Investigating and optimizing the immobilization of levansucrase for increased transfructosylation activity and thermal stability

Levansucrase (LS) represents a key enzyme in glycoside synthesis of novel prebiotics and β-2,6-levan. The study of the effects of immobilization parameters of LS, produced from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, onto glyoxyl agarose-iminodiacetic acid/Cu (glyoxyl agarose-IDA/Cu) by response surface methodology revealed the significance of their interactive effects. Retention of activity was altered by interactive effects from buffer molarity/time and buffer pH/buffer molarity. The optimized immobilization conditions were identified to be a protein loading of 9.09 mg protein/g support, a buffer concentration of 608 mM at pH 6.8 and an incubation time of 49 h. Normally a reducing agent is applied to the immobilized enzyme in order to promote the formation of covalent bonds. This step was replaced with the addition of the ionic polymer polyethylenimine (PEI), which provided a better compromise between retained activity and thermal stability of the immobilized LS. Indeed, LS immobilized onto glyoxyl agarose-IDA/Cu/PEI had a retention of activity of 70.91% with a protein yield of 44.73% and an activity yield of 54.69%, while exhibiting a half-life 4.7 times higher than that of the free LS at 50 °C.     

Biotechnological production and application of fructooligosaccharides

Currently, prebiotics are all carbohydrates of relatively short chain length. One important group is the fructooligosaccharides (FOS), a special kind of prebiotic associated to the selective stimulation of the activity of certain groups of colonic bacteria. They have a positive and beneficial effect on intestinal microbiota, reducing the incidence of gastrointestinal infections and also possessing a recognized bifidogenic effect. Traditionally, these prebiotic compounds have been obtained through extraction processes from some plants, as well as through enzymatic hydrolysis of sucrose. However, different fermentative methods have also been proposed for the production of FOS, such as solid-state fermentations utilizing various agro-industrial by-products. By optimizing the culture parameters, FOS yields and productivity can be improved. The use of immobilized enzymes and cells has also been proposed as being an effective and economic method for large-scale production of FOS. This article is an overview of the results considering recent studies on FOS biosynthesis, physicochemical properties, sources, biotechnological production and applications.     

Immobilization of fructosyltransferase by chitosan and alginate for efficient production of fructooligosaccharides

The effective system of reusing mycelial fructosyltransferase (FTase) immobilized with two polymers, chitosan and alginate were evaluated for continuous production of fructooligosaccharides (FOS). The alginate beads were successfully developed by maintaining spherical conformation of using 0.3% (w/v) sodium alginate with 0.1% (w/v) of CaCl₂ solution for highest transfructosylating activity. The characteristics of free and immobilized FTase were investigated and results showed that optimum pH and temperature of FTase activity were altered by immobilized materials. A successive production of FOS by FTase entrapped alginate beads was observed at an average of 62.96% (w/w) up to 7 days without much losing its activity. The data revealed by HPLC analysis culminate 67.75% (w/w) of FOS formation by FTase entrapped alginate beads and 42.79% (w/w) by chitosan beads in 36 h of enzyme substrate reaction.     

Comparative studies on metal biosorption by two strains of Cladosporium cladosporioides

Two strains of a fungus, Cladosporium cladosporioides 1 and C. cladosporioides 2 showed different metal biosorption properties. Strain 1 showed preferential sorption of gold and silver, while strain 2 could bind metals such as copper and cadmium in addition to gold and silver. Strain 1 had a cell-wall hexosamine content of 0.1%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses indicated that nitrogen was not involved in metal biosorption by the strain. In strain 2 the cell-wall hexosamine content was 150 times that of strain 1. These results indicated that hexosamine was responsible for non-specific metal binding while cell-wall polymers other than hexosamines had a role in conferring selectivity in precious-metal binding.     

