Production of nattokinase by high cell density fed-batch culture of Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus subtilis was cultivated to high cell density for nattokinase production by pH-stat fed-batch culture. A concentrated mixture solution of glucose and peptone was automatically added by acid-supplying pump when culture pH rose above high limit. Effect of the ratio of glucose to peptone in feeding solution was investigated on cell growth and nattokinase production by changing the ratio from 0.2 to 5 g glucose/g peptone. The highest cell concentration was 77 g/L when the ratio was 0.2 g glucose/g peptone. Cell concentration decreased with increasing the ratio of glucose to peptone in feeding solution, while the optimum condition existed for nattokinase production. The highest nattokinase activity was 14,500 unit/mL at a ratio of 0.33 g glucose/g peptone, which was 4.3 times higher than that in batch culture.     

Mass production of thiostrepton by fed-batch culture of Streptomyces laurentii with pH-stat modal feeding of multi-substrate

Summary High concentration production of an antibiotic, thiostrepton, was achieved by the fed-batch culture of Streptomyces laurentii. To produce thiostrepton efficiently, the pH of the medium had to be maintained in a very narrow range between 6.0 and 6.2. As the substrates, not only glucose but also natural nutrients such as defatted soy bean meal and corn steep liquor were demanded. All of these substrates (multi-substrate) had to be supplied during the cultivation. pH was used as the indicator to detect the deficiency of substrates. When the glucose in the medium had been exhaustively consumed, the pH increased immediately; the multi-substrate solution (MS-solution) was then supplied. The composition of the feeding solution was determined from data obtained in batch cultures. During the fed-batch culture, glucose concentration was kept lower than 5 g/l by regulating the feed amount of MS-solution with this pH-stat modal control. By this control strategy a high concentration of thiostrepton, 10.5 g/l, was obtained, while total cell mass concentration reached 157 g/l. The productivity of thiostrepton was greatly increased compared with the conventional batch culture.     

Production of β-carotene by recombinant Escherichia coli with engineered whole mevalonate pathway in batch and fed-batch cultures

Recombinant Escherichia coli engineered to contain the whole mevalonate pathway and foreign genes for β-carotene biosynthesis, was utilized for production of β-carotene in bioreactor cultures. Optimum culture conditions were established in batch and pH-stat fed-batch cultures to determine the optimal feeding strategy thereby improving production yield. The specific growth rate and volumetric productivity in batch cultures at 37°C were 1.7-fold and 2-fold higher, respectively, than those at 28°C. Glycerol was superior to glucose as a carbon source. Maximum β-carotene production (titer of 663 mg/L and overall volumetric productivity of 24.6 mg/L × h) resulted from the simultaneous addition of 500 g/L glycerol and 50 g/L yeast extract in pH-stat fed-batch culture.     

Fed-batch fermentation dealing with nitrogen limitation in microbial transglutaminase production by Streptoverticillium mobaraense

In the later stages of a batch fermentation for microbial transglutaminase production by Streptoverticillium mobaraense the availability of a nitrogen source accessible to the microorganism becomes critical. Fed-batch fermentation is investigated with the aim of avoiding this substrate limitation. When peptone is used as a nitrogen source in the feed, no significant improvement of growth and transglutaminase production is observed. This is probably due to crosslinking of the nitrogen source by the transglutaminase produced. Using an inorganic nitrogen source alone does not give satisfactory growth and production. A fed-batch fermentation method has thus been developed to deal with this problem. In the batch phase of the fermentation, an initial medium containing peptone, designed on the basis of the stoichiometric requirements of the microorganism, is used to ensure optimal growth. In the feeding phase, ammonium sulphate is used instead to avoid the crosslinking effect. The feed composition, mainly the amount of nitrogen and carbon source, is also based on the stoichiometric requirements of the organism, taking into account the replacement of peptone by ammonium sulphate. By using this fed-batch fermentation technique, cell-mass dry weight and transglutaminase production could be increased by 33% and 80% respectively, compared to those in a batch fermentation. Received: 10 July 1997 / Received revision: 24 October 1997 / Accepted: 24 October 1997     

Increased PHB productivity by high-cell-density fed-batch culture of Alcaligenes latus, a growth-associated PHB producer

