An Isomaltotriose-producing Dextranase from Flavobacterium sp. M-73: Purification and Properties

An isomaltotriose-producing dextranase II, detected in the culture supernatant of Flavobacterium sp. M-73, was purified to an electrophoretically pure state. Successive chromatography on hydrophobic columns of Amberlite CG-50 and aminooctyl-Sepharose was very effective as the first step of purification. Further purification of the enzyme was performed by affinity column chromatography on isomaltotriose-Sepharose and preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

The purified enzyme was shown to be a monomer and had a molecular weight of 114,000. Dextranase II was most active at pH 7.0 and 35°C. It was stable at 4°C for 24 hr over a pH range of 6.5～12.0 and up to 35°C on heating for 10 min. This enzyme had a strict specificity for consecutive α-l,6-glucosidic linkages and readily hydrolyzed clinical dextran and Sephadex gels. The degree of hydrolysis of clinical dextran was 31% expressed as apparent conversion into D-glucose. The amount of isomaltotriose in the hydrolyzate was determined to be 63%.     

参芎葡萄糖注射液联合脑蛋白水解物治疗急性脑梗塞的疗效及对神经功能缺损和血液流变学的影响

目的:探析参芎葡萄糖注射液与脑蛋白水解物联合治疗急性脑梗塞患者的临床疗效和对神经功能、血液流变学的影响。方法:入选急性脑梗患者130例,随机分为两组各65例。对照组在常规治疗基础上使用脑蛋白水解物治疗,治疗组在常规治疗基础上不仅使用脑蛋白水解物,还加用参芎葡萄糖注射液治疗,比较两组患者的临床效果、神经功能缺损评分改变和血液流变学情况。结果:治疗组有效率显著高于对照组(P0.05);神经功能缺损评分治疗后均有下降,但治疗组下降幅度更大(P0.05);治疗组红细胞压积、血小板聚集率和纤维蛋白原均显著下降(P0.05),且同期相比,治疗组纤维蛋白原和红细胞压积下降幅度显著优于对照组(P0.05)。结论:参芎葡萄糖注射液与脑蛋白水解物联合治疗急性脑梗塞患者疗效确切,安全可靠,值得临床推广。     

Isolation of a dextranase constitutive mutant of Lipomyces starkeyi and its use for the production of clinical size dextran

A derepressed and partially constitutive mutant for dextranase of Lipomyces starkeyi was selected after ethyl methane sulphonate mutagenesis by zone clearance on blue dextran agar plates. The mutant produced dextranase when grown on glucose, fructose and sucrose as well as on dextran, and more enzyme was produced by the mutant than by the parental strain when grown on 1% dextran. The pH and temperature optima for the mutant dextranase were 5.5 and 55°C, respectively. Dextranase produced on sucrose produced more isomaltose and less glucose after dextran hydrolysis than the equivalent enzyme produced on dextran. The clinical size dextran (average mol. wt of 75000 ± 25000) yield of mixed culture fermentation with the mutant and Leuconostoc mesenteroides was 94% of the total dextran produced.     

Kojic acid production byAspergillus flavus using gelatinized and hydrolyzed sago starch as carbon sources

Direct conversion of gelatinized sago starch into kojic acid byAspergillus flavus strain having amylolytic enzymes was carried out at two different scales of submerged batch fermentation in a 250-mL shake flask and in a 50-L stirred-tank fermentor. For comparison, fermentations were also carried out using glucose and glucose hydrolyzate from enzymic hydrolysis of sago starch as carbon sources. During kojic acid fermentation of starch, starch was first hydrolyzed to glucose by the action of α-amylase and glucoamylase during active growth phase. The glucose remaining during the production phase (non-growing phase) was then converted to kojic acid. Kojic acid production (23.5g/L) using 100 g/L sago starch in a shake flask was comparable to fermentation of glucose (31.5 g/L) and glucose hydrolyzate (27.9 g/L) but in the 50-L fermentor was greatly reduced due to non-optimal aeration conditions. Kojic acid production using glucose was higher in the 50-L fermentor than in the shake flask.     

Survival rate of dogs in the recovery period after prolonged hypovolemic hypotension]

Survival and completeness of the central nervous system functional restoration were investigated during the postreanimation period in 76 dogs, depending upon the duration of the hypovolemic hypotension, arterial pressure level and the subsequent transfusion therapy. Early polyglucine infusion to dogs who suffered 4 hours of hypovolemic hypotension increased the percentage of survived dogs and of dogs with complete neurological restoration as compared to the animals untreated with polyglucine.     