Biological properties of fructooligosaccharides with different contents of kestose and nystose in rats

Abstract

In a four-week experiment on rats' diets containing 5% of sucrose or fructooligosaccharides (FOS) diversified in terms of kestose and nystose contents: 6:1 (FOS-K), 3:1 (FOS-KN), and 0.5:1 (FOS-N) were applied. All FOS preparations, primarily FOS-N, considerably increased the mass of caecum, lowered pH of caecal digesta, and increased concentrations of protein. The glycolytic activity of the caecal digesta was generally alike in all groups, except for the control group where the activity of β-glucosidase was negligibly lower and that of α-galactosidase higher. The administration of FOS preparation with a diet increased the concentration and the pool of total VFA in the caecal digesta, especially in the case of butyric and propionic acids and decreased the concentration of iso-butyric and valeric acids. When compared with the kestose-rich preparation, the nystose-rich preparation increased the production of total VFA in the caecum, primarily of n-butyrate and propionate. Different length of kestose and nystose chains had no effect on the activity of bacterial enzymes in the caecum nor the biochemical indices of serum, concentration of cholesterol, glucose, urea, Ca, P and Mg.     

Bifidogenic effect and in vitro immunomodulatory roles of melibiose-derived oligosaccharides produced by the acceptor reaction of glucansucrase E81

Glucansucrases are responsible for the production of α-glucans using sucrose as the substrate. Glucansucrases may also produce different oligosaccharides by transferring the glucose moiety from sucrose to a variety carbohydrates acting as acceptor nucleophile. In this study, melibiose-derived oligosaccharides were produced by the glucansucrase from Lactobacillus reuteri E81 expressed without the N-terminal region (GtfA-ΔN). The reaction products were characterized by TLC, LC-MS and NMR analysis and it was found that GtfA-ΔN synthesized melibiose-derived oligosaccharides (DP3 and DP4) by adding glucose units through alpha 1->3 or 1->6 glycosidic bond. The functional characteristics of these melibiose-derived oligosaccharides were determined by testing the immune-modulatory functions in HT-29 cells and testing their growth promoting effects for important probiotic and pathogenic strains. The melibiose-derived oligosaccharides triggered the production of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α depending on their concentrations. Finally, melibiose-derived oligosaccharides showed bifidogenic effect as potential prebiotics.     

低聚果糖对慢性应激小鼠抑郁样行为及肠道菌群的影响

目的 探讨低聚果糖（FOS）对慢性应激小鼠的抑郁样行为及肠道菌群的影响。方法 选取8周龄健康雄性ICR小鼠随机分成3组,C组小鼠每天给予正常护理,S组和SF组小鼠每天随机给予1～2种应激源,持续8周,SF组小鼠在应激造模的同时经食物补充FOS。在造模4周和8周后,分别通过强迫游泳、蔗糖偏好试验评估各组小鼠抑郁样行为。造模结束后通过Western blot试验检测小鼠大脑皮层内糖皮质激素受体（GR）的表达,并收集结肠内容物进行16S rDNA扩增子测序分析。结果 应激造模8周后,C、S和SF三组小鼠的肠道菌群组成存在明显差异;与C组相比,S组小鼠强迫游泳的不动时间显著增加（t=3.970,P=0.0009）,蔗糖偏好率显著降低（t=3.890,P=0.0011）,脑内GR的表达显著降低（t=4.311,P=0.0125）;与S组相比,SF组小鼠强迫游泳的不动时间显著缩短（t=3.495,P=0.0026）,蔗糖偏好率和脑内GR表达有增加趋势。结论 益生元FOS可调节肠道菌群,改善慢性应激诱发的精神情绪异常。     

红色毛癣菌和枝孢样枝孢霉混合感染导致银屑病患者甲真菌病1例

目的报道1例银屑病患者出现红色毛癣菌和枝孢样枝孢霉混合感染导致的甲真菌病。方法报告病例,对甲标本进行真菌镜检和培养,对病原菌进行形态学及分子生物学鉴定。结果该病例经临床、真菌镜检和真菌培养鉴定,确诊为红色毛癣菌和枝孢样枝孢霉导致的甲真菌病。病原菌通过菌落和显微镜下形态特征结合rRNA内转录间隔区序列分析证实。结论通过形态学及分子生物学鉴定,证实为真菌红色毛癣菌和枝孢样枝孢霉混合感染导致的甲真菌病。     

