High Production of β-Glucosidase in Schizophyllum commune: Isolation of the Enzyme and Effect of the Culture Filtrate on Cellulose Hydrolysis

Optimization experiments with response surface statistical analysis were performed with Schizophyllum commune to obtain high β-glucosidase yields. The factors in the optimization experiment were the concentrations of cellulose, peptone, and KH₂PO₄. Their optimal values were 3.2, 3.0, and 0.2 g/100 ml, respectively. Enzyme assays revealed very high β-glucosidase (22.2 U/ml) and cellobiase (68.9 U/ml) yields. The avicelase yield was low as compared with that from Trichoderma reesei. Mixtures of S. commune and T. reesei culture filtrates caused faster and more extensive saccharification of Avicel than could be achieved by either filtrate alone. A β-glucosidase was isolated and purified from the optimized culture filtrate of S. commune. The electrophoretic mobility of the purified β-glucosidase indicated a molecular weight of 97,000. The amino acid composition was similar to that of β-glucosidase from T. reesei. The acidic (aspartate and glutamate) residues or their amides or both made up approximately 20% of the protein. The NH₂-terminal amino acid of the enzyme was histidine.     

Simplification of the Biomass to Ethanol Conversion Process by Using the Whole Medium of Filamentous Fungi Cultivated Under Solid-State Fermentation

A novel simplified configuration is proposed for the conversion of biomass to ethanol using whole medium enzymatic cocktails (WM) and enzymatic extracts (EE) from different filamentous fungi (Trichoderma reesei, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus oryzae) cultivated under solid-state fermentation (SSF) for the hydrolysis of steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse (SESB). The hydrolyzed material derived from the saccharification of SESB using the combinations A. niger WM + T. reesei EE, A. oryzae WM + A. niger EE, and A. niger EE + T. reesei WM resulted in the best biomass conversion yields (66, 65, and 64 % of the theoretical reducing sugar yields, respectively). The best ethanol production (84 % of the theoretical yield) was obtained using the material hydrolyzed by a combination of A. oryzae WM + A. niger EE. The enzymatic conversion of SESB using on-site produced enzymes from the whole SSF cultivation medium, followed by an ethanol production step, is a potential configuration for the biomass to ethanol conversion process. This novel simplified configuration would enable the use of a single reactor system, avoiding the need for additional separation steps.     

EGIII,a new endoglucanase from Trichoderma reesei: the characterization of both gene and enzyme

A novel endoglucanase from Trichoderma reesei, EGIII, has been purified and its catalytic properties have been studied. The gene for that enzyme (egl3) and cDNA have been cloned and sequenced. The deduced EGIII protein shows clear sequence homology to a Schizophyllum commune enzyme (M. Yaguchi, personal communication), but is very different from the three other T. reesei cellulases with known structure. Nevertheless, all the four T. reesei cellulases share two common, adjacent sequence domains, which apparently can be removed by proteolysis. These homologous sequences reside at the N termini of EGIII and the cellobiohydrolase CBHII, but at the C termini of EGI and CBHI. Comparison of the fungal cellulase structures has led to re-evaluation of hypotheses concerning the localization of the active sites.     

Synergism of cellulase enzymes in mixed culture solid substrate fermentation

Sugar cane bagasse was subjected to a mixed culture, solid substrate fermentation with Trichoderma reesei QM9414 and Aspergillus terreus SUK-1 to produce cellulase and reducing sugars. The highest cellulase activity and reducing sugar amount were obtained in mixed culture. The percentage of substrate degradation achieved employing mixed culture was 26% compared to 50% using separate cultures of the two molds. This suggests that the synergism of enzymes in mixed culture solid substrate fermentation have lower synergism than in pure culture.     

