The activity of beta-galactosidase and lactose metabolism in Kluyveromyces lactis cultured in cheese whey as a function of growth rate

Aims: Kluyveromyces lactis was cultured in cheese whey permeate on both batch and continuous mode to investigate the effect of time course and growth rate on β‐galactosidase activity, lactose consumption, ethanol production and protein profiles of the cells. Methods and Results: Cheese whey was the substrate to grow K. lactis as a batch or continuous culture. In order to precise the specific growth rate for maximum β‐galactosidase activity a continuous culture was performed at five dilution (growth) rates ranging from 0·06, 0·09, 0·12, 0·18 to 0·24 h^?1. The kinetics of lactose consumption and ethanol production were also evaluated. On both batch and continuous culture a respirofermentative metabolism was detected. The growth stage for maximum β‐gal activity was found to be at the transition between late exponential and entrance of stationary growth phase of batch cultures. Fractionating that transition stage in several growth rates at continuous culture a maximum β‐galactosidase activity at 0·24 h^?1 was observed. Following that stage β‐gal activity undergoes a decline which does not correlate to the density of its corresponding protein band on the gel prepared from the same samples. Conclusion: The maximum β‐galactosidase activity per unit of cell mass was found to be 341·18 mmol ONP min^?1 g^?1 at a dilution rate of 0·24 h^?1. Significance and Impact of the Study: The physiology of K. lactis growing in cheese whey permeate can proven useful to optimize the conversion of that substrate in biomass rich in β‐gal or in ethanol fuel. In addition to increasing the native enzyme the conditions established here can be set to increase yields of recombinant protein production based on the LAC4 promoter in K. lactis host.     

Ligand-induced conformational changes in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli: evidence for two binding sites.

By using a lactose permease mutant containing a single Cys residue in place of Val 331 (helix X), conformational changes induced by ligand binding were studied. With right-side-out membrane vesicles containing Val 331-->Cys permease, lactose transport is inactivated by either N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) or 7-diethylamino-3-(4'-maleimidylphenyl)-4-methylcoumarin (CPM). Remarkably, beta,D-galactopyranosyl 1-thio-beta,D-galactopyranoside (TDG) enhances the rate of inactivation by CPM, a hydrophobic sulfhydryl reagent, whereas NEM inactivation is attenuated by the ligand. Val 331-->Cys permease was then purified and studied in dodecyl-beta,D-maltoside by site-directed fluorescence spectroscopy. The reactivity of Val 331-->Cys permease with 2-(4'-maleimidylanilino)-naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid (MIANS) is not changed over a low range of TDG concentrations (< 0.8 mM), but the fluorescence of the MIANS-labeled protein is quenched in a saturable manner (apparent Kd approximately equal to 0.12 mM) without a change in emission maximum. In contrast, over a higher range of TDG concentrations (1-10 mM), the reactivity of Val 331-->Cys permease with MIANS is enhanced and the emission maximum of MIANS-labeled permease is blue shifted by 3-7 nm. Furthermore, the fluorescence of MIANS-labeled Val 331 -->Cys permease is quenched by both acrylamide and iodide, but the former is considerably more effective. A low concentration of TDG (0.2 mM) does not alter quenching by either compound, whereas a higher concentration of ligand (10 mM) decreases the quenching constant for iodide by about 50% and for acrylamide by about 20%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Probing of the substrate binding domain of lactose permease by a proton pulse

The lactose permease of Escherichia coli coupled proton transfer across the bacterial inner membrane with the uptake of beta-galactosides. In the present study we have used the cysteine-less C148 mutant that was selectively labeled by fluorescein maleimide on the C148 residue, which is an active component of the substrate transporting cavity. Measurements of the protonation dynamics of the bound pH indicator in the time resolved domain allowed us to probe the binding site by a free diffusing proton. The measured signal was reconstructed by numeric integration of differential rate equations that comply with the detailed balance principle and account for all proton transfer reactions taking place in the reaction mixture. This analysis yields the rate constants and pK values of all residues participating in the fast proton transfer reaction between the bulk and the protein's surface, revealing the exposed residues that react with free protons in a diffusion controlled reaction and how they transfer protons among themselves. The magnitudes of these rate constants were finally evaluated by comparison with the rate predicted by the Debye-Smoluchowski equation. The analysis of the kinetic and pK values indicated that the protein-fluorescein adduct assumes two conformation states. One is dominant above pH 7.4, while the other exists only below 7.1. In the high pH range, the enzyme assumes a constrained configuration and the rate constant of the reaction of a free diffusing proton with the bound dye is 10 times slower than a diffusion controlled reaction. In this state, the carboxylate moiety of residue E126 is in close proximity to the dye and exchanges a proton with it at a very fast rate. Below pH 7.1, the substrate binding domain is in a relaxed configuration and freely accessed by bulk protons, and the rate of proton exchange between the dye and E126 is 100,000 times slower. The relevance of these observations to the catalytic cycle is discussed.     

