Synthesis of Cellulase during Abscission of Phaseolus vulgaris Leaf Explants

When abscission in leaf explants from Phaseolus vulgaris, cultivar Red Kidney, was allowed to proceed while the explants were in ²H₂O, a 1.25% increase in the buoyant density of cellulase in a cesium chloride gradient was observed. These data indicate that the increase in cellulase activity during abscission is a result of the synthesis of new protein. Two differentially soluble forms of cellulase are present in the abscission zone. The form which is soluble only in a high salt buffer seems more closely related to the abscission process than the form which is soluble in dilute buffer. The correlation between changes in pull force and increase in cellulase activity and the effects of several hormones on cellulase activity are discussed.     

Abscission: role of cellulase

Cellulase (β-1,4-glucan-glucanohydrolase EC 3.2.1.4) activity increased during abscission and was localized in the cell separation layer of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Red Kidney (bean), Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Acala 4-42 (Cotton) and Coleus blumei Benth. Princeton strain (Coleus) abscission zone explants. Cellulase activity was optimum at pH 7, was reduced by one-half after heating to 55° for 10 min, and was associated with the soluble components of the cell. Explants treated with aging retardants (indoleacetic acid, ⁶N-benzyladenine, and coumarin), CO₂, actinomycin D or cycloheximide had less cellulase activity than untreated controls. Ethylene increased cellulase activity of aged explants after a 3-hr lag period but had no effect on cellulase activity of freshly excised explants. It was concluded that 1 of the roles of ethylene in abscission is to regulate the production of cellulase which in turn is required for cell separation.     

Reverse micellar extraction for downstream processing of lipase: Effect of various parameters on extraction

Reverse micellar extraction of lipase using cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was investigated. The effect of various process parameters on both forward and backward extraction of lipase from crude extract was studied to optimize its yield and purity. Forward extraction of lipase was found to be maximum using Tris buffer at pH 9.0 containing 0.10 M NaCl in aqueous phase and 0.20 M CTAB in organic phase consisting of isooctane, butanol and hexanol. In case of backward extraction, lipase was extracted from the organic phase to a fresh aqueous phase in 0.05 M potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 1.0 M KCl. The activity recovery, extraction efficiency and purification factor of lipase were found to be 82.72%, 40.27% and 4.09-fold, respectively. The studies also indicated that the organic phase recovered after back extraction could be reused for the extraction of lipase from crude extract.     

Changes in Two Forms of Membrane-Associated Cellulase during Ethylene-Induced Abscission

Only one form of membrane-associated cellulase was found previously in the lower petiolar pulvinus of Phaseolus vulgaris (cv Red Kidney). The cellulase has an isoelectric point (pI) of 4.5 (DE Koehler, LN Lewis 1979 Plant Physiol 63: 677-679). This enzyme was detected in abscission zones collected before the onset of abscission (control tissue), and was thought to represent a pre-secretory form of another cellulase, the abscission cellulase, which has a basic pI and is secreted during abscission. We now show that this acidic, membrane-associated cellulase is a glycoprotein, tightly bound to the membrane, with maximum activity at pH 5.1, and that it is not immunologically related to the abscission cellulase. Furthermore, when bean explants are induced to abscise with ethylene, the activity of the acidic cellulase declines rapidly to 50% of control levels in the first day. When abscission is fully developed, the membranes contain a basic form of cellulase with a pI of 8.0 to 9.0 and only trace levels of the acidic cellulase. The basic form is not a high mannose glycoprotein; it has maximum activity in a broad pH range (4.0-8.0) and is antigenically related to the abscission cellulase, which is induced during abscission and transported to the cell wall. Antibody raised against the abscission cellulase recognized two proteins in a crude membrane fraction from abscising tissue. One of those proteins comigrated with the abscission cellulase, and the other was 1 to 2 kilodaltons larger. Thus, during abscission, the acidic membrane-associated cellulase rapidly declines before the appearance of the abscission cellulase. We conclude that there is no conversion from the acidic cellulase to the basic cellulase and suggest that the acidic and basic cellulase isoenzymes are proteins derived from two different genes.     

