Expression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> AppA2 phytase in four yeast systems

To develop an effective fermentation system for producing Escherichia coliphytase AppA2, we expressed the enzyme in three inducible yeast systems: Saccharomyces cerevisiae (pYES2), Schizosaccharomyces pombe (pDS472a), and Pichia pastoris (pPICZ A), and one constitutive system: P. pastoris (pGAPZA). All four systems produced an extracellular functional AppA2 phytase with apparent molecular masses ranging from 51.5 to 56 kDa. During 8-day batch fermentation in shaking flasks, the inducible Pichia system produced the highest activity (272 units ml^–1 medium), whereas the Schizo. pombesystem produced the lowest activity (2.8 units ml^–1). The AppA2 phytase expressed in Schizo. pombehad 60–75% lower K_mfor sodium phytate and 28% higher heat-stability at 65 °C than that expressed in other three systems. However, all four recombinant AppA2 phytases had pH optimum at 3.5 and temperature optimum at 55 °C and similar efficacy in hydrolyzing phytate–phosphate from soybean meal.Revisions requested 18 November 2004; Revisions received 7 January 2005     

卡氏德巴利酵母植酸酶在毕赤酵母中的异源表达及优化

【背景】植酸是一种能螯合金属离子和蛋白质的有机磷类化合物,广泛存在于植物组织中,影响动物对营养元素的吸收。在饲料中加入植酸酶可有效降解植酸。【目的】构建毕赤酵母异源表达卡氏德巴利酵母(Debaryomyces castellii,D. castellii)植酸酶的菌株,促进卡氏德巴利酵母植酸酶的研究及工业应用。【方法】将卡氏德巴利酵母植酸酶基因进行密码子优化后转入毕赤酵母GS115中,通过筛选多拷贝、敲除蛋白酶、过表达分子伴侣及转运蛋白的方法获取优势菌株。【结果】所得重组菌株GS115/DCphy(ΔPep4)(BFR2)的产酶酶活是低拷贝菌株的7倍。【结论】研究结果为卡氏德巴利酵母植酸酶的异源表达及潜在工业应用提供了一定的指导。     

High-level expression of recombinant phospholipase C from Bacillus cereus in Pichia pastoris and its characterization

The phospholipase c (plc) gene from Bacillus cereus was cloned into the pPICZC vector and integrated into the genome of Pichia pastoris. The phospholipase C (PLC) when expressed in P. pastoris was fused to the -factor secretion signal peptide of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and secreted into a culture medium. Recombinant P. pastoris X-33 had a clear PLC band at 28.5 kDa and produced an extracellular PLC with an activity of 678 U mg^–1 protein which was more than a recombinant P. pastoris GS115 (552 U mg^–1 protein) or KM71H (539 U mg^–1 protein). The PLCs were purified using a HiTrap affinity column with a specific activity of 1335 U mg^–1 protein by P. pastoris GS115, 1176 U mg^–1 protein by P. pastoris KM71H and 1522 U mg^–1 protein by P. pastoris X-33. The three recombinant PLCs had high PLC activity in the low pH range of 4-5 and higher thermal stability (e.g. stable at 75 °C) than the wild-type PLC from B. cereus. Some organic solvents, surfactants and metal ions, e.g. methanol, acetone, Co²⁺ and Mn²⁺ etc., also influenced the activity of the recombinant PLCs.     

Improvement of succinate production by overexpression of a cyanobacterial carbonic anhydrase in Escherichia coli

Succinate fermentation was investigated in Escherichia coli strains overexpressing cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. 7120 ecaA gene encoding carbonic anhydrase (CA). In strain BL21 (DE3) bearing ecaA, the activity of CA was 21.8 U mg⁻¹ protein, whereas non-detectable CA activity was observed in the control strain. Meanwhile, the activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) increased from 0.2 U mg⁻¹ protein to 1.13 U mg⁻¹ protein. The recombinant bearing ecaA reached a succinate yield of 0.39 mol mol⁻¹ glucose at the end of the fermentation. It was 2.1-fold higher than that of control strain which was just 0.19 mol mol⁻¹ glucose. EcaA gene was also introduced into E. coli DC1515, which was deficient in glucose phosphotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate:formate lyase. Succinate yield can be further increased to 1.26 mol mol⁻¹ glucose. It could be concluded that the enhancement of the supply of HCO₃⁻ in vivo by ecaA overexpression is an effective strategy for the improvement of succinate production in E. coli.     