Methods for the quantitation of human milk oligosaccharides in bacterial fermentation by mass spectrometry

Oligosaccharides are the third most abundant component in human milk. In the past decades, it became apparent that they would be able to protect against pathogens and participate in the development of the gut microflora for infants. However, their role in infants' nutrition and development remains poorly understood. To better understand this function, it is extremely important to have a quantitative tool for profiling oligosaccharides. In this article, we show the development of a method to quantitatively differentiate the relative amounts of oligosaccharides fermented by different intestinal bacteria. To determine the oligosaccharide consumption, bacteria were grown in a medium using human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) as the only carbon source purified from breast milk and further analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-FTICR MS). A method using an internal deuterium-labeled standard was developed and compared with an external standard method, with the internal standard method giving better precision and unambiguous measurements than the external standard method and providing to be a novel and robust tool for following bacterial fermentation of milk oligosaccharides.     

A new mechanism and kinetic model for the enzymatic synthesis of short-chain fructooligosaccharides from sucrose

A kinetic model based on a ping-pong mechanism was developed under the steady-state hypothesis to account for the short-chain fructooligosaccharides (sc-FOS) synthesis using the commercial cellulolytic enzyme preparation, Rohapect CM. This new mechanism takes into account the interactions between the enzyme species and potential substrates (sucrose and sc-FOS) as a single complex reaction, allowing a better understanding of the reaction kinetics.The initial reaction rate laws appropriately describe the kinetic profiles of the examined substrates. Whereas sucrose exhibited Michaelis–Menten behavior with substrate inhibition, 1-kestose and nystose followed Michaelis–Menten and sigmoid enzyme kinetics. In addition, the enzyme was competitively inhibited by glucose and exhibited significant hydrolytic activity in the presence of nystose.The overall model was simultaneously fitted to experimental data from three initial sucrose concentrations (0.5, 1.5 and 2.1 M) using a multi-response regression with kinetic parameters that have biochemical relevance and are independent of the enzyme concentration. According to the model, sucrose acts almost exclusively as a fructosyl donor substrate. The mathematical development described herein is expected to be suitable for modeling similar enzymatic reaction systems.     

Physicochemical characterization of fructooligosaccharides and evaluation of their suitability as a potential sweetener for diabetics

Fructooligosaccharides (FOSs) were prepared from sucrose using fungal fructosyl transferase (FTase) obtained from Aspergillus oryzae MTCC 5154. The resulting mixture consisted of glucose (28-30%), sucrose (18-20%) and fructooligosaccharides (50-54%) as indicated by HPLC analysis. Identification of oligomers present in the mixture of fructooligosaccharides was carried out using NMR spectroscopy and LC-MS. No compounds other than mono-, di-, tri-, tetra- and pentasaccharides were identified in the FOS mixture prepared using FTase. NMR and LC-MS spectra proved the absence of any toxic microbial metabolites of Aspergillus species in FOS thereby emphasizing its safe use as a food ingredient. Animal studies conducted on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats suggested that the use of FOS as an alternative non-nutrient sweetener is without any adverse effects on various diabetes-related metabolic parameters. Despite the high free-sugar content associated with it, FOS did not further aggravate the hyperglycemia and glucosuria in diabetic animals, even at 10% levels. On the other hand, by virtue of its soluble fibre effect, it has even alleviated diabetic-related metabolic complications to a certain degree.     

Impacts of functional oligosaccharide on intestinal immune modulation in immunosuppressive mice

