Dilute acid pretreatment, enzymatic saccharification and fermentation of wheat straw to ethanol

Wheat straw consists of 48.57 ± 0.30% cellulose and 27.70 ± 0.12% hemicellulose on dry solid (DS) basis and has the potential to serve as a low cost feedstock for production of ethanol. Dilute acid pretreatment at varied temperature and enzymatic saccharification were evaluated for conversion of wheat straw cellulose and hemicellulose to monomeric sugars. The maximum yield of monomeric sugars from wheat straw (7.83%, w/v, DS) by dilute H₂SO₄ (0.75%, v/v) pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification (45 °C, pH 5.0, 72 h) using cellulase, β-glucosidase, xylanase and esterase was 565 ± 10 mg/g. Under this condition, no measurable quantities of furfural and hydroxymethyl furfural were produced. The yield of ethanol (per litre) from acid pretreated enzyme saccharified wheat straw (78.3 g) hydrolyzate by recombinant Escherichia coli strain FBR5 was 19 ± 1 g with a yield of 0.24 g/g DS. Detoxification of the acid and enzyme treated wheat straw hydrolyzate by overliming reduced the fermentation time from 118 to 39 h in the case of separate hydrolysis and fermentation (35 °C, pH 6.5), and increased the ethanol yield from 13 ± 2 to 17 ± 0 g/l and decreased the fermentation time from 136 to 112 h in the case of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (35 °C, pH 6.0).     

Novel inducers derived from starch for cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei

Soluble inducers derived from starch were investigated for cellulase production by T. reesei. Various methods of starch treatment were compared. Acid-hydrolysed starch was found to be most effective. When 1·0 g starch was employed for cellulase production, the cellulase so produced after 6 days of fermentation, with supplementation of 1% (0·01 ml/g paper) β-glucosidase, saccharified more than 15 g shredded waste office paper in 9·34% suspension, resulting in 10 g fermentable sugars, 72% of which was glucose. The effectiveness of the starch-derived inducers was compared with that of lactose, pure cellulose, CMC, xylan and prehydrolysate of pine wood. The effects of calcium chloride and sorbose addition on cellulase production, and the kinetics of cellulase production by the starch-derived inducers are presented.     

Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of pretreated sugar cane leaves to ethanol

The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of pretreated sugar cane leaves to produce ethanol using a cellulolytic enzyme complex from Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae NRRL-Y-132 was optimized. Enzymic saccharification parameters were evaluated prior to SSF studies. A 92% conversion of 2·5% substrate (alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreated) to sugars was achieved at 50°C and pH 4·5, using T. reesei cellulase (40 FPU/g substrate), in 48 h. The pretreated substrate was then subjected to an SSF process using the cellulase complex and S. cerevisiae cells. Optimization of the SSF system is described.     

Evaluation of a novel bifunctional xylanase–cellulase constructed by gene fusion

An artificial bifunctional enzyme, xylanase–cellulase, has been prepared by gene fusion. Three chimeric genes were constructed that encoded fusion proteins of different lengths. The fusion proteins exhibited both xylanase (XynX) and cellulase (Cel5Z::Ω) activity when cel5Z::Ω was fused downstream of xynX, but not when xynX was fused downstream of cel5Z::Ω. Activities of bifunctional enzymes decreased when a shorter xylanase peptide was fused. Three fusion enzymes were purified, and the molecular weights of the enzymes were estimated by CMC-SDS-PAGE and XYN-SDS-PAGE to be 149, 129, and 87 kDa, respectively. The fusion enzymes displayed optimum cellulase activity at pH 8.0 and 50 °C and optimum xylanase activity at pH 8.0 and 70 °C.     

