甲壳素酶学研究现状

本文介绍了甲壳素在生物合成和分解代谢过程中所涉及的相关酶,如甲壳素合成酶、甲壳素水解酶和其它相关酶,讨论了它们在分离纯化、结构鉴定、作用机制与模型、酶的固定化、基因工程以及应用等方面的研究现状和发展,对甲壳素的研究开发以及相关领域具有理论和实际意义。     

甲壳素酶学研究现状

本文介绍了甲壳素在生物合成和分解代谢过程中所涉及的相关酶,如甲壳素合成酶、甲壳素水解酶和其它相关酶,讨论了它们在分离纯化、结构鉴定、作用机制与模型、酶的固定化、基因工程以及应用等方面的研究现状和进展,对甲壳素的研究开发以及相关领域具有理论和实际意义 。     

甲壳素及其衍生物在医药卫生领域中的应用

甲壳素是自然界储存量仅次于纤维素的第二大天然多糖化合物 ,本文综述了其药理作用、在医药卫生方面的应用研究情况 ,如甲壳素抗感染、抗凝血、抗癌及降血脂等作用及在制剂方面的应用等     

甲壳素及其应用

概述了甲壳素的来源,甲壳素、壳聚糖的化学组成及性质。讨论了甲壳素及其衍生物在医学、工业、农业及环保等领域的应用。     

壳聚糖的性质和用途及其在农业上的应用前景

壳聚精（chitosan）为甲壳素（chitin）的降解产物。甲壳素是类似纤维素的生物聚合物,畜量仅次于纤维素,为世界上第二大类有机地合物,广泛存在于动物和真菌中,其中海生的无脊椎动物和昆虫的外壳甲壳素量较多。甲壳累资源丰富,制备简单,在美国和日本生产已经工业化［‘’j。我国沿海地区辽阔,每年捕捞虾蟹数量极多,除虾蟹的可食部分外,还留下大量含有甲壳素的废物。但到目前为止,甲壳素和壳聚糖的生产尚未形成规模。国内生产的壳聚糖价格为6．5～85万一、吨,外贸价为国内价的10倍左右。将虾头H及含甲壳素的废料转化为壳聚糖,不…     

甲壳素促进茂源链霉菌发酵产酶

为了提高茂源链霉菌发酵生产谷氨酰胺转胺酶的产量,研究了甲壳素对茂源链霉菌发酵产酶的影响。结果表明,添加0.5%的甲壳素对茂源链霉菌发酵产酶的促进效果极显著,但甲壳素的添加量达到2%时反而会抑制菌株产酶。从菌株生长代谢过程中p H变化、产酶情况、发酵液中蛋白含量及总氮含量等方面,对甲壳素促进茂源链霉菌发酵产酶的作用机理进行了初步探讨。研究显示,甲壳素在茂源链霉菌发酵过程中对菌体生长产生一定的胁迫,刺激菌体大量分泌次级代谢产物,从而提高茂源链霉菌的产酶。对菌株发酵过程的显微观察则表明,甲壳素也可能通过分散菌体生长,提高菌体向胞外分泌谷氨酰胺转胺酶的量来促进产酶。     

甲壳素/壳聚糖在酶固定化中的应用

作为功能性材料,甲壳素与壳聚糖分布广泛,且具有一系列独特的性质:无毒性、凝胶性、生物适应性、降解产物的无毒性、显著的蛋白质亲和性等。正是由于这些特性,虽然甲壳素/壳聚糖材料目前尚未得到充分的开发利用,但是与其它一些酶的固定化载体相比,具有广泛的开发前景。该文综述了近年来甲壳素/壳聚糖在酶的固定化方面的一些研究成果。主要包括:甲壳素/壳聚糖的理化性质、载体不同制备方法的特色和差异、在食品工业、非食品工业、环保、酶的分离纯化以及医疗应用方面的研究进展。     

甲壳酶特性与应用研究

本文阐明了甲壳酶(甲壳素酶和壳聚糖酶)的物理化学酶学性质,并着重对甲壳酶的结构、催化机制和其多方面应用进行了论述,同时还简介了相关甲壳素脱乙酰酶和溶菌酶等的概况。     

枯草芽孢杆菌甲壳素脱乙酰酶的酶学性质

研究了甲壳素脱乙酰酶的热稳定性及酶的反应体系作用条件:酶(干重)添加量为40 mg.L-1,甲壳素底物(干重)质量浓度为75 mg.L-1,反应时间为90 m in,金属离子Mg2+对酶活有激活作用,在最适宜反应条件下的酶活为2250 U.L-1。甲壳素脱乙酰酶的酶解方式为外切酶型,酶降解终产物对酶活力有抑制作用,酶对甲壳素有一定的降解作用。     

发酵法生产壳聚糖的研究现状

综述了多种生产壳聚糖的发酵方法,甲壳素脱乙酰以及壳聚糖的提取方法,分析了壳聚糖的开发利用现状。     

A metalloprotease (MprIII) involved in the chitinolytic system of a marine bacterium,Alteromonas sp. strain O-7