The influence of mutanase and dextranase on the production and structure of glucans synthesized by streptococcal glucosyltransferases

Glucanohydrolases, especially mutanase [alpha-(1-->3) glucanase; EC 3.2.1.59] and dextranase [alpha-(1-->6) glucanase; EC 3.2.1.11], which are present in the biofilm known as dental plaque, may affect the synthesis and structure of glucans formed by glucosyltransferases (GTFs) from sucrose within dental plaque. We examined the production and the structure of glucans synthesized by GTFs B (synthesis of alpha-(1-->3)-linked glucans) or C [synthesis of alpha-(1-->6)- and alpha-(1-->3)-linked glucans] in the presence of mutanase and dextranase, alone or in combination, in solution phase and on saliva-coated hydroxyapatite beads (surface phase). The ability of Streptococcus sobrinus 6715 to adhere to the glucan, which was formed in the presence of the glucanohydrolases was also explored. The presence of mutanase and/or dextranase during the synthesis of glucans by GTF B and C altered the proportions of soluble to insoluble glucan. The presence of either dextranase or mutanase alone had a modest effect on total amount of glucan formed, especially in the surface phase; the glucanohydrolases in combination reduced the total amount of glucan. The amount of (1-->6)-linked glucan was reduced in presence of dextranase. In contrast, mutanase enhanced the formation of soluble glucan, and reduced the percentage of 3-linked glucose of GTF B and C glucans whereas dextranase was mostly without effect. Glucan formed in the presence of dextranase provided fewer binding sites for S. sobrinus; mutanase was devoid of any effect. We also noted that the GTFs bind to dextranase and mutanase. Glucanohydrolases, even in the presence of GTFs, influence glucan synthesis, linkage remodeling, and branching, which may have an impact on the formation, maturation, physical properties, and bacterial binding sites of the polysaccharide matrix in dental plaque. Our data have relevance for the formation of polysaccharide matrix of other biofilms.     

Purification and immobilization of dextranase

An enzymic characteristic of Novo dextranase was presented. In addition to a high dextranolytic activity (7,200 U/ml), the crude enzyme also contained small amounts of protease, glucoamylase, polygalacturonase, carboxymethylcellulase, laminarinase and chitinase. A highly purified dextranase was then simply separated from a commercial preparation by column chromatographies on DEAE-Sepharose, CM-Sepharose, and by chromatofocussing on Polybuffer Exchanger PBE-94. The enzyme was recovered with an over 200-fold increase in specific activity and a yield of 84%. The final preparation was homogeneous, as observed during high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Size-exclusion HPLC indicated that dextranase had a molecular mass of 35 kDa and its isoelectric point, established by chromatofocussing, was 4.85. Analysis of the dextran break-down products indicated that purified dextranase represents an endolytic mode of action, and isomaltose and isomaltotriose were identified as the main reducing sugars of dextran hydrolysis. The enzyme was then covalently coupled to the silanized porous glass beads modified by glutaraldehyde (Carrier I) or carbodiimide (Carrier II). It was shown that immobilization of dextranase gave optimum pH and temperature ranges from 5.4 to 5.7 and from 50°C to 60°C, respectively. The affinity of the enzyme to the substrate decreased by a factor of more than 13 for dextranase immobilized on Carrier I and increased slightly (about 1.4-times) for the enzyme bound to Carrier II.     

Structure/function relationships of several biopolymers as related to invertase stability in dehydrated systems

Structure/function relationships of different biopolymers (alginate, dextran, or beta-cyclodextrin) were analyzed as single excipients or combined with trehalose in relation to their efficiency as enzyme stabilizers in freeze-dried formulations and compared to trehalose. Particularly, a novel synthesized polymer beta-cyclodextrin-branched alginate (beta-CD-A) was employed as excipient. During freeze-drying, the polymers or their mixtures did not confer better protection to invertase compared to trehalose. Beta-CD-A (with or without trehalose), beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD), or dextran with trehalose were the best protective agents during thermal treatment, while beta-CD and alginate showed a negative effect on invertase activity preservation. The beta-CD linked alginate combined the physical stability provided by alginate with the stabilization of hydrophobic regions of the enzyme provided by cyclodextrin. Beta-CD-A was effective even at conditions at which trehalose lost its protective effect. A relatively simple covalent combination of two biopolymers significantly affected their functionalities and, consequently, their interactions with proteins, modifying enzyme stability patterns.     

