Modulation of the Purine Pathway for Riboflavin Production in Flavinogenic Recombinant Strain of the Yeast Candida famata

Riboflavin (vitamin B₂) is an indispensable nutrient for humans and animals, since it is the precursor of the essential coenzymes flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), involved in variety of metabolic reactions. Riboflavin is produced on commercial scale and is used for feed and food fortification purposes, and in medicine. Until recently, the mutant strains of the flavinogenic yeast Candida famata were used in industry for riboflavin production. Guanosine triphosphate is the immediate precursor of riboflavin synthesis. Therefore, the activation of metabolic flux toward purine nucleotide biosynthesis is a promising approach to improve riboflavin production. The phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase and phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate amidotransferase are the rate limiting enzymes in purine biosynthesis. Corresponding genes PRS3 and ADE4 from yeast Debaryomyces hansenii are modified to avoid feedback inhibition and cooverexpressed on the background of a previously constructed riboflavin overproducing strain of C. famata. Constructed strain accumulates twofold more riboflavin when compared to the parental strain.     

Sensitive monitoring of riboflavin in commercial multivitamins using poly (chitosan)‐based nanocomposite

The rapid and sensitive determination of riboflavin (RF) is important for the treatment of seborrheic and glossitis dermatitis, sunlight sensitivity, mucosal, and skin disorders. In this work, an electrochemical sensor was developed by electrodes modification using poly (chitosan) to sensitive detection of RF in commercial multivitamin. Electrodeposition of chitosan on the surface of glass carbon electrode was performed using cyclic voltammetry technique in the range of ?1 to +1 V. The modified electrode surface morphology was characterized using a high‐resolution field emission scanning electron microscope. The modified electrode was used as an effective electrical interface for the detection of RF using cyclic, differential pulse, and square wave voltammetry techniques. Finally, the sensor was applied to determine RF in commercial multivitamins. In optimum conditions, the linear range for the standard sample of RF and commercial multivitamins 94 to 333μM and 24.6 to 176μM were obtained, respectively. Low limit of quantification (LLOQ) were obtained as 24.6μM.     

基于不同氮源培养条件的巴氏芽孢杆菌脲酶功能转录组分析

巴氏芽孢杆菌是源于土壤的革兰氏阳性菌,人们利用其高效的脲酶活性诱导产生碳酸钙的现象开发了多种应用场景.然而,巴氏芽孢杆菌的生物矿化相关代谢机制还不够明确,尤其是对在矿化作用中发挥核心作用的脲酶基因结构、表达调控机制及关联代谢等方面的研究相对较少.当前,巴氏芽孢杆菌应用研究中面临的矿化反应不可控性及不稳定性等问题都源于脲酶代谢机制的研究匮乏.因此,进一步揭示巴氏芽孢杆菌脲酶的基因信息、表达调控机制及相关代谢机理迫在眉睫.本文通过转录组测序,对比了4种培养条件下巴氏芽孢杆菌的生长情况和基因表达情况,解析了脲酶的代谢机制,结果进一步证明ATP合成与脲酶表达及尿素水解相关联,最终预测了脲酶的双操纵子结构.     

Recent update on lactic acid bacteria producing riboflavin and folates: application for food fortification and treatment of intestinal inflammation

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), widely used as starter cultures for the fermentation of a large variety of food, can improve the safety, shelf life, nutritional value and overall quality of the fermented products. In this regard, the selection of strains delivering health-promoting compounds is now the main objective of many researchers. Although most LAB are auxotrophic for several vitamins, it is known that certain strains have the capability to synthesize B-group vitamins. This is an important property since humans cannot synthesize most vitamins, and these could be obtained by consuming LAB fermented foods. This review discusses the use of LAB as an alternative to fortification by the chemical synthesis to increase riboflavin and folate concentrations in food. Moreover, it provides an overview of the recent applications of vitamin-producing LAB with anti-inflammatory/antioxidant activities against gastrointestinal tract inflammation. This review shows the potential uses of riboflavin and folates producing LAB for the biofortification of food, as therapeutics against intestinal pathologies and to complement anti-inflammatory/anti-neoplastic treatments.     

细菌中2-甲基柠檬酸循环研究进展

2-甲基柠檬酸循环广泛分布于细菌中,参与丙酸或丙酰-CoA的分解代谢。我们一直致力于微生物代谢调控方面的研究,并以苏云金芽胞杆菌为研究对象在2-甲基柠檬酸循环的代谢调控及生理功能方面取得了新的进展。本文将从2-甲基柠檬酸循环关键酶基因的组成、关键酶基因的转录调控和该循环参与的生理功能3个方面介绍细菌中2-甲基柠檬酸循环的研究进展。同时,对该循环研究中存在的相关科学问题和未来的研究重点作简要评述,并对该循环关键酶作为药物靶标在病原菌感染防治方面的应用进行展望。     

1H, 13C and 15N resonance assignments of YajG, an Escherichia coli protein of unknown structure and function

The ampG gene codes for a permease required to uptake anhydro-muropeptides into bacterial cytoplasm. Located upstream in the same operon, is another 579-base-pair-long open reading frame encoding a putative lipoprotein YajG, whose nearly complete ¹H,¹³C,¹⁵N assignments are reported here.     

