Purification and characterization of a thermostable MnSOD from the thermophilic fungus Chaetomium thermophilum

A thermostable superoxide dismutase (SOD) from the culture supernatant of a thermophilic fungus Chaetomium thermophilum strain CT2 was purified to homogeneity by fractional ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-sepharose, phenyl-sepharose hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The pure SOD had a specific activity of 115.77 U/mg of protein and was purified 7.49-fold, with a yield of 14.4%. The molecular mass of a single band of the enzyme was estimated to be 23.5 kDa, using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Using gel filtration on Sephacryl S-100, the molecular mass was estimated to be 94.4 kDa, indicating that this enzyme was composed of four identical subunits of 23.5 kDa each. The SOD was found to be inhibited by NaN3, but not by KCN and H2O2. Atomic absorption spectrophotometric analysis showed that the content of Mn was 2.05 microg/mg of protein and Fe was not detected in the purified enzyme. These results suggested that the SOD in C. thermophilum was the manganese superoxide dismutase type. N-terminal amino acid sequencing (10 residues) was KX (X is uncertain) TLPDLKYD. The N-terminal amino acid sequencing homologies to other MnSod also indicated that it was a manganese-containing superoxide dismutase. The SOD exhibited maximal activity at pH 7.5 and optimum temperature at 60 C. It was thermostable at 50 and 60 C and retained 60% activity after 60 min at 70 C. The half-life of the SOD at 80 C was approximately 25 min and even retained 20% activity after 30 min at 90 C.     

A thermostable manganese-containing superoxide dismutase from the thermophilic fungus Thermomyces lanuginosus

A thermostable superoxide dismutase (SOD) from a Thermomyces lanuginosus strain (P134) was purified to homogeneity by fractional ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose, Phenyl-Sepharose hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and gel filtration on Sephacryl S-100. The molecular mass of a single band of the enzyme was estimated to be 22.4 kDa, using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Using gel filtration on Sephacryl S-100, the molecular mass was estimated to be 89.1 kDa, indicating that this enzyme was composed of four identical subunits of 22.4 kDa each. The SOD was found to be inhibited by NaN₃, but not by KCN or H₂O₂, suggesting that the SOD in T. lanuginosus was of the manganese superoxide dismutase type. The SOD exhibited maximal activity at pH 7.5. The optimum temperature for the activity was 55°C. It was thermostable at 50 and 60°C and retained 55% activity after 60 min at 70°C. The half-life of the SOD at 80°C was approximately 28 min and even retained 20% activity after 20 min at 90°C.     

Tobacco nectarin I. Purification and characterization as a germin-like, manganese superoxide dismutase implicated in the defensE of floral reproductive tissues

Nectarin I, a protein that accumulates in the nectar of Nicotiana sp. , was determined to contain superoxide dismutase activity by colorimetric and in-gel assays. This activity was found to be remarkably thermostable. Extended incubations at temperatures up to 90 degrees C did not diminish the superoxide dismutase activity of nectarin I. This attribute allowed nectarin I to be purified to homogeneity by heat denaturation of the other nectar proteins. By SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, nectarin I appeared as a 29-kDa monomer. If the protein sample was not boiled prior to loading the gel, then nectarin I migrated as 165-kDa oligomeric protein. By matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, the protomer subunit was found to be a 22.5-kDa protein. Purified nectarin I contained 0.5 atoms of manganese/monomer, and the superoxide dismutase activity of nectarin I was not inhibited by either H(2)O(2) or NaCN. Following denaturation, the superoxide dismutase activity was restored after Mn(2+) addition. Addition of Fe(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), and Cu(2+)/Zn(2+) did not restore superoxide dismutase activity. The quaternary structure of the reconstituted enzyme was examined, and only tetrameric and pentameric aggregates were enzymatically active. The reconstituted enzyme was also shown to generate H(2)O(2). Putative nectarin I homologues were found in the nectars of several other plant species.     