Enzymatic degradation of carboxymethyl cellulose hydrolyzed by the endoglucanases Cel5A, Cel7B, and Cel45A from Humicola insolens and Cel7B, Cel12A and Cel45Acore from Trichoderma reesei.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) has been studied with purified endoglucanases Hi Cel5A (EG II), Hi Cel7B (EG I), and Hi Cel45A (EG V) from Humicola insolens, and Tr Cel7B (EG I), Tr Cel12A (EG III), and Tr Cel45Acore (EG V) from Trichoderma reesei. The CMC, with a degree of substitution (DS) of 0.7, was hydrolyzed with a single enzyme until no further hydrolysis was observed. The hydrolysates were analyzed for production of substituted and non-substituted oligosaccharides with size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Production of reducing ends and of nonsubstituted oligosaccharides was determined as well. The two most effective endoglucanases for CMC hydrolysis were Hi Cel5A and Tr Cel7B. These enzymes degraded CMC to lower molar mass fragments compared with the other endoglucanases. The products had the highest DS determined by MALDI-TOF-MS. Thus, Hi Cel5A and Tr Cel7B were less inhibited by the substituents than the other endoglucanases. The endoglucanase with clearly the lowest activity on CMC was Tr Cel45Acore. It produced less than half of the amount of reducing ends compared to Tr Cel7B; furthermore, the products had significantly lower DS. By MALDI-TOF-MS, oligosaccharides with different degree of polymerization (DP) and with different number of substituents could be separated and identified. The average oligosaccharide DS as function of DP could be measured for each enzyme after hydrolysis. The combination of techniques for analysis of product formation gave information on average length of unsubstituted blocks of CMC.     

Solid media containing carboxymethylcellulose to detect CX cellulose activity of micro-organisms.

Solid media containing carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were developed to detect CX cellulose-producing micro-organisms. Hydrolysis of CMC was seen as a clear zone around colonies after flooding plates with 1% aqueous hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide. Tests with ten bacterial and four fungal species showed that the degree of substitution (DS) of the CMC affects both growth and enzyme production. Most of the organisms produced more CX cellulase on CMC with a DS of 0-9, but CMC with a DS of 0-4 was better for one fungus. A qualitative measure of cellulase production may be obtained by calculating the ratio of zone size to colony diameter. Solid media containing CMC provided a more rapid assay of CX cellulose production than a medium containing native cellulose.     

Characterization of a novel, ultra-large xylanolytic complex (xylanosome) from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86

A novel, ultra-large xylanolytic complex (xylanosome) from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation and Sephacryl S-300 gel filtration chromatography. The purified xylanosome appeared as a single protein band on the non-denaturing (native) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) gel with a molecular mass of approximately 1200 kDa. The optimal temperature and pH for xylanase activity was 60 °C and pH 6.0, respectively. The xylanase activity was stable within pH 4.1–10.3. It was stable up to 60 °C at pH 6.0. The xylanosome was highly specific towards oat-spelt xylan, and showed low activity towards corncob powder, but exhibited very low activity towards lichenan, CMC and p-nitrophenyl derivatives. Apparent K_m values of the xylansosome for birchwood, beechwood, soluble oat-spelt and insoluble oat-spelt xylans were 2.5, 3.6, 1.7 and 4.9 mg ml⁻¹, respectively. The main hydrolysis products of birchwood xylan were xylotriose, xylobiose and xylose. Analysis of the products from wheat arabinoxylan degradation by xylanosome confirmed that the enzyme had endoxylanase and debranching activities, with xylotriose, xylobiose, xylose and arabinose as the main degradation products. These unique properties of the purified xylanosome from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 make this enzymatic complex attractive for biotechnological applications.     

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the cellulase genes of Humicola grisea var. thermoidea

We have cloned an endoglucanase (EGI) gene and a cellobiohydrolase (CBHI) gene of Humicola grisea var. thermoidea using a portion of the Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase I gene as a probe, and determined their nucleotide sequences. The deduced amino acid sequence of EGI was 435 amino acids in length and the coding region was interrupted by an intron. The EGI lacks a hinge region and a cellulose-binding domain. The deduced amino acid sequence of CBHI was identical to the H. grisea CBHI previously reported, with the exception of three amino acids. The H. grisea EGI and CBHI show 39.8% and 37.7% identity with the T. Reesei EGI, respectively. In addition to TATA box and CAAT motifs, putative CREA binding sites were observed in the 5′ upstream regions of both genes. The cloned cellulase genes were expressed in Aspergillus oryzae and the gene products were purified. The optimal temperatures of CBHI and EGI were 60 °C and 55–60 °C, respectively. The optimal pHs of these enzymes were 5.0. CBHI and EGI had distinct substrate specificities: CBHI showed high activity toward Avicel, whereas EGI showed high activity toward carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC).     