微生物源脂肽的生物合成和分子调控

微生物源脂肽具有抑制真菌和细菌的生长、抗病毒和抗肿瘤等多种生物活性,在农业生物防治、临床医疗、环境治理等多种领域具有巨大的应用潜力。然而,低产量一直是影响其推广应用的瓶颈。深入了解脂肽合成的关键因素和调控策略对于提高其产量和纯度至关重要。本文概括了3大家族脂肽surfactin、fengycin和iturin的结构、功能及应用前景,介绍了NRPS和NRPS-PKS两种合成系统的结构域和功能,阐释了脂肽生物合成过程中侧链脂肪酸的合成、脂肪酸的活化及与氨基酸的连接、肽链的延伸和环化三个阶段的模块组装和酶催化活动,以及三大家族脂肽合成操纵子开放阅读框的组成;总结了导入或缺失关键基因、定点突变、模块替换、强启动子替换、修饰前体路径等多种遗传操作对脂肽产量的影响,以及群体感应肽信息素、sigma因子等全局调控因子对脂肽合成基因表达的调节。指出利用多组学联用深入探讨脂肽合成的全局分子调控机制和加强结构域蛋白互作和分子动力学研究是提高脂肽产量和纯度以及创造新脂肽的理论基础,提出了利用基因组装和编辑等合成生物学方法及代谢工程技术提高脂肽产量和挖掘新型脂肽靶向性的可能途径,为推进脂肽的生产和应用进程提供科学参考。     

An experimental and theoretical study of the inhibition of Escherichia coli lac operon gene expression by antigene oligonucleotides

Previously, we have developed a genetically structured mathematical model to describe the inhibition of Escherichia coli lac operon gene expression by antigene oligos. Our model predicted that antigene oligos targeted to the operator region of the lac operon would have a significant inhibitory effect on beta-galactosidase production. In this investigation, the E. coli lac operon gene expression in the presence of antigene oligos was studied experimentally. A 21-mer oligo, which was designed to form a triplex with the operator, was found to be able to specifically inhibit beta-galactosidase production in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast to the 21-mer triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO), several control oligos showed no inhibitory effect. The ineffectiveness of the various control oligos, along with the fact that the 21-mer oligo has no homology sequence with lacZYA, and no mRNA is transcribed from the operator, suggests that the 21-mer oligo inhibits target gene expression by an antigene mechanism. To simulate the kinetics of lac operon gene expression in the presence of antigene oligos, a genetically structured kinetic model, which includes transport of oligo into the cell, growth of bacteria cells, and lac operon gene expression, was developed. Predictions of the kinetic model fit the experimental data quite well after adjustment of the value of the oligonucleotide transport rate constant (9.0 x 10(-)(3) min(-)(1)) and oligo binding affinity constant (1.05 x 10(6) M(-)(1)). Our values for these two adjusted parameters are in the range of reported literature values.     

Mitochondrial oxidative metabolism during respiratory infection in riboflavin deficient mice

Studies in children and mice have shown that respiratory infection alters riboflavin metabolism, resulting in increased urinary loss of this vitamin. This could be due to mobilization of riboflavin from the liver to blood because liver Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) levels were lowered in the mice during infection. To understand the functional implications of lowered hepatic FAD levels during respiratory infection, flavoprotein functions such as oxidative phosphorylation and β-oxidation of the liver mitochondria were examined during infection in mice. Weanling mice were fed either riboflavin-restricted or control diet for 18 days and then injected with a sublethal dose of Klebsiella pneumoniae. During infection, the state 3 respiratory rate with palmitoyl-L-carnitine and glutamate were significantly lowered (27–29%) in the riboflavin-restricted group, whereas in the control group 10% reduction was observed with palmitoyl-L-carnitine as substrate. A 22% reduction in the respiratory control ratio with palmitoyl-L-carnitine as substrate was observed during infection in the riboflavin-restricted group. The β-oxidation of palmitoyl-L-carnitine was significantly lowered (29%) in the riboflavin-restricted infected group. The results of the study suggest that the effects of infection on vital physiologic functions were more pronounced in the riboflavin-restricted mice than in the control mice. © Elsevier Science Inc. 1999     

Genes encoding light-harvesting and reaction center proteins from Chromatium vinosum

Sequencing of a 3.4 kb DNA fragment isolated from the photosynthetic purple sulfur bacterium Chromatium vinosum and of PCR products has resulted in identification of the Chr. vinosum pufL, pufM, and pufC genes, reading from the 5 to the 3 direction, and coding, respectively, for the L, M and cytochrome c subunits of the reaction center of this bacterium. Other PCR products have been used to obtain complete sequences for the pufB and pufA genes, located immediately upstream from pufL and encoding the apoproteins of two Chr. vinosum light- harvesting proteins. The 3-portion of the bchZ gene, a gene that codes for a protein involved in the biosynthesis of bacteriochlorophyll, has been located immediately upstream from pufB. A second pufB gene, pufB2, has been located downstream from pufC, as has the 5-portion of a second pufA gene, pufA2. The location of a second set of pufB and pufA genes, encoding light- harvesting proteins, downstream from pufC has not previously been reported for any photosynthetic bacterium. Translation of the gene sequences encoding these Chr. vinosum light-harvesting proteins reveals both similarities to and differences from the amino acid sequences, obtained from direct sequencing of the apoproteins, previously reported for Chr. vinosum light-harvesting proteins. Translation of these gene sequences, and of those for pufL, pufM and pufC, revealed significant homology, at the amino acid level, to the corresponding peptides of photosynthetic purple non-sulfur bacteria.