Inability of Microorganisms To Degrade Cellulose Acetate Reverse-Osmosis Membranes

Operational cellulose acetate reverse-osmosis membranes were examined for evidence of biological degradation. Numerous fungi and bacteria were isolated by direct and enrichment techniques. When tested, most of the fungi were active cellulose degraders, but none of the bacteria were. Neither fungi nor bacteria were able to degrade cellulose acetate membrane in vitro, although many fungi were able to degrade cellulose acetate membrane after it had been deacetylated. Organisms did not significantly degrade powdered cellulose acetate in pure or mixed cultures as measured by reduction in acetyl content or intrinsic viscosity or production of reducing sugars. Organisms did not affect the performance of cellulose triacetate fibers when incubated with them. The inability of the organisms to degrade cellulose acetate was attributed to the high degree of acetate substitution of the cellulose polymer. The rate of salt rejection decline was strongly correlated with chlorination of feed water and inversely with densities of microorganisms. These data suggest that microbial degradation of operational cellulose acetate reverse-osmosis membranes is unlikely.     

Anaerobic degradation of cellulose by mixed culture

A mixed culture in which cellulose is capable of being converted to methane and carbon dioxide was obtained from an inoculum procured from a sewage-treatment plant and maintained in a synthetic medium containing tissue paper and an inorganic salt and vitamin mixture. The culture was tested for its ability to degrade 12 different paper and cotton products under batch conditions in 3-l anaerobic fermenters. This culture degraded 6-8 mmol/l per week of cellulose, expressed as glucose equivalents, with total gas yields of 0.3 m3/kg of cellulose degraded. The gas produced contained between 56 and 59% of methane. Maximum cellulose degradation occurred at chemical oxygen demand:nitrogen:phosphorus level of 80:5:1 and was adversely affected by high stirring rate. Also the presence of higher proportions of lignin in cellulose products adversely affected the ability of this culture to degrade cellulose.     

Extracellular enzymatic activity of aquatic and aero-aquatic conidial fungi

Nineteen species of aquatic and areo-aquatic conidial fungi were tested for their ability to produce extracellular enzymes which degrade cellulose, starch, lipids, proteins and tannic acid. The cellulolytic activity was determined by using both solid and liquid media. The activity of other enzymes was examined using solid media. Two-thirds of the species were able to hydrolyze soluble cellulose (CMC) incorporated in solid and liquid media with varying degrees of activity. Extracellular culture filtrates ofAegerita candida, Helicodendron giganteum andH. tubulosum contained a Cl-Cx enzyme complex that could degrade both soluble cellulose (CMC) and crystalline cellulose (filter paper). Lipase activity was demonstrated by 11 species. Fourteen of the species showed activity for amylase and protease, but only 11 of the 16 were capable of degrading tannic acid.     

Degradation of cellulose by nitrogen-fixing strain of Bacillus polymyxa.

During an intensive screening programme, several strains of cellulolytic bacteria were isolated. One nitrogenase-positive strain able to degrade filter paper, Avicel cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose and cellobiose was selected for further study. On the basis of biochemical characteristics and Mol % of G+C content, the selected strain was identified as Bacillus polymyxa. The highest production of the enzymes degrading filter paper (FP-ase) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMCase) by B. polymyxa was observed in Park's medium suplemented with Avicel cellulose. The investigated strain of bacteria produced cellulosome-like structures as was shown by transmission electron microscopy.     

Degradation of cellulosome-produced cello-oligosaccharides by an extracellular non-cellulosomal beta-glucan glucohydrolase, BglA, from Clostridium cellulovorans

Clostridium cellulovorans degrades cellulose efficiently to small oligosaccharides, which are used as an energy source. To characterize enzymes related to degrading small oligosaccharides, a gene was cloned for an extracellular non-cellulosomal beta-glucan glucohydrolase (BglA) classified as a family-1 glycosyl hydrolase in C. cellulovorans. Recombinant BglA (rBglA) had higher activity on long glucooligomers than on cellobiose. When cellulosomes and rBglA were incubated with cellulose, the oligosaccharides produced were degraded more effectively to cellobiose and glucose, than with cellulosomes alone, indicating that BglA facilitated the degradation of accessible cello-oligosaccharides produced from cellulose by C. cellulovorans cellulosomes. Thus, this is an example of an extracellular non-cellulosomal enzyme working in a cooperative manner with cellulosomes to degrade cellulose to sugars.     