In order to research the role of soybean oligosaccharides (SBOSs) on improvements in the microenvironment of intestinal flora and immune function of cyclophosphamide (CTX) immunosuppressive mice. Via giving intragastric administration of Soybean oligosaccharide (SBOS) at the low dose (50/(kg·BW)/d), the middle dose (200 mg/(kg·BW)/d) and the high dose (500 mg/(kg·BW)/d) partly once a day, which is also 28 days in a row. At the same time, (SBOS) mice in the drug group and (CG) mice in the positive control group were given intraabdominal injection of CTX (200 mg/kg/d).The immunosuppressive mouse model (CY) was established after 72 h in the model group and the positive control group (CG) was given intragastric administration of levamisole hydrochloric acid (LMS) for 3 days, with the data of 80ug/kg/d after injection of CTX (for actually 72 h). On the 8th, 15th and 22nd day, the number of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus and Clostridium perfringens m in the feces of mice in each dose of drug group were determined. After the test resulted, the cellular immune function, humoral immune function, monocyte/macrophage function, NK cell activity and cytokine secretion (tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-gamma and IL-4) were measured in immunosuppressive mice each group. The results showed that 200 mg/(kg BW) soybean oligosaccharide could significantly promote the proliferation and inhibit the increase of Enterococcus in immunosuppressive mice. The soybean oligosaccharide of 500 mg/(kg BW) could dramatically promote the proliferation of both Bifidobacillus and Lactobacillus, and also inhibit the increase of both Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococcus in immunosuppressive mice. The regulatory function of SBOS on intestinal flora was positive. Soybean oligosaccharide (500 mg/(kg BW) could significantly promote the proliferation of Bifidobacillus and Lactobacillus in immunosuppressive mice and inhibit the increase of Enterococcus and Enterococcus. The proliferation of spleen lymphocytes induced by ConA, LPS in immunosuppressive mice was dose-dependent. But it was still lower than that of the normal group (CG0) (p > 0.05). The serum hemolysin level of immunosuppressive mice was significantly increased in each dose group (p < 0.05), and the level of antibody forming cells in spleen cells of each dose group was significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the level of antibody forming cells in spleen cells of each dose group was significantly higher than that of low dose group (p < 0.005), and the level of serum hemolysin in immunosuppressive mice was significantly increased in each dose group (p < 0.05). In the detection of immune effector cell activity in immunosuppressive mice, the phagocytic function of macrophages in high dose group and the natural killing activity of spleen NK cells in high dose drug group were significantly increased, which were not significantly different from those in positive control group (P < 0.05), but the expression of TNF-α, INF-γ and IL-4 cytokines in serum was increased in a dose dependent manner (p < 0.05). In conclusion, soybean oligosaccharide can significantly increase the diversity of intestinal microecology, increase the number of intestinal beneficial bacteria, has a correlation with the proliferation of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the intestinal tract, and inhibit the proliferation of harmful bacteria. The results showed that SBOS had a direct effect on the proliferation of intestinal flora under immunosuppression. Based on the improvement of intestinal microenvironment in immunosuppressive mice by soybean oligosaccharide for 25 days, the results showed that compared with the positive control group, the nonspecific and specific immunity of immunosuppressive mice in the drug group had a regulatory effect, which improved the phagocytic function of monocytes/macrophages, developed the level of antibody forming cells, enhanced the standard of the killing activity of NK cells, and promoted the expression of cytokines as well. Compared with the model group, the transformation and proliferation of spleen lymphocytes in the high and middle dose groups were remarkably increased, but all of the indexes did not reach the level of the normal blank group. By studying the improvement of intestinal microenvironment in immunosuppressive mice, to some extent, it is concluded that the proliferation of intestinal flora can improve the immunomodulatory function of the body, but it still lowers the normal immune degree, which reflects the immunomodulatory effect of the body on the stimulation of continuous external intake. The results demonstrate that the immunomodulatory ability of immunosuppressive body was insensitive to SBOS and provided a theoretical basis for the study of health care function of intestinal microenvironment improvement when SBOS acted on abnormal immune function. The results also improved the practical application value of SBOS.     

