Formation of a Tree having a Low Lignin Content

Received 30 September 2001/ Accepted in revised form 26 October 2001     

Applications of Hydrolytic and Decarboxylating Enzymes in Biotransformations

Peptides, and oligosaccharides and glycosides, can be synthesised by making use of the ‘reverse hydrolytic activity’ of proteases and glycosidases respectively. In applying these enzymes to the practical synthesis of these classes of compound, several factors need to be considered, namely the need to shift the rate-determining step through the use of activated substrates, the need to minimise competing hydrolysis of these and the need to minimise hydrolysis of the products. In spite of these problems, the enzymatic methods have many attractive features, not least amongst which is the absolute control of stereochemistry in acyl transfer and glycosyl transfer respectively.     

Lignin degradeation by white rot fungi

Abstract. The wood-degrading white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium , has been the subject of intensive research in recent years and, based upon isolation of the extracellular enzyme ligninase, major advances have now been made toward elucidating the mechanism by which this fungus degrades lignin. From these developments, a model emerges which could explain the process by which wood-degrading fungi in general, attack lignin.     

Determination of taxonomic resolution capacity of conventional one-dimensional SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of whole-cell proteins using Enterobacteriaceae

The capacity of one-dimensional SDS-PAGE of whole bacterial cells to both separate and cluster taxonomic units is studied using members of Enterobacteriaceae as test material. The results show that intraspecies variation can be detected and on the other hand the degree of taxonomic divergence which still can be grouped together is determined. In addition the system has high tolerance to changes in cell culture conditions making the usage of SDS-PAGE suitable for applications where rapid and reliable bacterial identification is needed.     

Methanogenic bacteria as a key factor involved in changes of town gas stored in an underground reservoir

Growth of Phanerochaete chrysosporium in a nitrogen-limited medium buffered with sodium acetate, instead of the commonly used 2,2-dimethylsuccinate (DMS), resulted in quantitative and qualitative differences in the production of various extracellular lignin peroxidases (LIPs) and manganese-dependent peroxidases (MNPs) involved in lignin degradation. The results indicate that production of LIPs and MNPs can be selectively enhanced by manipulation of culture conditions. Partial N-terminal analyses of the major LIPs and MNPs have made it possible to assign a specific protein to the specific genes and cDNAs that have been reported recently. The LIPs and MNPs differed widely in their ability to decolorize various dyes that are known to be degraded by the lignin degrading enzyme system of P. chrysosporium.     

Degradation of diarylethane structures by Pseudomonas fluorescens biovar I

Pseudomonas fluorescens biovar I was isolated from a pulp mill effluent based on its ability to grow on synthetic media containing 1,2-diarylethane structures as the sole carbon and energy source. Analysis of samples taken from cultures of this strain in benzoin or 4,4-dimethoxybenzoin (anisoin), showed that cleavage between the two aliphatic carbons takes place prior to ring fission. Intermonomeric cleavage was also obtained with crude extracts. Substrates of this reaction were only those 1,2-diarylethane compounds that supported growth of the bacterium. The purification and partial characterization of an enzyme that catalyzes the NADH-dependent reduction of the carbonyl group of benzoin and anisoin is also reported.     

Dwarf pea response to gibberellic acid applied to soil through a drip irrigation system,and gibberellic acid biodegradation in soil

Gibberellic acid (29 or 290 M) injected into drip irrigation lines significantly stimulated internode elongation of dwarf peas, and the 290-M soil treatment produced significantly taller plants than did the 29-M treatment. GA₃ uptake may limit GA-induced internode elongation when GA₃ is applied to soil, in contrast to results obtained for hydroponically grown plants, where uptake initially appeared to exceed the rate of hormone metabolism (andersonet al.). It is likely that biodegradation or chemical inactivation limited the plant-availability of GA₃ in the soil. Degradation of moderate GA₃ concentrations in a moist, aerobic loamy fine sand was nearly complete within five days, indicating that the inefficiency of soil applications may outweight the benefits provided by reducing labor costs associated with foliar-spray applications.     

A berberine-aniline blue fluorescent staining procedure for suberin,lignin, and callose in plant tissue

Summary A fluorescent staining procedure to detect suberin, lignin and callose in plants has been developed. This procedure greatly improves on previous methods for visualizing Casparian bands in root exodermal and endodermal cells, and performs equally well on a variety of other plant tissues. Berberine was selected as the most suitable replacement forChelidonium majus root extract after comparing the staining properties of the extract with those of four of its constituent alkaloids. Aniline blue counterstaining efficiently quenched unwanted background fluorescence and nonspecific berberine staining, while providing a fluorochrome for callose. When used with multichambered holders which allow simultaneous processing of freehand sections, this efficient staining procedure facilitates morphological studies involving large numbers of samples.Abbreviations ISCC-NBS Inter-Society Color Council-National Bureau of Standards - UV ultraviolet light     

A mechanistic perspective on bacterial metabolism of chlorinated methanes

Chlorinated methanes are important environmental pollutants, which can be metabolized by bacteria. The biotransformation of chlorinated methanes by bacteria has been shown to be due either to gratuitous metabolism (cometabolism) or their use as a source of carbon and energy. The reactions which result in carbon-halogen bond cleavage include substitutive, reductive, oxygenative, and gem-elimination mechanisms. Certain methylotrophic bacteria can use dichloromethane as a source of carbon and energy. Dichloromethane dehalogenase catalyzes the first substitutive reaction in this metabolism. The enzyme shows a 10¹⁰-fold rate enhancement over the reaction of the bisulfide anion with dichloromethane in water. Pseudomonas putida G786 synthesizes cytochrome P-450_CAM which catalyzes the gratuitous reduction of chlorinated methanes. These studies with purified enzymes are beginning to reveal more detailed mechanistic features of bacterial chlorinated methane metabolism.Abbreviations DNA deoxyribonucleic acid - k_cat catalytic first order rate constant for an enzyme catalyzed reaction - K_M Michaelis constant for an enzyme catalyzed reaction - MNDO modified neglect of diatomic overlap - PIMA pattern induced multialignment - DCMD dichloromethane dehalogenase     

Biodiversity amongst filamentous fungi

Diversities in fungi are manifold. Fungi themselves are heterogeneous and constitute at least three unrelated major taxa. Structural diversity reflects, in most cases, adaptive and functional strategies. Diversity in nucleic acids and chemical compounds is very high in several fungal taxa. Fungi play an essential role in the function of ecosystems. The diversity of plant parasites is extremely high and species-dependent associations exist. Saprobic fungi are most important in wood and litter decay and diverse taxa comprise the main decomposers in specific successional niches. Two dominating symbiotic systems have evolved convergently in various fungal groups, notably lichens and mycorrhizas, both remarkably diverse in their heterotrophic partners.