一株降解纤维素放线菌的产纤维素酶基因克隆与表达

【背景】纤维素在自然界中储量丰富,但天然纤维素的难降解性成为广泛应用纤维素资源的壁垒,近年来利用微生物来降解纤维素成为热点研究。【目的】筛选分离得到一株具有降解纤维素功能的放线菌菌株Lb1,通过全基因组测序确定其产纤维素酶关键基因5676,对基因5676进行克隆转化,使其在大肠杆菌中进行表达。【方法】通过基因工程技术将产纤维素基因连接到表达质粒上并导入表达菌株,对其降解纤维素生成葡萄糖的能力进行探究。【结果】将Lb1菌株的16S rRNA基因进行比对,确定菌株Lb1属于链霉菌属,命名为Streptomyces sp. Lb1。成功构建出纤维素酶表达载体,并且导入表达菌株大肠杆菌BL21(DE3),重组菌株的产纤维素酶能力大于空载菌株。【结论】通过基因工程技术成功克隆出产纤维素酶基因,从而表达纤维素酶,为今后利用微生物降解纤维素的大规模应用提供参考。     

Cellulase and Sugar Formation by Bacteroides cellulosolvens, a Newly Isolated Cellulolytic Anaerobe

A newly isolated mesophilic anaerobe, Bacteroides cellulosolvens, has the ability to produce cellulase and to degrade cellulose to cellobiose and glucose. It does not utilize glucose, and it lacks β-glucosidase activity. This anaerobe appears to degrade cellulose to cellobiose by cellulase action, and the presence of cells appears necessary for the formation of glucose.     

Microbial diversity of cellulose hydrolysis

Enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose by microorganisms is a key step in the global carbon cycle. Despite its abundance only a small percentage of microorganisms can degrade cellulose, probably because it is present in recalcitrant cell walls. There are at least five distinct mechanisms used by different microorganisms to degrade cellulose all of which involve cellulases. Cellulolytic organisms and cellulases are extremely diverse possibly because their natural substrates, plant cell walls, are very diverse. At this time the microbial ecology of cellulose degradation in any environment is still not clearly understood even though there is a great deal of information available about the bovine rumen. Two major problems that limit our understanding of this area are the vast diversity of organisms present in most cellulose degrading environments and the inability to culture most of them.     

鸡枞菌转录组分析揭示其对木质纤维素的降解功能

【目的】探究鸡枞菌是否能降解木质纤维素成分,并理解其与共生白蚁之间的共生关系。【方法】本研究是应用新一代高通量测序技术454 GS FLX Titanium对鸡枞菌的转录组进行测序,挖掘鸡枞菌中能参与降解纤维素和木质素等成分的多样性酶系。【结果】八分之一的RUN测序总共得到了82386条表达序列标签,去除引物和载体等序列后,剩余的54410条序列被拼接成3301条contigs以及3193条singletons。根据序列相似性,将这些unigenes与三大蛋白数据库(Nr数据库、SwissProt数据库、CDD数据库)中的蛋白序列进行BLAST比较,发现有2681条基因与其他生物的已知基因有不同程度的相似性。在鸡枞菌的这些转录产物中,有33条编码可能参与降解纤维素或半纤维素的酶基因,其中包括5种纤维素酶以及28种水解半纤维素、淀粉或几丁质等物质的酶类。更重要的是,还发现了4种漆酶以及一种芳基乙醇氧化酶基因,这些都是能有效降解木质素的酶类。这些结果揭示了鸡枞菌中存在漆酶并可能有效降解植物残渣中的酚化合物。【结论】这些基因的发现说明了鸡枞菌能降解木质素,并能与共生白蚁分泌的纤维素酶协同作用有效降解纤维素。     

