Recovery and partial purification of penicillin G acylase from E. coli homogenate and B. megaterium culture medium using an expanded bed adsorption column

The adsorption of penicillin G acylase (PGA) from B. megaterium and from Escherichia coli on a cationic resin, Streamline SP XL, was studied using both packed and expanded beds. Stability assays showed that penicillin acylases from the two sources presented high irreversible deactivation at pH 4.0 and 4.5, but remained stable at pH 4.8. Adsorption experiments performed in a packed bed (PB), in the pH range 4.8–5.8, showed highest adsorption yields at pH 4.8, for both enzymes. Using small expanded bed adsorption (EBA) columns, PGA was directly recovered and partially purified from E. coli crude extracts, E. coli homogenates, and from B. megaterium centrifuged broth in a single unit operation. Global recovery yields of 91.0, 55.0 and 7.4% and purification factors of 4.5-, 7.5- and 12.7-fold were achieved, respectively. The elution yields of penicillin acylase obtained with these cationic EBA processes when working with E. coli homogenate and B. megaterium centrifuged medium were of 100 and 52%, respectively. The comparison of adsorption capacities of E. coli penicillin acylase from crude extracts onto Streamline SP XL showed similar results for packed-bed and for expanded-bed modes. However, PGA adsorption yields for E. coli (homogenate) and B. megaterium (centrifuged medium) were substantially lower than the values obtained for E. coli crude extract, due to the competition of cell debris and other components present in the B. megaterium medium.     

High yield recombinant penicillin G amidase production and export into the growth medium using Bacillus megaterium

Background  

During the last years B. megaterium was continuously developed as production host for the secretion of proteins into the growth medium. Here, recombinant production and export of B. megaterium ATCC14945 penicillin G amidase (PGA) which is used in the reverse synthesis of β-lactam antibiotics were systematically improved.     

Salt-Inducible Bionylon Polymer from Bacillus megaterium

Poly-γ-glutamate (PGA) is a chiral polyamide material that possesses a nylon-like backbone, a bionylon polymer. We examined the PGA productivity of Bacillus megaterium and found NaCl-responsive PGA production in the bacterium. In the system of B. megaterium, salt would be significant in controlling the yield, molecular size, and stereochemistry of bionylon.     

Differential Effects of a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus megaterium</Emphasis> Strain on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactuca sativa</Emphasis> Plant Growth Depending on the Origin of the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Coinoculated: Physiologic and Biochemical Traits

Coinoculation with plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) has been proposed as an efficient method to increase plant growth. In this article we investigate how the interaction between three different AMF isolates (Glomus constrictum autochthonous, GcA; G. constrictum from collection, GcC; and commercial Glomus intraradices, Gi) and a Bacillus megaterium strain isolated from a Mediterranean calcareous soil affects Lactuca sativa L. plant growth. Inoculation with B. megaterium increased plant growth when in combination with two of the AMF isolates (GcA and Gi), but decreased it when in combination with GcC. At the same time, plants inoculated with the GcC fungus alone or in combination with B. megaterium (GcC+Bm) showed leaf symptoms of stress injury by accumulating proline and reducing the amount of photosynthetic pigments, whereas the opposite occurred in plants coinoculated with Gi fungus and B. megaterium (Gi+Bm). GcC+Bm leaves also presented the highest glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and the lowest glutamine synthetase (GS) enzymatic activities, whereas Gi+Bm leaves showed the highest GS activity. Results on these enzymatic activities are further discussed in relation to plant growth and performance.     

Monitoring bioreactors using principal component analysis: production of penicillin G acylase as a case study

The complexity of biological processes often makes impractical the development of detailed, structured phenomenological models of the cultivation of microorganisms in bioreactors. In this context, data pre-treatment techniques are useful for bioprocess control and fault detection. Among them, principal component analysis (PCA) plays an important role. This work presents a case study of the application of this technique during real experiments, where the enzyme penicillin G acylase (PGA) was produced by Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14945. PGA hydrolyzes penicillin G to yield 6-aminopenicilanic acid (6-APA) and phenyl acetic acid. 6-APA is used to produce semi-synthetic β-lactam antibiotics. A static PCA algorithm was implemented for on-line detection of deviations from the desired process behavior. The experiments were carried out in a 2-L bioreactor. Hotteling’s T ² was the discrimination criterion employed in this multivariable problem and the method showed a high sensibility for fault detection in all real cases that were studied.     

