Production and Purification of Extracellular D-Xylose Isomerase from an Alkaliphilic, Thermophilic Bacillus sp.

An alkaliphilic, thermophilic Bacillus sp. (NCIM 59) produced extracellular xylose isomerase at pH 10 and 50°C by using xylose or wheat bran as the carbon source. The distribution of xylose isomerase as a function of growth in comparison with distributions of extra- and intracellular marker enzymes such as xylanase and β-galactosidase revealed that xylose isomerase was truly secreted as an extracellular enzyme and was not released because of sporulation or lysis. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by gel filtration, preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and ion-exchange chromatography. The molecular weight of xylose isomerase was estimated to be 160,000 by gel filtration and 50,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicating the presence of three subunits. The enzyme is most active at pH 8.0 and with incubation at 85°C for 20 min. Divalent metal ions Mg²⁺, Co²⁺, and Mn²⁺ were required for maximum activity of the enzyme. The K_m values for D-xylose and D-glucose at 80°C and pH 7.5 were 6.66 and 142 mM, respectively, while K_cat values were 2.3 × 10² s^-1 and 0.5 × 10² s^-1, respectively.     

Characteristics of thermostable endoxylanase and β-xylosidase of the extremely thermophilic bacterium Geobacillus thermodenitrificans TSAA1 and its applicability in generating xylooligosaccharides and xylose from agro-residues

An extremely thermophilic bacterial isolate that produces a high titer of thermostable endoxylanase and β-xylosidase extracellularly in an inducible manner was identified as Geobacillus thermodenitrificans TSAA1. The distinctive features of this strain are alkalitolerance and halotolerance. The endoxylanase is active over a broad range of pH (5.0–10.0) and temperatures (30–100 °C) with optima at pH 7.5 and 70 °C, while β-xylosidase is optimally active at pH 7.0 and 60 °C. The T _1/2 values of the endoxylanase and β-xylosidase are 30 min at 80 °C, and 180 min at 70 °C, respectively. The endoxylanase activity is stimulated by dithiothreitol, but inhibited strongly by EDAC and Woodward’s reagent K. N-BS and DEPC strongly inhibited β-xylosidase. MALDI-ToF (MS/MS) analysis of tryptic digest of β-xylosidase revealed similarity with that of G. thermodenitrificans NG 80-2, and suggested that this belongs to the GH 52 glycosyl hydrolase super family. The action of endoxylanase on birch wood xylan and agro-residues such as wheat bran and wheat straw liberated xylooligosaccharides similar to endoxylanases of the family 10 glycoside hydrolases, while the enzyme preparation having both endoxylanase and β-xylosidase liberated xylose as main hydrolysis product.     

Production and Purification of Extracellular D-Xylose Isomerase from an Alkaliphilic, Thermophilic Bacillus sp

An alkaliphilic, thermophilic Bacillus sp. (NCIM 59) produced extracellular xylose isomerase at pH 10 and 50 degrees C by using xylose or wheat bran as the carbon source. The distribution of xylose isomerase as a function of growth in comparison with distributions of extra- and intracellular marker enzymes such as xylanase and beta-galactosidase revealed that xylose isomerase was truly secreted as an extracellular enzyme and was not released because of sporulation or lysis. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by gel filtration, preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and ion-exchange chromatography. The molecular weight of xylose isomerase was estimated to be 160,000 by gel filtration and 50,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, indicating the presence of three subunits. The enzyme is most active at pH 8.0 and with incubation at 85 degrees C for 20 min. Divalent metal ions Mg, Co, and Mn were required for maximum activity of the enzyme. The K(m) values for D-xylose and D-glucose at 80 degrees C and pH 7.5 were 6.66 and 142 mM, respectively, while K(cat) values were 2.3 x 10 s and 0.5 x 10 s, respectively.     

Production of Thermostable Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum Xylose Isomerase in Bacillus brevis

The xylose isomerase gene from the thermophile Clostridium thermohydrosulfuricum has been cloned into Bacillus brevis. Under control of the strong cell wall protein promoter, the gene was efficiently expressed during the early stationary phase of growth, when cell densities were high. The expressed gene product was a soluble cytoplasmic protein and made up more than 20% of the total cellular protein. A simple heat treatment at 85°C for 10 min gave a virtually pure enzyme. Final isomerase yields were about 0.5 g isomerase per liter culture. The purified isomerase has an optimum temperature at 85°C, and an optimum pH around 7. The isomerase is stable at 85°C for several hours, opening possibilities for new uses.     

