Enzymatic and physiological study of d-xylose metabolism by Candida shehatae

Summary Candida shehatae carbon metabolic pathways were correlated with fermentative activity under different growth conditions. Reduced nicotine adenine dinucleotide (NADPH) is the coenzyme preferred for xylose reductase by C. shehatae under in vitro anoxic cell culture conditions. To prevent a redox imbalance derived from intracellular accumulation of NADH in the second enzymatic step of xylose metabolism, the operation of phosphoketolase via in addition the classic pentose phosphate pathway essential for NADH dissimilation is suggested. Variation in cultivation conditions showed a different NADH/NADPH ratio coupled to xylose reductase activity. The existence of two xylose reductases is discussed. Like ethanol, xylitol accumulates only under oxygen-limited or anaerobic conditions. Xylitol accumulaiton under unaerobic conditions was higher when using respiring cells than respirofermentative cells. This fact suggests that cells pregrown under oxygen limitation are better adapted to starting alcoholic fermentation than cells previously grown under aerobic conditions.Offprint requests to: M. T. Amaral-Collaço     

Effect of aerobiosis on fermentation and key enzyme levels during growth of Pichia stipitis,Candida shehatae and Candida tenuis on d-xylose

The relationship between the degree of aerobiosis, xylitol production and the initial two key enzymes of d-xylose metabolism were investigated in the yeasts Pichia stipitis, Candida shehatae and C. tenuis. Anoxic conditions severely curtailed growth and retarded ethanol productivity. This, together with the inverse relationship between xylitol accumulation and aeration level, suggested a degree of redox imbalance. The ratios of NADH- to NADPH-linked xylose reductase were similar in all three yeasts and essentially independent of the degree of aerobiosis, and thus did not correlate with their differing capacities for ethanol production, xylitol accumulation or growth under the different conditions of aerobiosis. Under anoxic conditions the enzyme activity of Pichia stipitis decreased significantly, which possibly contributed to its weaker anoxic fermentation of xylose compared to C. shehatae.     

The Activity of Xylose Reductase and Xylitol Dehydrogenase in Yeasts

The activity and the cofactor specificity of xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase were studied in extracts of yeasts from the genera Candida, Kluyveromyces, Pachysolen, Pichia,and Torulopsis grown under microaerobic conditions. It was found that xylitol dehydrogenase in all of the yeast species studied is specific for NAD⁺; xylose reductase in the xylitol-producing species C. didensiae, C. intermediae, C. parapsilosis, C. silvanorum, C. tropicalis, Kl. fragilis, Kl. marxianus, P. guillermondii, andT. molishiama is specific for NADPH; and xylose reductase in the ethanol-producing species P. stipitis, C. shehatae, and Pa. tannophilus is specific for both NADPH and NADH.     

The Activity of Key Enzymes in Xylose-Assimilating Yeasts at Different Rates of Oxygen Transfer to the Fermentation Medium

The activities of xylitol dehydrogenase and xylose reductase in the yeasts Candida shehatae, C. didensiae, C. intermediae, C. tropicalis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Pichia stipitis, P. guillermondii, Pachysolen tannophilus, and Torulopsis molishiama were studied at different oxygen transfer rates (OTRs) to the fermentation medium (0, 5, and 140 mmol O₂/(l h)). The activities of these enzymes were maximum in the yeasts P. stipitis and C. shehatae. The xylitol dehydrogenase of all the yeasts was NAD⁺-dependent, irrespective of the intensity of aeration. The xylose reductase of the yeasts C. didensiae, C. intermediae, C. tropicalis, Kl. marxianus, P. guillermondii, and T. molishiama was NADPH-dependent, whereas the xylose reductase of P. stipitis, C. shehatae, and Pa. tannophilus was specific for both NADPH and NADH. The effect of OTR on the activities of the different forms of xylitol dehydrogenase and xylose reductase in xylose-assimilating yeasts is discussed.     