A thermostable alkaline active endo-β-1-4-xylanase from Bacillus halodurans S7: Purification and characterization

A thermostable, alkaline active xylanase was purified to homogeneity from the culture supernatant of an alkaliphilic Bacillus halodurans S7, which was isolated from a soda lake in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. The molecular weight and the pI of this enzyme were estimated to be around 43 kDa and 4.5, respectively. When assayed at 70 °C, it was optimally active at pH 9.0–9.5. The optimum temperature for the activity was 75 °C at pH 9 and 70 °C at pH 10. The enzyme was stable over a broad pH range and showed good thermal stability when incubated at 65 °C in pH 9 buffer. The enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by Mn²⁺. Partial inhibition was also observed in the presence of 5 mM Cu²⁺, Co²⁺ and EDTA. Inhibition by Hg²⁺ and dithiothreitol was insignificant. The enzyme was free from cellulase activity and degraded xylan in an endo-fashion.     

Cellulase Enzyme from Aspergillus niger

Cellulase enzyme was produced by a selected strain of Aspergillus niger isolated from deteriorated wood and grown on different carbon sources. Filter paper gave the highest yield, followed by carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Cellobiose as well as glucose gave a low yield, while the yield from lactose was negligible. The concentration of filter paper cellulose that induced the maximum yield of the enzyme was 1%. Both soluble cellulose (CMC) and cotton cellulose treated with phosphoric acid (swollen) were easily hydrolyzed by cellulase; an increase in cellulase concentration lead to more hydrolysis of CMC and gave linearity in the reaction velocity. At certain concentrations of the enzyme, increase in CMC concentration, (up to 1%) resulted in more reducing sugar. Beyond this point no more hydrolysis occur.     

Influence of steam and dry heat pretreatment on fibre properties and cellulase degradation of cellulosic fibres

Cellulosic fabric samples of cotton, viscose, lyocell and modal were pretreated with steam and dry heat in the range of 100-190°C. The samples were then treated with a Trichoderma reesei cellulase preparation (total culture filtrate - TC), with mechanical agitation, at a high enzyme dosage of 75% by weight of fabric, for 8 hours. Generally, viscose proved to be easily degradable, followed by cotton and modal. The degree of hydrolysis was the least for Lyocell. Dry heat pretreatments exerted a lower influence on degradation rate than steam pretreatments which showed a distinct maximum at a steam temperature of 130°C. The hydrolysis rate varied strongly depending on treatment conditions and fibre type. Water retention values in treated substrates were changed by up to 20% of initial values.     

Lipase catalysed synthesis of sebacic and phthalic esters

The enzymatic synthesis and hydrolysis of alkyl sebacates and o-, m-, p-phthalates were studied. Biosyntheses were conducted through alcoholysis of dimethyl phthalates and dimethyl sebacate with 2-ethylhexanol and 3,5,5-trimethylhexanol in a solvent-free medium, using lipases from Candida antarctica (Novozym 435), Rhizomucor miehei (Lipozyme IM) and Porcine pancreas (PPL). It was found that the synthesis and hydrolysis of sebacic acid esters were characterised by a satisfactory rate, however, by low enantioselectivity. The yield of synthesis of di-3,5,5-trimethylhexyl sebacate catalysed by Novozym 435 at 50 °C was 84%, after 20 h of reaction. The degree of conversion, 62.9% after 350 h, was obtained for alcoholysis reaction of dimethyl m-phthalate with 3,5,5-trimethylhexanol. For the enzymes used, no activity was detected at all on both the synthesis and hydrolysis of di-2-ethylhexyl o-phthalate and di-3,5,5-trimethylhexyl o-phthalate.     