Alteromonas sp. strain O-7 secretes several proteins in addition to chitinolytic enzymes in response to chitin induction. In this paper, we report that one of these proteins, designated MprIII, is a metalloprotease involved in the chitin degradation system of the strain. The gene encoding MprIII was cloned in Escherichia coli. The open reading frame of mprIII encoded a protein of 1,225 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 137,016 Da. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of MprIII revealed that the enzyme consisted of four domains: the signal sequence, the N-terminal proregion, the protease region, and the C-terminal extension. The C-terminal extension (PkdDf) was characterized by four polycystic kidney disease domains and two domains of unknown function. Western and real-time quantitative PCR analyses demonstrated that mprIII was induced in the presence of insoluble polysaccharides, such as chitin and cellulose. Native MprIII was purified to homogeneity from the culture supernatant of Alteromonas sp. strain O-7 and characterized. The molecular mass of mature MprIII was estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be 115 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature of MprIII were 7.5 and 50 degrees C, respectively, when gelatin was used as a substrate. Pretreatment of native chitin with MprIII significantly promoted chitinase activity. Furthermore, the combination of MprIII and a novel chitin-binding protease (AprIV) remarkably promoted the chitin hydrolysis efficiency of chitinase.     

A Metalloprotease (MprIII) Involved in the Chitinolytic System of a Marine Bacterium, Alteromonas sp. Strain O-7

Alteromonas sp. strain O-7 secretes several proteins in addition to chitinolytic enzymes in response to chitin induction. In this paper, we report that one of these proteins, designated MprIII, is a metalloprotease involved in the chitin degradation system of the strain. The gene encoding MprIII was cloned in Escherichia coli. The open reading frame of mprIII encoded a protein of 1,225 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 137,016 Da. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of MprIII revealed that the enzyme consisted of four domains: the signal sequence, the N-terminal proregion, the protease region, and the C-terminal extension. The C-terminal extension (PkdDf) was characterized by four polycystic kidney disease domains and two domains of unknown function. Western and real-time quantitative PCR analyses demonstrated that mprIII was induced in the presence of insoluble polysaccharides, such as chitin and cellulose. Native MprIII was purified to homogeneity from the culture supernatant of Alteromonas sp. strain O-7 and characterized. The molecular mass of mature MprIII was estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be 115 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature of MprIII were 7.5 and 50°C, respectively, when gelatin was used as a substrate. Pretreatment of native chitin with MprIII significantly promoted chitinase activity. Furthermore, the combination of MprIII and a novel chitin-binding protease (AprIV) remarkably promoted the chitin hydrolysis efficiency of chitinase.     

Comparative 1H NMR study of hydroxy protons in galabioside and its S-linked 4-thiodisaccharide analogue in aqueous solution

The NMR data obtained from hydroxy protons have been used to investigate the presence and absence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in aqueous solutions of 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl galabioside (alpha-D-Galp-(1-->4)-beta-D-Galp-O(CH2)2SiMe3) and the S-linked 4-thiodisaccharide analogue. The data show that there is a weak hydrogen bond interaction between O-6H and O-2'H in galabioside, but not in the thio-analogue. The results are in good agreement with those reported for the substances in a Me2SO-d6 solution. It is also shown that the existence of a hydrogen bond can be quite easily monitored by comparing the NMR data of the hydroxy protons.     

Molecular analysis of the gene encoding a novel chitin-binding protease from Alteromonas sp. strain O-7 and its role in the chitinolytic system

Alteromonas sp. strain O-7 secretes several proteins in response to chitin induction. We have found that one of these proteins, designated AprIV, is a novel chitin-binding protease involved in chitinolytic activity. The gene encoding AprIV (aprIV) was cloned in Escherichia coli. DNA sequencing analysis revealed that the open reading frame of aprIV encoded a protein of 547 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 57,104 Da. AprIV is a modular enzyme consisting of five domains: the signal sequence, the N-terminal proregion, the family A subtilase region, the polycystic kidney disease domain (PkdD), and the chitin-binding domain type 3 (ChtBD3). Expression plasmids coding for PkdD or both PkdD and ChtBD (PkdD-ChtBD) were constructed. The PkdD-ChtBD but not PkdD exhibited strong binding to alpha-chitin and beta-chitin. Western and Northern analyses demonstrated that aprIV was induced in the presence of N-acetylglucosamine, N-acetylchitobiose, or chitin. Native AprIV was purified to homogeneity from Alteromonas sp. strain O-7 and characterized. The molecular mass of mature AprIV was estimated to be 44 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The optimum pH and temperature of AprIV were pH 11.5 and 35 degrees C, respectively, and even at 10 degrees C the enzyme showed 25% of the maximum activity. Pretreatment of native chitin with AprIV significantly promoted chitinase activity.     