Superoxide Dismutase and Oxygen Metabolism in Streptococcus faecalis and Comparisons with Other Organisms

Streptococcus faecalis contains a single superoxide dismutase that has been purified to homogeneity with a 55% yield. This enzyme has a molecular weight of 45,000 and is composed of two subunits of equal size. It contains 1.3 atoms of manganese per molecule. Its amino acid composition was determined and is compared with that for the superoxide dismutases from Escherichia coli, Streptococcus mutans, and Mycobacterium lepraemurium. When used as an antigen in rabbits, the S. faecalis enzyme elicited the formation of a precipitating and inhibiting antibody. This antibody cross-reacted with the superoxide dismutase present in another strain of S. faecalis, but neither inhibited nor precipitated the superoxide dismutases in a wide range of other bacteria, including several other streptococci, such as S. pyogenes, S. pneumoniae, and S. lactis. The inhibiting antibody was used to suppress the superoxide dismutase activity present in cell extracts of S. faecalis and thus allow the demonstration that 17% of the total oxygen consumption by such extracts, in the presence of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, was associated with the production of O(2) (-). A variety of bacterial species were surveyed for their content of superoxide dismutases. The iron-containing enzyme was distinguished from the manganese-containing enzyme through the use of H(2)O(2), which inactivates the former more readily than the latter. Some of the bacteria appeared to contain only the iron enzyme, others only the manganese enzyme, and still others both. Indeed, some had multiple, electrophoretically distinct superoxide dismutases in both categories. There was no discernible absolute relationship between the types of superoxide dismutases in a particular organism and their Gram-stain reaction.     

Fermentation and aerobic metabolism of cellodextrins by yeasts

The fermentation and aerobic metabolism of cellodextrins by 14 yeast species or strains was monitored. When grown aerobically, Candida wickerhamii, C. guilliermondii, and C. molischiana metabolized cellodextrins of degree of polymerization 3 to 6. C. wickerhamii and C. molischiana also fermented these substrates, while C. guilliermondii fermented only cellodextrins of degree of polymerization less than or equal to 3. Debaryomyces polymorphus, Pichia guilliermondii, Clavispora lusitaniae, and one of two strains of Kluyveromyces lactis metabolized glucose, cellobiose, and cellotriose when grown aerobically. These yeasts also fermented these substrates, except for K. lactis, which fermented only glucose and cellobiose. The remaining species/strains tested, K. lactis, Brettano-myces claussenii, B. anomalus, K. dobzhanskii, Rhodotorula minuta, and Dekkera intermedia, both fermented and aerobically metabolized glucose and cellobiose. Crude enzyme preparations from all 14 yeast species or strains were tested for ability to hydrolyze cellotriose and cellotretose. Most of the yeasts produced an enzyme(s) capable of hydrolyzing cellotriose. However, with two exceptions, R. minuta and P. guilliermondii, only the yeasts that metabolized cellodextrins of degree of polymerization greater than 3 produced an enzyme(s) that hydrolyzed cellotretose.     

Fermentation and aerobic metabolism of cellodextrins by yeasts.

The fermentation and aerobic metabolism of cellodextrins by 14 yeast species or strains was monitored. When grown aerobically, Candida wickerhamii, C. guilliermondii, and C. molischiana metabolized cellodextrins of degree of polymerization 3 to 6. C. wickerhamii and C. molischiana also fermented these substrates, while C. guilliermondii fermented only cellodextrins of degree of polymerization less than or equal to 3. Debaryomyces polymorphus, Pichia guilliermondii, Clavispora lusitaniae, and one of two strains of Kluyveromyces lactis metabolized glucose, cellobiose, and cellotriose when grown aerobically. These yeasts also fermented these substrates, except for K. lactis, which fermented only glucose and cellobiose. The remaining species/strains tested, K. lactis, Brettano-myces claussenii, B. anomalus, K. dobzhanskii, Rhodotorula minuta, and Dekkera intermedia, both fermented and aerobically metabolized glucose and cellobiose. Crude enzyme preparations from all 14 yeast species or strains were tested for ability to hydrolyze cellotriose and cellotretose. Most of the yeasts produced an enzyme(s) capable of hydrolyzing cellotriose. However, with two exceptions, R. minuta and P. guilliermondii, only the yeasts that metabolized cellodextrins of degree of polymerization greater than 3 produced an enzyme(s) that hydrolyzed cellotretose.     