Evidence of an association between poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) accumulation and phosphotransbutyrylase expression in<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Bacillus megaterium</Emphasis>

Molecular analysis of a genomic region of Bacillus megaterium, a polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)-producing microorganism, revealed the presence of a gene coding for the enzyme phosphotransbutyrylase (Ptb). Enzyme activity was measured throughout the different growth phases of B. megaterium and was found to correlate with PHB accumulation during the late-exponential growth phase. Ptb expression was repressed by glucose and activated by the branched amino acids isoleucine and valine. Overexpression of Act_Bm, a ⁵⁴ regulator from B. megaterium whose gene is located upstream from ptb, caused an increase in Ptb activity and PHB accumulation in B. megaterium.     

Analysis of Metabolism in Dormant Spores of Bacillus Species by 31P Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis of Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds

This work was undertaken to obtain information on levels of metabolism in dormant spores of Bacillus species incubated for weeks at physiological temperatures. Spores of Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus subtilis strains were harvested shortly after release from sporangia and incubated under various conditions, and dormant spore metabolism was monitored by ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of molecules including 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3PGA) and ribonucleotides. Incubation for up to 30 days at 4, 37, or 50°C in water, at 37 or 50°C in buffer to raise the spore core pH from ∼ 6.3 to 7.8, or at 4°C in spent sporulation medium caused no significant changes in ribonucleotide or 3PGA levels. Stage I germinated spores of Bacillus megaterium that had slightly increased core water content and a core pH of 7.8 also did not degrade 3PGA and accumulated no ribonucleotides, including ATP, during incubation for 8 days at 37°C in buffered saline. In contrast, spores incubated for up to 30 days at 37 or 50°C in spent sporulation medium degraded significant amounts of 3PGA and accumulated ribonucleotides, indicative of RNA degradation, and these processes were increased in B. megaterium spores with a core pH of ∼7.8. However, no ATP was accumulated in these spores. These data indicate that spores of Bacillus species stored in water or buffer at low or high temperatures exhibited minimal, if any, metabolism of endogenous compounds, even when the spore core pH was 7.8 and core water content was increased somewhat. However, there was some metabolism in spores stored in spent sporulation medium.     

Chromosomal integration of a synthetic expression control sequence achieves poly‐γ‐glutamate production in a Bacillus subtilis strain

Poly‐γ‐glutamate (γ‐PGA) has applications in food, medical, cosmetic, animal feed, and wastewater industries. Bacillus subtilis DB430, which possesses the γ‐PGA synthesis ywsC‐ywtAB genes in its chromosome, cannot produce γ‐PGA. An efficient synthetic expression control sequence (SECS) was introduced into the upstream region of the ywtABC genes, and this resulted in γ‐PGA‐producing B. subtilis mutant strains. Mutant B. subtilis PGA6‐2 stably produces high levels of γ‐PGA in medium A without supplementation of extra glutamic acid or ammonium chloride. The mutant B. subtilis PGA 6‐2 is not only a γ‐PGA producer, but it is also a candidate for the genetic and metabolic engineering of γ‐PGA production. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010     

Proteome analysis of a recombinant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus megaterium</Emphasis> strain during heterologous production of a glucosyltransferase

A recombinant B. megaterium strain was used for the heterologous production of a glucosyltransferase (dextransucrase). To better understand the physiological and metabolic responses of the host cell to cultivation and induction conditions, proteomic analysis was carried out by combined use of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry (2-DE/MS) for protein separation and identification.     