Biodegradation of a mixture of PAHs by non-ligninolytic fungal strains isolated from crude oil-contaminated soil

Nine native non-ligninolytic fungal strains were isolated from Maya crude oil-contaminated soil and selected based on their ability to grow and use crude oil and several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as carbon source, for their application to PAH removal in soil. The fungi were identified by PCR amplification of intergenic transcribed sequences regions and microbiological techniques, and results showed them to be part of the genera Fusarium, Neurospora, Aspergillus, Scedosporium, Penicillium, Neosartorya and Talaromyces. A primary selection of fungi was made in minimal medium plates, considering the tolerance to different concentrations of PAHs for each strain. The radial extension rate exhibited significant differences (p < 0.05) from 200 to 1,000 mg of PAHs mixture l^?1. A secondary selection of Aspergillus terreus, Talaromyces spectabilis, and Fusarium sp. was achieved based on their tolerance to 2,000 mg of a mixture of Phenanathrene and Pyrene kg^?1 of soil in a solid-state microcosm system for 2 weeks. The percentage of PAH removal obtained by the three strains was approximately 21 % of the mixture.     

Use of real-time QPCR in biokinetics and modeling of two different ammonia-oxidizing bacteria growing simultaneously

A real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) was used to evaluate biokinetic coefficients of Nitrosomonas nitrosa and N. cryotolerans clusters growing simultaneously in a batch mode of ammonia oxidation. The mathematical models based on Monod equation were employed to describe the competitive relationship between these clusters and were fitted to experimental data to obtain biokinetic values. The maximum growth rates (μ _m), half-saturation coefficients (K _S), microbial yields (Y) and decay coefficients (k _d) of N. nitrosa and N. cryotolerans were 1.77 and 1.21 day^?1, 23.25 and 23.06 mg N·L^?1, 16 × 10⁸ and 1 × 10⁸ copies·mg N^?1, 0.26 and 0.20 day^?1, respectively. The estimated coefficients were applied for modeling continuous operations at various hydraulic retention times (HRTs) with an influent ammonia concentration of 300 mg N·L^?1. Modeling results revealed that ammonia oxidation efficiencies were achieved 55–98 % at 0.8–10 days HRTs and that the system was predicted to be washed out at HRT of 0.7 days. Overall, use of QPCR for estimating biokinetic coefficients of the two AOB cluster growing simultaneously by use of ammonia were successful. This idea may open a new direction towards biokinetics of ammonia oxidation in which respirometry tests are usually employed.     

Synthesis of C,N′-linked bis-heterocycles using a deprotometalation–iodination–N-arylation sequence and evaluation of their antiproliferative activity in melanoma cells

Benzothiophene, benzofuran, benzothiazole and benzoxazole were deprotometalated using the lithium–zinc combination prepared from ZnCl₂·TMEDA (TMEDA = N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine, 1 equiv) and lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide (LiTMP, 3 equiv). Subsequent interception of the 2-metalated derivatives using iodine as electrophile led to the iodides in 81%, 82%, 67% and 42% yields, respectively. These yields are higher (10% more) than those obtained using ZnCl₂·TMEDA (0.5 equiv) and LiTMP (1.5 equiv), except in the case of benzoxazole (10% less). The crude iodides were involved in the N-arylation of pyrrole, indole, carbazole, pyrazole, indazole, imidazole and benzimidazole in the presence of Cu (0.2 equiv) and Cs₂CO₃ (2 equiv), and using acetonitrile as solvent (no other ligand) to provide after 24 h reflux the expected N-arylated azoles in yields ranging from 33% to 81%. Using benzotriazole also led to N-arylation products, but in lower 34%, 39%, 36% and 6% yields, respectively. A further study with this azole evidenced the impact of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine on the N-arylation yields. Most of the C,N′-linked bis-heterocycles thus synthesized (in particular those containing benzimidazole) induced a high growth inhibition of A2058 melanoma cells after a 72 h treatment at 10⁻⁵ M.     

Intraspecific hybridization of Trichoderma reesei by protoplast fusion

Protoplasts obtained from mycelia of a single auxotrophic mutant of Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 were fused with those of T. reesei QM 9136 in the presence of 0.5 M glycine-NaOH buffer, pH 7.5, containing 0.05 M CaCl₂ · 2H₂O and 35% polyethylene glycol 4,000. The regeneration frequency of these protoplasts was 8.9–12.0% on a solid culture medium with soft agar overlay. The fused protoplasts successfully formed heterokaryons showing 3.33% of the fusion frequency. A heterozygous diploid was obtained from conidia of the heterokaryon by treatment with 0.1% d-camphor. The diploid showed a 1.9 fold DNA content per conidial nucleus compared to T. reesei QM 9414. The frequency of diploid formation was about 1.9 × 10⁻⁴ per conidium. Cellulase activities, such as filter paper degrading and CM-cellulose and Avicel saccharifying activities, and the xylanase activity of the diploid showed intermediate values between those of T. reesei QM 9414 and T. reesei QM 9136. However, the β-glucosidase, β-1,3-glucanase and chitinase activities of the diploid increased to levels equal to on above those of T. reesei QM 9414 and T. reesei QM 9136. The existence of a parasexual cycle of T. reesei and the possibility of its application to enhanced enzyme productivity were confirmed using the protoplast fusion technique.     