Purification, Immobilization, and Some Properties of Glucose Isomerase from Streptomyces flavogriseus

Glucose isomerase (EC 5.3.1.5) produced from Streptomyces flavogriseus was purified by fractionation with (NH₄)₂SO₄ and chromatography on diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose and DEAE-Sephadex A-50 columns. The purified enzyme was homogeneous as shown by ultracentrifugation and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Benzyl DEAE-cellulose, triethylaminoethyl-cellulose, and DEAE-cellulose were effective in the immobilization of partially purified glucose isomerase. Several differences in properties were found between purified soluble enzyme, immobilized enzyme (DEAE-cellulose-glucose isomerase), and heat-treated whole cells. Glucose and xylose served as substrate for the enzyme. Whole cells had the highest K_m values for glucose and xylose; the soluble enzyme had the lowest values. The optimum temperature for activity of the soluble and immobilized enzymes was 70°C; that for whole cells was 75°C. The pH optimum for the three enzyme preparations was 7.5. Magnesium ion or Co²⁺ was required for enzyme activity; an addition effect resulted from the presence of both Mg²⁺ and Co²⁺. The enzyme activity was inhibited by Hg²⁺, Ag⁺, or Cu²⁺. The conversion ratio of the enzyme for isomerization was about 50%. The soluble and immobilized enzymes showed a greater heat stability than whole cells. The soluble enzyme was stable over a slightly wider pH (5.0 to 9.0) range than the immobilized enzyme and whole cells (pH 5.5 to 9.0). The molecular weight of the enzyme determined by the sedimentation equilibrium method was 171,000. A tetrameric structure for the enzyme was also indicated. After operating at 70°C for 5 days, the remaining enzyme activity of the immobilized enzyme and whole cells, which were used for the continuous isomerization of glucose in a plug-flow type of column in the presence of Mg²⁺ and Co²⁺, was 75 and 55%, respectively. Elimination of Co²⁺ decreased operational stability.     

Purification,properties, and mode of action of hemicellulase II produced by Ceratocystis paradoxa

An extra-cellular endo-hemicellulase (HC-II) from a culture isolate of the fungal plant pathogen Ceratocystis paradoxa (CP₂) was purified 147-fold by ammonium sulphate precipitation, DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, iso-electric focusing at pH 3–10, and gel-permeation chromatography. The resulting enzyme preparation, which contained traces of invertase, gave a single protein-band on disc electrophoresis at pH 8.4, and was active towards sucrose, hemicellulose, and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). HC-II randomly degraded hemicelluloses from several different sources, to xylose and to arabinose-xylose and xylose oligosaccharides of d.p. 3–6 and 2–5, respectively, and also produced a degraded hemicellulose which precipitated from the digest solution. The precipitated hemicellulose contained less arabinose and uronic acid than the original hemicellulose. When redissolved by alkali-treatment, it was susceptible to further degradation by hemicellulases HC-I and HC-II. CMC was degraded by HC-II, mainly to D-glucose and cellobiose, with trace amounts of unidentified higher oligosaccharides, while cellobiose remained unattacked. Xylotriose (Xyl₃) was the lowest homologue of the xylose oligosaccharides attacked by HC-II at a significant rate, yielding xylobiose [Xyl₂; β-D-Xylp-(1→4)-D-Xyl] and xylose. AraXyl₃AraXyl₅ were mainly hydrolysed to AraXyl₂, xylose, and Xyl₂ or Xyl₃. HC-II had a temperature optimum of 80°, and was stable for 1 h at temperatures up to 70°. The pH optimum was 5.1, and HC-II was stable between pH 5–10. The K_m was 0.267 mg of hemicellulose B/ml. The effects of mercury(II) ions and high concentrations of xylose on the activity of HC-II were also investigated.     

Heterologous expression and biochemical characterization of glucose isomerase from Thermobifida fusca

Glucose isomerase (GIase) catalyzes the isomerization of d-glucose to d-fructose. The GIase from Thermobifida fusca WSH03-11 was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and the purified enzyme took the form of a tetramer in solution and displayed a pI value of 5.05. The temperature optimum of GIase was 80 °C and its half life was about 2 h at 80 °C or 15 h at 70 °C. The pH optimum of GIase was 10 and the enzyme retained 95 % activity over the pH range of 5–10 after incubating at 4 °C for 24 h. Kinetic studies showed that the K _m and K _cat values of the enzyme are 197 mM and 1,688 min^?1, respectively. The maximum conversion yield of glucose (45 %, w/v) to fructose of the enzyme was 53 % at pH 7.5 and 70 °C. The present study provides the basis for the industrial application of recombinant T. fusca GIase in the production of high fructose syrup.     

