A Novel and Simple Method for the Purification of Extracellular Levansucrase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zymomonas mobilis</Emphasis>

A new and simple method for the purification of extracellular levansucrase from Zymomonas mobilis from highly viscous fermentation broth was developed. After incubation of the fermentation broth with a fructose-polymer cleaving enzyme preparation (Fructozyme, Novozymes, DK) for 48 h, levansucrase precipitated as aggregates and was redissolved in a 3 M urea solution. By ongoing size-exclusion chromatography on Sephacryl S-300 the final levansucrase preparation was purified 100-fold and exhibited a specific activity of 25–35 U/mg_protein. The levansucrase was stable in 3 M urea solution for at least four months without inactivation. To maximize the enzyme yield the dynamic changes of extracellular levansucrase activity during fermentation were investigated. The highest levansucrase activity was observed during the logarithmic phase of growth (15–19 h of fermentation).Received: 26 September 2002 / Accepted: 24 October 2002     

Properties of levansucrase fromBacillus circulans

A polysaccharide-producing bacterium was isolated from cane sugar. It was identified asBacillus circulans and produced levansucrase at pH and temperature optima of 5–7 and 40°C respectively. The enzyme is extracellular and inducible with sucrose. It possesses initial hydrolytic and transferase activities that can be altered by modifying reaction conditions. Levansucrase was recovered from the fermentation broth by extraction with polyethylene glycol (1500 Da). Further purification resulted in an enzyme with a molecular mass of 52 kDa and a pI of 4.7. At high sucrose concentration (300 mM), the transferase activity but not the hydrolase activity were inhibited. Levan increased the transferase activity but had no effect on the hydrolytic activity. The levansucrase had high transferase activity with maltose, galactose and lactose and moderate activity towards sorbitol and glycerol.     

An influence of ethanol and temperature on products formation by different preparations of Zymomonas mobilis extracellular levansucrase

The ethanol and temperature effects on the ratio between Zymomonas mobilis 113S extracellular levansucrase activities were studied using fermentation broth supernatant, ??levan?Clevansucrase?? sediment precipitated by ethanol and highly purified enzyme. The fructooligosaccharide (FOS) production at different temperatures in the presence of ethanol was investigated. An ethanol increases FOS biosynthesis activity part of levansucrase. Especially, this effect was pronounced at lower temperatures (35?C40?°C) and using purified levansucrase. The inverse relationship between temperature and ratio synthetic activity/total activity of levansucrase was found. The FOS composition containing mostly 1-kestose, 6-kestose, and neokestose obtained in the presence of different ethanol concentrations was found relative constant, while the changes in the sucrose concentration and temperature gave slight changes in the ratio between 1-kestose and 6-kestose.     

Extracellular secretion of levansucrase from Zymomonas mobilis in Escherichia coli

Secretion of levansucrase from Zymomonas mobilis in Escherichiacoli by glycine supplement was investigated. A significant amount of levansucrase (about 25% of total activity) was found in intact whole-cells. Cell fractionation experiments showed that levansucrase was found both in the periplasmic space and in the cytoplasmic fraction of E. coli. None or only trace amounts of levansucrase was detected in the extracellular culture broth at 24 h of cultivation and it accrued with the increasing concentration of glycine in the culture medium and duration of the culture period. Optimal glycine concentration for the maximum secretion of levansucrase was in the range of 0.8-1%, in which approximately 20-50% of levansucrase was released into the extracellular fraction at 24 h of cultivation, although glycine retarded the bacterial growth.     

Production and separation of alpha-agarase from Altermonas agarlyticus strain GJ1B

This paper presents results on the production of alpha-agarase by a fermentation process and its separation using membrane microfiltration (MF). Optimization of fermentation conditions for alpha-agarase production using Altermonas agarlyticus grown on medium containing agar as a carbon source was done in batch, fed-batch and continuous fermentations. Continuous culture at a dilution rate of 0.03 h(-1) appeared to be best suited for production of alpha-agarase by this organism. At 0.03 h(-1) dilution rate, enzyme activity was 0.9 U/ml. Clarification of broth was done using a hollow-fibre microfiltration membrane. The influence of hydrodynamic parameters on permeate flux and enzyme activity was studied. The best performance was obtained with prefiltered fermentation broth. A stable permeate flux of about 250-270 ml/min.m2 and an enzyme retention rate between 0% and 25% was obtained at temperatures between 6 degrees C and 22 degrees C, transmembrane pressure of 100 mm Hg and fluid cross-flow velocity of 4 x 10(-2) m/s. From the experiments on concentration of fermentation broth, the best compromise between enzyme activity transmission and permeate flux was obtained at a concentration factor of 2.     

