Identification and purification of the main components of cellulases from a mutant strain of Trichoderma viride T 100-14

A new mutant strain of fungus Trichoderma viride T 100-14 was cultivated on 1% microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) for 120h and the resulting culture filtrate was prepared for protein identification and purification. To identify the predominant catalytic components, cellulases were separated by an adapted two-dimensional electrophoresis technique. The apparent major spots were identified by high performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass (HPLC-ESI-MS). Seven of the components were previously known, i.e., the endoglucanases Cel7B (EG I), Cel12A (EG III), Cel61A (EG IV), the cellobiohydrolases Cel7A (CBH I), Cel6A (CBH II), Cel6B (CBH IIb) and the beta-glucosidase. The seven major components in the fermentation broth of T. viride T 100-14 probably constitute the essential enzymes for crystalline cellulose hydrolysis and they were further purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a series of chromatography column. Hydrolysis studies of the purified elements revealed that three of the cellulases were classified as cellobiohydrolases due to their main activities on p-nitrophenyl-beta-d-cellobioside (pNPC). Three of the cellulases, with the abilities of hydrolyzing both carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC) and Avicel indicate their endoglucanase activities. It deserved noting that the beta-glucosidase from the T 100-14 displayed an extremely high activity on p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glycopyranoside (pNPG), which suggested it was a good candidate for the conversion of cellobiose to glucose.     

Cellulases of Penicillium verruculosum

Nine major cellulolytic enzymes were isolated from a culture broth of a mutant strain of the fungus Penicillium verruculosum: five endo-1, 4-β-glucanases (EGs) having molecular masses 25, 33, 39, 52, and 70 kDa, and four cellobiohydrolases (CBHs: 50, 55, 60, and 66 kDa). Based on amino acid similarities of short sequenced fragments and peptide mass fingerprinting, the isolated enzymes were preliminary classified into different families of glycoside hydrolases: Cel5A (EG IIa, 39 kDa), Cel5B (EG IIb, 33 kDa), Cel6A (CBH II, two forms: 50 and 60 kDa), Cel7A (CBH I: 55 and 66 kDa), Cel7B (EG I: 52 and 70 kDa). The 25 kDa enzyme was identical to the previously isolated Cel12A (EG III). The family assignment was further confirmed by the studies of the substrate specificity of the purified enzymes. High-molecular-weight forms of the Cel6A, Cel7A, and Cel7B were found to possess a cellulose-binding module (CBM), while the catalytically active low-molecular-weight forms of the enzymes, as well as other cellulases, lacked the CBM. Properties of the isolated enzymes, such as substrate specificity toward different polysaccharides and synthetic glycosides, effect of pH and temperature on the enzyme activity and stability, adsorption on Avicel cellulose and kinetics of its hydrolysis, were investigated.     

Enzymatic properties of the low molecular mass endoglucanases Cel12A (EG III) and Cel45A (EG V) of Trichoderma reesei

Trichoderma reesei produces five known endoglucanases. The most studied are Cel7B (EG I) and Cel5A (EG II) which are the most abundant of the endoglucanases. We have performed a characterisation of the enzymatic properties of the less well-studied endoglucanases Cel12A (EG III), Cel45A (EG V) and the catalytic core of Cel45A. For comparison, Cel5A and Cel7B were included in the study. Adsorption studies on microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) and phosphoric acid swollen cellulose (PASC) showed that Cel5A, Cel7B, Cel45A and Cel45Acore adsorbed to these substrates. In contrast, Cel12A adsorbed weakly to both Avicel and PASC. The products formed on Avicel, PASC and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) were analysed. Cel7B produced glucose and cellobiose from all substrates. Cel5A and Cel12A also produced cellotriose, in addition to glucose and cellobiose, on the substrates. Cel45A showed a clearly different product pattern by having cellotetraose as the main product, with practically no glucose and cellobiose formation. The kinetic constants were determined on cellotriose, cellotetraose and cellopentaose for the enzymes. Cel12A did not hydrolyse cellotriose. The k(Cat) values for Cel12A on cellotetraose and cellopentaose were significantly lower compared with Cel5A and Cel7B. Cel7B was the only endoglucanase which rapidly hydrolysed cellotriose. Cel45Acore did not show activity on any of the three studied cello-oligosaccharides. The four endoglucanases' capacity to hydrolyse beta-glucan and glucomannan were studied. Cel12A hydrolysed beta-glucan and glucomannan slightly less compared with Cel5A and Cel7B. Cel45A was able to hydrolyse glucomannan significantly more compared with beta-glucan. The capability of Cel45A to hydrolyse glucomannan was higher than that observed for Cel12A, Cel5A and Cel7B. The results indicate that Cel45A is a glucomannanase rather than a strict endoglucanase.     