Activity of pectin esterase and cellulase in the abscission zone of citrus leaf explants

The activity of pectin esterase and cellulase in abscission of citrus explants was studied. No relation was established between pectin esterase and abscission, while cellulase activity was markedly increased before abscission and for a certain period after excision. IAA and cycloheximide delay abscission and cellulase activity, while ethylene and, to a lesser extent, GA₃ accelerate them. Application of cycloheximide during the lag period and before cellulase activity can be measured, inhibits to a certain extent the formation of cellulase. An escape from the inhibitory effect of cycloheximide is detected when inhibitor is supplied at the end of the lag period.     

Impact of Extraction Parameters on the Recovery of Lipolytic Activity from Fermented Babassu Cake

Enzyme extraction from solid matrix is as important step in solid-state fermentation to obtain soluble enzymes for further immobilization and application in biocatalysis. A method for the recovery of a pool of lipases from Penicillium simplicissimum produced by solid-state fermentation was developed. For lipase recovery different extraction solution was used and phosphate buffer containing Tween 80 and NaCl showed the best results, yielding lipase activity of 85.7 U/g and 65.7 U/g, respectively. The parameters with great impacts on enzyme extraction detected by the Plackett-Burman analysis were studied by Central Composite Rotatable experimental designs where a quadratic model was built showing maximum predicted lipase activity (160 U/g) at 25°C, Tween 80 0.5% (w/v), pH 8.0 and extraction solution 7 mL/g, maintaining constant buffer molarity of 0.1 M and 200 rpm. After the optimization process a 2.5 fold increase in lipase activity in the crude extract was obtained, comparing the intial value (64 U/g) with the experimental design (160 U/g), thus improving the overall productivity of the process.     

Extraction and partial characterization of cellulases from expanding pea epicotyls

Etiolated pea (Pisum sativum) epicotyls synthesize a buffer-soluble cellulase (cellulase A) and a salt-soluble cellulase (cellulase B) (EC 3.2.1.4) after treatment with high (0.5%) auxin levels. Only cellulase A increased in activity after treatment with low (0.005%) auxin. Cellulase A was released into the supernatant after homogenization of tissue in dilute buffer (buffer-soluble), had a pH optimum at 5.5, was relatively thermostable, and its activity was inhibited by NaCl. Cellulase B was released by 1 m NaCl (salt-soluble) from excised tissue segments or from the insoluble residue remaining after removal of the buffer-soluble form. It had a pH optimum at 7.0, was thermolabile, and required salt for maximum activity. When subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the cellulase fraction released by NaCl from excised segments showed two bands of cellulase activity compared to several for the buffer-soluble fraction. Electrophoretic analysis of the buffer and salt-soluble fractions for marker enzymes indicated the presence of malate dehydrogenase activity in all fractions and glutamate dehydrogenase activity in the buffer-soluble fraction only.     

Measurement and characterization of cellulase activity in sclerophyllous forest litter

Cellulases are enzymatic proteins which hydrolyze cellulose polymers to smaller oligosaccharides, cellobiose and glucose. They consist in three major types of enzymes: endoglucanases (EC 3.2.1.4), cellobiohydrolases (EC 3.2.1.91) and beta-glucosidases (EC 3.2.1.21) which play an essential role in carbon turnover of forest ecosystem. The aim of this study was firstly to determine the parameters (i.e. buffer type, pH, temperature, quantity of litter, incubation time and reagent type) which affect the measurement of cellulase activity in a sclerophyllous forest litter, and secondly to compare two methods for measuring cellulase activity: a direct method and an extraction method. In the direct method, the litter was directly incubated with a buffered solution containing the enzyme substrate, whereas in the extraction method, the cellulases were firstly extracted before measuring their activity. The results were compared with other studies about soil cellulase activity, and it appeared that several parameters (buffer type, pH, temperature and sample quantity) which influence the measurement of cellulase activity differ according to whether a soil or a litter is considered. Concerning the procedure used for the measurement of cellulase activity, results showed that the activity values were higher when using an extraction procedure than when using a direct procedure. The extraction procedure, combined with a concentration stage of the extract, also allowed electrophoretic analysis (PAGE) of the cellulases extracted from the litter. The electrophoretic pattern revealed two cellulase isoenzymes which may be related to the occurrence of two pH-activity peaks of these enzymes when citrate buffer was used for the measurement of cellulase activity in the litter.     