Alcaligenes latus, a growth-associated PHB producer, was cultivated by a pH-stat modal fed-batch culture technique to attain high PHB productivity. Both sucrose solution and inorganic medium were fed in conjunction with the supply of ammonia solution which serves as a nitrogen source and as a means of pH control. Compositions of the inorganic medium were formulated by elemental analysis of A. latus cell mass. The effect on inoculum size was examined to reduce culture time. High concentrations of cell (142 g/L) and PHB (68.4 g/L) were obtained in a short culture time (18 h) with an inoculum size of 13.7 g/L. The PHB content and the PHB productivity at the end of the fed-batch culture were 50% of dry cell weight and 4.0 g PHB/(L . h), respectively. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Expression of a Rhizopus oryzae lipase in Pichia pastoris under control of the nitrogen source-regulated formaldehyde dehydrogenase promoter

A Rhizopus oryzae lipase gene has been expressed in Pichia pastoris as a reporter using the formaldehyde dehydrogenase 1 promoter (PFLD1) of this organism, which has been reported to be strongly and independently induced by either methanol as sole carbon source or methylamine as sole nitrogen source. Levels of lipase expressed and secreted under the control of the PFLD1 at different induction conditions have been compared to those obtained with the commonly used alcohol oxidase 1 promoter (PAOX1) in small (shake flask) and 1l bioreactor batch cultures. PFLD1-controlled heterologous gene expression was strongly repressed by excess of either glycerol or glucose-but not sorbitol-during growth using methylamine both as sole nitrogen source and inducing substrate. Co-induction of PFLD1 with methanol and methylamine resulted in a synergistic effect on extracellular lipase expression levels. In all tested conditions, the substitution of ammonium for methylamine as carbon source provoked a clear decrease in the specific growth rate and yield of biomass per gram of carbon source. Overall, this study demonstrates that the PFLD1 promoter is at least as efficient as the PAOX1 for extracellular expression of heterologous proteins in P. pastoris bioreactor cultures and provides a first basis for the further design of methanol-free high cell density fed-batch cultivation strategies for controlled overproduction of foreign proteins in P. pastoris.     

Lipid production in batch and fed-batch cultures of Rhodosporidium toruloides from 5 and 6 carbon carbohydrates

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Microbial lipids are a potential source of bio- or renewable diesel and the red yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides is interesting not only because it can accumulate over 50% of its dry biomass as lipid, but also because it utilises both five and six carbon carbohydrates, which are present in plant biomass hydrolysates. METHODS: R. toruloides was grown in batch and fed-batch cultures in 0.5 l bioreactors at pH 4 in chemically defined, nitrogen restricted (C/N 40 to 100) media containing glucose, xylose, arabinose, or all three carbohydrates as carbon source. Lipid was extracted from the biomass using chloroform-methanol, measured gravimetrically and analysed by GC. RESULTS: R. toruloides was grown on glucose, xylose, arabinose or mixtures of these carbohydrates in batch and fed-batch, nitrogen restricted conditions. Lipid production was most efficient with glucose (up to 25 g lipid L1, 48 to 75% lipid in the biomass, at up to 0.21 g lipid L1h1) as the sole carbon source, but high lipid concentrations were also produced from xylose (36 to 45% lipid in biomass). Lipid production was low (15-19% lipid in biomass) with arabinose as sole carbon source and was lower than expected (30% lipid in biomass) when glucose, xylose and arabinose were provided simultaneously. The presence of arabinose and/or xylose in the medium increased the proportion of palmitic and linoleic acid and reduced the proportion of oleic acid in the fatty acids, compared to glucose-grown cells. High cell densities were obtained in both batch (37 g L1, with 49% lipid in the biomass) and fed-batch (35 to 47 g L1, with 50 to 75% lipid in the biomass) cultures. The highest proportion of lipid in the biomass was observed in cultures given nitrogen during the batch phase but none with the feed. However, carbohydrate consumption was incomplete when the feed did not contain nitrogen and the highest total lipid and best substrate consumption were observed in cultures which received a constant low nitrogen supply. CONCLUSIONS: Lipid production in R. toruloides was lower from arabinose and mixed carbohydrates than from glucose or xylose. Although high biomass and lipid production were achieved in both batch and fed-batch cultures with glucose as carbon source, for lipid production from mixtures of carbohydrates fed-batch cultivation was preferable. Constant feeding was better than intermittent feeding. The feeding strategy did not affect the relative proportion of different fatty acids in the lipid, but the presence of C5 sugars did.     

Growth characteristics of a new methylomonad.