不同预处理及发酵方式对提高蔗渣发酵产物蛋白含量的研究

采用不同的预处理方法对蔗渣进行预处理,并测定了其各个组分的含量。利用霉菌对蔗渣进行微生物降解,并讨论了不同发酵方式对产物中蛋白含量的影响。结果表明,木霉与热带假丝酵母共发酵时蛋白含量最高,为17．74％。     

Temporal Alterations in the Secretome of the Selective Ligninolytic Fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora during Growth on Aspen Wood Reveal This Organism's Strategy for Degrading Lignocellulose

The white-rot basidiomycetes efficiently degrade all wood cell wall polymers. Generally, these fungi simultaneously degrade cellulose and lignin, but certain organisms, such as Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, selectively remove lignin in advance of cellulose degradation. However, relatively little is known about the mechanism of selective ligninolysis. To address this issue, C. subvermispora was grown in liquid medium containing ball-milled aspen, and nano-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify and estimate extracellular protein abundance over time. Several manganese peroxidases and an aryl alcohol oxidase, both associated with lignin degradation, were identified after 3 days of incubation. A glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 51 arabinofuranosidase was also identified after 3 days but then successively decreased in later samples. Several enzymes related to cellulose and xylan degradation, such as GH10 endoxylanase, GH5_5 endoglucanase, and GH7 cellobiohydrolase, were detected after 5 days. Peptides corresponding to potential cellulose-degrading enzymes GH12, GH45, lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase, and cellobiose dehydrogenase were most abundant after 7 days. This sequential production of enzymes provides a mechanism consistent with selective ligninolysis by C. subvermispora.     

Cellulose Decomposition and Associated Nitrogen Fixation by Mixed Cultures of Cellulomonas gelida and Azospirillum Species or Bacillus macerans

Mixed cultures of Cellulomonas gelida plus Azospirillum lipoferum or Azospirillum brasilense and C. gelida plus Bacillus macerans were shown to degrade cellulose and straw and to utilize the energy-yielding products to fix atmospheric nitrogen. This cooperative process was followed over 30 days in sand-based cultures in which the breakdown of 20% of the cellulose and 28 to 30% of the straw resulted in the fixation of 12 to 14.6 mg of N per g of cellulose and 17 to 19 mg of N per g of g straw consumed. Cellulomonas species have certain advantages over aerobic cellulose-degrading fungi in being able to degrade cellulose at oxygen concentrations as low as 1% O₂ (vol/vol) which would allow a close association between cellulose-degrading and microaerobic diazotrophic microorganisms. Cultures inoculated with initially different proportions of A. brasilense and C. gelida all reached a stable ratio of approximately 1 Azospirillum/3 Cellulomonas cells.     

酶法制备功能性纤维低聚糖的研究

研究里氏木霉(Trichoderma reesei)Rut C30纤维素酶单一组分EGI、EGII和CBHI降解纤维素的机理及纤维低聚糖酶法制备技术,进而初步研究纤维低聚糖对青春双歧杆菌的增殖作用。以内切葡聚糖酶EGII酶法制备纤维低聚糖,每克纤维素最佳酶用量1 U,最佳酶解时间90 min,制备得到的纤维低聚糖中纤维二糖、纤维三糖和纤维四糖占总糖的比例分别为43.8%、34.8%和7.9%。以纤维二糖、纤维低聚糖为C源增殖青春双歧杆菌,菌体质量浓度增殖倍数分别为2.14、2.84。     