Hydrolysis of starchy materials by repeated use of an amylase immobilized on a novel thermo-responsive polymer

A copolymer of methacrylic acid (MAA) and N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) was used as a novel, reversibly soluble-insoluble support whose solubility changes depending on the temperature of the solution. Amylase (Dabiase K-27) immobilized covalently on the thermo-responsive polymer showed good solubility response: the immobilized enzyme (D-MN) was in a soluble state below 32°C, but insoluble above 42°C. D-MN in a soluble state has a high specific activity for the hydrolysis of soluble or uncooked starch. The solubility response of D-NM to changes in the temperature of the solution was more sensitive when 0.5% NaCl was added to a buffer solution (pH 4.5) with D-MN than in the buffer solution without NaCl. D-MN was used successively for repeated hydrolysis reactions of soluble and uncooked starches, in which D-MN was insolubilized either by changing the temperature of the reaction mixture from 30°C to 36°C with 0.5% NaCl or by adjusting the NaCl concentration of the reaction mixture from 0% to 1% at 30°C. In the repeated hydrolysis, glucose was produced successively from the soluble and uncooked starches, and D-MN could be repeatedly used after being recovered from the reaction product by centrifugation at the end of each batchwise hydrolysis.     

Cellulase and cell differentiation in Acer pseudoplatanus

Summary Homogenates of differentiating xylem and phloem tissue have higher cellulase activities than cambial samples; the highest activity is always found in phloem. Callus tissue, in which no vascular differentiation occurs, contains only low cellulase activity. The results suggest that cellulase is involved in vascular differentiation. Different pH optima of cellulase activity were found: in cambium, xylem and phloem tissue, cellulase activity with an optimum at about pH 5.9 is predominantly membrane-bound; it is sedimentable at 100,000 g and releasable by Triton X-100. The same may be true of activity with an optimum at pH 5.3. Phloem tissue also contains a soluble, cytoplasmic cellulase of high activity at pH 7.1, and xylem tissue contains cytoplasmic cellulase with an optimum at pH 6.5. Low cellulase activity with a pH optimum similar to that of xylem homogenates was found in xylem sap. Cellulase activity in abscission zones increases greatly just before leaf abscission. Abscission zone cellulase has two pH optima, et 5.3 and 5.9; both activities are increased by Triton treatment of homogenates. The possible existence of several different cellulases forming part of a cellulase complex, and the rôle of the enzymes in hydrolysing wall material during cell differentiation are discussed.     

Exo- and Endo-Cellular Cellulase and Polygalacturonase in Abscission Zones of Developing Orange Fruits

The activity of cellulase, cellulase-isoenzymes and polygalacturonase (PG) in the shoot/peduncle and calyx abscission zones (AZ-A and AZ-C, respectively) of young and mature Shamouti orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) fruit explants was tested after extraction of total enzymes from either exo- or endo-cellular fractions from fruits treated with ethylene or 2,4-D. Ethylene enhanced and 2,4-D delayed both abscission and the activity of exo- and endo-cellular cellulase and PG. When tested separately in the exo- and endo-cellular fraction, the effects of both growth regulators on the activity of almost all cellulase isoenzymes were similar, irrespective of their location in the tissue. In mature fruits no abscission occurred in AZ-A, and yet the activity of cellulase and PG was regulated by the hormones as in abscising AZs. This was also true for total activity of exo- and endo-cellular cellulase and PG. Similar effects were observed when the activity of cellulase isoenzymes was tested in AZ-A of non-abscising mature fruits. It is suggested that whenever the increase in activity of the hydrolytic enzymes, and especially cellulase, is not followed by abscission, the substrate is either immune or not available to the enzymes.     

Activation and membrane binding of carboxypeptidase E

Carboxypeptidase E (CPE) is a carboxypeptidase B-like enzyme that is thought to be involved in the processing of peptide hormones and neurotransmitters. Soluble and membrane-associated forms of CPE have been observed in purified secretory granules from various hormone-producing tissues. In this report, the influence of membrane association on CPE activity has been examined. A substantial amount of the membrane-associated CPE activity is solubilized upon extraction of bovine pituitary membranes with either 100 mM sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.6) containing 0.5% Triton X-100 and 1 M NaCl, or by extraction with high pH buffers (pH greater than 8). These treatments also lead to a two- to threefold increase in CPE activity. CPE extracted from membranes with either NaCl/Triton X-100 or high pH buffers hydrolyzes the dansyl-Phe-Ala-Arg substrate with a lower Km than the membrane-associated CPE. The Vmax of CPE present in extracts and membrane fractions after the NaCl/Triton X-100 treatment is twofold higher than in untreated membranes. Treatment of membranes with high pH buffers does not affect the Vmax of CPE in the soluble and particulate fractions. Pretreatment of membranes with bromoacetyl-D-arginine, an active site-directed irreversible inhibitor of CPE, blocks the activation by NaCl/Triton X-100 treatment. Thus the increase in CPE activity upon extraction from membranes is probably not because of the conversion of an inactive form to an active one, but is the result of changes in the conformation of the enzyme that effect the catalytic activity.     