A novel,thermostable manganese-containing superoxide dismutase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus licheniformis</Emphasis>

A new, thermostable superoxide dismutase (SOD) from Bacillus licheniformis M20, isolated from Bulgarian mineral springs, was purified 11-fold with 11% recovery of activity. From native PAGE and SDS-PAGE, the enzyme was composed of two subunits of 21.5 kDa each. The SOD was inhibited only by NaN₃, which suggested that this SOD is of the manganese superoxide dismutase type. The purified enzyme had maximum activity at pH 8 and 55°C. The half-life of the SOD was 10 min at 95°C.     

Coisolation of glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase from human erythrocytes

Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px; glutathione: hydrogen peroxide oxidoreductase; EC 1.11.1.9), catalase (H2O2: H2O2 oxidoreductase; EC 1.11.1.6) and superoxide dismutase (superoxide: superoxide oxidoreductase; EC 1.15.1.1) were coisolated from human erythrocyte lysate by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. Glutathione peroxidase was separated from superoxide dismutase and catalase by thiol-disulfide exchange chromatography and then purified to approximately 90% homogeneity by gel permeation chromatography and dye-ligand affinity chromatography. Catalase and superoxide dismutase were separated from each other and purified further by gel permeation chromatography. Catalase was then purified to approximately 90% homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation and superoxide dismutase was purified to apparent homogeneity by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The results for glutathione peroxidase represent an improvement of approximately 10-fold in yield and 3-fold in specific activity compared with the established method for the purification of this enzyme. The yields for superoxide dismutase and catalase were high (45 mg and 232 mg, respectively, from 820 ml of washed packed cells), and the specific activities of both enzymes were comparable to values found in the literature.     

Isolation and characterization of the thermostable DNA polymerase of the hyperthermophilic archaeum Thermococcus litoralis Sh1AM

Overall, 30 strains of hyperthermophilic archaea, representing seven species of the genera Thermococcus, Desulfurococcus, Thermoproteus, and Acidilobus, were tested for the presence of thermostable DNA polymerases. Thermostabilities of the polymerases varied distinctly among the strains within one species. Polymerases of five strains retained 60-100% activity upon incubation of the preparations at 95 degrees C for 120 min. A new DNA polymerase was isolated from the strain Thermococcus litoralis Sh1AM, possessing the enzyme with the most promising properties, and characterized. Molecular weight of the enzyme is 90-100 kDa. The purified DNA polymerase preserved 50% of the initial activity upon incubation at 95 degrees C for 120 min. The polymerase isolated displayed an associated 3'-5' exonuclease activity. The error rate when extending DNA strand was at least twofold lower compared with Taq polymerase. The main physicochemical and enzymatic properties of the new polymerase are similar to the known DNA polymerases of family B.     

Superoxide dismutase activity in thermally stressed Staphylococcus aureus.

The effects of heat and NaCl on the activity of superoxide dismutase from Staphylococcus aureus were examined. A linear decrease in superoxide dismutase activity occurred when S. aureus MF-31 cells were thermally stressed for 90 min at 52% C in 100 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.2). After 20 min of heating, only 5% of the superoxide dismutase activity was lost. Heating for 60, 90 and 120 min resulted in decreases of approximately 10, 22, and 68%, respectively. The rates of thermal inactivation of superoxide dismutase from S. aureus strains 196E and 210 were similar and slightly greater than those of strains MF-31, S-6, and 181. The addition of NaCl before or after heating resulted in increased losses of superoxide dismutase activity.     

Unusual Growth Phase and Oxygen Tension Regulation of Oxidative Stress Protection Enzymes, Catalase and Superoxide Dismutase, in the Phytopathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae

The enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase play major roles in protecting phytopathogenic bacteria from oxidative stress. In Xanthomonas species, these enzymes are regulated by both growth phase and oxygen tension. The highest enzyme levels were detected within 1 h of growth. Continued growth resulted in a decline of both enzyme activities. High oxygen tension was an inducing signal for both enzyme activities. An 80,000-Da monofunctional catalase and a manganese superoxide dismutase were the major forms of the enzymes detected at different stages of growth. The unusual regulatory patterns are common among several Xanthomonas strains tested and may be advantageous to Xanthomonas species during the initial stage of plant-microorganism interactions.     

