Metabolic engineering of Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 for increased solvent production by enhancement of acetone formation enzyme activities using a synthetic acetone operon

The ability to genetically alter the product-formation capabilities of Clostridium acetobutylicum is necessary for continued progress toward industrial production of the solvents butanol and acetone by fermentation. Batch fermentations at pH 4.5, 5.5, or 6.5 were conducted using C. acetobutylicum ATCC 824 (pFNK6). Plasmid pFNK6 contains a synthetic operon (the "ace operon") in which the three homologous acetone-formation genas (adc, ctfA, and ctfB) are transcribed from the adc promoter. The corresponding enzymes (acetoacetate decarboxylase and CoA-transferase) were best expressed in pH 4.5 fermentations. However, the highest levels of solvents were attained at pH 5.5. Relative to the plasmid-free control strain at pH 5.5, ATCC 824 (pFNK6) produced 95%, 37%, and 90% higher final concentrations of acetone, butanol, and ethanol, respectively; a 50% higher yield (g/g) of solvents on glucose; and a 22-fold lower mass of residual carboxylic acids. At all pH values, the acetone-formation enzymes were expressed earlier with ATCC 824 (pFNK6) than in control fermentations, leading to earlier induction of acetone formation. Furthermore, strain ATCC 824 (pFNK6) produced butanol significantly earlier in the fermentation and produced significant levels of solvents at pH 6.5. Only trace levels of solvents were produced by strain ATCC 824 at pH 6.5. Compared with ATCC 824, a plasmid-control strain containing a vector without the ace operon also produced higher levels of solvents [although lower than those of strain ATCC 824 (pFNK6)] and lower levels of acids. Strains containing plasmid-borne derivatives of the ace operon, in which either the acetoacetate decarboxylase or CoA-transferase alone were expressed at elevated levels, produced acids and solvents at levels similar to those of the plasmid-control strain. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A three-phase pattern in growth, monoclonal antibody production, and metabolite exchange in a hybridoma bioreactor culture

The use of partial cubic spline data interpolation for the calculation of volumetric metabolite exchange rates suggested the existence of three distinct metabolic phases during bioreactor culture of a hybridoma cell line. During phase 1, a rapid amino acid uptake rate and ammonia release rate were observed. The growth rate was low and glutamine synthetase activity fell. In phase 2, maximum growth rate and minimum glutamine assimilation and ammonium production rates were observed. Attempts to corroborate the apparent ammonia assimilation in this phase using (15)NH(4)Cl resulted in low incorporation rates into alanine and glutamine. Maximum glutamine synthetase activity took place during this period. Maximum antibody production rate was observed during phase 3 during which peaks in glutamine assimilation, ammonia release, and glutamine synthetase activity were observed. The apparent existence of the three phases prompted us to carry out Northern blot analysis of glutamine synthetase RNA at appropriate times during the process. This revealed a pattern of appearance and dis-appearance of mRNA consistent with the three phases indicated by the fermentation parameters. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The 59-kDa polypeptide constituent of 8–10-nm cytoplasmic filaments in Neurospora crassa is a pyruvate decarboxylase

The fungus Neurospora crassa harbors large amounts of cytoplasmic filaments which are homopolymers of a 59-kDa polypeptide (P59Nc). We have used molecular cloning, sequencing and enzyme activity measurement strategies to demonstrate that these filaments are made of pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC, EC 4.1.1.1), which is the key enzyme in the glycolytic-fermentative pathway of ethanol production in fungi, and in certain plants and bacteria. Immunofluorescence analyses of 8–10-nm filaments, as well as quantitative Northern blot studies of P59Nc mRNA and measurements of PDC activity, showed that the presence and abundance of PDC filaments depends on the metabolic growth conditions of the cells. These findings may be of relevance to the biology of ethanol production by fungi, and may shed light on the nature and variable presence of filament bundles described in fungal cells.     

Selected factors limiting the microbial degradation of recalcitrant compounds

Summary The focus of this review is to examine some of the reasons biodegradation may not take place in the environment even though its occurrence in the laboratory has been demonstrated. Some approaches for dealing with chemical persistence will be discussed. In addition, the potential of bioremediation as an in situ clean-up technology will be considered.     

Excretion of proline bySaccharomyces cerevisiae during fermentation of arginine-supplemented high gravity wheat mash

Summary The rate of ethanolic fermentation of high gravity wheat mashes bySaccharomyces cerevisiae was increased by nitrogen sources such as ammonium sulfate or arginine. This stimulation was mediated through increased proliferation of cells. Large quantities of proline, however, were excreted by the yeast into the medium when arginine was added as a nutrient supplement. The amount of proline excreted was proportional to the concentration of arginine supplied. Nitrogen sources such as ammonium sulfate or lysine enhanced the production of proline from arginine and its excretion into the medium. Results show that the stimulation of very high gravity fermentation by arginine is not merely through provision of a source of nitrogen but also because it serves as a precursor for the production of proline, a compound which may play a significant role in alleviating the effects of osmotic stress.     