Abscission of Citrus Leaf Explants: INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF ABSCISIC ACID, ETHYLENE, AND HYDROLYTIC ENZYMES

The question whether abscisic acid (ABA) induces cellulase and polygalacturonase activity and, hence, abscission directly or whether its action is mediated by C₂H₄ was studied in citrus (Osbeck var. Shamouti) leaf explants using aminoethoxyvinyl glycine (AVG), an inhibitor of C₂H₄ biosynthesis. ABA in concentrations of 10 micromolar and higher induced C₂H₄ production and accelerated abscission. AVG inhibited C₂H₄ formation, activity of cellulase and polygalacturonase, and abscission in ABA-treated explants. AVG did not inhibit the increase in the activity of the cell-wall degrading enzymes or abscission in a saturating level of externally supplied C₂H₄. This indicates that the effect of AVG resulted from inhibition of the formation of endogenous ethylene. The data indicate that in citrus leaf explants the induction of the activity of cellulase and polygalacturonase and abscission by ABA is mediated by C₂H₄.     

Cellulase and Abscission in the Red Kidney Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Cellulase (β-1, 4-glucan-glucanohydrolase EC 3.2.1.4) activity in the abscission zone of red kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) was previously shown to exist in at least two different molecular forms. The form of the enzyme which has an isoelectric point of 4.5 is present in both abscising and nonabscising tissue and requires grinding for extraction. Another form of the enzyme which has an isoelectric point of 9.5 is present only in tissue in which the abscission process has been induced. Further, much of this form of cellulase can be removed from the tissue by vacuum infiltration with buffer. Time course studies indicate that while the increase in measurable cellulase activity in tissue which is actively undergoing abscission was due primarily to the appearance of cellulase 9.5, this form of the enzyme cannot be removed by vacuum infiltration until after the breakstrength of the abscission zone has decreased nearly to zero. The intracellular localization of these two forms of cellulase is discussed.     

Further examination of abscission zone cells as ethylene target cells in higher plants

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Two aspects of the competence of abscission zone cells as a specific class of hormone target cell are examined. The first is the competence of these target cells to respond to a remote stele-generated signal, and whether ethylene acts in concert with this signal to initiate abscission of the primary leaf in Phaseolus vulgaris. The second is to extend the concept of dual control of abscission cell competence. Can the concept of developmental memory that is retained by abscission cell of Phaseolus vulgaris post-separation in terms of the inductive/repressive control of beta-1,4-glucan endohydrolase (cellulase) activity exerted by ethylene/auxin be extended to the rachis abscission zone cells of Sambucus nigra? METHODS: Abscission assays were performed using the leaf petiole-pulvinus explants of P. vulgaris with the distal pulvinus stele removed. These (-stele) explants do not separate when treated with ethylene and require a stele-generated signal from the distal pulvinus for separation at the leaf petiole-pulvinis abscission zone. Using these explants, the role of ethylene was examined, using the ethylene action blocker, 1-methyl cyclopropene, as well as the significance of the tissue from which the stele signal originates. Further, leaf rachis abscission explants were excised from the compound leaves of S. nigra, and changes in the activity of cellulase in response to added ethylene and auxin post-separation was examined. KEY RESULTS: The use of (-stele) explants has confirmed that ethylene, with the stele-generated signal, is essential for abscission. Neither ethylene alone nor the stelar signal alone is sufficient. Further, in addition to the leaf pulvinus distal to the abscission zone, mid-rib tissue that is excised from senescent or green mid-rib tissue can also generate a competent stelar signal. Experiments with rachis abscission explants of S. nigra have shown that auxin, when added to cells post-separation can retard cellulase activity, with activity re-established with subsequent ethylene treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The triggers that initiate and regulate the separation process are complex with, in bean leaves at least, the generation of a signal (or signals) from remote tissues, in concert with ethylene, a requisite part of the process. Once evoked, abscission cells maintain a developmental memory such that the induction/repression mediated by ethylene/auxin that is observed prior to separation is also retained by the cells post-separation.     