Phenotypic expression of Kluyveromyces lactis killer toxin against Saccharomyces spp.

The secretion of killer toxins by some strains of yeasts is a phenomenon of significant industrial importance. The activity of a recently discovered Kluyveromyces lactis killer strain against a sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain was determined on peptone-yeast extract-nutrient agar plates containing as the carbon source glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, or glycerol at pH 4.5 or 6.5. Enhanced activity (50 to 90% increase) was found at pH 6.5, particularly on the plates containing galactose, maltose, or glycerol, although production of the toxin in liquid medium was not significantly different with either glucose or galactose as the carbon source. Results indicated that the action of the K. lactis toxin was not mediated by catabolite repression in the sensitive strain. Sensitivities of different haploid and polyploid Saccharomyces yeasts to the two different killer yeasts S. cerevisiae (RNA-plasmid-coded toxin) and K. lactis (DNA-plasmid-coded toxin) were tested. Three industrial polyploid yeasts sensitive to the S. cerevisiae killer yeast were resistant to the K. lactis killer yeast. The S. cerevisiae killer strain itself, however, was sensitive to the K. lactis killer yeast.     

Phenotypic expression of Kluyveromyces lactis killer toxin against Saccharomyces spp

The secretion of killer toxins by some strains of yeasts is a phenomenon of significant industrial importance. The activity of a recently discovered Kluyveromyces lactis killer strain against a sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain was determined on peptone-yeast extract-nutrient agar plates containing as the carbon source glucose, fructose, galactose, maltose, or glycerol at pH 4.5 or 6.5. Enhanced activity (50 to 90% increase) was found at pH 6.5, particularly on the plates containing galactose, maltose, or glycerol, although production of the toxin in liquid medium was not significantly different with either glucose or galactose as the carbon source. Results indicated that the action of the K. lactis toxin was not mediated by catabolite repression in the sensitive strain. Sensitivities of different haploid and polyploid Saccharomyces yeasts to the two different killer yeasts S. cerevisiae (RNA-plasmid-coded toxin) and K. lactis (DNA-plasmid-coded toxin) were tested. Three industrial polyploid yeasts sensitive to the S. cerevisiae killer yeast were resistant to the K. lactis killer yeast. The S. cerevisiae killer strain itself, however, was sensitive to the K. lactis killer yeast.     

Factors Related to the Oxygen Tolerance of Anaerobic Bacteria

The effect of atmospheric oxygen on the viability of 13 strains of anaerobic bacteria, two strains of facultative bacteria, and one aerobic organism was examined. There were great variations in oxygen tolerance among the bacteria. All facultative bacteria survived more than 72 h of exposure to atmospheric oxygen. The survival time for anaerobes ranged from less than 45 min for Peptostreptococcus anaerobius to more than 72 h for two Clostridium perfringens strains. An effort was made to relate the degree of oxygen tolerance to the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidases in cell-free extracts of the bacteria. All facultative bacteria and a number of anaerobic bacteria possessed superoxide dismutase. There was a correlation between superoxide dismutase activity and oxygen tolerance, but there were notable exceptions. Polyacrylamide gel electropherograms stained for superoxide dismutase indicated that many of the anaerobic bacteria contained at least two electrophoretically distinct enzymes with superoxide dismutase activity. All facultative bacteria contained peroxidase, whereas none of the anaerobic bacteria possessed measurable amounts of this enzyme. Catalase activity was variable among the bacteria and showed no relationship to oxygen tolerance. The ability of the bacteria to reduce oxygen was also examined and related to enzyme content and oxygen tolerance. In general, organisms that survived for relatively long periods of time in the presence of oxygen but demonstrated little superoxide dismutase activity reduced little oxygen. The effects of medium composition and conditions of growth were examined for their influence on the level of the three enzymes. Bacteria grown on the surface of an enriched blood agar medium generally had more enzyme activity than bacteria grown in a liquid medium. The data indicate that superoxide dismutase activity and oxygen reduction rates are important determinants related to the tolerance of anaerobic bacteria to oxygen.     

