Effect of yeast cell disruption on ADH activity for redox reactions with in situ cofactor regeneration in a continuous solid/gas bioreactor

It has recently been demonstrated that dried cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were able to produce alcohols and aldehydes in a solid/gas reactor with in situ cofactor regeneration. Since diffusion of gaseous substrates may be limited by the membrane and cell wall, cell disruption by sonication was used to improve oxidoreduction with ethanol and butyraldehyde as substrates. Results showed that partial cell disruption enhances the maximum conversion yield with the best results obtained after 2 min of sonication. Beyond this time, the ADH activity decreased. Better stability was observed in the pellet obtained after centrifugation indicating the importance of cell environment for enzyme stability. Tests on purified mitochondria showed that the ADH activity in cells was mainly cytoplasmic. The addition of oxidized cofactor did not change either the activity or the stability of the catalyst in a gaseous medium. The effect of water activity was studied on material obtained after 2 min of disruption and a reduction of critical water activity needed for revealing enzymatic activity was observed. With increasing a_w, the enzyme was active at a_w=0.3 while a water activity of 0.4 was required before disruption. Nevertheless, the best compromise between activity and stability was obtained in both cases for a water activity of 0.57.     

Esterification of 2-methylalkanoic acids Catalysed by Lipase from Candida rugosa: Enantioselectivity as a Function of water Activity and Alcohol Chain Length

Esterifications catalysed by immobilised lipase from Candida rugosa (CRL) in cyclohexane at constant water activity (a_w = 0.76) were studied using 2-methyl substituted octa-, nona- or decanoic acids and n-alcohols of varying chain length as substrates. The importance of controlling the water activity and choosing the right alcohol for obtaining maximum enantioselectivity is demonstrated. The immobilised lipase was easily recovered without loss of activity and enantioselectivity.     

Micellar catalysis of polyphenol oxidase in AOT/cyclohexane

The catalytic behaviour of mushroom polyphenol oxidase has been studied in dioctylsulphosuccinate (AOT)/cyclohexane reverse micelles. The steady-state conditions were accomplished up to 20 min and 17 μg protein in the assay towards 4-methylcatechol and no loss of specific activity was observed relative to aqueous medium. The pH activity profile of the enzyme was kept in reverse micelles as in water, showing a plateau between 5 and 6.5. The stability of polyphenol oxidase to pH was also studied and about 20% inactivation was found in reverse micelles relative to aqueous medium at neutral pHs. Moreover there was a decrease of stability at acidic pHs. The optimum W_o obtained was 20 and the enzyme was nearly independent of the surfactant concentration at constant W_o.

Kinetic studies of polyphenol oxidase towards several substrates showed that the substrate inhibition by p-cresol and 4-methylcatechol observed in buffer was not kept in AOT/cyclohexane reverse micelles. Moreover, the K_m increased and the catalytic efficiency (V/K_m) of the enzyme decreased as the hydrophobicity of substrates was increased.     

Thermal stability enhancement of Candida rugosa lipase using ionic liquids

The thermal stability of Candida rugosa (C. rugosa) lipase was investigated and compared in n-hexane, benzene, dibutyl-ether as well as [bmim]PF₆ and [omim]PF₆ ionic liquids and the effect of solvent polarity and water activity were evaluated. Deactivation of the enzyme followed a series-type kinetic model. First order deactivation rate constants and the ratios of specific activities were determined and the kinetics of deactivation were studied. Among the organic solvents, the best stability was observed in n-hexane with a half-life of 6.5 h at water activity of 0.51. In ionic liquids, however, even longer half lives were obtained, and the enzyme was stable in these solvents at 50°C. The highest half-life times were obtained in [bmim]PF₆ (12.3 h) and [omim]PF₆ (10.6 h). A direct correlation was found between solvent polarity and thermal stability since the higher the polarity of the solvent, the lower was the stability decrease at 50°C comparing to that at 30°C.     