Purification,Properties and Recognition Sequence of Site-specific Restriction Endonuclease from Gluconobacter cerinus IFO 3285

A type II restriction endonuclease, designated as GceGLI, was purified from cells of Gluconobacter cerinus IFO 3285. The purified enzyme was found to be homogeneous on Polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis. The enzyme worked best at 37°C and pH 7.5 and required 7 mM MgCl₂ and 100 mM NaCl. The purified enzyme was stable when preincubated over a pH range of 7.5 to 9.5 for 12 hr at 4°C and a temperature range of 37 to 40°C for 5 min at pH 7.5. The enzyme was shown to cleave λ φX174 RF, SV40, pBR322, M13 mp7 RF and Ad2 DNAs at 4, 1,0, 0, 0 and 25 or more sites, respectively, and to recognize the DNA sequence of 5′-C-C-G-C-G-G-3′ and to cut between C and G on the right side of the sequence, being an isoschizomer of SacII of Streptomyces achromogenes ATCC 12767.     

Cloning, expression and characterization of xylose isomerase, XylA, from Caldanaerobacter subterraneus subsp. yonseiensis

The xylA gene, coding for xylose isomerase, from the extreme thermophile, Caldanaerobacter subterraneus subsp. yonseiensis was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of the xylA gene encoded a polypeptide of 438 residues with a calculated molecular weight of 50,170 Da. The purified XylA showed high sequence homology (92% identity) with that of Thermoanaerobacter thermohydrosulfuricus. The recombinant enzyme expressed in Escherichia coli was purified by heat treatment and gel chromatography. The purified enzyme was thermostable with optimal activity at 95°C. The enzyme required divalent cations including Zn²⁺ for its maximal activity and thermostability.     

Purification and characterization of thermostable xylose(glucose) isomerase from Bacillus thermoantarcticus

Xylose isomerase produced by Bacillus thermoantarcticus was purified 73-fold to homogeneity and its biochemical properties were determined. It was a homotetramer with a native molecular mass of 200 kDa and a subunit molecular mass of 47 kDa, with an isoelectric point at 4.8. The enzyme had a K _m of 33 mM for xylose and also accepted D-glucose as substrate. Arrhenius plots of the enzyme activity of xylose isomerase were linear up to a temperature of 85°C. Its optimum pH was around 7.0, and it had 80% of its maximum activity at pH 6.0. This enzyme required divalent cations for its activity and thermal stability. Mn²⁺, Co²⁺ or Mg²⁺ were of comparable efficiency for xylose isomerase reaction, while Mg²⁺ was necessary for glucose isomerase reaction. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2001) 27, 234–240. Received 18 March 2001/ Accepted in revised form 03 July 2001     

Purification and Characterisation of Xylanolytic Enzymes of a Cellulase-free Thermophilic strain of Clostridium absonum CFR-702

Two endo-β-1-4-xylanases (EC 3.2.1.8), xylanase-I and xylanase-II, were purified fromClostridium absonum CFR-702 by ammonium sulphate precipitation and chromatographed on DEAE-Cellulose and phenyl-Sepharose. The enzymes in sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gels resolved as proteins corresponding to molecular mass 150 and 95 kDa for xylanase-I and xylanase-II, respectively. The optimum pH and temperature ranges for the enzyme activities on birchwood xylan were between 6.5 and 7.5 and 75°C for xyl-I and 7.5 and 80°C for xyl-II. Xyl-I was stable up to 60°C whereas xyl-II was stable at 50°C. Both the enzymes liberated xylobiose, xylotriose and xylotetraose from birchwood xylan. Xyl-I and xyl-II with birchwood xylan had K_mvalues of 1.1 and 1.4%, and V_maxvalues of 454.54 and 363.63 μmol/min/mg protein respectively.     

Characterization of the novel xylanase from the thermophilic Geobacillus thermodenitrificans JK1

Thermophilic strain JK1 was isolated from compost using xylan as a single carbon source. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis and spo0A gene sequence similarity analysis, strain JK1 was identified as Geobacillus thermodenitrificans strain. During the exponential culture growth, the strain JK1 was found to produce the single xylan degrading enzyme ??45 kDa in size. Xylose was not an inducer of this xylanase. Cloning, expression and characterization of the recombinant xylanase were performed. Xylanase of G. thermodenitrificans JK1 was cellulase-free; pH and temperature optimums were found to be 6.0 and 70°C, respectively. The metal ions Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Co²⁺ showed partial inhibition of the activity, while Mn²⁺ had slight stimulating effect on the enzymatic activity. Recombinant xylanase was thermostable over the temperature range of 55?C70°C. It presented the highest stability after incubation at 55°C for 60 min showing 84% residual activity. 50% residual activity was revealed after incubation at 60°C for 60 min as well as at 65 and 70°C for 30 min. Results of the thermostability experiments showed xylanase of JK1 having quite low thermostability when compared with the respective enzymes of the other geobacilli.     