Characterization of the thermophilic isoamylase from the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus ATCC 35092

Isoamylase catalyzes the hydrolysis of -1,6-glucosidic linkages of starch and related polysaccharides. In this study, the treX gene (GenBank accession no. AE006815 REGION: 9279 … 11435) encoding the thermophilic isoamylase was PCR-cloned from the genomic DNA of Sulfolobus solfataricus ATCC 35092 to an expression vector with a T7lac promoter. Both wild-type and His-tagged isoamylases were expressed in Escherichia coli. The wild-type isoamylase was purified sequentially using heat treatment, nucleic acid precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, and gel filtration chromatography while the His-tagged isoamylase was purified from the cell-free extract directly by metal chelating chromatography. Both enzymes were active only under their homo-trimer forms. In the absence of NaCl, both enzymes became inactive monomers. In addition, both enzymes were more stable when being stored at room temperature than at 4 °C. They had an apparent optimal pH of 5 and an optimal temperature at 75 °C. The enzyme activities remained unchanged after a 2 h incubation at 80 and 75 °C for the wild-type and His-tagged enzymes, respectively. These thermophilic isoamylases showed a potential to be used in industry to degrade the branching points of starch at a high temperature.     

Synthesis and properties of pullulan acetate. Thermal properties, biodegradability, and a semi-clear gel formation in organic solvents

Pullulan acetate (AcPL) with various degree of substitution (DS: 1.0–3.0) was synthesized by the reaction of pullulan with acetyl chloride in the presence of pyridine. The product was characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), infra-red (IR) and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The weight average molecular weights of the products did not decrease less than 190,000 (GPC) in the acetylation reaction. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that AcPL has a higher decomposition temperature (306–363 °C) than unmodified pullulan (295 °C). Differential scanning calorimetry analysis (DSC) revealed that all the AcPLs exhibit a clear T_g, which decreased with increasing DS value in the range of DS 1.0–2.4. The AcPL with DS 2.4 showed the lowest T_g (153 °C), and the AcPL with DS 3.0 had a slightly higher T_g (163 °C). Tensile modulus of AcPL films was comparable to that of a popular cellulose acetate film. The biodegration rate of AcPL decreased with increasing degree of acetylation. The AcPL with DS 3.0 was found to form a semi-clear gel in organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and 1,4-dioxane.     

Catalytic performance of a highly enantioselective (R)-ester hydrolase from a new isolate Acinetobacter sp. CGMCC 0789

A highly enantioselective (R)-ester hydrolase was partially purified from a newly isolated bacterium, Acinetobacter sp. CGMCC 0789, whose resting cells exhibited a highly enantioselective activity toward the acetate of (4R)-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-(2-propynyl)- cyclopent-2-enone (R-HMPC). The optimum pH and temperature of the partially purified enzyme were 8.0 and 60 °C, respectively. The enantioselectivity of the crude enzyme was increased by 1.2-fold from 16 to 20 when the reaction temperature was raised from 30 to 60 °C. The activity of the crude enzyme was enhanced by 4.1-fold and the enantioselectivity (E-value) was markedly enhanced by 4.3-fold from 16 to 68 upon addition of a cationic detergent, benzethonium chloride [(diisobutyl phenoxyethoxyethyl) dimethyl benzylammoniom chloride]. The hydrolysis of 52 mM (R,S)-HMPC acetate to (R)-HMPC was completed within 8 h, with optical purity of 91.4% ee_p and conversion of 49%.     

A mild and quantitative procedure for the removal of nucleoside alkoxycarbonyl groups using pig liver esterase or Candida antarctica B lipase

A set of eight mono-, di-, tri- and tetraalkoxycarbonylated nucleosides was tested in order to assess their enzymatic hydrolysis. All the alkoxycarbonyl groups of the assayed substrates, from both carbonate and carbamate functions, were quantitatively hydrolysed using pig liver esterase (PLE) at pH 7 and 60 °C, regardless of the nucleoside base. Quantitative full alkoxycarbonyl groups removal was also reached by Candida antarctica B lipase (CAL B) under mild conditions, but in this case, longer reaction times were required. Thus, PLE appears as an useful catalyst for the mild and quantitative deprotection of nucleoside carbonates and carbamates in the synthesis of modified nucleosides.     