Characteristics and applications of recombinant thermostable amylopullulanase of Geobacillus thermoleovorans secreted by Pichia pastoris

The 3′-deleted amylopullulanase gene from the extreme thermophile Geobacillus thermoleovorans (Gt-apuΔC) was expressed extracellularly in Pichia pastoris under both methanol-inducible AOX1 and constitutive GAP promoters. The expression of the gene (Gt-apuΔC) was higher under GAP promoter (36.2 U ml⁻¹, α-amylase; 33.5 U ml⁻¹, pullulanase) than that under AOX1 promoter (32.5 and 28.6 U ml⁻¹). The heavily glycosylated Gt-apuΔC from the recombinant P. pastoris displays higher substrate specificity, thermal stability and starch saccharification efficiency than that expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme hydrolyses maltotriose and maltotetraose unlike that expressed in E. coli. The enzyme action on wheat bran liberates maltose and glucose without detectable amount(s) of maltooligosaccharides. The sugars released from wheat bran (glucose and maltose) could be fractionated by ultrafiltration, as confirmed by TLC and HPLC analysis. This is the first report on the production of recombinant amylopullulanase extracellularly in P. pastoris.

     

Utilization of phytate by some yeasts

Summary Of 21 yeast strains screened for ability to hydrolyse phytic acid salts, nine strains grew on sodium phytate as sole source of inorganic phosphate. Of the five most interesting strains for their growth parameters tested and for their phytase activity in batch-culture,Schwanniomyces castellii CBS 2863 had the highest phytase activity in presence of 5 g phytate I^–1.     

A Novel Phytase appA from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrobacter amalonaticus</Emphasis> CGMCC 1696: Gene Cloning and Overexpression in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis>

A novel phytase gene appA, with upstream and downstream sequences from Citrobacter amalonaticus CGMCC 1696, was cloned by degenerate polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and thermal asymmetric interlaced (TAIL) PCR and was overexpressed in Pichia pastoris. Sequence analysis revealed one open reading frame that consisted of 1311 bp encoding a 436–amino-acid protein, which had a deduced molecular mass of 46.3 kDa. The phytase appA belongs to the histidine acid phosphatase family and exhibits the highest identity (70.1%) with C. braakii phytase. The gene was overexpressed in P. pastoris. The secretion yield of recombinant appA protein was accumulated to approximately 4.2 mg·mL⁻¹, and the enzyme activity level reached 15,000 U·mL⁻¹, which is higher than any previous reports. r-appA was glycosylated, as shown by Endo H treatment. r-appA was purified and characterized. The specific activity of r-appA for sodium phytate was 3548 U·mg⁻¹. The optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity were 4.5 and 55°C, respectively. r-appA was highly resistant to pepsin or trypsin treatment. This enzyme could be an economic and efficient alternative to the phytases currently used in the feed industry.     

Effect of culture medium composition on Trichoderma reesei’s morphology and cellulase production

The objective of this study was to determine how fungal morphology influences the volumetric cellulase productivity of Trichoderma reesei cultured in four media with lactose and lactobionic acid as fed-batch in a 7 L stirred tank bioreactor. The use of a cellulose–yeast extract culture medium yielded the highest enzyme production with a volumetric enzyme activity of 69.8 U L⁻¹ h⁻¹, and a maximum fungal biomass of 14.7 g L⁻¹. These findings were associated with the following morphological characteristics of the fungus: total mycelia was 98% of total mean projected area, mean hyphae length of 10 mm, mean hyphae volume of 45.1 mm³, mean hyphae diameter of 7.9 μm, number of branches 9, and number of tips per hypha 29. A positive correlation was found between the total mycelia, the number of tips and the volumetric enzyme productivity, indicating the weight of these variables on the enzyme productivity.     

Expression of HBsAg and preS2-S protein in different yeast based system: A comparative analysis

We have expressed both S and preS2-S genes coding for the hepatitis B small (S) and medium (M) proteins, respectively, in different yeast based expression systems and compared the production level of the recombinant proteins. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, viral genes were expressed under the inducible Gal10/cyc1 and the constitutive PGK promoters using 2 μ replicating vectors. We showed that the yield of S protein was higher than M protein under both inducible (14.27 vs 10.9 mg/l) and constitutive (9.18 vs 6.39 mg/l) conditions, respectively. In the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris, the viral genes were expressed in GS115 (Mut⁺: Methanol Utilizing) and KM71 (Mut^S: Methanol Utilizing Slow) under the control of the alcohol oxidase promoter (AOX1). In Mut^S background, both S and preS2-S genes were expressed at higher levels than in Mut⁺. In attempt to increase the yield of recombinant viral proteins in S. cerevisiae, we have co-expressed both inducible and constitutive vectors harboring the S or preS2-S genes leading to recombinant strains called UTS (containing pDP/S + pYePIT/S) and UTP (containing pDP/preS2-S + pYePIT/preS2-S). We showed that the recombinant S and preS2-S proteins were successfully detected and the production level reached 18.31 mg/l for the S and 13.22 mg/l for the M proteins.Our comparative study provides evidence that in small scale, S. cerevisiae is more suitable for HBsAg and preS2-S proteins production than P. pastoris under inducible rather than constitutive condition.     