Design of highly efficient cellulase mixtures for enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose

An extremely highly active cellobiohydrolase (CBH IIb or Cel6B) was isolated from Chrysosporium lucknowense UV18-25 culture filtrate. The CBH IIb demonstrated the highest ability for a deep degradation of crystalline cellulose amongst a few cellobiohydrolases tested, including C. lucknowense CBH Ia, Ib, IIa, and Trichoderma reesei CBH I and II. Using purified C. lucknowense enzymes (CBH Ia, Ib, and IIb; endoglucanases II and V; beta-glucosidase, xylanase II), artificial multienzyme mixtures were reconstituted, displaying an extremely high performance in a conversion of different cellulosic substrates (Avicel, cotton, pretreated Douglas fir wood) to glucose. These mixtures were much or notably more effective in hydrolysis of the cellulosic substrates than the crude multienzyme C. lucknowense preparation and other crude cellulase samples produced by T. reesei and Penicillium verruculosum. Highly active cellulases are a key factor in bioconversion of plant lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol as an alternative to fossil fuels.     

Purification and characterization of two endoglucanases from Melanocarpus sp. MTCC 3922

This study reports the purification and characterization of endoglucanases (EG I and EG II) from a newly isolated thermophilic fungus, Melanocarpus sp. MTCC 3922. The molecular weight of EG I and EG II as with SDS-PAGE and pI were approximately 40 and 50 kDa, and approximately 4.0 and 3.6, respectively. EG I and EG II were optimally active at 50 and 70 degrees C, and pH 6.0 and 5.0, respectively. EG I was active over a broad range of pH (5.0-7.0), whereas, loss of activity was observed as the temperature was increased from 50 to 80 degrees C. However, EG II was active over pH 4.0-6.0 and temperature 40-80 degrees C. The presence of mercaptoethanol and SDS inhibited the EG I activity but showed no negative effect on EG II. Both the endoglucanases showed higher activity against barley-beta-glucan as compared to CMC. Km values of EG I and EG II for barley-beta-glucan were lower than CMC. Turn over number (K(cat)) and catalytic efficiency (K(cat)/Km) values of both the endoglucanases were higher with barley-beta-glucan as substrate than CMC. EG I showed affinity for Avicel indicating the presence of cellulose binding domains (CBD) whereas, EG II was found to lack CBD.     

脱墨用棘孢曲霉SM-L22纤维素酶系中内切酶的纯化及性质

通过Bio-Gel P-60分子筛和DEAE-与Q-sepharose离子交换层析等手段,分离纯化了棘孢曲霉SM-L22纤维素酶系中五种内切酶组分EGⅡ-1、EGⅡ-2、EGⅢ-1、EGⅢ-2和EGⅣ,并且对这五种内切酶组分的基本性质进行了研究.通过SDS-PAGE和IEF电泳测得其分子量分别为38.7,34.4,31.4,36.9和23.7kD,等电点分别为pH＜3.5,＜3.5,4.9,4.5和5.0.5个酶组分均属酸性纤维素酶,最适pH在3.5～4.0之间;最适温度分别为55℃、60℃、(60～70)℃、(60～70)℃和60℃.各酶组分有较宽的pH稳定性;温度稳定性表现为EGⅡ-1＞EGⅡ-2＞EGⅢ-1＞EGⅢ-2＞EGⅣ.EGⅡ-1和EGⅡ-2有较高的底物专一性,而EGⅢ-1、EGⅢ-2和EGⅣ对木聚糖有交叉活性.Fe2+对除EGⅣ以外的四种酶组分都有激活作用,尤其是对EGⅢ-2有强烈的激活作用.动力学分析表明各纤维素酶组分对底物亲和力的大小与酶的催化率之间并无相关性.     