不同细胞破碎方法对无细胞蛋白表达系统细胞抽提物活性的影响

无细胞蛋白表达系统由于能够有效表达膜蛋白等有毒性蛋白,因此近二十年受到了关注,其蛋白表达产率有了显著的提高。细胞抽提物活性的高低是无细胞蛋白表达系统高效运行的关键,若找到简单易行的活性评估方法,将大大降低成本及时间。葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶 (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, G-6-PDH)是糖代谢的戊糖磷酸途径中的关键调控酶,该酶可以被用来评估细胞抽提物的活性。以G-6-PDH的活性为指标对无细胞蛋白表达系统中的抽提物活性进行评价,并利用G-6-PDH活性评价体系对机械破碎、高压破碎以及超声破碎三种破碎方法进行了比较,得出了三种破碎方法的最佳破碎条件。机械破碎最佳破碎条件是5 000r/min, 用直径0.1 mm玻璃珠,破碎6次;高压破碎的最佳破碎压力为1 300bar;超声破碎最佳破碎条件是功率强度为总功率的60%,破碎30次。酶活性测定结果显示机械破碎和超声破碎得到的抽提物活性比高压破碎得到的抽提物活性略高。     

超声波对铜绿微囊藻与蛋白核小球藻生理特征及竞争生长的影响

铜绿微囊藻是常见的水华蓝藻,常常在湖泊中与蛋白核小球藻共存或竞争生长。超声波可用于藻华即时治理,能够降低藻类生理活性,影响藻类生长,还可能改变藻类种间竞争关系。为了探究超声胁迫(35 kHz,0.035 W·cm^-3)对铜绿微囊藻与蛋白核小球藻的生理特征及种间竞争的影响,本研究设置纯藻组和1:1混合组(细胞浓度比)进行试验。结果表明: 铜绿微囊藻对超声胁迫更加敏感。超声处理600 s后,铜绿微囊藻的光合活性(F_v/F_m)和酯酶活性存在显著变化,纯藻组和混合组的F_v/F_m分别降低了51.8%和64.7%。而各组中蛋白核小球藻的光合活性变化较小。同时,铜绿微囊藻释放的荧光溶解性有机物(类色氨酸、类酪氨酸、类富里酸物质)含量多于蛋白核小球藻。两种藻的细胞浓度对超声波的响应也不同,蛋白核小球藻变化较小,而铜绿微囊藻的细胞浓度出现不同程度的下降。尤其是600 s超声处理大幅降低了混合组中铜绿微囊藻的细胞浓度(-42.6%),在超声胁迫解除后的8 d内蛋白核小球藻占优势,种间关系由铜绿微囊藻单边抑制蛋白核小球藻转变为两者互相抑制。在超声处理后,铜绿微囊藻的活性能够逐渐恢复,为了提高控藻效果的持久性,建议在一周后再次进行超声处理。     

The role of hydration in enzyme activity and stability: 2. Alcohol dehydrogenase activity and stability in a continuous gas phase reactor

The degree of enzyme hydration is the one of the most important factors which can affect enzyme activity and stability in water-limited environments. Alcohol dehydrogenase from baker's yeast (YADH) has been used as a model enzyme to study the effects of hydration on activity, stability, and cofactor stability with gas phase substrates. In all cases, the enzyme is essentially inactive until a temperature-independent degree of surface coverage by water molecules has been reached. The critical water content corresponds to 40-50% of a single monolayer. Careful control of the degree of hydration, by adjustments to gas humidity and temperature, enables the enzyme to be stabilized for periods exceeding 1 month, whereas in water the half-life of the enzyme is 30 min. The reaction with gas phase substrates follows a pseudo-first-order mechanism with an activation energy of 7.5 +/- kcal/mol, which is almost half of that in aqueous solution. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Purification and characterization of an enantioselective carbonyl reductase from Candida viswanathii MTCC 5158