Production of multiple extracellular enzyme activities by novel submerged culture of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus kawachii</Emphasis> for ethanol production from raw cassava flour

Cassava is a starch-containing root crop that is widely used as a raw material in a variety of industrial applications, most recently in the production of fuel ethanol. In the present study, ethanol production from raw (uncooked) cassava flour by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) using a preparation consisting of multiple enzyme activities from Aspergillus kawachii FS005 was investigated. The multi-activity preparation was obtained from a novel submerged fermentation broth of A. kawachii FS005 grown on unmilled crude barley as a carbon source. The preparation was found to consist of glucoamylase, acid-stable α-amylase, acid carboxypeptidase, acid protease, cellulase and xylanase activities, and exhibited glucose and free amino nitrogen (FAN) production rates of 37.7 and 118.7 mg/l/h, respectively, during A. kawachii FS005-mediated saccharification of uncooked raw cassava flour. Ethanol production from 18.2% (w/v) dry uncooked solids of raw cassava flour by SSF with the multi-activity enzyme preparation yielded 9.0% (v/v) of ethanol and 92.3% fermentation efficiency. A feasibility study for ethanol production by SSF with a two-step mash using raw cassava flour and the multi-activity enzyme preparation manufactured on-site was verified on a pilot plant scale. The enzyme preparation obtained from the A. kawachii FS005 culture broth exhibited glucose and FAN production rates of 41.1 and 135.5 mg/l/h, respectively. SSF performed in a mash volume of about 1,612 l containing 20.6% (w/v) dry raw cassava solids and 106 l of on-site manufactured A. kawachii FS005 culture broth yielded 10.3% (v/v) ethanol and a fermentation efficiency of 92.7%.     

Microbial production of levansucrase for synthesis of fructooligosaccharides and levan

A newly isolated thermophilic bacterial strain from Tunisian thermal source was identified as Bacillus sp. and was selected for its ability to produce extracellular levansucrase. Following the optimization of carbon source, nitrogen source, temperature and initial pH of the growth medium in submerged liquid cultures. In fact, sucrose was found to be a good inducer of levansucrase enzymes. The optimal temperature and pH of the levansucrase were 50°C and 6.5, respectively and its activity increased four folds in the presence of 50mM Fe(2+). This enzyme exhibited a remarkable stability and retained 100% of its original activity at 50°C for more than 1h at pH 6.5. The half-life of the enzyme was 1h at 90°C. Crude enzyme of Bacillus sp. rich in levansucrase was established for the synthesis of fructooligosaccharides and levan. Bacillus sp. could therefore be considered as a satisfactory and promising producer of thermostable levansucrases. Contrary to other levansucrases, the one presented in the current study was able to produce high levels of levan with high molecular weight at 50°C and having an important effect as a hypoglycemic agent which was demonstrated in our previous publications (Dahech et al., 2011 [25]) and as a hypo-cholesterolemic agent which will be investigated in further research.     

一株近玫色锁掷酵母的分离鉴定及其产胞外乳糖酶性质的研究

从广州徐闻农垦丰收农场土壤样品中分离到一株产乳糖酶菌株,结合菌株形态特征和ITS基因序列同源性分析结果,表明该菌株为Saccharomycetes sp.的未定种,其系统分类学关系与近玫色锁掷酵母Sporidiobolus pararoseus strain AUMC 7791(JQ425362.1)最近,故命名为:近玫色锁掷酵母XWSP1(Sporidiobolus pararoseus XWSP1),该菌种保藏号为CCTCC NO:M2019119。该菌发酵液能水解邻硝基酚-β-D-半乳糖苷生成黄色的邻硝基酚,具有产乳糖酶性能。优化了该菌株发酵培养条件,结果表明:该菌株在蛋白胨15 g/L、酵母粉20 g/L、半乳糖20 g/L和初始pH 7.0的培养基中,以1×106 CFU/mL接种浓度、4%接种比例,28℃180 r/min恒温振荡培养54 h时,菌株分泌的胞外乳糖酶具有最高的活力。酶学性质初步研究结果表明,该胞外乳糖酶在pH 7.0的反应条件下酶活力最高,Ca^2+、Mn^2+、Mg^2+和Cu^2+对酶活有不同程度抑制作用,其中Cu^2+对酶活抑制作用最强。     