Direct evidence for a xylose metabolic pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Xylose transport, xylose reductase, and xylitol dehydrogenase activities are demonstrated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The enzymes in the xylose catabolic pathway necessary for the conversion of xylose to xylulose are present, although S. cerevisiae cannot grow on xylose as a sole carbon source. Xylose transport is less efficient than glucose transport, and its rate is dependent upon aeration. Xylose reductase appears to be a xylose inducible enzyme and xylitol dehydrogenase activity is constitutive, although both are repressed by glucose. Both xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase activities are five- to tenfold lower in S. cerevisiae as compared to Candida utilis. In vivo conversion of (14)C-xylose in S. cerevisiae is demonstrated and xylitol is detected, although no significant levels of any other (14)C-labeled metabolites (e. g., ethanol) are observed.     

Unstable petite and grande variants of Candida shehatae

Summary Two strains of Candida shehatae (ATCC 22984 and CSIR Y492) exhibit marked variability in colony size (petite, grande) and respiratory activity (tetrazolium reaction) when grown on glucose, xylose, and--especially--xylitol agar. The transitions occur in both directions at high frequency. Strains showing a negative or weak tetrazolium reaction on xylitol ferment xylose better than those showing a strong tetrazolium reaction. The type strain (ATCC 34887) shows stable colonial morphology with moderate respiratory and fermentative activities. The objective of this report is to demonstrate these variations.     

The effect of aeration on xylose fermentation by Candida shehatae and Pachysolen tannophilus

Summary The ability of a Candida shehatae and a Pachysolen tannophilus strain to ferment D-xylose to ethanol was evaluated in defined and complex media under different levels of aeration. Aeration enhanced the ethanol productivity of both yeasts considerably. C. shehatae maintained a higher fermentation rate and ethanol yield than P. tannophilus over a wide range of aeration levels. Ethanol production by C. shehatae commenced during the early stage of the fermentation, whereas with P. tannophilus there was a considerable lag between the initiation of growth and ethanol production. Both yeasts produced appreciable quantities of xylitol late in the fermentation. P. tannophilus failed to grow under anoxic conditions, producing a maximum of only 0.5 g · l^-1 ethanol. In comparison, C. shehatae exhibited limited growth in anoxic cultures, and produced ethanol much more rapidly. Under the condition of aeration where C. shehatae exhibited the highest ethanol productivity, the fermentation parameters were: maximum specific growth rate, 0.15 h^-1; maximum volumetric and specific rates of ethanol production, 0.7 g (l · h)^-1 and 0.34 g ethanol (g cells · h)^-1 respectively; ethanol yield, 0.36 g (g xylose)^-1. The best values obtained with P. tannophilus were: maximum specific growth rate, 0.14 h^-1; maximum volumetric and specific rates of ethanol production, 0.22 g (l · h)^-1 and 0.07 h^-1 respectively; ethanol yield coefficient, 0.28. Because of its higher ethanol productivity at various levels of aeration, C. shehatae has a greater potential for ethanol production from xylose than P. tannophilus.     

Co-expression of xylose reductase gene from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida shehatae</Emphasis> and endogenous xylitol dehydrogenase gene in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharomyces cerevisiae</Emphasis> and the effect of metabolizing xylose to ethanol

The inability oft Saccharomyces cerevisiae to utilize xylose is attributed to its inability to convert xylose to xylulose. Low xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) activities in S. cerevisiae are regarded as the reason of blocking the pathway from xylose to xylulose. We had found that Candida shehatae could also be another source for XR gene except Pichia stipitis in the previous study. In this study, we tried to investigate if the expressed XR from C. shehatae could work with the over-expressed endogenous XDH together to achieve the same goal of converting xylose to ethanol in S. cerevisiae. The XR gene (XYL1) from C. shehatae and endogenous XDH gene (XYL2) were both cloned and over-expressed in host S. cerevisiae cell. The specific enzyme activities of XR and XDH were measured and the result of fermentation revealed that the new combination of two enzymes from different sources other than P. stipitis could also coordinate and work with each other and confer xylose utilization ability to S. cerevisiae.     