Binding characteristics of Trichoderma reesei cellulases on untreated, ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX), and dilute-acid pretreated lignocellulosic biomass

Studying the binding properties of cellulases to lignocellulosic substrates is critical to achieving a fundamental understanding of plant cell wall saccharification. Lignin auto-fluorescence and degradation products formed during pretreatment impede accurate quantification of individual glycosyl hydrolases (GH) binding to pretreated cell walls. A high-throughput fast protein liquid chromatography (HT-FPLC)-based method has been developed to quantify cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I or Cel7A), cellobiohydrolase II (CBH II or Cel6A), and endoglucanase I (EG I or Cel7B) present in hydrolyzates of untreated, ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX), and dilute-acid pretreated corn stover (CS). This method can accurately quantify individual enzymes present in complex binary and ternary protein mixtures without interference from plant cell wall-derived components. The binding isotherms for CBH I, CBH II, and EG I were obtained after incubation for 2 h at 4 °C. Both AFEX and dilute acid pretreatment resulted in increased cellulase binding compared with untreated CS. Cooperative binding of CBH I and/or CBH II in the presence of EG I was observed only for AFEX treated CS. Competitive binding between enzymes was found for certain other enzyme-substrate combinations over the protein loading range tested (i.e., 25-450 mg/g glucan). Langmuir single-site adsorption model was fitted to the binding isotherm data to estimate total available binding sites E(bm) (mg/g glucan) and association constant K(a) (L/mg). Our results clearly demonstrate that the characteristics of cellulase binding depend not only on the enzyme GH family but also on the type of pretreatment method employed.     

Adsorption of Trichoderma reesei CBH I and EG II and their catalytic domains on steam pretreated softwood and isolated lignin

The presence of lignin has shown to play an important role in the enzymatic degradation of softwood. The adsorption of enzymes, and their constituent functional domains on the lignocellulosic material is of key importance to fundamental knowledge of enzymatic hydrolysis. In this study, we compared the adsorption of two purified cellulases from Trichoderma reesei, CBH I (Cel7A) and EG II (Cel5A) and their catalytic domains on steam pretreated softwood (SPS) and lignin using tritium labeled enzymes. Both CBH I and its catalytic domain exhibited a higher affinity to SPS than EG II or its catalytic domain. Removal of cellulose binding domain decreased markedly the binding efficiency. Significant amounts of CBH I and EG II also bound to isolated lignin. Surprisingly, the catalytic domains of the two enzymes of T. reesei differed essentially in the adsorption to isolated lignin. The catalytic domain of EG II was able to adsorb to alkaline isolated lignin with a high affinity, whereas the catalytic domain of CBH I did not adsorb to any of the lignins tested. The results indicate that the cellulose binding domain has a significant role in the unspecific binding of cellulases to lignin.     

Functional analysis of a gene encoding endoglucanase that belongs to glycosyl hydrolase family 12 from the brown-rot basidiomycete Fomitopsis palustris

The brown-rot basidiomycete Fomitopsis palustris is known to degrade crystalline cellulose (Avicel) and produce three major cellulases, exoglucanases, endoglucanases, and beta- glucosidases. A gene encoding endoglucanase, designated as cel12, was cloned from total RNA prepared from F. palustris grown at the expense of Avicel. The gene encoding Cel12 has an open reading frame of 732 bp, encoding a putative protein of 244 amino acid residues with a putative signal peptide residing at the first 18 amino acid residues of the N-terminus of the protein. Sequence analysis of Cel12 identified three consensus regions, which are highly conserved among fungal cellulases belonging to GH family 12. However, a cellulose-binding domain was not found in Cel12, like other GH family 12 fungal cellulases. Northern blot analysis showed a dramatic increase of cel12 mRNA levels in F. palustris cells cultivated on Avicel from the early to late stages of growth and the maintenance of a high level of expression in the late stage, suggesting that Cel12 takes a significant part in endoglucanase activity throughout the growth of F. palustris. Adventitious expression of cel12 in the yeast Pichia pastoris successfully produced the recombinant protein that exhibited endoglucanase activity with carboxymethyl cellulose, but not with crystalline cellulose, suggesting that the enzyme is not a processive endoglucanase unlike two other endoglucanases previously identified in F. palustris.     

Hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose by cellobiohydrolase I and endoglucanase II from Trichoderma reesei: adsorption, sugar production pattern, and synergism of the enzymes

Microcrystalline cellulose (10 g/L Avicel) was hydrolysed by two major cellulases, cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I) and endoglucanase II (EG II), of Trichoderma reesei. Two types of experiments were performed, and in both cases the enzymes were added alone and together, in equimolar mixtures. In time course studies the reaction time was varied between 3 min and 48 h at constant temperature (40 degrees C) and enzyme loading (0.16 micromol/g Avicel). In isotherm studies the enzyme loading was varied in the range of 0.08-2.56 micromol/g at 4 degrees C and 90 min. Adsorption of the enzymes and production of soluble sugars were followed by FPLC and HPLC, respectively. Adsorption started quickly (50% of maximum achieved after 3 min) but was not completed before 60-90 min. For CBH I a linear relationship was observed between the production of soluble sugars and adsorption, showing that the average activity of the bound CBH I molecules does not change with increasing saturation. For EG II the corresponding curve levelled off which is explained by initial hydrolysis of loose ends on Avicel. The enzymes competed for binding sites, binding of EG II was considerably affected by CBH I, especially at high concentration. CBH I produced more soluble sugars than EG II, except at conversions below 1%. At 40 degrees C when the enzymes were added together they produced 27-45% more soluble sugars than the sum of what they produced alone, i.e. synergistic action was observed (the final conversion after 48 h of hydrolysis was 3, 6, and 13% for EG II, CBH I, and their mixture, respectively). At 4 degrees C, on the other hand, when the conversion was below 2.5%, almost no synergism could be observed. Molar proportions of the produced sugars were rather stable for CBH I (11-15%, 82-89%, and <6% for glucose, cellobiose, and cellotriose, respectively), while it varied considerably with both time and enzyme concentration for EG II. The observed stable but high glucose to cellobiose ratio for CBH I indicates that the processivity for this enzyme is not perfect. EG II produced significant amounts of glucose, cellobiose, and cellotriose, which are not the expected products of a typical endoglucanase activity on a solid substrate. We explain this by hypothesizing that EG II may show processivity due to its extended substrate binding site and the presence of its cellulose binding domain.     

Homologous expression and characterization of Cel61A (EG IV) of Trichoderma reesei.

There are currently four proteins in family 61 of the glycoside hydrolases, from Trichoderma reesei, Agaricus bisporus, Cryptococcus neoformans and Neurospora crassa. The enzymatic activity of these proteins has not been studied thoroughly. We report here the homologous expression and purification of T. reesei Cel61A [previously named endoglucanase (EG) IV]. The enzyme was expressed in high amounts with a histidine tag on the C-terminus and purified by metal affinity chromatography. This is the first time that a histidine tag has been used as a purification aid in the T. reesei expression system. The enzyme activity was studied on a series of carbohydrate polymers. The only activity exhibited by Cel61A was an endoglucanase activity observed on substrates containing beta-1,4 glycosidic bonds, e.g. carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) and beta-glucan. The endoglucanase activity on CMC and beta-glucan was determined by viscosity analysis, by measuring the production of reducing ends and by following the degradation of the polymer on a size exclusion chromatography system. The formation of soluble sugars by Cel61A from microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel; Merck), phosphoric acid swollen cellulose (PASC), and CMC were analysed on a HPLC system. Cel61A produced small amounts of oligosaccharides from these substrates. Furthermore, Cel61A showed activity against cellotetraose and cellopentaose. The activity of Cel61A was several orders of magnitude lower compared to Cel7B (previously EG I) of T. reesei on all substrates. One significant difference between Cel61A and Cel7B was that cellotriose was a poor substrate for Cel61A but was readily hydrolysed by Cel7B. The enzyme activity for Cel61A was further studied on a large number of carbohydrate substrates but the enzyme showed no activity towards any of these substrates.     