Dynamic genome-scale modeling of Saccharomyces cerevisiae unravels mechanisms for ester formation during alcoholic fermentation

Fermentation employing Saccharomyces cerevisiae has produced alcoholic beverages and bread for millennia. More recently, S. cerevisiae has been used to manufacture specific metabolites for the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Among the most important of these metabolites are compounds associated with desirable aromas and flavors, including higher alcohols and esters. Although the physiology of yeast has been well-studied, its metabolic modulation leading to aroma production in relevant industrial scenarios such as winemaking is still unclear. Here we ask what are the underlying metabolic mechanisms that explain the conserved and varying behavior of different yeasts regarding aroma formation under enological conditions? We employed dynamic flux balance analysis (dFBA) to answer this key question using the latest genome-scale metabolic model (GEM) of S. cerevisiae. The model revealed several conserved mechanisms among wine yeasts, for example, acetate ester formation is dependent on intracellular metabolic acetyl-CoA/CoA levels, and the formation of ethyl esters facilitates the removal of toxic fatty acids from cells using CoA. Species-specific mechanisms were also found, such as a preference for the shikimate pathway leading to more 2-phenylethanol production in the Opale strain as well as strain behavior varying notably during the carbohydrate accumulation phase and carbohydrate accumulation inducing redox restrictions during a later cell growth phase for strain Uvaferm. In conclusion, our new metabolic model of yeast under enological conditions revealed key metabolic mechanisms in wine yeasts, which will aid future research strategies to optimize their behavior in industrial settings.     

三株植物促生木霉的固体发酵工艺优化

【背景】木霉是广泛分布于自然界中的一类真菌,能产生多种酶类和次生代谢产物,具有促进植物生长、提高土壤肥力、拮抗多种土传病原菌等作用。【目的】优化3株植物根际促生真菌(长枝木霉MD30、桔绿木霉JS84及贵州木霉NJAU4742)的固体发酵条件,探究不同发酵条件对木霉产孢量的影响,为木霉菌的生产提供参考。【方法】采用单因素试验和响应面法,对3种木霉在不同发酵条件下的产孢量进行测定并优化,分析了氮源添加、初始pH、物料厚度、接种量、温度等因子对固体发酵的影响。【结果】单因素试验表明,长枝木霉MD30、桔绿木霉JS84与贵州木霉NJAU4742固体发酵时,最佳发酵温度均为28℃、最优木霉菌液接种量均为10%、物料发酵厚度均为3.0 cm,但最佳的初始物料pH与氨基酸水解液添加量有所不同,其中,长枝木霉MD30与贵州木霉NJAU4742发酵最佳的初始pH值为5.0,而桔绿木霉JS84为3.0;长枝木霉MD30与贵州木霉NJAU4742发酵最佳的氨基酸水解液添加量为10%,而桔绿木霉JS84为5%。通过试验分析,确定初始pH、物料厚度、温度为影响产孢量的3个重要因素。响应面分析得到最佳发酵条件：...     

灵芝液态发酵胞内外多糖结构特征及其活性研究进展

灵芝是一味传统的中药材,具有很高的药用价值,多糖是其主要的活性成分之一,可从其子实体、孢子粉、发酵菌丝体和胞外液中获得。近年来,从灵芝菌丝体和胞外液中发现的多糖越来越得到研究者们的关注。本文从发酵培养基成分及发酵条件对灵芝胞内外多糖的影响、灵芝胞内外多糖的结构、灵芝胞内外多糖生物活性3个方面进行综述,为发酵来源灵芝多糖的开发利用提供科学理论依据。     

非洲哈茨木霉LMNS-M9的鉴定、生物学特性及其对藜麦的促生作用

【背景】藜麦作为风靡全球的功能性食品,其种子内生非洲哈茨木霉的研究尚未见报道。【目的】从藜麦种子中筛选出有抑菌活性的内生真菌,分析其抑菌和促生作用。【方法】通过形态学及ITS、tef1和rpb2基因序列等方法对筛选出的内生真菌进行鉴定;采用平板对峙和平板倒扣等方法测定内生真菌的抑菌活性;利用盆栽试验测定内生菌株对藜麦生长的影响。【结果】综合形态学特征和系统发育分析结果,确定菌株LMNS-M9为非洲哈茨木霉(Trichoderma afroharzianum)。30℃、pH 5.0和镁离子适宜菌株LMNS-M9菌丝生长和产孢;葡萄糖、乳糖、蛋白胨、磷酸二氢钾适宜菌株LMNS-M9菌丝生长;葡萄糖、硝酸铵、磷酸氢二钾适宜菌株LMNS-M9产孢。菌株LMNS-M9对Botrytis cinerea、Ascochyta caulina、Fusarium citri、Alternaria alternata和Trichothecium roseum的抑制率分别为12.53%、51.96%、52.38%、59.25%和62.04%,挥发物的抑制率分别为35.86%、61.54%、33.33%、41...     

耐高温亚硝酸盐降解菌的分离、鉴定及降低雪茄烟叶亚硝胺的应用

【背景】烟草特有亚硝胺(tobacco-specific nitrosamines, TSNAs)是烟草于调制和发酵阶段产生的一类致癌物质,由烟草生物碱与氮氧化物发生亚硝化反应生成,生物碱和亚硝酸盐是TSNAs的直接前体物质。【目的】发掘适用雪茄高温发酵且显著降低TSNAs形成与积累的微生物。【方法】以TSNAs前体物质亚硝酸盐的高效降解为目标,对从雪茄烟叶分离得到的烟草源微生物菌株进行高温培养、亚硝酸盐降解及亚硝酸盐耐受能力研究,得到可于50℃高效降解亚硝酸盐及耐受高浓度亚硝酸盐的微生物菌株,将菌株应用于雪茄烟叶高温发酵35 d,对发酵前后亚硝酸盐、TSNAs、常规化学成分和中性香味成分含量进行测定,分析菌株在雪茄烟叶发酵中对TSNAs含量及烟叶品质的影响。【结果】获得了3株于50℃高效降解亚硝酸盐的菌株NY7、NY8和NY9,分别鉴定为莫海威芽孢杆菌(Bacillus mojavensis) NY7、耐盐芽孢杆菌(Bacillus halotolerans) NY8和枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis) NY9,其中B. halotolerans NY8亚硝酸盐降解能...