Kinetic characterization of the extracellular xylanases of Thermomonospora sp

This study deals with characterizing the extracellular xylanases produced by a strain of the thermophilic bacterial genus Thermomonospora. Supernatant from centrifuged fermentation broth was used as a crude enzyme preparation. From pH 5.5 to pH 7.7 the temperature optimum based on a 10-min assay of activity was 80 degrees C. The crude enzyme had a half-life of approximately 1 month when stored at 55 degrees C at pH 6.5. The enzyme produced a mixture of xylose oligomers from xylan, with xylobiose occuring in greatest quantity on a molar basis. Only trace quantities of xylose were produced by this hydrolysis.     

Gene cloning, characterization, and heterologous expression of levansucrase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

Although levan produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is known to have efficient immunostimulant property which gives 100% survival of common carp when infected with Aeromonas hydrophila, no detailed reports are available describing kinetic studies of d-glucose production and levan formation. In this study, we cloned and characterized the enzymatic kinetics using levansucrase expressed in Escherichia coli. Optimum pH for d-glucose production and levan formation was 6.0 and 8.0, respectively, whereas optimum temperature was 30°C and 4°C, respectively. The K _m and V _max values for levansucrase were calculated to be 47.81 mM sucrose and 57.47 μmole/min mg protein, respectively. Prominent expression of levansucrase was obtained through xylose induction in Bacillus megaterium, where most of the His₆-tagged protein was secreted into the culture broth, giving levansucrase activity of 12,906 U/l. Response-surface methodology (RSM) was further employed to optimize the fermentation conditions and improve the level of levansucrase production. Maximum levansucrase activity of 20,251 U/l was obtained in 12 h of fermentation carried out at 28°C, starting induction with 0.735% xylose when A ₆₀₀ was 1.2, which was 1.6- and 62-fold higher than those obtained in the nonoptimized conditions for the recombinant strain and the native strain, respectively.     

Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of cellulose: Effect of ethanol and cellulases on particular stages

The effects of ethanol and Trichoderma reesei cellulase on the saccharification and fermentation processes as well as the tolerance of the cellulase complex for ethanol have been investigated. The studies were conducted with respect to their usefulness in the process of simulataneous saccharification and fermentation of cellulose to ethanol. The following results were obtained. (1) Fermentative activity of Kluyveromyces fragilis yeasts was gradually depressed with increasing intial ethanol concentrations and temperature of fermentation between 35–46°C. (2) Crude cellulase preparation introduced to the culture broth to a final enzyme activity of 0.5 to 2.0 FPU/ml had not distinct effect on the biomass production, ethanol yield, and glucose uptake by yeasts in 48 h fermentation at 43°C. On the other hand, only a negligible decrease in the cellulase complex activity was observed during fermentation process. (3) Saccharification of wheat straw was inhibited by at least 1% w/v ethanol. (4) The enzymes of the cellulase system showed a high stability to exposure to ethanol for 48 h at 43°C.     

Influence of growth conditions on the production of a nisin-like bacteriocin by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis A164 isolated from kimchi

The influence of growth parameters on the fermentative production of a nisin-like bacteriocin by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis A164 isolated from kimchi was studied. The bacteriocin production was greatly affected by carbon and nitrogen sources. Strain A164 produced at least 4-fold greater bacteriocin in M17 broth supplemented with lactose than other carbon sources. The amount of 3% yeast extract was found to be the optimal organic nitrogen source. While the maximum biomass was obtained at 37 degrees C, the optimal temperature for the bacteriocin production was 30 degrees C. The bacteriocin production was also affected by pH of the culture broth. The optimal pH for growth and bacteriocin production was 6.0. Although the cell growth at pH 6.0 was nearly the same level at pH 5.5 and 6.5, the greater bacteriocin activity was observed at pH 6.0. Exponential growth took place only during an initial period of the cultivation, and then linear growth was observed. Linear growth rates increased from 0.160 g(DCW) x l(-1) x h(-1) to 0.245 g(DCW) x l(-1) x h(-1) with increases in lactose concentrations from 0.5 to 3.0%. Maximum biomass was also increased from 1.88 g(DCW) x l(-1) to 4.29 g(DCW) x l(-1). However, increase in lactose concentration did not prolong the active growth phase. After 20 h cultivation, cell growth stopped regardless of lactose concentration. Production of the bacteriocin showed primary metabolic kinetics. However, bacteriocin yield based on cell mass increased greatly during the late growth phase. A maximum activity of 131x10(3) AU x ml(-1) was obtained at early stationary growth phase (20 h) during the batch fermentation in M17L broth (3.0% lactose) at 30 degrees C and pH 6.0.     