A methylomonad culture was isolated from pond water and examined as a potential source of single-cell protein. A medium containing magnesium sulfate, ammonium hydroxide, sodium phosphate, tap water, and methanol supported the growth of the isolate. Optimal growth conditions in batch cultures for the organism were: temperature, 30 to 33 degrees C; pH 7.1; and phosphate concentration, 0.015 M. The minimum doubling time obtained was 1.6 h. The specific growth rate in batch culture was dependent on the methanol concentration, reaching a maximum around 0.2% (wt/vol). Growth inhibition was apparent above 0.3% (wt/vol), and growth was completely inhibited above 4.6% (wt/vol) methanol. Although the inhibitory effect of formaldehyde on the specific growth rate was much greater than that of formate, the organism utilized formaldehyde, but not formate, as a sole carbon and energy source in batch cultures. The isolate was identified primarily by its inability to utilize any carbon source other than methanol and formaldehyde for growth. Although it is capable of rapid growth on methanol, the organism showed a very weak catalase activity. The amino acid content of the cells compared favorably with the reference levels for the essential amino acids specific by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.     

Growth characteristics of a new methylomonad.

A methylomonad culture was isolated from pond water and examined as a potential source of single-cell protein. A medium containing magnesium sulfate, ammonium hydroxide, sodium phosphate, tap water, and methanol supported the growth of the isolate. Optimal growth conditions in batch cultures for the organism were: temperature, 30 to 33 degrees C; pH 7.1; and phosphate concentration, 0.015 M. The minimum doubling time obtained was 1.6 h. The specific growth rate in batch culture was dependent on the methanol concentration, reaching a maximum around 0.2% (wt/vol). Growth inhibition was apparent above 0.3% (wt/vol), and growth was completely inhibited above 4.6% (wt/vol) methanol. Although the inhibitory effect of formaldehyde on the specific growth rate was much greater than that of formate, the organism utilized formaldehyde, but not formate, as a sole carbon and energy source in batch cultures. The isolate was identified primarily by its inability to utilize any carbon source other than methanol and formaldehyde for growth. Although it is capable of rapid growth on methanol, the organism showed a very weak catalase activity. The amino acid content of the cells compared favorably with the reference levels for the essential amino acids specific by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.     

Low-glutamine fed-batch cultures of 293-HEK serum-free suspension cells for adenovirus production

Recent developments in gene therapy using adenoviral (Ad) vectors have fueled renewed interest in the 293 human embryonic kidney cell line traditionally used to produce these vectors. Low-glutamine fed-batch cultures of serum-free, suspension cells in a 5-L bioreactor were conducted. Our aim was to tighten the control on glutamine metabolism and hence reduce ammonia and lactate accumulation. Online direct measurement of glutamine was effected via a continuous cell-exclusion system that allows for aseptic, cell-free sampling of the culture broth. A feedback control algorithm was used to maintain the glutamine concentration at a level as low as 0.1 mM with a concentrated glucose-free feed medium. This was tested in two media: a commercial formulation (SFM II) and a chemically defined DMEM/F12 formulation. The fed-batch and batch cultures were started at the same glucose concentration, and it was not controlled at any point in the fed-batch cultures. In all cases, fed-batch cultures with double the cell density and extended viable culture time compared to the batch cultures were achieved. An infection study on the high density fed-batch culture using adenovirus-green fluorescent protein (Ad-GFP) construct was also done to ascertain the production capacity of the culture. Virus titers from the infected fed-batch culture showed that there is an approximately 10-fold improvement over a batch infection culture. The results have shown that the control of glutamine at low levels in cultures is sufficient to yield significant improvements in both cell densities and viral production. The applicability of this fed-batch system to cultures in different media and also infected cultures suggests its potential for application to generic mammalian cell cultures.     

High production of alkaline protease byBacillus licheniformis in a fed-batch fermentation using a synthetic medium

Summary High production (9016 U/ml) of alkaline protease byBacillus licheniformis has been achieved. A 49% increase in production was achieved by the method used as compared with a batch process. By using a synthetic medium and a fed-batch operation controlled by the Advanced Fermentation Software (AFS) package, it was found that the keys to high production of protease are: (i) to maintain a low concentration of glucose (<0.43 g/l) in the medium; (ii) to control pH at a certain level (pH 6.50) in the culture; and (iii) to use rough type colonies as the starting culture. Our fed-batch fermentation process successfully simulates and surpasses ordinary batch fermentation processes. By using ammonium sulfate instead of soy bean flour as the only nitrogen source, an expected benefit was the elimination of unpleasant odors caused by natural organic nitrogenous components in the media. This would improve the industrial production environment.     