Differential extraction of isoperoxidases from Pisum shoots

When green or etiolated Alaska pea shoots are extracted with water or 50 mM phosphate buffer, pH 6·5, or macerated without addition of buffer, the elution profile of the resulting supernatant lacks several isoperoxidase components which are readily extracted from the residue with 10 mM EDTA at pH 6·5. Subsequent extraction with 270 mM NaCl does not solubilize any further components. These results cast doubt on the validity of earlier reports on isoperoxidase patterns in Pisum and other plants.     

Soluble and Bound Apoplastic Activity for Peroxidase, beta-d-Glucosidase, Malate Dehydrogenase, and Nonspecific Arylesterase, in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and Oat (Avena sativa L.) Primary Leaves

An intercellular washing solution containing about 1% of the soluble protein, 0.3% or less of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity, but up to 20% of the peroxidase and β-d-glucosidase activity of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) or oat (Avena sativa L.) primary leaves was obtained by vacuum infiltrating peeled leaves with pH 6.9 buffered 200 millimolar NaCl. After this wash, segments were homogenized in buffer, centrifuged, and the supernatant was assayed for soluble cytoplasmic enzymes. The pellet was washed and resuspended in 1 molar NaCl to solubilize enzymes strongly ionically bound to the cell wall. The final pellet was assayed for enzyme activity covalently bound in the cell wall. Apoplastic (intercellular washing solution, ionically bound, and covalently bound) fractions contained up to 76% of the β-d-glucosidase activity, 36% of the peroxidase activity, 11% of the nonspecific arylesterase activity, 4% of the malate dehydrogenase activity, but less than 2% of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity of peeled leaf segments. The partitioning and salt-solubility of the enzymes between the apoplast and symplast differed considerably between these two species. Intercellular washing fluid prepared by centrifuging unpeeled leaves had higher activity for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, less soluble protein, and less peroxidase activity per leaf than intercellular washing solution obtained by our peeling-infiltration-washing technique. The results are discussed in relation to the roles of these enzymes in phenolic metabolism in the cell wall.     

Purification and characterization of a carboxymethyl cellulase from Artemia salina

Brine shrimp (Artemia salina) belong to a group of crustaceans that feed on microalgae and require a cellulase enzyme that can be used in ethanol production from marine algae. Protein with potential cellulase activity was purified and the activity analyzed under different conditions. After initial identification of cellulase activity by CMC cellulase, surface sterilization and PCR using 16s rRNA primers was conducted to confirm that the cellulase activity was not produced from contaminating bacteria. The enzyme was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration, and ion exchange chromatography. After the final purification, a 70-fold increase in specific enzyme activity was observed. SDS–PAGE results revealed that the cellulase enzyme had a molecular mass of 96 kDa. Temperature, pH, and salinity values were found to be optimal at 55 °C, pH 8.0, and 600 mM NaCl, respectively. Specifically, the enzyme showed a fivefold increase in enzyme activity in seawater compared to 600 mM NaCl in phosphate buffer. Further analysis of the purified enzyme by molecular spectrometry showed no match to known cellulases, indicating this enzyme could be a novel halophilic cellulase that can be used for the production of bioethanol from marine macroalgae.     

Extraction of collagenase from the 6000 times g sediment of uterine and skin tissues of mice. A comparative study.

An enzyme capable of digesting native collagen in solution at neutral pH was extracted from the 6 000 times g sediment of the involuting uterus of the mouse and of the back skins of mice and rats. The collagenase could be dissociated at cold-room temperature from the sediment in about equal amounts when neutral Tris buffer containing 1.0M NaCl or 5M urea was used for the extraction step. The enzyme has been concentrated by ammonium sulfate precipitation and the activity was measured by using [14C]collagen in solution at pH 7.5. Collagen breakdown products were identified by disc electrophoresis. The amount of enzyme extracted was a function of temperature and salt concentration. As 5M urea extracted collagenase from the sediment in a relatively short time, this method of extraction seems to be a useful tool for serial experiments in the study of collagenase activity in collagen-rich tissues.