Organic Acid Production by Basidiomycetes: III. Cultural Conditions for L-Malic Acid Production

Cultural conditions were examined for the purpose of increasing yields of l-malic acid by the Basidiomycetes Schizophyllum commune and Merulius tremellosus, which have the ability to produce this acid as a main product in CaCO₃-containing medium in shaken culture. The most favorable nitrogen sources selected were 0.3% (NH₄)₂SO₄ and 0.18% NH₄Cl. Effective combinations of inorganic salts in the medium were 0.1% KH₂PO₄, 0.05% MgSO₄·7H₂O, and 0.05% KCl, and suitable concentrations of glucose were 5 to 10%. Several nonionic surface-active agents promoted the filamentous mycelial growth of these strains and increased acid production. In particular, Tween 80 in 0.3% concentration markedly stimulated malic acid production by S. commune, and yields greater than 50% based on available glucose, were obtained after 10 to 14 days. Acid production by M. tremellosus was stimulated most with 0.5% Carbowax 4000 (polyethylene glycol), and the resultant yields were more than 40%.     

Enhanced decolorization of Solar brilliant red 80 textile dye by an indigenous white rot fungus Schizophyllum commune IBL-06

An indigenously isolated white rot fungus, Schizophyllum commune IBL-06 was used to decolorize Solar brilliant red 80 direct dye in Kirk’s basal salts medium. In initial screening study, the maximum decolorization (84.8%) of Solar brilliant red 80 was achieved in 7 days shaking incubation period at pH 4.5 and 30 °C. Different physical and nutritional factors including pH, temperature and fungal inoculum density were statistically optimized through Completely Randomized Design (CRD), to enhance the efficiency of S. commune IBL-06 for maximum decolorization of Solar brilliant red 80 dye. The effects of inexpensive carbon and nitrogen sources were also investigated. Percent dye decolorization was determined by a reduction in optical density at the wavelength of maximum absorbance (λ_max, 590 nm). Under optimum conditions, the S. commune IBL-06 completely decolorized (100%) the Solar brilliant red 80 dye using maltose and ammonium sulfate as inexpensive carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively in 3 days. S. commune IBL-06 produced the three major ligninolytic enzymes lignin peroxidase (LiP), manganase peroxidase (MnP) and lacaase (Lac) during the decolorization of Solar brilliant red 80. LiP was the major enzyme (944 U/mL) secreted by S. commune IBL-06 along with comparatively lower activities of MnP and Laccase.     

The ecology of the free-living stages of Ostertagia circumcincta

Callinan A. P. L. 1978. The ecology of the free-living stages of Ostertagia circumcincta. Internationaljournal for Parasitology8: 233–237. The development and survival of the free-living stages O. circumcincta was studied in western Victoria in 1974–1976. For all plots in which development occurred, pre-infective larvae (L₁-L₂) were recovered within 0–8 days, infective larvae (L₃) within 7–30 days and L₃ on herbage and soil within 4–27 days. The mean minimum development time to L₃ on herbage and soil was 14·3 ± 3·5 days and the mean development time to maximum yield of these was 33·3 ± 6·3 days. There were no distinct differences in development rates between plots. Plot yields of L₃ on herbage and soil varied inversely as the mean of daily temperatures for the period until maximum yield of these. Yields varied from 0 to 16% of the number of eggs put out on each plot and highest yields were obtained from eggs put out during late autumn-winter. No L₃ were observed to survive over summer. The migratory habits of L₃ were such that a mean of 75·1 ± 5·6% of L₃ on herbage and soil were actually on herbage; the soil was always a significant source of L₃.     