Karlotoxin mediates grazing by Oxyrrhis marina on strains of Karlodinium veneficum

Karlodinium veneficum is a common member of temperate, coastal phytoplankton assemblages that occasionally forms blooms associated with fish kills. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the cytotoxic and ichthyotoxic compounds produced by K. veneficum, karlotoxins, can have anti-grazing properties against the heterotrophic dinoflagellate, Oxyrrhis marina. The sterol composition of O. marina (>80% cholesterol) renders it sensitive to karlotoxin, and does not vary substantially when fed different algal diets even for prey that are resistant to karlotoxin. At in situ bloom concentrations (10⁴–10⁵ K. veneficum ml⁻¹), grazing rates (cells ingested per Oxyrrhis h⁻¹) on toxic K. veneficum strain CCMP 2064 were 55% that observed on the non-toxic K. veneficum strain MD5. At lower prey concentrations typical of in situ non-bloom levels (<10³ cells ml⁻¹), grazing rates (cells ingested per Oxyrrhis h⁻¹) on toxic K. veneficum strain CCMP 2064 were 70–80% of rates on non-toxic strain MD5. Growth of O. marina was significantly suppressed when fed the toxic strain of K. veneficum. Experiments with mixed prey cultures, where non-toxic strain MD5 was fluorescently stained, showed that the presence of toxic strain CCMP 2064 inhibited grazing of O. marina on the co-occurring non-toxic strain MD5. Exogenous addition of a sub-lethal dose (100 ng ml⁻¹) of purified karlotoxin inhibited grazing of O. marina by approximately 50% on the non-toxic K. veneficum strain MD5 or the cryptophyte S. major. These results identify karlotoxin as an anti-grazing compound for those grazers with appropriate sterol composition (i.e., desmethyl sterols). This strategy is likely to be an important mechanism whereby growth of K. veneficum is uncoupled from losses due to grazing, allowing it to form ichthyotoxic blooms in situ.     

Recombinant human fibrinogen expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris was assembled and biologically active

Fibrinogen is a large plasma glycoprotein with a molecular mass of 340 kDa that plays a critical role in the final stage of blood coagulation. Human plasma fibrinogen is a dimeric molecule comprising two sets of three different polypeptides (Aα, 66 kDa; Bβ, 55 kDa; γ, 48 kDa). To express recombinant human fibrinogen in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris, we constructed an expression vector containing three individual fibrinogen chain cDNAs under the control of the mutated AOX2 (mAOX2) promoter. First, P. pastoris GTS115 was transformed with the vector, but the expressed recombinant fibrinogen suffered severe degradation by yeast-derived proteases under conventional nutrient culture conditions. Fibrinogen degradation was prevented by using the protease A-deficient strain SMD1168 as a host strain and regulating the pH of the culture to between 5.5 and 7.0. Western blot analysis revealed that the Aα, Bβ and γ chains of recombinant fibrinogen were assembled and secreted as a complete molecule. The Bβ chain of the recombinant fibrinogen was N-glycosylated but the Aα chain, as in plasma fibrinogen, was not. The γ chains however were heterologous, one being N-glycosylated and the other not. The recombinant fibrinogen was capable of forming a thrombin-induced clot in the presence of factor XIIIa and both the glycosylated and the non-glycosylated γ chains were involved in the formation of cross-linking fibrin. The present study indicates that the recombinant fibrinogen expressed in P. pastoris, although different from plasma fibrinogen in post-translational modification, is correctly assembled and biologically active.     