Enzymatic degradation of carboxymethyl cellulose hydrolyzed by the endoglucanases Cel5A, Cel7B, and Cel45A from Humicola insolens and Cel7B, Cel12A and Cel45Acore from Trichoderma reesei.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) has been studied with purified endoglucanases Hi Cel5A (EG II), Hi Cel7B (EG I), and Hi Cel45A (EG V) from Humicola insolens, and Tr Cel7B (EG I), Tr Cel12A (EG III), and Tr Cel45Acore (EG V) from Trichoderma reesei. The CMC, with a degree of substitution (DS) of 0.7, was hydrolyzed with a single enzyme until no further hydrolysis was observed. The hydrolysates were analyzed for production of substituted and non-substituted oligosaccharides with size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Production of reducing ends and of nonsubstituted oligosaccharides was determined as well. The two most effective endoglucanases for CMC hydrolysis were Hi Cel5A and Tr Cel7B. These enzymes degraded CMC to lower molar mass fragments compared with the other endoglucanases. The products had the highest DS determined by MALDI-TOF-MS. Thus, Hi Cel5A and Tr Cel7B were less inhibited by the substituents than the other endoglucanases. The endoglucanase with clearly the lowest activity on CMC was Tr Cel45Acore. It produced less than half of the amount of reducing ends compared to Tr Cel7B; furthermore, the products had significantly lower DS. By MALDI-TOF-MS, oligosaccharides with different degree of polymerization (DP) and with different number of substituents could be separated and identified. The average oligosaccharide DS as function of DP could be measured for each enzyme after hydrolysis. The combination of techniques for analysis of product formation gave information on average length of unsubstituted blocks of CMC.     

Carboxymethylcellulase and avicelase activities from a cellulolytic Clostridium strain A11

The extracellular cellulase enzyme system of Clostridium A11 was fractionated by affinity chromatography on Avicel: 80% of the initial carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) activity was adhered. This cellulase system was a multicomponent aggregate. Several CMCase activities were detected, but the major protein P1 had no detectable activity. Adhered and unadhered cellulases showed CMCase activity with the highest specific activity in Avicel-adhered fraction. However, only afhered fractions could degrade Avicel. Thus, efficiency of the enzymatic hydrolysis of Avicel was related to the cellulase-adhesion capacity. Carboxymethylcellulase and Avicelase activities were studied with the extracellular enzyme system and cloned cellulases. Genomic libraries from Clostridium A11 were constructed with DNA from this Clostridium, and a new gene cel1 was isolated. The gene(s) product(s) from cel1 exhibited CMCase and p-nitrophenylcellobiosidase (pNPCbase) activities. This cloned cellulase adhered to cellulose. Synergism between adhered enzyme system and cloned endoglucanases was observed on Avicel degradation. Conversely, no synergism was observed on CMC hydrolysis. Addition of cloned endoglucanase to cellulase complex led to increase of the V_max without significant K _m variation. Cloned endoglucanases can be added to cellulase complexes to efficiently hydrolyze cellulose.     

The 1,4-beta-D-glucan glucanohydrolases from Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Re-assessment of their significance in cellulose degradation mechanisms.

A physico-chemical, functional and structural characterization, including partial sequence data, of three major 1,4-beta-D-glucan glucanohydrolases (EC. 3.2.1.4) isolated from the culture filtrate of the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium, shows that all three enzymes belong to a single family of cellulases. EG44, pI 4.3, (named after its apparent molecular mass in kDa), shows a clear homology with Schizopyllum commune Endoglucanase I (EGI); whereas EG38, pI 4.9, (named in the same manner) is related more closely to Trichoderma reesei (Trichoderma longibrachiatum) Endoglucanase III (EGIII). EG36, pI 5.6-5.7, is probably an EG38 protein lacking its cellulose binding domain. Strong synergistic action is induced by the enzymes acting in concert with cellobiohydrolases (CBHI and CBHII) from the same organism, indicating a highly effective enzymatic system for cellulose degradation. Controlled proteolysis with papain has allowed a so far unique cleavage of endoglucanases EG44 and EG38 into two domains: a core protein, which virtually lacks the capacity to absorb onto microcrystal-line cellulose but retains full catalytic activity against carboxymethyl cellulose and low molecular weight soluble substrates; and a peptide fragment corresponding to the cellulose binding domain. The latter appears to be of paramount significance in the mechanisms involved in the hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose.     

