanwhile, urea obviously prevented the adsorption of cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) on the lignin in spite of little effect on the adsorption of β-glucosidase (BGL) and two endoglucanases (EGIII and EGV) on lignin. It was proposed that urea enhanced the enzymatic efficiency of Eu-DA by decreasing the cellulase adsorption on lignin surface.     

Quantitative estimate of the effect of cellulase components during degradation of cotton fibers

A comprehensive mechanistic kinetic model for enzymatic degradation of cotton fibers has been established based on a complete factorial experiment in combination with multivariate stepwise regression analysis. The analysis of the statistical parameter value in the model suggests that the enzymatic degradation of cotton fiber is a progressive and heterogeneous process that includes, at least, two courses that occur sequentially and then progress in parallel. Cellulose fibers were first depolymerized or solubilized by the synergism between cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) and endoglucanase I (EGI), and then the oligomers obtained were randomly hydrolyzed into glucose by EGI and beta-glucosidase. The proposed model can be applied to the quantitative estimation of the effects of three cellulase components, CBHI, EGI, and beta-glucosidase separately, or in combination during the entire process of cellulose degradation. The validity of the proposed model has been verified by a filter paper activity assay. Its other applicability was also discussed.     

Adsorption of Trichoderma reesei CBHI cellulase on silanized silica

Adsorption kinetics and surfactant-mediated elution of Trichoderma reesei CBHI cellulase were recorded in situ, at hydrophobic, silanized silica. Experiments were performed at different solution concentrations, ranging from 0.001 to 0.98 mg/mL. Adsorbed enzyme was partially elutable upon rinsing, with the amount of adsorbed mass remaining being highest at intermediate concentrations. In addition, the resistance to elution with buffer was generally lower at higher concentrations, and the resistance to elution with surfactant was generally lower at intermediate concentrations. These observations are tentatively explained with reference to a mechanism allowing for adsorption of associated monomers of CBHI as well as free monomers.     

Enhanced Production of Trichoderma reesei Endoglucanases and Use of the New Cellulase Preparations in Producing the Stonewashed Effect on Denim Fabric

Trichoderma reesei strains were constructed for production of elevated amounts of endoglucanase II (EGII) with or without cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI). The endoglucanase activity produced by the EGII transformants correlated with the copy number of the egl2 expression cassette. One copy of the egl2 expression cassette in which the egl2 was under the cbh1 promoter increased production of endoglucanase activity 2.3-fold, and two copies increased production about 3-fold above that of the parent strain. When the enzyme with elevated EGII content was used, an improved stonewashing effect on denim fabric was achieved. A T. reesei strain producing high amounts of EGI and -II activities without CBHI and -II was constructed by replacing the cbh2 locus with the coding region of the egl2 gene in the EGI-overproducing CBHI-negative strain. Production of endoglucanase activity by the EG-transformant strain was increased fourfold above that of the host strain. The filter paper-degrading activity of the endoglucanase-overproducing strain was lowered to below detection, presumably because of the lack of cellobiohydrolases.     

Monoclonal antibodies against core and cellulose-binding domains of Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolases I and II and endoglucanase I.

Cellulases from Trichoderma reesei form an enzyme group with a common structural organization. Each cellulase enzyme is composed of two functional domains, the core region containing the active site and the cellulose-binding domain (CBD). To facilitate the specific detection of each domain, monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI), cellobiohydrolase II (CBHII) and endoglucanase I (EGI) were produced. Five mAb were obtained against CBHI, ten against CBHII and eight against EGI. The location of the antigenic epitope for each antibody was mapped by allowing the antibodies to react with truncated cellulases, synthesized from deleted cDNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Proteolytic fragments of Trichoderma cellulases, obtained by papain digestion, were used to confirm the results. Specific antibodies were detected against the core and the CBD epitopes for all three cellulases. Using the truncated enzymes, it was possible to locate the epitopes to a reasonably short region within the protein. To obtain a quantitative assay for each enzyme, a specific mAb against each antigen was chosen, based on the affinity to the corresponding antigen on Western-blot staining and on filter blots of the cellulolytic yeasts. The mAb were used to quantitative the corresponding enzymes in T. reesei culture medium. Specific quantitation of each cellulase enzyme has not been possible by biochemical assays or using polyclonal antibodies, due to their cross-reactions. Now, these mAb can be specifically used to recognize and quantitate different domains of these three important cellulolytic enzymes.     

Does change in accessibility with conversion depend on both the substrate and pretreatment technology?