The activity of xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase in yeasts

The activity and the cofactor specificity of xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase were studied in extracts of yeasts from the genera Candida, Kluyveromyces, Pachysolen, Pichia, and Torulopsis grown under microaerobic conditions. It was found that xylitol dehydrogenase in all of the yeast species studied is specific for NAD+; xylose reductase in the xylitol-producing species C. didensiae, C. intermediae, C. parapsilosis, C. silvanorum, C. tropicalis, Kl. fragilis, Kl. marxianus, P. guillermondii, and T. molishiama is specific for NADPH; and xylose reductase in the ethanol-producing species P. stipitis, C. shehatae, and Pa. tannophilus is specific for both NADPH and NADH.     

Conversion of xylose to ethanol by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae: importance of xylulokinase (XKS1) and oxygen availability.

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae efficiently ferments hexose sugars to ethanol, but it is unable to utilize xylose, a pentose sugar abundant in lignocellulosic materials. Recombinant strains containing genes coding for xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) from the xylose-utilizing yeast Pichia stipitis have been reported; however, such strains ferment xylose to ethanol poorly. One reason for this may be the low capacity of xylulokinase, the third enzyme in the xylose pathway. To investigate the potential limitation of the xylulokinase step, we have overexpressed the endogenous gene for this enzyme (XKS1) in S. cerevisiae that also expresses the P. stipitis genes for XR and XDH. The metabolism of this recombinant yeast was further investigated in pure xylose bioreactor cultivation at various oxygen levels. The results clearly indicated that overexpression of XKS1 significantly enhances the specific rate of xylose utilization. In addition, the XK-overexpressing strain can more efficiently convert xylose to ethanol under all aeration conditions studied. One of the important illustrations is the significant anaerobic and aerobic xylose conversion to ethanol by the recombinant Saccharomyces; moreover, this was achieved on pure xylose as a carbon. Under microaerobic conditions, 5.4 g L(-1) ethanol was produced from 47 g L(-1) xylose during 100 h. In fed-batch cultivations using a mixture of xylose and glucose as carbon sources, the specific ethanol production rate was highest at the highest aeration rate tested and declined by almost one order of magnitude at lower aeration levels. Intracellular metabolite analyses and in vitro enzyme activities suggest the following: the control of flux in a strain that overexpresses XKS1 has shifted to the nonoxidative steps of the pentose phosphate pathway (i.e., downstream of xylose 5-phosphate), and enzymatic steps in the lower part of glycolysis and ethanol formation pathways (pyruvate kinase, pyruvate decarboxylase, and alcohol dehydrogenase) do not have a high flux control in this recombinant strain. Furthermore, the intracellular ATP levels were found to be significantly lower for the XK strain compared with either the control strain under similar conditions or glucose-grown Saccharomyces. The ATP : ADP ratios were also lower for the XK strain, especially under microaerobic conditions (0.9 vs 6.4).     

Simultaneous fermentation of D-xylose and glucose byCandida shehatae

Summary Mixtures of xylose and glucose were anaerobically fermented with the yeastCandida shehatae. Cells previously grown aerobically on glucose fermented glucose and xylose sequentially. Cells grown aerobically on xylose fermented glucose and xylose simultaneously, with no lag in xylose consumption. The best results were obtained with cells grown aerobically on xylose and inoculated into a 7525 mixture. 25 g/L of ethanol and 25 g/L of xylitol were obtained from 120 g/L of carbohydrates within 50 hours.     

Induction of aldose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase activities in Candida tenuis CBS 4435

In this study the ability of various sugars and sugar alcohols to induce aldose reductase (xylose reductase) and xylitol dehydrogenase (xylulose reductase) activities in the yeast Candida tenuis was investigated. Both enzyme activities were induced when the organism was grown on d-xylose or l-arabinose as well as on the structurally related sugars d-arabinose or d-lyxose. Mixtures of d-xylose with the more rapidly metabolizable sugar d-glucose resulted in a decrease in the levels of both enzymes formed. These results show that the utilization of d-xylose by C. tenuis is regulated by induction and catabolite repression. Furthermore, the different patterns of induction on distinct sugars suggest that the synthesis of both enzymes is not under coordinate control.     