Optimized medium improves expression and secretion of extremely thermostable bacterial xylanase, XynB, in Kluyveromyces lactis

An extremely thermostable xylanase gene, xynB, from hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga maritima MSB8 was successful expressed in Kluyveromyces lactis. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize medium components for production of XynB secreted by the recombinant K. lactis. Secretion level (102 mg/L) and enzyme activity (49 U/ml) of XynB in the optimized medium (yeast extract, lactose, and urea; YLU) were much higher than those (56 mg/L, 16 U/ml) in original medium (yeast extract, lactose, and peptone; YLP). It was also observed that the secretory efficiency of mature XynB was improved by the YLU medium. mRNA levels of 13 characterized secretion-related genes between K. lactis cultured in YLP and YLU were detected using semi-quantitative RT-PCR method. It was found that unfolded protein response (UPR) related genes such as ero1, hac1, and kar2 were up-regulated in K. lactis cultured in YLU. Therefore, nutrient ingredient, especially nitrogen source had a significant influence on the XynB secretory efficiency in the host K. lactis.     

Purification of soluble enzymes from erythrocyte hemolysates by three phase partitioning

1. The three phase partitioning method of protein fractionation was successfully applied to human erythrocyte hemolysates for the removal of hemoglobin and the concentration of soluble enzymes. 2. Human carbonic anhydrase I and II, catalase and superoxide dismutase were recovered free of hemoglobin and in good yield in the initial partitioning step, with a 60- to 80-fold enrichment of enzyme activities. 3. After further purification, carbonic anhydrases I and II were obtained at overall yields of 84 and 29%, respectively, crystallized catalase at 38% and superoxide dismutase at 52%.     

Acetamide selection of Kluyveromyces lactis cells transformed with an integrative vector leads to high-frequency formation of multicopy strains

The yeast Kluyveromyces lactis has been extensively used as a host for heterologous protein expression. A necessary step in the construction of a stable expression strain is the introduction of an integrative expression vector into K. lactis cells, followed by selection of transformed strains using either medium containing antibiotic (e.g., G418) or nitrogen-free medium containing acetamide. In this study, we show that selection using acetamide yields K. lactis transformant populations nearly completely comprised of strains bearing multiple tandem insertions of the expression vector pKLAC1 at the LAC4 chromosomal locus, whereas an average of 16% of G418-selected transformants are multiply integrated. Additionally, the average copy number within transformant populations doubled when acetamide was used for selection compared to G418. Finally, we demonstrate that the high frequency of multicopy integration associated with using acetamide selection can be exploited to rapidly construct expression strains that simultaneously produce multiple heterologous proteins or multisubunit proteins, such as Fab antibodies.     

Restoration of a defective Lactococcus lactis xylose isomerase

The genes (xylA) encoding xylose isomerase (XI) from two Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strains, 210 (Xyl(-)) and IO-1 (Xyl(+)), were cloned, and the activities of their expressed proteins in recombinant strains of Escherichia coli were investigated. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence homologies between the xylA genes were 98.4 and 98.6%, respectively, and only six amino acid residues differed between the two XIs. The purified IO-1 XI was soluble with K(m) and k(cat) being 2.25 mM and 184/s, respectively, while the 210 XI was insoluble and inactive. Site-directed mutagenesis on 210 xylA showed that a triple mutant possessing R202M/Y218D/V275A mutations regained XI activity and was soluble. The K(m) and k(cat) of this mutant were 4.15 mM and 141/s, respectively. One of the IO-1 XI mutants, S388T, was insoluble and showed negligible activity similar to that of 210 XI. The introduction of a K407E mutation to the IO-1 S388T XI mutant restored its activity and solubility. The dissolution of XI activity in L. lactis subsp. lactis involves a series of mutations that collectively eliminate enzyme activity by reducing the solubility of the enzyme.