Bacillus subtilis pgsE (Formerly ywtC) stimulates poly‐γ‐glutamate production in the presence of zinc

Poly‐γ‐glutamate (PGA) is a versatile nylon‐like material, and enhanced production of PGA is required for various bio‐industrial applications. In this study, we first examined the effects of available sugars on the production of Bacillus subtilis PGA, and demonstrated the good applicability of pentoses (e.g., D ‐xylose). Then, we characterized the pgsE gene of B. subtilis, which encodes a 6.5‐kDa protein of 55 amino acids (PgsE), as a genetic tool for increasing the yield of PGA without changing its structural features (e.g., polymer stereochemistry and molecular size distribution). In the presence of Zn²⁺, the induction of PgsE tripled the PGA productivity of B. subtilis subsp. chungkookjang. This finding will contribute to the establishment of an improved PGA‐production system. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:226–230. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Sporulation and regeneration efficiency of phosphobacteria (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus megaterium</Emphasis> var <Emphasis Type="Italic">phosphaticum</Emphasis>)

Sporulation in Bacillus megaterium var phosphaticum (PB — 1) was induced using modified nutrient media. This modified medium induced sporulation within 36 h. After spore induction the spores were kept under refrigerated (5°C) and room temperature (32°C) for five months and survival of spores was studied at 15 days intervals by plating them in nutrient agar medium. It was observed that there was not much variation in the storage temperature (5°C & 32°C). The spore cells of Bacillus megaterium var phosphaticum (PB — 1) were observed up to five months of storage under refrigerated (5°C) and room temperature (32°C). Regeneration of spore cells into vegetative cells was studied in tap water, rice gruel, nutrient broth, sterile lignite and sterile water at different concentrations of spore inoculum. The multiplication of sporulated Bacillus megaterium var phosphaticum culture was fast and reached its maximum (29.5 × 10⁸ cfu ml⁻¹) in nutrient broth containing 5 per cent inoculum level.     

Antimicrobial activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus megaterium</Emphasis> strains

A bacterial strain with a high level of antimicrobial activity was isolated from soil and identified as Bacillus megaterium. Production of antibiotics by nine strains of this species from the collection of the State Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms was investigated. In submerged cultures, nine out of ten B. megaterium strains were found to produce antibacterial antibiotics differing in their spectra of action. Physicochemical characteristics of five compounds were described. Three of them belonged to peptide antibiotics. All five compounds were active against the methicillin-resistant strain Staphylococcus aureus INA 00761. Three of them were shown to be the previously undescribed compounds. Antibiotics produced by various B. megaterium strains were also active against the Leuconostoc mesenteroides VKPM B-4177 strain resistant to glycopeptide antibiotics and against gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922.     

Functional analysis of the response regulator DegU in Bacillus megaterium DSM319 and comparative secretome analysis of degSU mutants

We functionally analysed the two-component regulatory system DegSU (historically SacU) in Bacillus megaterium DSM319 by generating a genetic knock out as well as a sacU32 mutation. The latter—known to cause a hypersecretion phenotype in Bacillus subtilis—had no influence on extracellular protease and amylase activity in B. megaterium. Since the B. megaterium DegU complemented a Bacillus licheniformis ∆degSU mutant, functionality of the protein was proven. Expression of the sacB encoded levansucrase was found to be dependent on DegSU in B. megaterium. Consistently, the fusion of the sacB promoter to gfp revealed a strong increase in GFP-expression in the sacU32 strain. On 2 D-gels of the secretome, a large number of intracellular proteins was seen. The culture medium contained only 42 secreted proteins which can be assigned to polypeptides involved in the metabolism of the cell wall, polypeptides with proteolytic activities and those with unknown functions. Though overall protease activity matches with the wild type, two proteolytic enzymes (Vpr and YwaD) are missing in the secretome of the ∆degSU strain, while other degradative enzymes are not affected. In line with such findings, no increase of proteolytic or other degradative enzymes was seen in the sacU32 mutant. Thus, compared to B. subtilis and B. licheniformis, the number of extracellular proteins influenced by DegSU is surprisingly low in B. megaterium, a feature, probably advantageous as to the use of the sacU32 mutant for production of secreted proteins.     