梭热杆菌纤维小体研究进展

梭热杆菌(Clostridium thermocellum)是一种嗜热厌氧细菌,通过分泌大量纤维素酶高效降解纤维素.根据作用纤维素的不同部位,梭热杆菌分泌的纤维素酶分为内切纤维素酶和外切纤维素酶.纤维小体是由支架蛋白、锚定元件、黏合蛋白、纤维素结合域和催化单位组成的复合体,其独特的结构,使得它可以比真菌纤维素酶更紧密地结合到纤维素表面,这个复合结构结合着多种催化单位,而此特殊的结构是梭热杆菌高效降解纤维素的必要条件.近年来,为更深入透彻地了解纤维小体的结构与功能进行了大量的研究工作,现对相关研究进展进行综述,并给出了未来可能的发展方向.     

A simple method that uses differential staining and light microscopy to assess the selectivity of wood delignification by white rot fungi

CRYOSTAT MICROTOME SECTIONS OF BIRCH WOOD DEGRADED BY WHITE ROT FUNGI WERE EXAMINED BY LIGHT MICROSCOPY AFTER TREATMENT WITH TWO STAINS: astra-blue, which stains cellulose blue only in the absence of lignin, and safranin, which stains lignin regardless of whether cellulose is present. The method provided a simple and reliable screening procedure that distinguishes between fungi that cause decay by selectively removing lignin and those that degrade both cellulose and lignin simultaneously. Moreover, morphological characteristics specific to selective delignification were revealed.     

iTRAQ-based quantitative secretome analysis of Phanerochaete chrysosporium

The basidiomycete fungi such as Phanerochaete chrysosporium secrete large amount of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes and degrade lignocellulosic biomass. The lignin depolymerizing proteins were extensively studied, but cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin hydrolyzing enzymes were poorly explored. In this study P. chrysosporium was grown in cellulose, lignin and mixture of cellulose and lignin, and secretory proteins were quantified by isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomics using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). An iTRAQ quantified 117 enzymes comprising cellulose hydrolyzing endoglucanases, exoglucanases, beta-glucosidases; hemicelluloses hydrolyzing xylanases, acetylxylan esterases, mannosidases, mannanases; pectin-degrading enzymes polygalacturonase, rhamnogalacturonase, arabinose and lignin degrading protein belonging to oxidoreductase family. Under cellulose and cellulose with lignin culture conditions, enzymes such as endoglucanases, exoglucanases, β-glucosidases and cellobiose dehydrogenase were significantly upregulated and iTRAQ data suggested hydrolytic and oxidative cellulose degradation. When lignin was used as a major carbon source, enzymes such as copper radical oxidase, isoamyl oxidase, glutathione S-transferase, thioredoxin peroxidase, quinone oxidoreductase, aryl alcohol oxidase, pyranose 2-oxidase, aldehyde dehydrogenase, and alcohol dehydrogenase were expressed and significantly regulated. This study explored cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and lignin degrading enzymes of P. chrysosporium that are valuable for lignocellulosic bioenergy.     

Biological degradation of tannins in sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) by the white rot fungi Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and Cyathus stercoreus analyzed by solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Leaves of sericea lespedeza exhibit a high proportion of condensed tannin, resulting in poor forage quality. The white rot fungi Ceriporiopsis subvermispora and Cyathus sterocoreus are known to preferentially degrade lignin in a variety of plants and were evaluated for their ability to degrade condensed tannin from sericea leaves with the aim of improving digestibility. Relative levels of condensed tannin, cutin, pectin, and cellulose were monitored as a function of fungal treatment by solid-state cross-polarization and magic angle spinning 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Total soluble phenolics, soluble tannins, and soluble and insoluble proanthocyanidin levels in fungus-treated and control samples were measured by established chemical techniques. Results indicate that both species of fungus preferentially degrade condensed tannin and that C. subvermispora is markedly superior to C. stercoreus in this capacity.     