Development of crossflow filtration processes for the commercial-scale isolation of a bacterial lipase

Isolation of a lipase produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MW 29,000) employed crossflow microfiltration for production of a cell-free enzyme solution and crossflow ultrafiltration for concentration of the enzyme and removal of low molecular weight impurities. Poor flux and enzyme permeation were measured during initial screening of various microfiltration membrane types for isolation of the enzyme from a peptonized-milk-based broth; the results suggested that a soluble broth component was forming a gel layer which controlled both hydraulic flux and enzyme permeation. Reformulation of the fermentation medium resulted in enhanced performance, obtaining fluxes of 40 l/h m² and enzyme permeation of 50% on hydrophilically-modified PVDF membranes and resulted in a feasible clarification process. Enzyme permeation remained constant with respect to activity in the feed, rather than being proportional to activity in the retentate; it was hypothesized that this resulted from a concomitant concentration of the gel-forming components with cell concentration. Concentration of the clarified enzyme solution was performed using 30 000 MWCO regenerated cellulose membranes. Complete enzyme retention and high flux (57 l/h m²) were maintained through a 130-fold concentration of the microfiltrate. As both systems were taken to the 100 and 1000 l scales, similar filtration performances were obtained with system hold-up volume and pump cavitation becoming important considerations at the larger scales. Excellent reproducibility was observed in a series of eight large-scale experiments.     

Purification and characterization of dihydrofolate reductase from Lactobacillus leichmannii

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) (5,6,7,8-THF: NADDP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.5.1.3) was purified 205-fold to apparent homogeneity from the crude extracts of Lactobacillus leichmannii. It has UV absorption maxima at 280 nm, M(r) of 20,000, Stokes radius of 0.34 nm and a S20.w value of 0.12 S. The preparation showed the presence of 168 amino acid residues with threonine and lysine as the NH2- and COOH- terminal end-groups respectively and a single reactive sulfhydryl group. pCMB inhibited the enzyme activity (IC50 = 2 microM). The enzyme has a pH optimum of 7.4 and is thermally inactivated at > 35 degrees C. It is activated by 0.1 M KCl and KI and 2 M urea. 3-4 M urea completely inactivated the enzyme. Enzyme has Km values of 3.5 microM and 6.2 microM for NADPH and DHF respectively, and a Ki value of 7 nM for MTX, the inhibition being competitive.     

Thermostable, alkalophilic and cellulase free xylanase production by Thermoactinomyces thalophilus subgroup C

Thermoactinomyces thalophilus produced cellulase free extracellular endo-1,4-beta-xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8) at 50 degrees C and pH 8.5. Maximum xylanase production was achieved in fermentation medium using birchwood xylan as substrate after 96 h of growth at 50 degrees C. Other agricultural substrates such as wheat bran, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse and cornstover produced less xylanase. The crude enzyme preparation from mutant T. thalophilus P2 grown under optimised fermentation conditions showed no cellulase contamination and maximum xylanase activity of 42 U/ml at 65%deg;C and pH 8.5-9.0. This enzyme with initial xylanase activity of 42 U/ml was found thermostable up to 65 degrees C and retaining 50% of its activity after its incubation for 125 min at 65 degrees C.     

Leakage of recombinant penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli by adding chloroform under fermentation conditions

A simple method was developed to release periplasmic penicillin G acylase from Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) during the fermentation process. More than 80% of the total penicillin G acylase was released into the broth when 3% (v/v) chloroform was added at 3 h after induction. The activity of extracellular penicillin G acylase reached 20699 U/l. This method was efficient and would facilitate further investigation of penicillin G acylase for industrial applications.     