Effect of nitrogen source on methanol oxidation and genetic diversity of methylotrophic mixed cultures enriched from pulp and paper mill biofilms

Methanol-oxidizing bacteria may play an important role in the development and use of biological treatment systems for the removal of methanol from industrial effluents. Optimization of methanol degradation potential in such systems is contingent on availability of nutrients, such as nitrogen, in the most favorable form and concentration. To that end, this study examined the variation in growth, methanol degradation, and bacterial diversity of two mixed methylotrophic cultures that were provided nitrogen either as ammonium or nitrate and in three different concentrations. Methanol-degrading cultures were enriched from biofilms sampled at a pulp and paper mill and grown in liquid batch culture with methanol as the only carbon source and either ammonium or nitrate as the only added nitrogen source. Results indicate that growth and methanol removal of the mixed cultures increase directly with increased nitrogen, added in either form. However, methanol removal and bacterial diversity, as observed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR–DGGE) methods, were higher when using nitrate as the nitrogen source for enrichment and growth, rather than ammonium. Based on results described here, nitrate may potentially be a better nitrogen source when enriching or working with mixed methylotrophic cultures, and possibly more effective when used as a nutrient addition to biofilters.     

可溶性TRAIL蛋白的高密度培养及补料策略研究

采用分批补料的方法高密度培养重组大肠杆菌C600/PbvTRAIL制备人可溶性TRAIL蛋白,优化发酵工艺,探索简单高效的分离纯化方法并测定蛋白生物活性。通过比较几种不同的补料策略：间歇流加、Dostat、pHstat,摸索了一种流加策略,即DOstatpHstat组合流加,有效的避免了发酵过程中,尤其是诱导表达阶段乙酸积累的增加,使TRAIL蛋白在高密度培养条件下,得到高效表达。菌体密度最终达到300g/L（WCW）以上,可溶性TRAIL蛋白占菌体总蛋白的4.2%,含量为1.1g/L。在整个发酵过程中,乙酸浓度接近于0,且未使用任何特殊手段,如纯氧、加压等,简化了发酵工艺,降低了发酵成本,为TRAIL的工业化生产创造了条件。     

Sorbitol co-feeding reduces metabolic burden caused by the overexpression of a Rhizopus oryzae lipase in Pichia pastoris

To improve the specific production rate of Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL) in Pichia pastoris, a protein that triggers the unfolded protein response in P. pastoris, the effect of sorbitol/methanol mixed substrates was tested in batch and fed-batch cultures. Remarkably, a different substrate consumption behaviour was observed depending on the host's phenotype (Mut(+) or Mut(s)) in batch cultures: when the methanol assimilation capacity is genetically reduced (Mut(s) phenotype), both substrates were consumed simultaneously, allowing not only a higher specific growth rate but also higher lipase levels (8.7-fold) compared to those obtained by cells growing on methanol as a sole carbon source in batch culture. This effect was not observed in Mut(+) phenotype, where the two substrates were consumed sequentially and the levels of heterologous product were only slightly higher (1.7-fold). A mixed substrate strategy was also applied to a Mut(s) fed-batch culture at a low methanol concentration set-point (0.5 gl(-1)). This resulted in a 2.2-fold increase in the heterologous protein level achieved, compared with the methanol-only feeding strategy. In addition, sorbitol co-feeding permitted the achievement of higher specific growth rates, and avoided the drastic decrease of the specific production rate observed after the start of the induction phase when methanol was used as sole carbon source This resulted in a significant increase in the overall bioprocess volumetric productivity (2.2-fold) and specific productivity (1.7-fold). Moreover, whereas increased ROL gene dosage in Mut(s) strains have been previously reported to be deleterious for P. pastoris cells growing on methanol, sorbitol co-feeding allowed for sustained cell growth and lipase production.     

Influence of Primatone RL supplementation on sialylation of recombinant human interferon-gamma produced by Chinese hamster ovary cell culture using serum-free media

Although serum-free media have been widely used in mammalian cell culture for therapeutic protein production, the effects of serum-substitutes on product quality have not been extensively examined. This study observed an adverse effect of Primatone RL, an animal tissue hydrolysate commonly used as a serum-substitute to promote cell growth, on sialylation of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) derived from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture in both batch and fed-batch modes. In batch cultures, decreased sialylation was observed at each of the glycosylation sites (i.e., Asn(25) and Asn(97)) of IFN-gamma with the use of elevated concentrations of the peptone. Although poorest sialylation was obtained with the use of a growth-inhibiting concentration of Primatone RL, diminished sialylation was observed at the optimal peptone concentration for cell growth and product yield. Since incubation of the product in Primatone RL-supplemented acellular medium did not result in decreased sialylation, the negative effect of Primatone RL could not be attributed to extracellular desialylation of IFN-gamma by components of the peptone. In the fed-batch mode, a culture utilizing a serum-free feeding medium supplemented with Primatone RL demonstrated poorer sialylation than a similar culture not fed the peptone. The results of both the batch and fed-batch experiments indicate that the adverse effect of the peptone was not due solely to ammonia accumulation. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 56: 353-360, 1997.     