A highly enantioselective carbonyl reductase produced by a new yeast strain Candida viswanathii MTCC 5158, which was isolated using an acetophenone enriched medium, has been purified and characterized. The enzyme has been purified to near homogeneity using ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The molecular properties of the carbonyl reductase suggested the native enzyme to be tetrameric, with an apparent molecular weight of 120 kDa, the monomer being about 29 kDa. Acetyl aryl ketones were found to be the preferred substrates for the enzyme and the best reaction was the enantioselective reduction of acetophenone. The enzyme yielded (S)-alcohol in preference to (R)-alcohol and utilized NADH, but not NADPH as the cofactor. The purified enzyme exhibited maximum enzyme activity at pH 7.0 and 60 °C. The enzyme retained about 80% of its activity after 7 h incubation at 25 °C in sodium phosphate buffer (50 mM, pH 7.0). The addition of reducing agents like dithiothreitol and β-mercaptoethanol enhanced the enzyme activity while organic solvents, detergents and chaotropic agents had deleterious effect on enzyme activity. Metal chelating agents like hydroxyquinoline and o-phenanthroline have significant effect on enzyme activity suggesting that the carbonyl reductase required the presence of a tightly bound metal ion for activity or stability. The maximum reaction rate (V_max) and apparent Michaelis–Menten constant (K_m) for acetophenone and NADH were 59.21 μmol/(min mg) protein and 0.153 mM and 82.64 μmol/(min mg) protein and 0.157 mM at a concentration range of 0.2–2 mM acetophenone (NADH fixed at 0.5 mM) and 0.1–0.5 mM NADH (acetophenone fixed at 2 mM), respectively.     

依赖PQQ甲醇脱氢酶对底物催化专一性差的原因分析

采用甲基营养杆菌NO .2为实验菌株 ,经超声波破细胞 ,酸处理 ,DEAE 纤维素和CM 纤维素柱层析等改进的纯化程序 ,可得到比活力为 12 .5u/mg的甲醇脱氢酶 (MDH)样品。该酶在测活系统中除能氧化甲醇等醇类化合物外 ,还能以较大速率氧化氯化铵、甲胺、脲等物质 ,MDH对不同底物亲和力的差异性主要取决于其辅基吡咯喹啉醌 (PQQ)与底物的结合力。甲醇脱氢酶与底物结合前后在特定区域的光谱有一定的差异性     

Microbial cell disruption methods for efficient release of enzyme L-asparaginase

Abstract

The efficacy of a simple laboratory method for cell disruption based on the glass bead stirring, sonication, osmotic shock, freezing and grinding, or use of solvents and detergents was assessed in this study, via measurements of the release of total protein and L-asparaginase activity. Three different microbial sources of L-asparaginase were used: Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), Leucosporidium muscorum, and Aspergillus terreus (CCT 7693). This study adjusted and identified the best procedure for each kind of microorganism. Sonication and glass bead stirring led to obtaining filamentous fungus cell-free extracts containing high concentrations of soluble proteins and specific activity; however, sonication was the best since it obtained 4.61?±?0.12?IU?mg^?1 after 3?min of operation time. Mechanical methods were also the most effective for yeast cell disruption, but sonication was the technique which yielded a higher efficiency releasing 7.3 IUtotal compared to glass bead stirring releasing 2.7 IUtotal at the same operation time. For bacterium, sonication proved to be the best procedure due to getting the highest specific activity (9.01?IU?mg^?1) and total enzyme activity (61.7?IU). The data presented lead to conclude that the mechanical methods appeared to be the most effective for the disintegration of the all microbial cells studies. This is the first report related to the experimental comparison of L-ASNase extraction procedures from different microorganisms, which can also be used for extracting periplasm located enzymes from other organisms.     

Some kinetic properties of polyphenol oxidase from Thymbra spicata L. var. spicata

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) of Thymbra (Thymbra spicata L. var. spicata) was isolated by (NH₄)₂SO₄ precipitation and dialysis. A diphenolase from Thymbra plant, active against 4-methylcatechol, catechol and pyrogallol was characterized in detail in terms of pH and temperature optima, stability, kinetic parameters and inhibition behaviour towards some general PPO inhibitors. 4-Methylcatechol was the most suitable substrate, due to the lowest K_m and the biggest V_max/K_m values, followed by catechol and pyrogallol. The Thymbra PPO had maximum activity at pH 5.0, 7.0 and 8.0 with 4-methylcatechol, catechol and pyrogallol substrates, respectively. The optimum temperature of activity for Thymbra PPO was 30, 40 and 50 °C for 4-methylcatechol, catechol and pyrogallol substrates, respectively. It was found that optimum temperature and pH were substrate-dependent studied. The enzyme activity decreased due to heat denaturation of the enzyme with increasing temperature and inactivation time. Inhibition of Thymbra PPO was investigated with inhibitors such as l-cysteine and glutathione using 4-methylcatechol, catechol and pyrogallol as substrates. It was found that l-cysteine was a more effective inhibitor than glutathione owing to lower K_i. The type of inhibition depended on the origin of the PPO studied and also on the substrate used. Furthermore, the IC₅₀ values of inhibitors sudied on PPO were determined by means of activity percentage (I) diagrams.     