NADH-linked aldose reductase: the key to anaerobic alcoholic fermentation of xylose by yeasts

Summary The kinetics and enzymology of d-xylose utilization were studied in aerobic and anaerobic batch cultures of the facultatively fermentative yeasts Candida utilis, Pachysolen tannophilus, and Pichia stipitis. These yeasts did not produce ethanol under aerobic conditions. When shifted to anaerobiosis cultures of C. utilis did not show fermentation of xylose; in Pa. tannophilus a very low rate of ethanol formation was apparent, whereas with Pi. stipitis rapid fermentation of xylose occurred. The different behaviour of these yeasts ist most probably explained by differences in the nature of the initial steps of xylose metabolism: in C. utilis xylose is metabolized via an NADPH-dependent xylose reductase and an NAD⁺-linked xylitol dehydrogenase. As a consequence, conversion of xylose to ethanol by C. utilis leads to an overproduction of NADH which blocks metabolic activity in the absence of oxygen. In Pa. tannophilus and Pi. stipitis, however, apart from an NADPH-linked xylose reductase also an NADH-linked xylose reductase was present. Apparently xylose metabolism via the NADH-dependent reductase circumvents the imbalance of the NAD⁺/NADH redox system, thus allowing fermentation of xylose to ethanol under anaerobic conditions. The finding that the rate of xylose fermentation in Pa. tannophilus and Pi. stipitis corresponds with the activity of the NADH-linked xylose reductase activity is in line with this hypothesis. Furthermore, a comparative study with various xylose-assimilating yeasts showed that significant alcoholic fermentation of xylose only occurred in those organisms which possessed NADH-linked aldose reductase.     

Xylitol production from xylose by two yeast strains: Sugar tolerance

The kinetics and enzymology ofd-xylose utilization are studied in micro-, semi-, and aerobic batch cultures during growth ofCandida guilliermondii andCandida parapsilosis in the presence of several initial xylose concentrations. The abilities of xylitol accumulation by these two yeast strains are high and similar, although observed under various growth conditions. WithCandida parapsilosis, optimal xylitol production yield (0.74 g/g) was obtained in microaerobiosis with 100 g/L of xylose, whereas optimal conditions to produce xylitol byCandida guilliermondii (0.69 g/g) arose from aerobiosis with 300 g/L of sugar. The different behavior of these yeasts is most probably explained by differences in the nature of the initial step of xylose metabolism: a NADPH-linked xylose reductase activity is measured with a weaker NADH-linked activity. These activities seem to be dependent on the degree of aerobiosis and on the initial xylose concentration and correlate with xylitol accumulation.     

Enhanced Xylitol Production by Precultivation of Candida guilliermondii Cells in Sugarcane Bagasse Hemicellulosic Hydrolysate

The present work evaluated the key enzymes involved in xylitol production (xylose reductase [XR] and xylitol dehydrogenase [XDH]) and their correlation with xylose, arabinose, and acetic acid assimilation during cultivation of Candida guilliermondii FTI 20037 cells in sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolysate. For this purpose, inocula previously grown either in sugarcane bagasse hemicellulosic hydrolysate (SBHH) or in semidefined medium (xylose as a substrate) were used. The highest xylose/acetic acid consumption ratio (1.78) and the lowest arabinose consumption (13%) were attained in the fermentation using inoculum previously grown in semidefined medium (without acetic acid and arabinose). In this case, the highest values of XR (1.37 U mg prot⁻¹) and XDH (0.91 U mg prot⁻¹) activities were observed. The highest xylitol yield (∼0.55 g g⁻¹) and byproducts (ethanol and glycerol) formation were not influenced by inoculum procedure. However, the cell previously grown in the hydrolysate was effective in enhancing xylitol production by keeping the XR enzyme activity at high levels (around 0.99 U·mg_prot⁻¹), reducing the XDH activity (34.0%) and increasing xylitol volumetric productivity (26.5%) with respect to the inoculum cultivated in semidefined medium. Therefore, inoculum adaptation to SBHH was shown to be an important strategy to improve xylitol productivity.     