An acidic and thermostable carboxymethyl cellulase from the yeast Cryptococcus sp. S-2: purification, characterization and improvement of its recombinant enzyme production by high cell-density fermentation of Pichia pastoris

The extracellular carboxymethyl cellulase (CSCMCase) from the yeast, Cryptococcus sp. S-2, was produced when grown on cellobiose. It was purified to homogeneity from the supernatant by ultrafiltration, DEAE-5PW anion exchange column and TSK-Gel G3000SW gel filtration. The purified enzyme was monomeric protein with molecular mass of approximately 34 kDa. The optimum temperature and pH for the action of the enzyme were at 40–50 °C and 3.5, respectively. It was stable at pH range of 5.5–7.5 and retained approximately 50% of its maximum activity after incubating at 90 °C for 1 h. Moreover, it could able to hydrolyze carboxymethyl cellulose sodium salt higher than insoluble cellulose substrate such as Avicel, SIGMACELL^® and CM cellulose. Due to its action at acidic pH and moderately stable at high temperature, the gene encoding carboxymethyl cellulase (CSCMCase) was isolated and improved the enzyme yield by high cell-density fermentation of Pichia pastoris. The CSCMCase cDNA contains 1023 nucleotides and encodes a 341-amino acid. It was successfully expressed under the control of alcohol oxidase I promoter using methanol induction of P. pastoris fermentation in a 2L ABLE bioreactor. The production of the recombinant carboxymethyl cellulases was higher than that from Cryptococcus sp. S-2 of 657-fold (2.75 and 4.2 × 10⁻³ mg protein L⁻¹, respectively) indicating that the leader sequence of CSCMCase has been recognized and processed as efficiently by P. pastoris. Furthermore, the recombinant enzyme was purified in two-step of ultrafiltration and hydrophobic interaction chromatography which would be much more convenient for large-scale purification for successful industrial application.     

Effects of biocontrol agents on Fusarium verticillioides count and fumonisin content in the maize agroecosystem: Impact on rhizospheric bacterial and fungal groups

The present study tested the ability of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Microbacterium oleovorans to reduce Fusarium verticillioides populations and fumonisin accumulation in the maize agroecosystem. The impact of releasing these biocontrol agents on rhizospheric bacterial and fungal groups was also evaluated through isolation and identification of culturable microorganisms. When applied as seed coatings at a concentration of 10⁷ CFU ml⁻¹ both agents were effective in reducing F. verticillioides counts and fumonisin B₁ and B₂ content from maize grains. Rhizospheric counts of the pathogen were also decreased by use of B. amyloliquefaciens at 10⁷ CFU ml⁻¹. Richness and diversity indexes calculated for bacteria and fungi inhabiting the rhizosphere of maize remained unchanged following the addition of both biocontrol agents to seeds. Our research is being continued to further characterize the bacterial and fungal isolates with additional field assays.     

Recombinant Pichia pastoris overexpressing bioactive phytase

Phytase genephyA2, whose signal peptide encoding sequence and intron sequence had been removed, was modified. The Arg-encoding codons CGG and CAG inphyA2 were mutated into synonymous codon AGA. The modifiedphyA2 was fused behind a-factor signal sequence under the control ofAOX1 promoter in plasmid pPIC9, then introduced into the hostPichia pastoris by electroporation. The results of Southern blotting analysis and Northem blotting analysis demonstrated that thephyA2 gene had integrated into the genome ofP. pastoris and transcribed. The result of SDS-PAGE of the phytase expressed by P.pastoris showed that the modifiedphyA2 had been overexpressed and secreted. The concentration of the phytase expressed by P.pastoris with modifiedphyA2 exceeded 15 000 U/mL, which had a 3 000-fold increase over that of originAspergillus niger 963 and was 37 times higher than that of recombinantP. pastoris with non-modifiedphyA2. Project supported by the “863” program, National Science and Technology Commission of China.     

Comparison of surface plasmon resonance and capacitive immunosensors for cancer antigen 125 detection in human serum samples

This paper presents a comparison between surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and capacitive immunosensors for a flow injection label-free detection of cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) in human serum. Anti-CA 125 was immobilized on gold surface through a self-assembled monolayer. Parameters affecting the responses of each system were optimized. Under optimal conditions, SPR provided a detection limit of 0.1 U ml⁻¹ while 0.05 U ml⁻¹ was obtained for the capacitive system. Linearity for SPR was between 0.1 and 40 U ml⁻¹ and 0.05–40 U ml⁻¹ for capacitive system. These immunosensors were applied to analyze CA 125 concentrations in human serum samples and compared with conventional enzyme linked fluorescent assay (ELFA). Both systems showed good agreement with ELFA (P < 0.05). Moreover, these immunosensors were very stable and provided good reproducible responses after regeneration, up to 32 times for SPR and 48 times for capacitive system with relative standard deviation lower than 4%. The SPR immunosensor provided advantages in term of fast response and real-time monitoring while capacitive immunosensor offered a sensitive and cost-effective method for CA 125 detection.     