基于调节肠道菌群的功能性低聚糖改善肥胖的研究进展

肥胖是机体脂肪积聚过多的一种典型的能量过剩疾病,是导致2型糖尿病和心血管疾病等一系列代谢性疾病的主要原因之一,已成为威胁全球健康的重大公共卫生问题。肠道菌群作为机体能量代谢调控的重要参与者,在肥胖及相关代谢性疾病的发生发展中起着关键作用,通过饮食干预调节肠道菌群,进而改善机体健康状况将是未来的研究热点之一。已有研究表明,功能性低聚糖作为一类典型的新型益生元,可调节肠道菌群结构及其代谢产物的水平,影响机体能量代谢过程,改善肥胖及相关代谢性疾病。本文主要对肠道菌群在肥胖中的潜在作用机制,以及常见功能性低聚糖调节肠道菌群改善肥胖的作用效果进行综述,以期为通过靶向肠道菌群精准干预肥胖及相关代谢性疾病提供一些新的潜在防治策略。

     

Quantification of anammox populations enriched in an immobilized microbial consortium with low levels of ammonium nitrogen and at low temperature

The prebiotic effect of a pectic oligosaccharide-rich extract enzymatically derived from bergamot peel was studied using pure and mixed cultures of human faecal bacteria. This was compared to the prebiotic effect of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). Individual species of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli responded positively to the addition of the bergamot extract, which contained oligosaccharides in the range of three to seven. Fermentation studies were also carried out in controlled pH batch mixed human faecal cultures and changes in gut bacterial groups were monitored over 24 h by fluorescent in situ hybridisation, a culture-independent microbial assessment. Addition of the bergamot oligosaccharides (BOS) resulted in a high increase in the number of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, whereas the clostridial population decreased. A prebiotic index (PI) was calculated for both FOS and BOS after 10 and 24 h incubation. Generally, higher PI scores were obtained after 10 h incubation, with BOS showing a greater value (6.90) than FOS (6.12).     

产紫杉醇内生真菌枝状枝孢霉MD2的发酵条件优化

[目的]通过优化内生真菌枝状枝孢霉MD2的发酵条件,提高10-去乙酰巴卡亭Ⅲ (10-DAB)和紫杉醇(Taxol)的产量.[方法]采用单因素试验分析不同的培养基初始pH值、培养温度、摇床转速和培养时间对10-DAB和紫杉醇产量的影响,优化枝状枝孢霉MD2的培养条件;以YES为基本培养基,采用单因素试验和正交试验分析添加苯甲酸钠、苯丙氨酸、丝氨酸和甘氨酸4种前体物对10-DAB和紫杉醇产量的影响,优化枝状枝孢霉MD2的培养基组分.[结果]优化后发酵条件为:在初始pH为5.0的300 mL YES培养基中,添加15 mg/L苯甲酸钠、25 mg/L苯丙氨酸、5 mg/L丝氨酸、15 mg/L甘氨酸,接种1 mL枝状枝孢霉MD2的孢子悬液(107-10s个孢子/mL),28.0℃、220 r/min发酵培养12d.在此条件下,枝状枝孢霉MD2的生物量、10-DAB和紫杉醇的产量分别为15.5 g/L、471.5 μg/L和569.5 μg/L,与初始发酵条件相比,分别提高了1.3、3.6和3.4倍.[结论]首次获得了枝状枝孢霉MD2生产10-DAB和紫杉醇的较适摇瓶发酵条件,可为进一步放大发酵培养提供参考.     

Production of beta-fructofuranosidase with transfructosylating activity for fructooligosaccharides synthesis by Aspergillus japonicus NTU-1249.

Microbial beta-fructofuranosidases with transfructosylating activity can catalyze the transfructosylation of sucrose and synthesize fructooligosaccharides. Aspergillus japonicus NTU-1249 isolated from natural habitat was found to produce a significant amount of beta-fructofuranosidase with high transfructosylating activity and to have the potential for industrial production of fructooligosaccharides. In order to improve it's enzyme productivity, the medium composition and the cultivation conditions for A. japonicus NTU-1249 were studied. A. japonicus NTU-1249 can produce 83.5 units of transfructosylating activity per ml broth when cultivated in a shaking flask at 28 degrees C for 72 hours with a modified medium containing 80 g/l sucrose, 15 g/l soybean flour, 5 g/l yeast extract and 5 g/l NaCl at an initial pH of 6.0. The enzyme productivity was also optimized by submerged cultivation in a 5-litre jar fermentor with aeration at 1.5 vvm and agitation at 500 rpm. Under these operating conditions, the productivity of transfructosylating activity increased to 185.6 U/ml. Furthermore, the transfructosylating activity was improved to 256.1 U/ml in 1,000-litre pilot-scale fermentor. Enzymatic synthesis of fructooligosaccharides by beta-fructofuranosidase from A. japonicus NTU-1249 was performed in batch type by adding 5.6 units of transfructosylating activity per gram of sucrose to a 50% (w/v) sucrose solution at pH 5.0 and 50 degrees C. The yield of fructooligosaccharides was about 60% after reaction for 24 hours, and the syrup produced contained 29.8% (w/v) fructooligosaccharides, 15.2% (w/v) glucose and 5.0% (w/v) sucrose.     