High production of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) from a wild Bacillus megaterium Bolivian strain

Aim

Taking into account that a novel strain of Bacillus megaterium was isolated from Uyuni salt lake (Bolivia) in a previous work, the objectives of this new study were to determine the maximal Poly‐3‐hydroxybutyrate production potential of B. megaterium strain uyuni S29 in an industrial conventional media, the possibility that the strain accumulates different types of polyhydroxyalkanoates, the cellular morphology during the biosynthesis process and the characterization of the produced biopolymers.

Methods and Results

The micro‐organism was first tested in a 3‐L bioreactor obtaining a high specific growth rate of 1·64 h^?1. A second fed‐batch experiment was carried out in shaking flasks, reaching up to 70% PHB of cell dry mass. The biosynthesized polymers were extracted by two different extraction procedures and characterized. The results showed that all of them were PHB with thermal properties different to the conventional PHB. The micrographs taken by TEM show the different cell morphology during the fermentation process.

Conclusions

In this previous study, the strain not only grew properly in the industrial conditions proposed without spore formation, but also produced and accumulated a large content of PHB, never reached before for its genus. Therefore, if the culture conditions can be optimized, the biopolymer production could be increased.

Significance and Impact of the Study

The impact of the study has related to the area of the biomaterials and their production. The study provides new data related to the high production of PHB from the wild novel strain B. megaterium uyuni S29, the highest polymer accumulation for the genus Bacillus without spores formation.     

Online filtering of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> signals from a bioreactor gas outflow using a committee of constructive neural networks

This work proposes a committee of Cascade Correlation neural networks as an online smoother for random measurement noise. The goals of this paper are twofold: first it intends to explore the possibilities of using a constructive neural network algorithm to learn how to filter typical noisy data from a bioreactor, CO₂ mol fractions of the effluent gas during the aerobic cultivation of Bacillus megaterium to produce the enzyme penicillin G acylase. Second, to propose a committee of such networks for achieving more realistic results, capturing the inherent trend of the process. In order to do that this paper discusses the advantages of using a constructive neural network algorithm, describes how the committee of NNs operates and evaluates its performance using real CO₂ online data obtained in laboratorial experiments. The paper also presents results obtained with classical filtering algorithms, for comparison.     

Characteristic DNA methylation profiles in peripheral blood monocytes are associated with inflammatory phenotypes of asthma

Epigenetic changes including DNA methylation caused by environmental exposures may contribute to the heterogeneous inflammatory response in asthma. Here we investigate alterations in DNA methylation of purified blood monocytes that are associated with inflammatory phenotypes of asthma. Peripheral blood was collected from adults with eosinophilic asthma (EA; n = 21), paucigranulocytic asthma (PGA; n = 22), neutrophilic asthma (NA; n = 9), and healthy controls (n = 10). Blood monocytes were isolated using ficoll density gradient and immuno-magnetic cell separation. Bisulfite converted genomic DNA was hybridized to Illumina Infinium Methylation27 arrays and analyzed for differential methylation using R/Bioconductor packages; networks of gene interactions were identified using the STRING database. Compared with healthy controls, differentially methylated CpG loci were identified in EA (n = 413), PGA (n = 495), and NA (n = 89). We found that 223, 237, and 72 loci were significantly hypermethylated in EA, PGA, and NA, respectively. Nine genes were common to all three phenotypes and showed increased methylation in asthma. Three pathway networks were identified in EA, involved in purine metabolism, calcium signaling, and ECM-receptor interaction. In PGA, two networks were identified, involved in neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and ubiquitin mediated proteolysis. In NA, one network was identified involving sFRP1 as a key node, over representing the Wnt signaling pathway. We have identified characteristic alterations in DNA methylation that are associated with inflammatory phenotypes of asthma and may contribute to the disease mechanisms. This network-based characterization may help in the development of epigenetic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for asthma.     