Cloning and expression of levansucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512 FMC in Escherichia coli

Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-512 FMC produces dextran and levan using sucrose. Because of the industrial importance of dextrans and oligosaccharides synthesized by dextransucrase (one of glycansucrases from L. mesenteroides), much is known about the dextransucrase, including expression and regulation of gene. However, no detailed report about levansucrase, another industrially important glycansucrase from L. mesenteroides, and its gene was available. In this paper, we report the first-time isolation and molecular characterization of a L. mesenteroides levansucrase gene (m1ft). The gene m1ft is composed of 1272-bp nucleotides and codes for a protein of 424 amino acid residues with calculated molecular mass of 47.1 kDa. The purified protein was estimated to be about 51.7 kDa including a His-tag based on SDS-PAGE. It showed an activity band at 103 kDa on a non-denaturing SDS-PAGE, indicating a dimeric form of the active M1FT. M1FT levan structure was confirmed by NMR and dot blot analysis with an anti-levan-antibody. M1FT converted 150 mM sucrose to levan (18%), 1-kestose (17%), nystose (11%) and 1,1,1-kestopentaose (7%) with the liberation of glucose. The M1FT enzyme produced erlose [O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-fructofuranoside] as an acceptor product with maltose. The optimum temperature and pH of this enzyme for levan formation were 30 degrees C and pH 6.2, respectively. M1FT levansucrase activity was completely abolished by 1 mM Hg2+ or Ag2+. The Km and Vmax values for levansucrase were calculated to be 26.6 mM and 126.6 micromol min-1 mg-1.     

Production of phytate-hydrolysing enzyme by some fungi

Eighty-four fungi from twenty five species have been examined for the production of extracellular enzymes capable of hydrolysing phytate (3-phytase, myo-inositol hexakisphosphate 3-phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.8, and 6-phytase, myo-inositol hexakisphosphate 6-phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.26) when grown in: (1) rapeseed meal (RSM); (2) a semisynthetic medium containing phytate as the sole phosphorus source (PSM); (3) potato dextrose broth (PDB). Although 58 active strains showed substantial activity, results in either of the media were of no value in indicating activity in RSM. There was no relationship between the ability of a fungus to hydrolyse phytate and its taxonomic position. Aspergillus ficuum NRRL 3135 had the greatest activity in the synthetic medium, and was relatively active in RSM. The extracellular enzyme had maximum activity after 10 days growth in PSM and had a temperature optimum of 55°C. Two pH optima were noted at pH 2.0 and 5.5. Inorganic phosphate inhibited enzyme production; ammonia ions were a better nitrogen source than nitrate or urea.     

High-level expression and characterization of a highly thermostable chitosanase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus fumigatus</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis>

The sequence of an endo-chitosanase gene (CSN) from Aspergillus fumigatus was optimized based on the preferred codons of Pichia pastoris and synthesized in vitro through overlapping PCR (CSN-P). The gene was cloned into a yeast expression vector, pHBM905A, and secretorily expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. The yield of CSN-P reached ~3 mg/ml with a high-density fermentation in a 14 l fermenter and the enzyme activity was ~25,000 U/ml. The enzyme had half-lives of 2.5 h at 80°C, 1 h at 90°C and 32 min at 100°C. It retained 70% activity after incubation with 10 M urea at room temperature for 30 min. This enzyme was used for a large-scale preparation of oligosaccharides: 3 g enzyme converted 200 kg chitosan into oligosaccharides in 24 h at 60°C.     

Influence of intra- and extracellular sucrases of Zymomonas mobilison the ethanol production and by-product formation

A spontaneous mutant of Zymomonas mobilis LS1A lacking intracellular sucrase SacA was isolated from a levan-sucrase mutant of Z. mobilis LS1. The intracellular sucrase SacA does not have a role in sucrose hydrolysis and fermentation. The amount of the extracellular levansucrase SacB produced by the strain B-806 was about one third of the total sucrase activity. In the absence of the SacB, the strains LS1 and LS1A did not produce levan during sucrose fermentation. The extracellular sucrase SacC was sufficient for the complete hydrolysis of sucrose for fermen-tation. The low hydrolysis rate of sucrose was responsible for the increased amount of ethanol production (37.5 g/l to 44.2 g/l) and the decreased amount of sorbitol production (4.5 g/l to 1.2 g/l) by the strains LS1 and LS1A.