Cloning of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> K12 xylose isomerase (glucose isomerase) gene and studying the enzymatic properties of its expression product

The coding region of Escherichia coli K12 xylose (glucose) isomerase gene was inserted into the pRAC expression vector and cloned in E. coli BL21(DE3) cells. After induction of expression of the cloned gene, the proportion of recombinant xylose isomerase accounted for 40% of the total protein content. As a result of one-stage purification by affinity chromatography, a protein preparation of 90% purity was obtained. The recombinant enzyme catalyzed the isomerization of glucose to fructose and exhibited maximum activity (0.8 U/mg) at 45°C and pH 6.8. The enzyme required Mg²⁺ ions as a cofactor. When Mg²⁺ and Co²⁺ ions were simultaneously present in the reaction medium, the enzyme activity increased by 15–20%. Complete replacement of Mg²⁺ with Co²⁺ decreased the enzyme activity. In the presence of Ca²⁺ at concentrations comparable to the concentration of Mg²⁺, the enzyme was not inhibited, although published data reported inhibition of similar enzymes by Ca²⁺. The recombinant enzyme exhibited a very low thermostability: it underwent a slow inactivation when incubated at 45°C and was completely inactivated after incubation at 65°C for 1 h.     

Xylose isomerase from polycentric fungus Orpinomyces: gene sequencing, cloning, and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for bioconversion of xylose to ethanol

The cDNA sequence of the gene for xylose isomerase from the rumen fungus Orpinomyces was elucidated by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The 1,314-nucleotide gene was cloned and expressed constitutively in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The deduced polypeptide sequence encoded a protein of 437 amino acids which showed the highest similarity to the family II xylose isomerases. Further, characterization revealed that the recombinant enzyme was a homodimer with a subunit of molecular mass 49 kDa. Cell extract of the recombinant strain exhibited high specific xylose isomerase activity. The pH optimum of the enzyme was 7.5, while the low temperature optimum at 37°C was the property that differed significantly from the majority of the reported thermophilic xylose isomerases. In addition to the xylose isomerase gene, the overexpression of the S. cerevisiae endogenous xylulokinase gene and the Pichia stipitis SUT1 gene for sugar transporter in the recombinant yeast facilitated the efficient production of ethanol from xylose.     

Purification, immobilization and characterization of linoleic acid isomerase on modified palygorskite

Linoleic acid isomerase from Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus 1.1480 was purified by DEAE ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography. An overall 5.1% yield and purification of 93-fold were obtained. The molecular weight of the purified protein was ~41 kDa which was analyzed by SDS-PAGE. The purified enzyme was immobilized on palygorskite modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane. The immobilized enzyme showed an activity of 82 U/g. The optimal temperature and pH for the activity of the free enzyme were 30 °C and pH 6.5, respectively; whereas those for the immobilized enzyme were 35 °C and pH 7.0, respectively. The immobilized enzyme was more stable than the free enzyme at 30–60 °C, and the operational stability result showed that more than 85% of its initial activity was retained after incubation for 3 h. The K _m and V _max values of the immobilized enzyme were found to be 0.0619 mmol l⁻¹ and 0.147 mmol h⁻¹ mg⁻¹, respectively. The immobilized enzyme had high operational stability and retained high enzymatic activity after seven cycles of reuse at 37 °C.     

Biochemical characterization of an extracellular polyextremophilic α-amylase from the halophilic archaeon Halorubrum xinjiangense

An extracellular haloalkaliphilic thermostable α-amylase producing archaeon was isolated from the saltwater Lake Urmia and identified as Halorubrum xinjiangense on the basis of morphological, biochemical, and molecular properties. The enzyme was purified to an electrophoretically homogenous state by 80 % cold ethanol precipitation, followed by affinity chromatography. The concentrated pure amylase was eluted as a single peak on fast protein liquid chromatography. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was about 60 kDa, with a pI value of 4.5. Maximum amylase activity was at 4 M NaCl or 4.5 M KCl, 70 °C, and pH 8.5. The K _m and V _max of the enzyme were determined as 3.8 mg ml^?1 and 12.4 U mg^?1, respectively. The pure amylase was stable in the presence of SDS, detergents, and organic solvents. In addition, the enzyme (20 U) hydrolyzed 69 % of the wheat starch after a 2-h incubation at 70 °C in an aqueous/hexadecane two-phase system.     