沙柳原料高浓度底物酶解发酵乙醇工艺

为了提高沙柳生物转化过程的经济可行性,考察了沙柳原料经过蒸爆、超微粉碎+稀酸、超微粉碎+稀碱预处理后高浓度底物补料酶解的效果,并对其高浓度水解糖液进行了乙醇发酵。结果表明:蒸爆处理法水解效果最好,通过补料酶解,底物质量分数可以达到30%,酶解液中总糖质量浓度达到132 g/L,葡萄糖质量浓度105 g/L;超微粉碎+稀酸预处理原料底物质量分数可以达到22%,酶解液中总糖质量浓度达到123 g/L,葡萄糖质量浓度73 g/L;超微粉碎+稀碱预处理原料底物质量分数可以达到22%,酶解液中总糖质量浓度133 g/L,葡萄糖质量浓度77 g/L。3种预处理使沙柳原料的酶解糖液都可以较好地被酿酒酵母利用发酵产乙醇,蒸爆处理原料的酶解糖液乙醇发酵效果最好,乙醇质量浓度达到47 g/L。     

The purification and characterization of a dextranase from Lipomyces starkeyi

Dextranase produced by Lipomyces starkeyi was purified 43-fold, by carboxymethyl-Sepharose chromatography followed by agarose gel-filtration chromatography. The purified enzyme showed four bands by SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with estimated mass 74 kDa, 71 kDa, 68 kDa and 65 kDa. This preparation exhibited multiple isoelectric points between 5.6 and 6.1. All the isoelectric forms were active and catalytically similar. The dextranase contained a carbohydrate moiety (8%). The physical properties of the enzyme were pH and temperature optima of 5.0 and 55 degrees C, respectively. This dextranase was stable between pH 2.5 and 7.0 at temperatures below 40 degrees C. Lipomyces dextranase was a typical endodextranase with the final product of dextran hydrolysis being isomalto-oligosaccharides from glucose to isomaltotetrose.     

Co-immobilization of dextransucrase and dextranase in alginate

Dextransucrase from Leuconostoc mesenteroides and dextranase from Penicillium lilacinum were co-immobilized and used to produce isomaltooligosaccharides from sucrose. The enzymes were co-immobilized by encapsulating soluble dextransucrase and dextranase covalently attached to Eupergit C in alginate (beads, fibers, and capsules). The alginate capsule co-immobilization was done in the presence of soluble starch and resulted in a high immobilization yield (71%), and the enzymes retained their activities during 20 repeated batch reactions and for a month in storage at 4 °C. The presence of starch was essential for the stability of dextransucrase in alginate capsules. Furthermore, it is important that the dextranase be pre-immobilized prior to alginate capsule co-immobilization to prevent dextranase leakage and inactivation of dextransucrase. The co-immobilized enzymes formed oligosaccharides from sucrose, which can be used as prebiotics. In addition, the oligosaccharides that were produced after the addition of sucrose reacted with the alginate fiber-encapsulted dextransucrase, thus increasing the amount of prebiotics. Co-immobilization in alginate fiber and beads also resulted in high yields (70 and 64%), but enzymatic activities decreased by 74 and 99%, respectively, after a month in storage at 4 °C. The newly developed alginate capsule method for co-immobilization of dextransucrase and dextranase is simple yet effective and has the potential for industrial-scale production of isomaltooligosaccharides.     

Characterization of an Extracellular Dextranase from Fusarium moniliforme

An extracellular dextranase (EC 3.2.1.11) was purified approximately 75-fold from cell-free culture filtrates of Fusarium moniliforme. The purified dextranase was of the endo type, and isomaltose was identified as the primary end product of dextran hydrolysis. The molecular weight of the dextranase was determined to be 39,000 by gel permeation chromatography. The enzyme was most active at pH 5.5, and the temperature optimum was near 55 C. Activity was not inhibited by either ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid or iodoacetate. The Km for dextran with an average molecular weight of 10,000 was estimated to be 1.1 X 10(-4) M. The electrophoretic mobility of the dextranase was distinctly different from that of a Penicillium-derived commercial dextranase. The F. moniliforme dextranase was also found to differ from the commercial preparation by its greater relative activity against glucans isolated from Streptococcus mutans.     

A comparison of liquid hot water and steam pretreatments of sugar cane bagasse for bioconversion to ethanol.