Mode of action of cellulases on dyed cotton with a reactive dye

Cotton woven fabrics which were previously dyed with a reactive dye were treated with a commercial cellulase preparation. Dyeing with a reactive dye for cotton apparently inhibited the weight loss activity and saccharification activity of cellulase. In addition, dyed cotton was treated with highly purified cellulases which were exo-type cellulases (Cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I) and Cellobiohydrolase II (CBH II)) and endo-type cellulase (Endoglucanase II (EG II)). Exo-type cellulases were inhibited more than endo-type cellulase by dyeing in the case of saccharification activity. CBH I was severely inhibited by dyeing as compared with CBH II or EG II from the viewpoint of morphological changes in the fiber surface. Dyes on the cellulose substrates severely influenced CBH I in spite of the rare modification, because CBH I hydrolyzed cellulose with true-processive action. The change in the activity of each cellulase component on dyed cotton can affect the synergistic action of cellulases.     

The brown-rot basidiomycete Fomitopsis palustris has the endo-glucanases capable of degrading microcrystalline cellulose

Two endoglucanases with processive cellulase activities, produced from Fomitopsis palustris grown on 2% microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel), were purified to homogeneity by anion-exchange and gel filtration column chromatography systems. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that the molecular masses of the purified enzymes were 47 kDa and 35 kDa, respectively. The amino acid sequence analysis of the 47-kDa protein (EG47) showed a sequence similarity with fungal glycoside hydrolase family 5 endoglucanase from the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium. N-terminal and internal amino acid sequences of the 35-kDa protein (EG35), however, had no homology with any other glycosylhydrolases, although the enzyme had high specific activity against carboxymethyl cellulose, which is a typical substrate for endoglucanases. The initial rate of Avicel hydrolysis by EG35 was relatively fast for 48 h, and the amount of soluble reducing sugar released after 96 h was 100 microg/ml. Although EG47 also hydrolyzed Avicel, the hydrolysis rate was lower than that of EG35. Thin layer chromatography analysis of the hydrolysis products released from Avicel indicated that the main product was cellobiose, suggesting that the brown-rot fungus possesses processive EGs capable of degrading crystalline cellulose.     

里氏木霉纤维素酶的分离纯化及酶学性质

通过(NH4)2SO4分级沉淀、HiPrep 26/10 Desalting凝胶色谱脱盐、Source 15 Q阴离子交换色谱技术,里氏木霉(Rut C-30)纤维素酶主要组分得以初步分开,再经过Source 15 S阳离子交换色谱、HiPrep Sephacryl S-100 HR凝胶过滤色谱、Superdex 75 PrepGrade凝胶过滤色谱进一步分离纯化,得到2个纯化的内切葡聚糖酶组分EGⅡ、EGⅠ和一个外切葡聚糖酶组分CBHⅠ;经过SDS-PAGE电泳鉴定为电泳纯,测得相对分子质量分别为5.22×104,5.62×104和6.90×104。EGⅡ的最适反应pH是5.6,最适反应温度为65℃;EGⅠ的最适反应pH是4.4,最适反应温度为55℃;以羧甲基纤维素(CMC)为底物时,EGⅠ、EGⅡ的米氏常数(Km)分别为2.20 mg/mL、3.38 mg/mL。CBHⅠ的最适反应pH是5.8,最适反应温度为60℃,以对硝基苯基-β-D-纤维二糖苷(PNPC)为底物时,米氏常数(Km)为0.12 mg/mL。     

Hydrolysis of amorphous and crystalline cellulose by heterologously produced cellulases of Melanocarpus albomyces

Three thermostable neutral cellulases from Melanocarpus albomyces, a 20-kDa endoglucanase (Cel45A), a 50-kDa endoglucanase (Cel7A), and a 50-kDa cellobiohydrolase (Cel7B) heterologously produced in a recombinant Trichoderma reesei were purified and studied in hydrolysis (50 degrees C, pH 6.0) of crystalline and amorphous cellulose. To improve their efficiency, M. albomyces cellulases naturally harboring no cellulose-binding module (CBM) were genetically modified to carry the CBM of T. reesei CBHI/Cel7A, and were studied under similar experimental conditions. Hydrolysis performance and product profiles were used to evaluate hydrolytic features of the investigated enzymes. Each cellulase proved to be active against the tested substrates; the cellobiohydrolase Cel7B had greater activity than the endoglucanases Cel45A and Cel7A against crystalline cellulose, whereas in the case of amorphous substrate the order was reversed. Evidence of synergism was observed when mixtures of the novel enzymes were applied in a constant total protein dosage. Presence of the CBM improved the hydrolytic potential of each enzyme in all experimental configurations; it had a greater effect on the endoglucanases Cel45A and Cel7A than the cellobiohydrolase Cel7B, especially against crystalline substrate. The novel cellobiohydrolase performed comparably to the major cellobiohydrolase of T. reesei (CBHI/Cel7A) under the applied experimental conditions.     