A kinetic study of almond-β-glucosidase catalysed synthesis of hexyl-glycosides in low aqueous media: Influence of glycosyl donor and water activity

A variety of alkyl and aryl glycosides were investigated as substrates for almond β-glucosidase catalysed synthesis of hexyl-β- -glycosides in low aqueous hexanol media. The rate-limiting step in the organic media was determined to be the glycosylation of the enzyme. The kinetic constants V_max, K_m (glycosyl donor) and V_max/K_m were all influenced by the water activity and they all increased in value with increasing water activity. The increase in V_max/K_m was mainly determined by the increase in V_max and a plot of log(V_max/K_m) versus water activity resulted in a straight line with similar slopes for all glycosides but with different absolute values and thus the most reactive substrate p-nitrophenyl glucoside was the best one in the entire water activity range studied (0.53–0.96). The preference for the two competing acceptors, hexanol and water, was not affected by the aglycon part of the glucoside. Surprisingly, the ratio between trans glycosylation and hydrolysis increased with increasing water activity. A decrease in water activity caused an increase in equilibrium yield of hexyl glycoside, as expected, but was not beneficial for the kinetically controlled yield.     

Tyrosinase activity in reversed micelles

The hydroxylase and oxidase activities of mushroom tyrosinase were studied in both sodium di-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT)/isooctane and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/hexane/chloroform reversed micelles. The enzyme presented its highest activity when the water to surfactant molar ratio (W ₀) was 20 for both systems. When entrapped in the AOT reversed micelles, the enzyme activity decreased with the increase in AOT concentration at a constant W ₀, and the enzyme not only presented a higher reaction rate related to its oxidase activity but also a shorter lag period related to its hydroxylase activity. The relation between water activity and W ₀ revealed that enzyme activity in reversed micelles was more related to the size of the micelles which was determined by W ₀ and less to the water activity. Tyrosinase in CTAB reversed micelles showed potential for the analysis of o-diphenols.     

Purification and activation of a recombinant histidine-tagged pro-transglutaminase after soluble expression in Escherichia coli and partial characterization of the active enzyme

Pro-transglutaminase from Streptomyces mobaraensis was expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein carrying a C-terminal histidine tag (pro-MTG-His₆). The recombinant organism was cultivated in 15 L bioreactor scale and pro-MTG-His₆ was purified by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. Activation of the inactive pro-enzyme using trypsin resulted in an unexpected degradation of the transglutaminase and a concomitant loss of activity. Therefore, a set of commercially available proteases was investigated for their activation potential without destroying the target enzyme. Besides trypsin, chymotrypsin and proteinase K were found to activate but hydrolyze the (pro-MTG-His₆). Cathepsin B, dispase I, and thrombin were shown to specifically hydrolyze pro-MTG-His₆ without deactivation. TAMEP, the endogeneous protease from S. mobaraensis was purified for comparison and also found to activate the recombinant histidine-tagged transglutaminase without degradation. The TAMEP activated MTG-His₆ was purified and characterized. The specific activity (23 U/mg) of the recombinant histidine-tagged transglutaminase, the temperature optimum (50 °C), and the temperature stability (t_1/2 at 60 °C = 1.7 min) were comparable to the wild-type enzyme. A C-terminal peptide tag did neither affect the activity nor the stability but facilitated the purification. The purification of the histidine-tagged protein is possible before or after activation.     