Sugar cane bagasse was pretreated with either liquid hot water (LHW) or steam using the same 25 l reactor. Solids concentration ranged from 1% to 8% for LHW pretreatment and was > or = 50% for steam pretreatment. Reaction temperature and time ranged from 170 to 230 degrees C and 1 to 46 min, respectively. Key performance metrics included fiber reactivity, xylan recovery, and the extent to which pretreatment hydrolyzate inhibited glucose fermentation. In four cases, LHW pretreatment achieved > or = 80% conversion by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). > or = 80% xylan recovery, and no hydrolyzate inhibition of glucose fermentation yield. Combined effectiveness was not as good for steam pretreatment due to low xylan recovery. SSF conversion increased and xylan recovery decreased as xylan dissolution increased for both modes. SSF conversion, xylan dissolution. hydrolyzate furfural concentration, and hydrolyzate inhibition increased, while xylan recovery and hydrolyzate pH decreased, as a function of increasing LHW pretreatment solids concentration (1-8%). These results are consistent with the notion that autohydrolysis plays an important. if not exclusive, role in batch hydrothermal pretreatment. Achieving concurrently high (greater than 90%) SSF conversion and xylan recovery will likely require a modified reactor configuration (e.g. continuous percolation or base addition) that better preserves dissolved xylan.     

Maintenance of quaternary structure in the frozen state stabilizes lactate dehydrogenase during freeze-drying

Sugars inhibit protein unfolding during the drying step of lyophilization by replacing hydrogen bonds to the protein lost upon removal of water. In many cases, polymers fail to inhibit dehydration-induced damage to proteins because steric hindrance prevents effective hydrogen bonding of the polymer to the protein's surface. However, in certain cases, polymers have been shown to stabilize multimeric enzymes during lyophilization. Here we test the hypothesis that this protection is due to inhibition of dissociation into subunits during freezing. To test this hypothesis, as a model system we used mixtures of lactate dehydrogenase isozymes that form electrophoretically distinguishable hybrid tetramers during reversible dissociation. We examined hybridization and recovery of catalytic activity during freeze-thawing and freeze-drying in the presence of polymers (dextran, Ficoll, and polyethylene glycol), sugars (sucrose, trehalose, glucose), and surfactants (Tween 80, Brij 35, hydroxy-propyl beta-cyclodextrin). The surfactants did not protect LDH during freeze-thawing or freeze-drying. Rather, in the presence of Brij 35, enhanced damage was seen during both freeze-thawing and freeze-drying, and the presence of Tween 80 exacerbated loss of active protein during freeze-drying. Polymers and sugars prevented dissociation of LDH during the freezing step of lyophilization, resulting in greater recovery of enzyme activity after lyophilization and rehydration. This beneficial effect was observed even in systems that do not form glassy solids during freezing and drying. We suggest that stabilization during drying results in part from greater inherent stability of the assembled holoenzyme relative to that of the dissociated monomers. Polymers inhibit freezing-induced dissociation thermodynamically because they are preferentially excluded from the surface of proteins, which increases the free energy of dissociation and denaturation.     

Dextranase from Arthrobacter oxydans KQ11-1 inhibits biofilm formation by polysaccharide hydrolysis

Dental plaque is a biofilm of water-soluble and water-insoluble polysaccharides, produced primarily by Streptococcus mutans. Dextranase can inhibit biofilm formation. Here, a dextranase gene from the marine microorganism Arthrobacter oxydans KQ11-1 is described, and cloned and expressed using E. coli DH5α competent cells. The recombinant enzyme was then purified and its properties were characterized. The optimal temperature and pH were determined to be 60°C and 6.5, respectively. High-performance liquid chromatography data show that the final hydrolysis products were glucose, maltose, maltotriose, and maltotetraose. Thus, dextranase can inhibit the adhesive ability of S. mutans. The minimum biofilm inhibition and reduction concentrations (MBIC₅₀ and MBRC₅₀) of dextranase were 2 U ml^?1 and 5 U ml^?1, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) observations confirmed that dextranase inhibited biofilm formation and removed previously formed biofilms.     

Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequencing of the Arthrobacter dextranase gene and its expression in Escherichia coli and Streptococcus sanguis

A bacterial strain, which assimilated dextran and water-insoluble glucan produced by Streptococcus mutans, was isolated from soil. The bacterium produced and secreted potent dextranase activity, which was identified as Arthrobacter sp. and named CB-8. The dextranase was purified and some enzymatic properties were characterized. The enzyme efficiently decomposed the water-insoluble glucan as well as dextran. A gene library from the bacteria was constructed with Escherichia coli, using plasmid pUC19, and clones producing dextranase activity were selected. Based on the result of nucleotide sequencing analysis, it was deduced that the dextranase was synthesized in CB-8 cells as a polypeptide precursor consisting of 640 amino acid residues, including 49 N-terminal amino acid residues which could be regarded as a signal peptide. In the E. coli transformant, the dextranase activity was detected mostly in the periplasmic space. The gene for the dextranase was introduced into Streptococcus sanguis, using an E. coli-S. sanguis shuttle vector that contained the promoter sequence of a gene for glucosyltransferase derived from a strain of S. mutans. The active dextranase was also expressed and accumulated in S. sanguis cells.     