The effect of blueberry extracts on Giardia duodenalis viability and spontaneous excystation of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, in vitro

The protozoan parasites Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium parvum are common causes of diarrhoea, worldwide. Effective drug treatment is available for G. duodenalis, but with anecdotal evidence of resistance or reduced compliance. There is no effective specific chemotherapeutic intervention for Cryptosporidium. Recently, there has been renewed interest in the antimicrobial properties of berries and their phenolic compounds but little work has been done on their antiparasitic actions. The effect of various preparations of blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) extract on G. duodenalis trophozoites and C. parvum oocysts were investigated. Pressed blueberry extract, a polyphenolic-rich blueberry extract, and a commercially produced blueberry drink (Bouvrage) all demonstrated antigiardial activity. The polyphenol-rich blueberry extract reduced trophozoite viability in a dose dependent manner. At 167 μg ml⁻¹, this extract performed as well as all dilutions of pressed blueberry extract and the Bouvrage beverage (9.6 ± 2.8% live trophozoites remaining after 24 h incubation). The lowest dilution of blueberry extract tested (12.5% v/v) contained >167 μg ml⁻¹ of polyphenolic compounds suggesting that polyphenols are responsible for the reduced survival of G. duodenalis trophozoites. The pressed blueberry extract, Bouvrage beverage and the polyphenolic-rich blueberry extract increased the spontaneous excystation of C. parvum oocysts at 37 °C, compared to controls, but only at a dilution of 50% Bouvrage beverage, equivalent to 213 μg ml⁻¹ gallic acid equivalents in the polyphenolic-rich blueberry extract. Above this level, spontaneous excystation is decreased. We conclude that water soluble extracts of blueberries can kill G. duodenalis trophozoites and modify the morphology of G. duodenalis and C. parvum.     

Characterization of detergent purified recombinant rat liver monoamine oxidase B expressed in Pichia pastoris

The high level expression and purification of rat monoamine oxidase B (rMAOB) in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is reported. Nearly 100 mg of purified rMAOB is obtained from 130 g (wet weight) of cells (0.5 L of culture). The MALDI-TOF mass spectrum of the purified protein shows a single species with a molecular mass of 59.228 ± 0.064 kDa, which agrees with the calculated molecular weight of 59.172 kDa for the rMAOB protein sequence assuming one mole of covalent FAD per mole of the enzyme. Consistent with the MALDI-MS data, purified rMAOB shows a single band near 60 kDa in Coomassie-stained SDS–PAGE gel as well as on Western blot analyses performed using antisera raised against human MAOA and BSA-conjugated FAD. A partial amino acid sequence of the purified protein is confirmed to be that of the wild type rMAOB by in-gel trypsin digestion and MALDI-TOF-MS analyses of the liberated peptide fragments. Steady state kinetic data show that purified rMAOB exhibits a K_m(amine) of 176 ± 15 μM and a k_cat of 497 ± 83 min⁻¹ for benzylamine oxidation, and a K_m(O₂) of 170 ± 10 μM. Kinetic parameters obtained for purified rMAOB are compared with those reported earlier for recombinant human liver MAOB expressed in P. pastoris.     

酒醅来源酵母菌合成异戊醇能力与途径解析

【背景】异戊醇是酵母菌在白酒发酵过程中通过氨基酸合成代谢途径和氨基酸分解代谢途径合成的主要高级醇,其含量影响白酒饮用的舒适度。【目的】分析和比较分离自浓香型白酒酒醅中的酵母菌合成异戊醇的能力,揭示酵母菌合成异戊醇的途径。【方法】从酒醅中分离具有异戊醇合成能力的酵母菌株,比较不同生长时期酵母菌合成异戊醇的能力,通过前体物代谢分析它们合成异戊醇的途径。【结果】分离自酒醅的5株酵母的异戊醇合成能力从强到弱依次为Naumovozyma castellii JP3-1、Saccharomyces cerevisiae JP3、Pichia fermentans JP22、Pichia kudriavzevii JP1和Naumovozyma dairenensis CBS421。这些酵母合成异戊醇的时期主要在对数生长期,N. castellii JP3-1、P. fermentans JP22和N. dairenensis CBS421在稳定生长期也合成异戊醇。S. cerevisiae JP3、N. castellii JP3-1和N. dairenensis CBS421在整个生长时期主要通过Harris途径合成异戊醇;P. kudriavzevii JP1在整个时期主要通过Ehrlich途径合成异戊醇;P. fermentans JP22在对数生长期通过Harris途径和Ehrlich途径合成异戊醇的能力接近,在稳定生长期主要通过Harris途径合成异戊醇。【结论】本研究揭示了酒醅来源5个属种酵母合成异戊醇的途径、能力与其生长时期的关系,研究结果可为解析浓香型白酒发酵过程异戊醇合成、积累机制及实施白酒发酵过程异戊醇合成的精准调控提供理论依据。