Activity of the key enzymes in xylose-assimilating yeasts at different rates of oxygen transfer to the fermentation medium

The activities of xylitol dehydrogenase and xylose reductase in the yeasts Candida shehatae, C. didensiae, C. intermediae, C. tropicalis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Pichia stipitis, P. guillermondii, Pachysolen tannophilus, and Torulopsis molishiama were studied at different oxygen transfer rates (OTRs) to the fermentation medium (0, 5, and 140 mmol O2/(1 h)). The activities of these enzymes were maximum in the yeasts P. stipitis and C. shehatae. The xylitol dehydrogenase of all the yeasts was NAD-dependent, irrespective of the intensity of aeration. The xylose reductase of the yeasts C. didensiae, C. intermediae, C. tropicalis, Kl. marxianus, P. guillermondii, and T. molishiama was NADPH-dependent, whereas the xylose reductase of P. stipitis, C. shehatae, and Pa. tannophilus was specific for both NADPH and NADH. The effect of OTR on the activities of the different forms of xylitol dehydrogenase and xylose reductase in the xylose-assimilating yeasts is discussed.     

Xylose metabolism in a thermophilic mouldMalbranchea pulchella var.sulfurea TMD-8

The thermophilic mouldMalbranchea pulchella var.sulfurea TMD-8 produced extracellular xylanases in wheat straw hemicellulose as well as wheat straw. This mould utilized xylose less efficiently than glucose. Mycelial extracts contained xylose isomerase, xylose reductase, and xylitol dehydrogenase. Xylose isomerase was less thermostable than that from other microorganisms. However, xylitol dehydrogenase and xylose reductase were relatively more thermostable in comparison with these enzymes from other microorganisms. The affinity of xylose isomerase for xylose was very high (Km 10mM), while that of xylose reductase was low (Km 23.5mM). The xylitol dehydrogenase exhibited relatively high affinity for xylitol (Km 0.02mM). The activity of this enzyme, however, declined steeply, in the alkaline range. This is the first report on the occurrence of three intracellular enzymes, xylose isomerase, xylose reductase, and xylitol dehydrogenase in a thermophilic mould, which play an important role in xylose metabolism.     

Xylitol Production by a Culture ofCandida guilliermondii2581

The yeast strain Candida guilliermondii2581 was chosen for its ability to produce xylitol in media with high concentrations of xylose. The rate of xylitol production at a xylose concentration of 150 g/l is 1.25 g/l per h; the concentration of xylitol after three days of cultivation is 90 g/l; and the relative xylitol yield is 0.6 g per g substrate consumed. The growth conditions were found that resulted in the maximum relative xylitol yield with complete consumption of the sugar: xylose concentration, 150 g/l; pH 6.0; and shaking at 60 rpm. It was shown that the growth under conditions of limited aeration favors the reduction of xylose.     

Construction of a recombinant yeast strain converting xylose and glucose to ethanol

Candida shehatae gene xyl1 and Pichia stipitis gene xyl2, encoding xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XD) respectively, were amplified by PCR. The genes xyl1 and xyl2 were placed under the control of promoter GAL in vector pYES2 to construct the recombinant expression vector pYES2-P12. Subsequently the vector pYES2-P12 was transformed into S. cerevisiae YS58 by LiAc to produce the recombinant yeast YS58-12. The alcoholic ferment indicated that the recombinant yeast YS58-12 could convert xylose to ethanol with the xylose consumption rate of 81.3%. __________ Translated from Microbiology, 2006, 33(3): 104–108 [译自:微生物学通报]