Influence of temperature on Biogas Production from Pistia stratiotes

Pistia stratiotes, an aquatic weed, was investigated as a substrate for biogas production. Experiments were carried out as batch runs in laboratory-scale digesters with the addition of inoculum (digested cattle manure). Gas yields were in the range of 533–707 litres kg⁻¹ VS (STP), respectively, 21–28 litres kg⁻¹ fresh weight of P. stratiotes, with 30 days digestion time at temperatures of 29·5, 33·0 and 37·5°C. The average methane content was 58–68%. Due to its high biodegradability (approximately 83–99% of VS) Pistia stratiotes is very suitable as a substrate for biogas production.     

Electron microscopy study of the enzymic hydrolysis of Valonia cellulose

The enzymic degradation of cellulose from Valonia macrophysa was observed by electron microscopy and evaluated by electron diffraction. Two types of Valonia samples were subjected to digestion; firstly, intact fragments cut from cell wall material and, secondly, cellulose microcrystals resulting from the acid hydrolysis of entire vesicles. These two substrates, when subjected to the action of crude cellulase complexes either from Trichoderma reesei or Schizophyllum commune were readily degraded. During the degradation, each microfibril or microcrystal became fibrillated into longitudinal crystalline sub-elements having widths ranging from below 2 nm to the full size of the initial Valonia microfibrillar width. These observations are evaluated in term of current theories concerning the topological action of cellulases.     

Upstream and Downstream Processing of Lovastatin by Aspergillus terreus

The present study describes the enhanced production and purification of lovastatin by Aspergillus terreus in submerged batch fermentation. The enhancement of lovastatin production from A. terreus was attempted by random mutagenesis using ultraviolet radiations and nitrous acid. UV mutants exhibited increased efficiency for lovastatin production as compared with nitrous acid mutants. Among all the mutants developed, A. terreus UV-4 was found to be the hyper producer of lovastatin. This mutant gave 3.5-fold higher lovastatin production than the wild culture of A. terreus NRRL 265. Various cultural conditions were also optimized for hyper-producing mutant strain. 5 % glucose as carbon source, 1.5 % corn steep liquor as nitrogen source, initial pH value of 6, 120 h of incubation period, and 28 °C of incubation temperature were found as best parameters for higher lovastatin production in shake flasks. Production of lovastatin by wild and mutant strains of A. terreus was also scaled up to laboratory scale fermentor. The fermentation process was conducted at 28 °C, 200 rpm agitation, and 1vvm air flow rate without pH control. After the optimization of cultural conditions in 250 ml Erlenmeyer flasks and scaling up to laboratory scale fermentor, the mutant A. terreus UV-4 gave eightfold higher lovastatin production (3249.95 μg/ml) than its production by wild strain in shake flasks. Purification of lovastatin was carried out by solvent extraction method which yielded 977.1 mg/l of lovastatin with 98.99 % chromatographic purity and 26.76 % recovery. The crystal structure of lovastatin was determined using X-ray diffraction analysis which is first ever reported.     

Ethanol production in simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of cellulose with temperature profiling

The effects of temperature on enzymatic saccharification of cellulose and simulataneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) were investigated with 100 g·l⁻¹ Solka Floc, 5g·l⁻¹Trichoderma reesei cellulase, and Zymomonas mobilis ATCC 29191. The following results were obtained: 1) Ethanol fermentation under glucose dificient conditions can proceed for more than 100 h at 30°C but gradually ceases after 50 h of operation at 40°C. 2) Equivalent glucose yield based on cellulose for SSF operated at its optimum temperature (37°C) is higher than that for enzymatic saccharification of cellulose at the same temperature by 32%. However, the same equivalent glucose yields were obtained for both processes if they were operated at their respective optimum temperature. 3) SSF with temperature cycling increased the ethanol productivity but gave similar ethanol yield to SSF at 37°C. 4) SSF with temperature profiling gave an ethanol yield of 0.32 g·g⁻¹ and cellulose use of 0.86 g·g⁻¹ which were increased by 39% and 34% over SSF with temperature cycling and at 37°C.     