Co-immobilization by adhesion of beta-galactosidase in nonviable cells of Kluyveromyces lactis with Klebsiella oxytoca: conversion of lactose into 2, 3-butanediol

Klebsiella oxytoca (NRRL-B199), although able to produce 2, 3-butanediol from glucose, converted lactose mainly into acetic acid. By addition of a preparation of lactase (beta-galactosidase, EC 3.2.1.23), the fermentation of lactose in a stirred vessel was three-times faster and resulted in a high concentration of 2, 3-butanediol. The lactase confined in dead cells of Kluyveromyces lactis (CBS 683) was prepared by permeabilization with solvents and fixation with glutaraldehyde. The cells were coimmobilized by adhesion to glass wool after treatment of the latter with chitosan, which ensured cell-support electrostatic attraction. The cell loading (dry weight) was ca. 9 gL(-1) for the yeast and ca. 2 gL(-1) for the bacteria. In the presence of culture medium, the adhesion of both cells was stable and the bacteria tended to form biofilms. The stability of the coimmobilized cells was demonstrated by the continous conversion of lactose into 2, 3-butanediol at 30oC during 25 days. The coimmobilization system gave output concentrations (14 gL(-1)) and rate of production (1 gL(-1) h(-1)) of 2, 3-butanediol from lactose, similar to those obtained in the literature with immobilized cells and glucose. Compared to the literature data on direct conversion of lactose using pure cultures, the present results showed higher butanediol concentrations and 10 to 100 times higher rates of production.     

The binding of cyclic AMP receptor protein to two lactose promoter sites is not cooperative in vitro.

The lactose promoter-operator region of Escherichia coli contains two binding sites for cyclic AMP receptor protein (CAP), two for the lactose repressor, and two for RNA polymerase. The high density of binding sites makes cooperative interactions between these proteins likely. In this study, we used the gel electrophoresis mobility shift assay and binding partition analysis techniques to determine whether the secondary CAP site influences the binding of CAP to the principal CAP site in the lactose promoter when both are present on a linear DNA molecule. Such an effect could occur through the formation of a bridged DNA-CAP-DNA structure, through the interaction of CAP molecules bound to each of the sites, or through allosteric effects caused by CAP-mediated DNA bending. We found, however, that the interaction of CAP with these sites was not cooperative, indicating that CAP sites 1 and 2 bind CAP in an independent manner.     

A conformational change in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli is induced by ligand binding or membrane potential.

Lactose transport in membrane vesicles containing lactose permease with a single Cys residue in place of Val 315 is inactivated by N-ethylmaleimide in a manner that is stimulated by substrate or by a H+ electrochemical gradient (delta microH+; Sahin-Tóth M, Kaback HR, 1993, Protein Sci 2:1024-1033). The findings are confirmed and extended in this communication. Purified, reconstituted Val 315-->Cys permease reacts with N-ethylmaleimide or hydrophobic fluorescent maleimides but not with a membrane impermeant thiol reagent, and beta-galactosides specifically stimulate the rate of labeling. Furthermore, the reactivity of purified Val 315-->Cys permease is enhanced by imposition of a membrane potential (delta psi, interior negative). The results indicate that either ligand binding or delta psi induces a conformational change in the permease that brings the N-terminus of helix X into an environment that is more accessible from the lipid phase.     

Immobilization of lactase from Kluyveromyces lactis greatly reduces the inhibition promoted by glucose. full hydrolysis of lactose in milk

The kinetic constants (Km, Vmax, and inhibition constants for the different products) of soluble and different immobilized preparations of beta-galactosidase from Kluyveromyces lactis were determined. For the soluble enzyme, the Km was 3.6 mM, while the competitive inhibition constant by galactose was 45 mM and the noncompetitive one by glucose was 758 mM. The immobilized preparations conserved similar values of Km and competitive inhibition, but in some instances much higher values for the noncompetitive inhibition constants were obtained. Thus, when glyoxyl or glutaraldehyde supports were used to immobilize the enzyme, the noncompetitive inhibition was greatly reduced (Ki approximately 15,000 and >40,000 mM, respectively), whereas when using sugar chains to immobilize the enzyme the behavior had an effect very similar to the soluble enzyme. These results presented a great practical relevance. While using the soluble enzyme or the enzyme immobilized via the sugar chain as biocatalysts in the hydrolysis of lactose in milk only around 90% of the substrate was hydrolyzed, by using of these the enzyme immobilized via the glyoxyl or the glutaraldehyde groups, more than 99% of the lactose in milk was hydrolyzed.     

Role of conserved residues in hydrophilic loop 8-9 of the lactose permease.

A peptide motif, GXXX(D/E)(R/K)XG(R/K)(R/K), has been conserved in a large group of evolutionarily related membrane proteins that transport small molecules across the membrane. Within the superfamily, this motif is located in two cytoplasmic loops that connect transmembrane segments 2 and 3 and transmembrane segments 8 and 9. In a previous study concerning the loop 2-3 motif of the lactose permease (A. E. Jessen-Marshall, N. J. Paul, and R. J. Brooker, J. Biol. Chem. 270:16251-16257, 1995), it was shown that the first-position glycine and the fifth-position aspartate are critical for transport activity since a variety of site-directed mutations greatly diminished the rate of transport. In the current study, a similar approach was used to investigate the functional significance of the conserved residues in the loop 8-9 motif. In the wild-type lactose permease, however, this motif has been evolutionarily modified so that the first-position glycine (an alpha-helix breaker) has been changed to proline (also a helix breaker); the fifth position has been changed to an asparagine; and one of the basic residues has been altered. In this investigation, we made a total of 28 single and 7 double mutants within the loop 8-9 motif to explore the functional importance of this loop. With regard to transport activity, amino acid substitutions within the loop 8-9 motif tend to be fairly well tolerated. Most substitutions produced permeases with normal or mildly defective transport activities. However, three substitutions at the first position (i.e., position 280) resulted in defective lactose transport. Kinetic analysis of position 280 mutants indicated that the defect decreased the Vmax for lactose uptake. Besides substitutions at position 280, a Gly-288-to-Thr mutant had the interesting property that the kinetic parameters for lactose uptake were normal yet the rates of lactose efflux and exchange were approximately 10-fold faster than wild-type rates. The results of this study suggest that loop 8-9 may facilitate conformational changes that translocate lactose.