Diverse molecular resistance mechanisms of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus megaterium</Emphasis> during metal removal present in a spent catalyst

Bacillus megaterium strain MNSH1-9K-1, isolated from a high-metal content site in Guanajuato, Mexico, has the intrinsic capacity to remove vanadium (V) and nickel (Ni) from a petrochemical spent catalyst, and counteract the toxic effects produced in the cell due to the presence of oxidative stress. Since knowledge of the molecular components involved in the microbial resistance to spent catalysts is scarce, this study aimed to identify the proteins potentially involved in the enhanced resistance of a B. megaterium strain, during the removal of metals contained in a spent catalyst. Thus, the current research uses a proteomic approach to investigate and evidence the differences in the molecular resistance mechanisms of two B. megaterium strains, one isolated from a mining site and a wild type strain, when both are exposed to a spent catalyst. In addition, we studied their ability to eliminate nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), aluminum (Al) and molybdenum (Mo). The data presented here may contribute to the knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in the resistance of B. megaterium to high metal content wastes, as well as its potential utilization for the recovery of valuable industrial metals.     

Knockout of pgdS and ggt genes improves γ‐PGA yield in B. subtilis

One of the emerging biopolymers that are currently under active investigation is bacterial poly(γ‐glutamic acid) (γ‐PGA). However, before its full industrial exploitation, a substantial increase in microbial productivity is required. γ‐PGA obtained from the Bacillus subtilis laboratory strain 168 offers the advantage of a producer characterized by a well defined genetic framework and simple manipulation techniques. In this strain, the knockout of genes for the major γ‐PGA degrading enzymes, pgdS and ggt, leads to a considerable improvement in polymer yield, which attains levels analogous to the top wild γ‐PGA producer strains. This study highlights the convenience of using the laboratory strain of B. subtilis over wild isolates in designing strain improvement strategies aimed at increasing γ‐PGA productivity. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 2006–2012. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Isolation of antifouling active pyroglutamic acid,triethyl citrate and di-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-octylphthalate from the brown seaweed <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ishige okamurae</Emphasis>

Three antifouling active compounds of L-pyroglutamic acid (PGA), triethyl citrate (TEC) and di-n-octylphthalate (DNOP) were isolated from the brown seaweed Ishige okamurae. Approximately 2.8 mg PGA, 1.7 mg TEC, and 2.0 mg DNOP were isolated from 600 g of I. okamurae powder. The concentrations of PGA, TEC, and DNOP required to cause foot repulsion in 50% of mussels (RD₅₀) were 9, 26, and 0.08 mM, respectively. The PGA, TEC, and DNOP concentrations required to inhibit 50% attachment of algal spores (ID₅₀) were 24, 50 and 0.1 mM, respectively. These compounds showed stable antifouling activities against mussel and algal spore attachment.     

Biosynthesis of poly(γ-glutamic acid) from l-glutamic acid,citric acid,and ammonium sulfate in Bacillus subtilis IFO3335

Poly(-glutamic acid) (PGA) production in Bacillus subtilis IFO3335 was studied. When l-glutamic acid, citric acid, and ammonium sulfate were used as carbon and nitrogen sources, a large amount of PGA without a by-product such as a polysaccharide was produced. The time courses of cell growth, PGA, glutamic acid, and citric acid concentrations during cultivation were investigated. It was found that glutamic acid added to the medium was apparently not assimilated. It can be presumed that the glutamic acid unit in PGA is mainly produced from citric acid and ammonium sulfate. The PGA productivity was investigated at various concentrations of ammonium sulfate in the media, which caused the depression of cell growth, high productivity of PGA, and the production of PGA with a high relative molecular mass. The yield of PGA determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) reached approximately 20 g/l. This yield was the highest value for PGA production by B. subtilis IFO3335, suggesting that B. subtilis IFO3335 was a bacterium that could produce PGA effectively. Time courses relative to the molecular mass of PGA at various concentrations of ammonium sulfate were investigated. It was suggested that B. subtilis IFO3335 excreted a PGA degradation enzyme with the progress of cultivation and that PGA was degraded by this enzyme. Correspondence to: M. Kunioka