Effect of (6R)- and (6S)-tetrahydrobiopterin on L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) formation in NRK fibroblasts transfected with human tyrosine hydroxylase type 2 cDNA

-erythro-5,6,7,8-Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH₄), which is the cofactor of aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, plays an important role in the biosyntheses of monoamine neurotransmitters. BH₄ exists as natural (6R)- and unnatural (6S)-isomers. In our previous reports, only (6R)-isomer significantly stimulated cofactor activity for tyrosine, tryptophan and phenylalanine hydroxylases (TH, TPH, PAH) in whole animals or in tissue slices. In this study we have compared the in situ cofactor activity on TH between natural (6R)- and unnatural (6S)-isomers in clonal cells. We have transfected human TH type 2 cDNA into the normal rat kidney (NRK) fibroblasts. These cells expressed TH protein, but had neither DOPA decarboxylase (DDC) nor BH₄. Thus, TH activity was observed only in the presence of exogenous BH₄. We compared the difference in in situ DOPA formation by TH activity in the presence of (6R)- or (6S)-BH₄ in the human TH-transfected cells. The effect of exogenous BH₄ was also compared between (6R)- and (6S)-isomers in rat pheochromocytoma PC12h cells, which contained approximately 100 μM endogenous (6R)-BH₄. The rate of uptake of both BH₄ isomers into these cells increased in proportion to the pterin cofactor concentrations in the incubation medium up to 400 μM but was nearly saturated at 1 mM BH₄. TH-transfected NRK fibroblasts formed DOPA only in the presence of exogenously added (6R)- or (6S)-BH₄ dose-dependently and released DOPA into the medium. At a saturating concentration of 1 mM, (6R)-BH₄ was approximately three times as active as (6S)-BH₄. In contrast, in PC12h cells which contained endogenous (6R)-BH₄ (approximately 100 μM), exogenous (6R)-BH₄ activated DOPA formation maximally at 500 μM about 10-fold, while (6S)-BH₄ activated it only slightly, about 2.5-fold. These results suggest that (6S)-isomer has lower cofactor activity with TH in the cells than (6R)-isomer. This TH transfected fibroblasts should be useful to assess cofactor activities of tetrahydropteridines in the cell.     

Optimization of storage conditions for adequate shelf-life of 'pesta' formulation of Fusarium oxysporum 'foxy 2', a potential mycoherbicide for Striga: Effects of temperature, granule size and water activity

An adequate shelf-life of mycoherbicidial products is an essential requirement for their acceptance and commercialization. Therefore, attempts were made to study the effects of temperature, granule size, and water activity (R.H./100) on the viability of the encapsulated propagules of Fusarium oxysporum 'Foxy 2' in 'Pesta' granules during storage. 'Pesta' granules were made with different inocula of Foxy 2, including: microconidia; mixture of mycelia and microconidia; fresh and dried chlamydospore-rich biomass. Two sizes of each granular preparation (0.5-2 and 0.25-0.5 mm) were stored in the refrigerator at 4°C as well as at room temperature (21±3°C) for 1 year. Additional samples were also stored at water activities (a_w) of 0.12 and 0.41 at 25°C. Regardless of the type of formulated propagules and the granule size, all samples stored at 4°C maintained a significantly higher viability compared to those kept under room temperature. At 4°C, the 'Pesta' preparations with the larger granule size (0.5-2 mm) maintained more viable propagules than those with the smaller one (0.25-0.5 mm) in case of microconidia, mycelia plus microconidia and fresh chlamydospore inoculum after 1 year of storage. Granule size did not affect the viability of the dried chlamydospores. At 25°C, shelf-life of all 'Pesta' granules was significantly prolonged when stored at a low water activity of 0.12 compared to the storage at 0.41 a_w. The results of the combined effect of water activity and temperature also revealed clearly that all formulated propagules in 'Pesta' granules retained a significantly higher viability when stored at 0.62 a_w and 4°C than at 0.12 a_w and 25°C, indicating the most pronounced effect of storage temperature.     