Strategy for Identification of Novel Fungal and Bacterial Glycosyl Hydrolase Hybrid Mixtures that can Efficiently Saccharify Pretreated Lignocellulosic Biomass

A rational four-step strategy to identify novel bacterial glycosyl hydrolases (GH), in combination with various fungal enzymes, was applied in order to develop tailored enzyme cocktails to efficiently hydrolyze pretreated lignocellulosic biomass. The fungal cellulases include cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I; GH family 7A), cellobiohydrolase II (CBH II; GH family 6A), endoglucanase I (EG I; GH family 7B), and β-glucosidase (βG; GH family 3). Bacterial endocellulases (LC1 and LC2; GH family 5), β-glucosidase (LβG; GH family 1), endoxylanases (LX1 and LX2; GH family 10), and β-xylosidase (LβX; GH family 52) from multiple sources were cloned, expressed, and purified. Enzymatic hydrolysis for varying enzyme combinations was carried out on ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX)-treated corn stover at three total protein loadings (i.e., 33, 16.5, and 11 mg enzyme/g glucan). The optimal mass ratio of enzymes necessary to maximize both glucan and xylan yields was determined using a suitable design of experiments. The optimal hybrid enzyme mixtures contained fungal cellulases (78% of total protein loading), which included CBH I (loading ranging between 9-51% of total enzyme), CBH II (9-51%), EG I (10-50%), and bacterial hemicellulases (22% of total protein loading) comprising of LX1 (13%) and LβX (9%). The hybrid mixture was effective at 50°C, pH 4.5 to maximize saccharification of AFEX-treated corn stover resulting in 95% glucan and 65% xylan conversion. This strategy of screening novel enzyme mixtures on pretreated lignocellulose would ultimately lead to the development of tailored enzyme cocktails that can hydrolyze plant cell walls efficiently and economically to produce cellulosic ethanol.     

Synergistic cooperation of cellulases of trichoderma reesei as distinguished by a new filter-paper destruction assay

WHATMAN 1 CHR filter paper manufactured from macerated cotton fibers was shown to be a soft substrate when broken down by purified cellulases of Trichoderma reesei (CELLUCLAST). Destruction of filter-paper disks was induced by CBH I/1, CBH I/2, CBH II/1, CBH II/2, and EG I in a macroscopic assay. Attack on disks by mixtures of these cellulases (CBH I/1 or CBH I/2 mixed with CBH II/1, CBH II/2, or with EGJ) were followed by synergistically enhanced destructions. SCHLEICHER &SCHUELL filter paper No 595 was shown to be a harder substrate of enzymatical decomposition when induced by cellulases of CELLUCLAST. None of the cellulases could induce macroscopic destruction of filter-paper disks when acting in isolation. However, mixtures of isolated exo and endo-glucanases (CBH I/1 or CBH I/2 mixed with CBH II/1, CBH II/2, or EG I) caused powerful destruction of filter-paper disks. SCHLEICHER &SCHUELL filter paper No 595 incubated first with an endo-glucanase (CBH II/1, CBH II/2, EG I) and treated in a secondary incubation with an exo-glucanase (CBH I/1, CBH I/2) were destroyed to a greater extent than with incubations executed in the reverse order. Results confirm the endo exo concept of explaining cellulose decomposition. The filter-paper destruction assay was performed with filter-paper disks prepared with an office punch. Disks were incubated in 1 ml EPPENDORF reaction tubes filled up beforehand with 0.4 or 0.5 ml of enzyme solution. The degree of synergism of cellulases resulted from the assay in the range of 300 to 1 300 p.c.