The accessibility of cellulase and xylanase enzymes to glucan and xylan, respectively, and its change with conversion were measured for pure Avicel glucan and poplar solids that had been pretreated by ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX), ammonia recycled percolation (ARP), dilute acid, and lime. Avicel and pretreated solids were digested to various degrees by cellulase together with β-glucosidase enzymes and then cleaned of residual protein via a biological method using Protease. Glucan accessibility was determined by purified CBHI (Cel7A) adsorption at 4 °C, and 4 and 24 h hydrolysis yields were determined for solids loading containing equal amounts of glucan (1.0% w/v) and lignin (1.0% w/v), in two separate sets of experiments. Consistent with our previous study and in contrast to some in the literature, little change in glucan accessibility was observed with conversion for Avicel, but glucan and xylan accessibility for real biomass varied with the type of pretreatment. For example, AFEX pretreated solids showed a negligible change in glucan accessibility for conversion up to 90%, although xylan accessibility seemed to decline first and then remained constant. On the other hand, a substantial decline in glucan and xylan accessibility with conversion was observed for lime pretreated poplar solids, as shown by initial hydrolysis rates. Yet, an increase in CBHI adsorption with conversion for lime pretreated poplar solids suggested the opposite trend, possibly due to increased lignin exposure and/or reduced effectiveness of adsorbed enzyme.     

Adsorption of Trichoderma reesei cellulase on cellulose: experimental data and their analysis by different equations

The adsorption of cellulase from Trichoderma reesei MCG 77 on Avicel was measured at varying cellulase (2-8 g/L) and Avicel (10-200 g/L) concentrations at pH 4.8 and 50 degrees C. Different mathematical equations were derived for the evaluation of the experimental data. The fraction of cellulase protein that can maximally be adsorbed is 0.96, and 1 g Avicel can bind maximally 0.092 g cellulase protein. The Michaelis constant for the adsorption equilibrium [cellulase] + [Avicel] right harpoon over left harpoon [cellulase Avicel] complex is between 2.0 and 2.3 . 10(-5) mol/L. This value is based on the assumption that cellulase has an average molecular weight of 48.000. The apparent molecular weight of Avicel, i.e., that amount in grams that can bind 1 mol cellulase, is 520,000. Under maximum binding the enzyme covers on Avicel a surface of 42 m(2)/g, and the occupied volume is 0.186 cm(3)/g Avicel.     

Adsorption of cellulase from Trichoderma viride on cellulose

The adsorption of cellulase from Trichoderma viride (Meicelase CEP) on the surface of pure cellulose was studied. The adsorption was found to obey apparently the Langmuir isotherm. From the data concering the effects of temperature and the crystallinity of cellulose on the Langmuir adsorption parameters, the characteristics of the adsorption of the individual cellulase components, namely CMCase (endoglucanase) and Avicelase (exoglucanase), were discussed. While beta-glucosidase also adsorbed on the surface of cellulose at 5 degrees C, it did not at 50 degrees C.     

Cellulosic ethanol production by combination of cellulase-displaying yeast cells

As an effort to find suitable endoglucanases to generate cellulolytic yeast strains, two fungal endoglucanases, Thermoascus aurantiacus EGI and Trichoderma reesei EGII, and two bacterial endoglucanases, Clostridium thermocellum CelA and CelD, were expressed on the yeast surface, and their surface expression levels, pH- and temperature-dependent enzyme activities, and substrate specificities were analyzed. T. aurantiacus EGI showed similar patterns of pH- and temperature-dependent activities to those of T. reesei EGII which has been widely used due to its high enzyme activity. Although EGII showed higher carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) degradation activity than EGI, EGI showed better activity toward phosphoric acid swollen cellulose (PASC). For ethanol production from PASC, we combined three types of yeast cells, each displaying T. aurantiacus EGI, T. reesei CBHII (exoglucanase) and Aspergillus aculeatus BGLI (β-glucosidase), instead of co-expressing these enzymes in a single cell. In this system, ethanol production can be easily optimized by adjusting the combination ratio of each cell type. A mixture of cells with the optimized EGI:CBHII:BGLI ratio of 6:2:1 produced 1.3 fold more ethanol (2.1 g/l) than cells composed of an equal amount of each cell type, suggesting the usefulness of this system for cellulosic ethanol production.     

Column cellulose hydrolysis reactor: Cellulase adsorption profile

Summary A column cellulose hydrolysis reactor was set up using a single passage of cellulase enzyme which was followed with a continuous percolation of buffer. Hydrolysis rates were found to decline precipitously upon the removal of the non-adsorbed cellulase components. By comparing specific activities of the cellulase before and after adsorption on the cellulose column, it was concluded that the adsorption efficiencies for the cellulase components decreased from exoglucanase (1,4--d-glucan cellobiohydrolase EC 3.2.1.91) to endoglucanase [1,4-(1,3;1,4)--d-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.4] to -glucosidase (-d-glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.21). Of the adsorbed cellulase components, the rate of endoglucanase leaching from the cellulose column was 20 times that for the exoglucanase despite the greater adsorption efficiency of the latter. By analysing the cellulase components which were bound and not bound by the cellulose column and comparing them with a purified exoglucanase enzyme on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels, it was confirmed that the major cellulase component adsorbed to the cellulose column was an exoglucanase component. The resultant loss of other cellulase components from the reactor was probably the cause for the much reduced rate of cellulose hydrolysis when these components were flushed out of the column.