Esterification of Short Chain Organic Acids with Alcohols by a Lipase Microencapsulated in Reversed Micelles

A Mucor miehei lipase was used to catalyse the esterification reaction between propionic acid and oleyl alcohol in reversed micelles of AOT in isooctane. Small-scale model studies were performed to study the influence of various parameters on the formation of oleyl propionate by this lipase. The maximum synthetic activity was obtained at w₀ = 4.0. At high temperatures (65°C) the enzyme displays a better stability for a low water content (w₀ = 3.3). The specificity of lipase was influenced by the solubilized water in the reversed micelles.     

Factors influencing the operational stability of NADPH-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase and an NADH-dependent variant thereof in gas/solid reactors

The continuous enzymatic gas/solid bio-reactor serves both for the production of volatile fine chemicals and flavors on an industrial scale and for thermodynamically controlled investigation of substrate and water effects on enzyme preparations for research purposes. Here, we comparatively investigated the molecular effects on the operational stability of NADPH-dependent Lactobacillus brevis alcohol dehydrogenase and an NADH-dependent variant thereof, LbADH G37D, in the gas/solid bioreactor. The reference reaction is the reduction of acetophenone to (R)-1-phenylethanol with concomitant oxidation of 2-propanol to acetone for the purpose of regeneration of the redox cofactor.It could be clearly shown that not the thermostability of the cofactor, but the thermostability of the proteins in the solid dry state govern the order of magnitude of the operational stability of both purified enzymes in the gas/solid reactor at low thermodynamic activity of water and substrate. However, at higher thermodynamic activity the operational stability in the gas/solid reactor is overlaid by stabilizing and destabilizing effects of the substrates that require further investigation. We demonstrated first evidence that the substrate affinity of the two variants in the gas/solid reactor is similar to the affinity in aqueous medium. We could also show that partial unfolding of the proteins with subsequent aggregation are the factors governing protein thermo-in-stability both in the dissolved and in the dry state. Thus, stability investigations of enzymes in the dry state are suggested to predict their basal level of operational stability in gas/solid reactions.     

Dependence of Lipase Activity on Water Content and Enzyme Concentration in Reverse Micelles

The activity of Candida rugosa lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) in reverse micelles has been measured at various concentrations of water and enzyme with the aim of answering the question, why is the enzyme activity affected by the molar ratio of water to surfactant (w₀ = [H₂O]/[Surfactant])? In the low range of water content (below w₀ ≈ 6), the activity increases with increasing water content, indicating the requirement of a minimum amount of water for the full expression of enzymatic activity. The minimal w₀-value for obtaining maximal activity depends on the enzyme concentration: The higher the enzyme concentration, the higher w_{0, max}. In addition, it was found that, at least for the case of Candida rugosa lipase, the measured dependence of enzyme activity on w₀ does not represent a true chemical equilibrium. Changing the w₀-value during the reaction does not change the activity as expected on the basis of the w₀-activity profile obtained for single w₀ point measurements. All these observations, however, cannot be directly generalized to all enzymes in reverse micelles, due to the peculiarity of lipase. In particular, the enzyme seems to inactivate irreversibly during the solubilization process.     

Characteristics of galactomannanase for degrading konjac gel

Galactomannanase (Glmnase) is an enzyme product derived from Aspergillus niger. The activity of Glmnase degrading (hydrolyzing) the konjac gel were investigated. Significant loss in the enzyme activity was found when the temperature above 60 °C. Similar observations were obtained when the reaction pH above 5. Further increase in the pH value resulted in entirely loss of enzyme activity at the alkaline pH region (pH 8.0 and above). The optimal hydrolyzing temperature and pH were at 60 °C and 5.0, respectively. For the stability test, the purified Glmnase increased its thermostability up to 70 °C at pH 5.0, but it retained only about 60% activity after 60 min incubation at this temperature and its activity became zero after 20 min incubation at 80 °C. The Glmnase was stable at the pH range from 3.0 to 7.0 at room temperature and retained at least 80% activity for 60 min. For the storage temperature test, the lyophilized Glmnase still conserved about 90% activity during 7 days at 30 °C, and was higher than about 80% at 4 °C. The K_m and V_max, were 0.018 mg/ml konjac powder and 0.20 mg/ml reducing sugar per min, respectively.