Preparation and evaluation of trimethylsilylated chitin as a versatile precursor for facile chemical modifications

Trimethylsilylation of chitin was studied in detail to establish a reliable method, and the properties of the resulting product were elucidated. Chitin was successfully trimethylsilylated with a mixture of hexamethyldisilazane and trimethylsilyl chloride in pyridine. Compared to alpha-chitin, beta-chitin was much more reactive and advantageous as a starting material to prepare fully substituted chitin in a simple manner, though alpha-chitin also underwent full silylation under appropriate conditions. The resulting silylated chitin was characterized by marked solubility in common organic solvents and by easy desilylation to regenerate hydroxy groups, which enabled clean preparation of chitin films. The reactivity of the silylated chitin was examined by treating with triphenylmethyl chloride and acetic anhydride as typical alkylating and acylating reagents, and complete substitutions were readily accomplished. The silylated chitin has thus proved to be a superb precursor for modification reactions.     

Highly selective CB(1) cannabinoid receptor ligands and novel CB(1)/VR(1) vanilloid receptor "hybrid" ligands

Anandamide and the metabolically stabler analogs, (R)-1'-methyl-2'-hydroxy-ethyl-arachidonamide (Met-AEA) and N-(3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-benzyl)-arachidonamide (arvanil), are CB(1) cannabinoid and VR(1) vanilloid receptors agonists. We synthesized 1',1'-dimethylheptyl-arvanil (O-1839) and six other AEA analogs obtained by addition of either a hydroxy, cyano, or bromo group on the C-20 atom of 1,1'-dimethylpentyl-Met-AEA (O-1811, O-1812 and O-1860, respectively) or 1,1'-dimethylpentyl-arvanil (O-1856, O-1895 and O-1861, respectively). The compounds were tested for their (i) affinity for CB(1) and CB(2) receptors, (ii) capability to activate VR1 receptors, (iii) inhibitory effect on the anandamide hydrolysis and on the anandamide membrane transporter, and (iv) cannabimimetic activity in the mouse 'tetrad' of in vivo assays. O-1812 is the first ligand ever proven to be highly (500- to 1000-fold) selective for CB(1) vs both VR(1) and CB(2) receptors, while O-1861 is the first true "hybrid" agonist of CB(1)/VR(1) receptors and a compound with potential therapeutic importance. The activities of the seven compounds in vivo did not correlate with their activities at either CB(1) or VR(1) receptors, thus suggesting the existence of other brain sites of action mediating some of their neurobehavioral actions in mice.     

Isolation and Characterization of Bile Acid 7-Dehydroxylating Bacteria from Human Feces

Methods for isolation of fecal 7α-dehydroxylating bacteria are presented. A total of 219 strains were isolated from feces of healthy humans, and their ability to 7-dehydroxylate cholic, chenodeoxycholic, and ursodeoxycholic acids were examined. Of all the isolates, 14 strains were found to be capable of eliminating the hydroxy group at C-7α and/or C-7β. All the isolates were strictly anaerobic, Gram-positive rods. Thirteen isolates were non-sporeforming bacteria showing certain saccharolytic properties with the production of acid and gas from dextrose, and were catalase-positive but indole-, lecithinase-, urease- and oxidase-negative. Based on the data available at present, it was concluded that they could be regarded as members of the genus Eubacterium. One strain, however was identified as Clostridium sordellii. The isolated strains capable of 7α-dehydroxylating cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid were also able to oxidize the hydroxy group at C-7α. Nine strains (10, 12, 36S, M-2, M-17, M-18, Y-98, Y-1112, and Y-1113) of the 7α-dehydroxylating bacteria were confirmed to have 7β-dehydroxylation ability, but five strains (O-51, O-52, O-71, O-72, and Y-67) could not transform ursodeoxycholic acid to lithocholic acid.     

Identification and characterization of the gene cluster involved in chitin degradation in a marine bacterium, Alteromonas sp. strain O-7.

Alteromonas sp. strain O-7 secretes chitinase A (ChiA), chitinase B (ChiB), and chitinase C (ChiC) in the presence of chitin. A gene cluster involved in the chitinolytic system of the strain was cloned and sequenced upstream of and including the chiA gene. The gene cluster consisted of three different open reading frames organized in the order chiD, cbp1, and chiA. The chiD, cbp1, and chiA genes were closely linked and transcribed in the same direction. Sequence analysis indicated that Cbp1 (475 amino acids) was a chitin-binding protein composed of two discrete functional regions. ChiD (1,037 amino acids) showed sequence similarity to bacterial chitinases classified into family 18 of glycosyl hydrolases. The cbp1 and chiD genes were expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant proteins were purified to homogeneity. The highest binding activities of Cbp1 and ChiD were observed when alpha-chitin was used as a substrate. Cbp1 and ChiD possessed a chitin-binding domain (ChtBD) belonging to ChtBD type 3. ChiD rapidly hydrolyzed chitin oligosaccharides in sizes from trimers to hexamers, but not chitin. However, after prolonged incubation with large amounts of ChiD, the enzyme produced a small amount of (GlcNAc)(2) from chitin. The optimum temperature and pH of ChiD were 50 degrees C and 7.0, respectively.