The microbial ecology of anaerobic cellulose degradation in municipal waste landfill sites: evidence of a role for fibrobacters

Cellulose is reputedly the most abundant organic polymer in the biosphere, yet despite the fundamental role of cellulolytic microorganisms in global carbon cycling and as potential sources of novel enzymes for biotechnology, their identity and ecology is not well established. Cellulose is a major component of landfill waste and its degradation is therefore a key feature of the anaerobic microbial decomposition process. Here, we targeted a number of taxa containing known cellulolytic anaerobes (members of the bacterial genus Fibrobacter, lineages of Clostridium clusters I, III, IV and XIV, and anaerobic fungi of the Neocallimastigales) in landfill leachate and colonized cellulose 'baits' via PCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Fibrobacter spp. and Clostridium clusters III, IV and XIV were detected in almost all leachate samples and cluster III and XIV clostridia were the most abundant (1-6% and 1-17% of total bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies respectively). Two landfill leachate microcosms were constructed to specifically assess those microbial communities that colonize and degrade cellulose substrates in situ. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of colonized cotton revealed extensive cellulose degradation in one microcosm, and Fibrobacter spp. and Clostridium cluster III represented 29% and 17%, respectively, of total bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies in the biofilm. Visible cellulose degradation was not observed in the second microcosm, and this correlated with negligible relative abundances of Clostridium cluster III and Fibrobacter spp. (≤ 0.1%), providing the first evidence that the novel fibrobacters recently detected in landfill sites and other non-gut environments colonize and degrade cellulose substrates in situ.     

嗜热厌氧纤维素分解菌的分离、鉴定及其酶学特性

【目的】分离高效降解纤维素的嗜热厌氧菌,通过与嗜热产乙醇菌株联合培养的方式,为生产纤维素乙醇提供微生物资源。【方法】利用厌氧分离技术从降解纤维素的马粪富集物中分离到一株嗜热厌氧细菌HCp。采用形态学观察、生理生化鉴定、结合16S rDNA序列的系统发育学分析确定该菌株的分类地位,利用DNS酶活分析方法测定此分离菌株的酶学性质。【结果】分离菌株HCp革兰氏染色阴性,直杆,细胞单个或成对出现,菌体大小为(0.35-0.50)μm×(2.42-6.40)μm,严格厌氧,形成芽胞,能运动,对新霉素有一定的抗性。此菌能利用滤纸纤维素、纤维素粉、微晶纤维素、脱脂棉和水稻秸秆、明胶等,还可以利用葡萄糖、纤维二糖、木糖、木聚糖、果糖、蔗糖、核糖、半乳糖、麦芽糖、山梨糖、海藻糖、蜜二糖、甘露糖等。该菌株在pH6.5-8.5、温度35-70℃、盐浓度0%-1.0%范围内利用纤维素生长,最适pH为6.85,最适温度为60℃,最适NaCl浓度为0.2%,最佳生长条件下,在10 d内滤纸纤维素降解率可达90.40%。在HCp的纤维小体中,滤纸酶、羧甲基纤维素酶、β-葡萄糖苷酶、木聚糖酶的最适作用温度分别为70℃、70℃、70℃、60℃,并且羧甲基纤维素酶具有较高的热稳定性。部分长度的16S rDNA序列分析表明,分离菌株HCp与Acetivibrio cellulolyticus、A.cellulosolvens相似性为97.5%。【结论】分离菌株HCp是从马粪富集物中分离到的一株嗜热厌氧细菌,该菌具有较强的降解纤维素能力,生长温度范围广,酶的热稳定性好,纤维素底物利用广泛等特性,为纤维素降解产乙醇提供了良好的材料。     

Short-fibre formation during cellulose degradation by cellulolytic fungi

Summary All cell-free filtrates of 26 fungal strains containning cellulase activities degraded native cellulose to both reducing sugar and insoluble short fibres. Low-molecular components from the crude filtrates could also degrade native cellulose into short fibres, not accompanied with the production of reducing sugar. Short fibre formation played an important role in cellulose degradation to make the substrate more accessible to attack of cellulases.