Characterization and constitutive expression of a novel endo-1,4-β-d-xylanohydrolase from Aspergillus niger in Pichia pastoris

A putative endo-1,4-β-d-xylanohydrolase gene xyl10 from Aspergillus niger, encoding a 308-residue mature xylanase belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 10, was constitutively expressed in Pichia pastoris. The recombinant Xyl10 exhibited optimal activity at pH 5.0 and 60 °C with more than 50 % of the maximum activity from 40 to 70 °C. It retained more than 90 % of the original activity after incubation at 60 °C (pH 5.0) for 30 min and more than 74 % after incubation at pH 3.0–13.0 for 2 h (25 °C). The specific activity, K _m and V _max values for purified Xyl10 were, respectively, 3.2 × 10³ U mg^?1, 3.6 mg ml^?1 and 5.4 × 10³ μmol min^?1 mg^?1 towards beechwood xylan. The enzyme degraded xylan to a series of xylooligosaccharides and xylose. The recombinant enzyme with these properties has the potential for various industrial applications.     

Characterization of a β-xylosidase from Aspergillus terreus (IJIRA 6.2)

Aspergillus terreus (IJIRA 6.2), a common soil microorganism, produces an extracellular β-xylosidase during its growth on wheat bran. The enzyme has been purified 328 fold (with a sp act of 4233 units/mg protein) by chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-25, hydroxyapatite, ConA-Sepharose and gel filtration on Sephacryl-S-300. Molecular mass of β-xylosidase by gel filtration was estimated to be about 95,000 and sedimentation coefficient of 5.6S was determined by glycerol density gradient centrifugation. The enzyme displayed maximum activity at pH 5.0 and 40°C; and in the absence of substrate, the β-xylosidase was stable up to 50°C and between pH 4.5 to 6.5. The purified enzyme hydrolysed p-nitrophenyl-β-Dxylopyranoside (PNPX) and xylooligosaccharides but not xylan, carboxymethyl cellulose or cellobiose. With PNPX as the substrate, the purified β-xylosidase exhibited a Km of 1.0 mM and D(+) xylose served as a competitive inhibitor with a K₁ of 10.5 mM.     

Purification and characterization of a chitinase from Serratia proteamaculans

A chitinase gene from Serratia proteamaculans 18A1 was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli M15. Recombinant enzyme (ChiA) was purified by Ni-NTA affinity column chromatography. The ChiA gene contains an open reading frame (ORF), encoding an endochitinase with a deduced molecular weight 60 kDa and predicted isoelectric point of 6.35. Comparison of ChiA with other chitinases revealed a modular structure containing an N-terminal PKD-domain, a family 18 catalytic domain and a C-terminal putative chitin-binding domain. Turn over rate (K _cat) of the enzyme was determined using colloidal chitin (49.71 ± 1.15 S^?1) and crystalline β-chitin (17.20 ± 0.83 S^?1) as substrates. The purified enzyme was active over a broad range of pH (pH 4.5–9.0) and temperature (4–70°C) with a peak activity at pH 5.5 and 55°C. However, enzyme activity was found to be stable up to 45°C for longer incubation periods. Purified enzyme was shown to inhibit fungal spore germination and hyphal growth of pathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus niger.     

Extracellular solvent stable cold-active lipase from psychrotrophic Bacillus sphaericus MTCC 7526: partial purification and characterization

Psychrotropic Bacillus sphaericus producing solvent stable cold-active lipase upon growth at low temperature was isolated from Gangotri glacier. Optimal parameters for lipase production were investigated and the strain was able to produce lipase even at 15 °C. An incubation period of 48 h and pH 8 was found to be conducive for cold-active lipase production. The addition of trybutyrin as substrate and lactose as additional carbon source increased lipase production. The enzyme was purified up to 17.74-fold by ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by DEAE cellulose column chromatography. The optimum temperature and pH for lipase activity were found to be 15 °C and 8.0, respectively. The lipase was found to be stable in the temperature range 20–30 °C and the pH range 6.0–9.0. The protein retained more than 83 % of its initial activity after exposure to organic solvents. The lipase exhibited significant stability in presence of acetone and DMSO retaining >90 % activity. The enzyme activity was inhibited by 10 mM CuSO₄ and EDTA but showed no loss in activity after incubation with other metals or inhibitors examined in this study.