Activity of l,3-β-D-Glucanases in soil

Air-dried soil did not exhibit any measurable 1,3-β-D-glueanase activity. The enzyme activity was observed after a previous wetting of the soil or after supplementing it with glucose or caseine hydrolyzate. The addition of 1,3-β-D-glucan resulted in a significant increase of the enzyme activity in the variant with water and casein hydrolyzate but not in the variant treated with glucose.     

右旋糖酐-α-1,6键水解酶的家族、结构及其应用

右旋糖酐（dextran）水解酶种类繁多,其中右旋糖酐-α-1,6键水解酶（D-α-1,6 H）是主要的水解酶类.该类酶包括右旋糖酐酶（EC 3.2.1.11）、葡萄糖右旋糖酐酶（EC 3.2.1.70）、异麦芽糖右旋糖酐酶（EC 3.2.1.94）等,分属不同糖苷水解酶家族.D-α-1,6 H的结构和催化方式多样,分类和进化关系复杂,是糖苷水解酶催化机制研究和酶蛋白分子进化研究的好材料.D-α-1,6H及该类酶的催化产物在工业和医学中均有重要而广泛的应用.近年来对D-α-1,6H的理论和应用研究逐渐增加,但仍缺乏深入的系统性研究.本文对D-α-1,6H的家族、结构和功能进行分析,并对其在工业和医学中的最新应用研究作以总结.     

Role of calcium alginate and mannitol in protecting bifidobacterium

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was carried out to ascertain the mechanism of Ca-alginate and mannitol protection of cell envelope components and secondary proteins of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Bb12 after freeze-drying and after 10 weeks of storage at room temperature (25°C) at low water activities (a(w)) of 0.07, 0.1, and 0.2. Preparation of Ca-alginate and Ca-alginate-mannitol as microencapsulants was carried out by dropping an alginate or alginate-mannitol emulsion containing bacteria using a burette into CaCl(2) solution to obtain Ca-alginate beads and Ca-alginate-mannitol beads, respectively. The wet beads were then freeze-dried. The a(w) of freeze-dried beads was then adjusted to 0.07, 0.1, and 0.2 using saturated salt solutions; controls were prepared by keeping Ca-alginate and Ca-alginate-mannitol in aluminum foil without a(w) adjustment. Mannitol in the Ca-alginate system interacted with cell envelopes during freeze-drying and during storage at low a(w)s. In contrast, Ca-alginate protected cell envelopes after freeze-drying but not during 10-week storage. Unlike Ca-alginate, Ca-alginate-mannitol was effective in retarding the changes in secondary proteins during freeze-drying and during 10 weeks of storage at low a(w)s. It appears that Ca-alginate-mannitol is more effective than Ca-alginate in preserving cell envelopes and proteins after freeze-drying and after 10 weeks of storage at room temperature (25°C).     

Thermal stabilization of antithrombin III by sugars and sugar derivatives and the effects of nonenzymatic glycosylation

A variety of neutral and acidic sugars and related compounds were evaluated in terms of their effect on the midpoint, Td, of the thermal denaturation curve of antithrombin III. The objectives were to determine which structural features of these molecules are responsible for their stabilizing properties and to identify more efficient stabilizers which combine the effects of lyotropic anions such as citrate with those of the polyols in a single molecule. The presence of one or more carboxylate groups in a sugar molecule invariably increased its stabilizing potency, whereas the number and position of hydroxyl groups appeared to have no influence on the molecules' stabilizing ability. Several compounds were shown to be effective in preserving antithrombin III activity during pasteurization for 10 h at 60 degrees C. However, the presence of reducing sugars invariably resulted in a decrease in activity following pasteurization, in spite of their ability to increase Td. In fact, when antithrombin III was pasteurized in the presence of 2 M glucose and 0.5 M citrate, it steadily lost its ability to inhibit thrombin even though Td under these conditions was 10 degrees C higher than in citrate alone where activity was preserved. This effect was shown to be coincident with the covalent incorporation of glucose into the protein molecule.