Effective extracellular production of Bacillus stearothermophilus esterase by pH-stat modal fed-batch culture of recombinant Bacillus brevis

An automated two-component substrate feeding strategy with a pH-stat modal fed-batch culture using a high pH limit was developed to effectively porduce esterase from a hyperprotein exreting Bacillus brevis HPD31 harboring a plasmid pHSC131 which carries a Bacillus stearothermo philus esterase gene. First, the effect of single- and multi-substrate feedings on the growth and activity of the excreted esterase was investigated. Then a two-component (polypepton + glucose) feeding using different feed rates was studied. Highest activity of the excreted esterase (34 U/mL) was obtained when the concentrations of poly-pepton and glucose in the nutrient feed solution were 250 and 41.60 g/L respectively. The absence and excessive amount of glucose in the nutrient feed solution was ineffective for the exracellular esterase formation because without glucose the increase in cell concentration was minimum while excessive amount of glucose favored cell growth at the expense of the esterase production. It is believed that the mechanism of enzyme excretion is growth dependent and that a higher cell growth of the host is in effect unfavorable for the enzyme production. The feed rate, automatically controlled by the direct signal of the pH change, at 0.30 mL/pulse was found optimum for the esterase production while lower (0.15 mL/pulse) and higher (0.67 mL/pulse) feed rates did not produce good results. The activity of the excreted esterase was increased more than eight times from 4 U/mL obtained in the conventional batch culture to 34 U/mL obtained in this study. The esterase productivity was likewise increased more than threefold. (c) 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetic Analyses of Desulfurization of Dibenzothiophene by Rhodococcus erythropolis in Batch and Fed-Batch Cultures

The DbtS(sup+) phenotype (which confers the ability to oxidize selectively the sulfur atom of dibenzothiophene [DBT] or dibenzothiophene sulfone [DBTO(inf2)]) of Rhodococcus erythropolis N1-36 was quantitatively characterized in batch and fed-batch cultures. In flask cultures, production of the desulfurization product, monohydroxybiphenyl (OH-BP), was maximal at pH 6.0, while specific productivity (OH-BP cell(sup-1)) was maximal at pH 5.5. Quantitative measurements in fermentors (in both batch and fed-batch modes) demonstrated that DBTO(inf2) as the sole sulfur source yielded a greater amount of product than did DBT. Specifically, 100 (mu)M DBT maximally yielded (apprx=)40 (mu)M OH-BP, while 100 (mu)M DBTO(inf2) yielded (apprx=)60 (mu)M OH-BP. Neither maintaining the pH at 6.0 nor adding an additional carbon source increased the yield of OH-BP. The presence of SO(inf4)(sup2-) in growth media repressed expression of desulfurization activity, but SO(inf4)(sup2-) added to suspensions of cells grown in DBT or DBTO(inf2) did not inhibit desulfurization activity.     

Growth and carotenoid production of Phaffia Rhodozyma in fed-batch cultures with different feeding methods

The growth and carotenoid production of Phaffia rhodozyma in fed-batch cultures with different feeding methods and grown at specific growth rates similar to the batch culture was compared. With constant feeding, exponential feeding, DO-stat and pH-stat fed-batch cultures of Phaffia rhodozyma, the highest biomass (17.4 g/l) and lowest carotenoid content (307 g/g cell) of Phaffia rhodozyma was from the DO-stat fed-batch culture. The lowest biomass (14.7 g/l) and highest carotenoid content (412 g/g cell) was from the exponential, fed-batch culture.     

Production of rhamnolipid biosurfactant by fed-batch culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using glucose as a sole carbon source.

The pH-stat fed-batch culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa YPJ-80 was done to produce a rhamnolipid biosurfactant. With glucose as the sole carbon source, the final concentrations of cells and rhamnolipid biosurfactant obtained in 25 h were 25 g cell dry weight/l and 4.4 g/l, respectively.