Potential of pure and mixed cultures of Cladosporium cladosporioides and Geotrichum candidum for application in bioremediation and detergent industry

The effect of ethoxylated oleyl–cetyl alcohol (Henkel, “Merima”, Serbia) on the growth and metabolic activity of Cladosporium cladosporioides, Geotrichum candidum and their mixed culture was in the focus of this paper. The cultures were grown in Czapek-Dox liquid nutrient medium with the addition of 0.5% pollutant and without it. The physico-chemical and biochemical changes of pH, the total biomass dry weight, the quantity of free and total organic acids, proteolytic activity and the quality of carbohydrates were evaluated from 4th to 19th day of fungal growth. The pollutant caused an inhibitory effect on biomass dry weight of C. cladosporioides and G. candidum for 10.36% and 4.65% respectively, and stimulatory effect on biomass of mixed culture for 3.80%. The pollutant had influence on the decrease in pH value of the media in the phase of culture growth, and pH changes were correlated with the amount of excreted total organic acids. The highest quantity of free and total organic acids was noted in media with pollutant of mixed culture and C. cladosporioides, respectively. The alkaline protease activities of C. cladosporioides, G. candidum and mixed culture were enhanced by addition of pollutant for 56.88%, 55.84% and 30.94% respectively. The obtained results indicate the potential of both pure and mixed cultures in mycoremediation environment contaminated by alcohol ethoxylated and detergent industry.     

Decolorization of 1:2 metal complex dye Acid blue 193 by a newly isolated fungus, Cladosporium cladosporioides

Summary A fungus Cladosporium cladosporioides isolated from coal sample as a decolorizing microorganism. It decolorized five different azo and triphenylmethane dyes like acid blue 193, acid black 210, crystal violet, reactive black B(S) and reactive black BL/LPR both on solid and in liquid broth medium. Culture broth of this fungus decolorized completely 100 mg of acid blue 193 l⁻¹ in 8 days. The extracellular enzyme of Cladosporium cladosporioides decolorized acid blue 193 on repeated addition to a total (out of 700 mg l⁻¹) concentration of 564 mg l⁻¹ within 168 h without significant decline in the activity, showing the resistant property of Cladosporium cladosporioides to a high concentration of the dye. The optimal temperature 40 °C, pH 5.6 and sugar concentration of 4% required for decolorization of acid blue 193. Cladosporium cladosporioides showed manganese peroxidase activity with 41 U l⁻¹, laccase activity with 1413 U l⁻¹ and lignin peroxidase activity was negligible after day 8 of incubation.     

Intensification of Fructosyltransferases and Fructo-Oligosaccharides Production in Solid State Fermentation by Aspergillus awamori GHRTS

The present work was aimed to investigate the impact of the solid substrates mixture on Fructosyltransferases (FTase) and Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) production. An augmented simplex lattice design was used to optimize a three component mixture for FTase production. Among selected substrates corn cobs has highest impact on FTase production followed by wheat bran and rice bran. All two substrates and three substrate combinations showed the highest enzyme production than their individual levels. Among the tested various models quadratic model was found to be the best suitable model to explain mixture design. Corncobs, wheat bran and rice bran in a ratio of approximately 45:29:26 is best suitable for the FTase production by isolated Aspergillus awamori GHRTS. This study signifies mixture design could be effective utilize for selection of best combination of multi substrate for improved production of high value products under solid state fermentation.