Effect of nifedipine on core cooling in rats during tail cold water immersion

Male rats (450 g, n=11/group) were heated at an ambient temperature of 42°C until a rectal temperature of 42.8°C was attained. Rats, then received either saline (30°C)+tail ice water immersion (F+I) or saline (30°C)+tail ice water immersion+Nifedipine, a peripheral vasodilator, (F+I+N) to determine cooling rate effectiveness and survivability. The time to reach a rectal temperature of 42.8°C averaged 172 min in both groups resulting in similar heating rates (0.029°C/min). The cooling rates in group F+I and F+I+N were not significantly different from each other. We conclude that since Nifedipine did not improve cooling rates when combined with fluid+tail ice water immersion, its use as a cooling adjunct does not seem warranted.     

Production, purification and characterization of an endopolygalacturonase from Mucor rouxii NRRL 1894

An extracellular polygalacturonase (PGase) from Mucor rouxii NRRL 1894 was purified to homogeneity by two chromatographic steps using CM-Sepharose and Superdex 75. The purified enzyme was a monomer with a molecular weight of 43100 Da and a pI of 6. The PGase was optimally active at 35 °C and at pH 4.5. It was stable up to 30 °C and stability of PGase decrease rapidly above 60 °C. The extent of hydrolysis of different pectins was decreased with increasing of degrees of esterification. Except Mn²⁺, all the examined metal cations showed inhibitory effects on the enzyme activity. The apparent K_m and V_max values for hydrolyze of polygalacturonic acid (PGA) were 1.88 mg/ml and 0.045 μmol/ml/min, respectively. The enzyme released a series of oligogalacturonates from polygalacturonic acid indicating that it had an endo-action. Its N-terminal sequence showed homologies with the endopolygalacturonase from the psychrophilic fungus Mucor flavus.     

Characterization of a gene encoding cellulase from uncultured soil bacteria

To detect cellulases encoded by uncultured microorganisms, we constructed metagenomic libraries from Korean soil DNAs. Screenings of the libraries revealed a clone pCM2 that uses carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a sole carbon source. Further analysis of the insert showed two consecutive ORFs (celM2 and xynM2) encoding proteins of 226 and 662 amino acids, respectively. A multiple sequence analysis with the deduced amino acid sequences of celM2 showed 36% sequence identity with cellulase from the Synechococcus sp., while xynM2 had 59% identity to endo-1,4-beta-xylanase A from Cellulomonas pachnodae. The highest enzymatic CMC hydrolysis was observable at pH 4.0 and 45 degrees C with recombinant CelM2 protein. Although the enzyme CelM2 additionally hydrolyzed avicel and xylan, no substrate hydrolysis was observed on oligosaccharides such as cellobiose, pNP-beta-cellobioside, pNP-beta-glucoside, and pNP-beta-xyloside. These results showed that CelM2 is a novel endo-type cellulase.     

2种纤维素酶水解效果比较及酶蛋白组分分析

比较了自产纤维素酶和商品纤维素酶的水解效果,并采用超滤、层析、SDS-PAGE相结合的方法分析2种纤维素酶蛋白组分的差异。里氏木霉以纸浆为C源合成的自产纤维素酶的水解得率高于商品纤维素酶,自产纤维素酶水解48h的得率为66.24%,商品纤维素酶的得率为52.19%。自产纤维素酶中存在着Cel6A酶组分和XYNⅡ酶组分,而商品纤维素酶中没有检测到这2种酶组分。自产纤维素酶和商品纤维素酶的Cel1A酶组分和Cel7A酶组分间存在着分布和含量上的差异。自产纤维素酶在相对分子质量(2.5～3.5)×104范围内存在着几条蛋白条带,而商品纤维素酶则是在相对分子质量3.5×104附近存在着几条蛋白条带。