不同炮制方法对玉竹提取物得率及体外抗氧化作用的影响

以多糖、总黄酮、醇溶物和水溶物的得率及体外抗氧化活性为考察指标,研究了酒蒸和蜜蒸两种炮制方法对玉竹品质的影响。结果表明：酒蒸炮制玉竹的多糖、醇溶物得率最高,蜜蒸炮制玉竹总黄酮、水溶物的得率最高,比未炮制的玉竹（生品玉竹）中相应成分的得率分别提高了43.86%、29.53%、49.46%和34.66%。将多糖、水溶性浸出物、醇溶性浸出物及总黄酮四者得率相加的和进行比较,蜜蒸最好,蜜蒸为111.069%,酒蒸为107.309%,生品玉竹为80.926%。酒蒸炮制玉竹的多糖、水溶物对DPPH自由基的清除率均高于蜜蒸玉竹和生品玉竹,其DPPH_IC50分别为0.345±0.019和0.441±0.022 mg·mL^-1;蜜蒸炮制玉竹的总黄酮、醇溶物对DPPH自由基的清除率均高于酒蒸玉竹和生品玉竹,其DPPH_IC50分别为0.047±0.011和0.199±0.036 mg·mL^-1;在浓度为1 mg·mL^-1时,蜜蒸玉竹总黄酮对DPPH自由基的清除率最大,为90.29%,超过了浓度为0.05 mg·mL^-1的芦丁和槲皮素标品对DPPH自由基的清除率。两种炮制方法均提高了多糖、水溶物、总黄酮3种提取物的还原能力,但是降低了醇溶物的还原能力。     

Improved enzyme production by co-cultivation of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus oryzae and with other fungi

Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus oryzae were co-cultivated with each other and with Magnaporthe grisea or Phanerochaete chrysosporium, respectively. Enzyme assays for plant polysaccharide and lignin-degrading enzymes showed that co-cultivation can improve extracellular enzyme production. Highest ??-glucosidase, ??-cellobiohydrolase, ??-galactosidase, and laccase activities were found for A. oryzae in combination with other fungi, in particular with P. chrysosporium. Highest ??-xylosidase activity was obtained when A. niger was co-cultivated with P. chrysosporium. SDS-PAGE protein profiles demonstrated that A. niger and A. oryzae contributed most to the overall enzyme activities found in the culture medium of the mixed cultivations. These data demonstrate that co-cultivation of two major industrial fungi, A. niger and A. oryzae, results in improved production of biotechnologically relevant enzymes.     

Determination of oxidized scytonemin in Nostoc commune Vauch cultured on different conditions by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

A facile method based on high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-QqQ-MS) has been established to investigate the production of the oxidized scytonemin by Nostoc commune Vauch in different environmental conditions. In optimized HPLC-ESI-QqQ-MS conditions, the oxidized scytonemin can be effectively detected in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode. After regression, high linearity of the calibration curve was achieved with a correlation coefficient (r ²) at 0.99. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.03 and 0.10 ng mL^?1, respectively. The recovery of the oxidized scytonemin was at 76.90 %, and the relative standard deviations of inter- and intraday precisions were lower than 8.95 % (n?=?4). Subsequently, the production of the oxidized scytonemin from N. commune has been investigated in different culture conditions. High culture temperature, strong illumination intensity, and light–dark cycle (12:12 h) were found to be good for producing the oxidized scytonemin by N. commune. In short, the HPLC-QqQ-SRM-MS method is a powerful tool for comprehensive analysis of the oxidized scytonemin from N. commune, owing to its excellent selectivity and sensitivity.     

Aspergillus alabamensis,a New Clinically Relevant Species in the Section Terrei

Phylogenetic analyses of sequences generated from portions of three genes coding for the proteins enolase (enoA), β-tubulin (benA), and calmodulin (calM) of a large number of isolates within the section Terrei, genus Aspergillus, revealed the presence of a new cryptic species within this section, Aspergillus alabamensis. Most members of this new cryptic species were recovered as colonizing isolates from immunocompetent patient populations, had decreased in vitro susceptibilities to the antifungal drug amphotericin B, and were morphologically similar to but genetically distinct from Aspergillus terreus isolates.Invasive infections caused by Aspergillus terreus are often disseminated with increased lethality compared with infections caused by other Aspergillus species and tend to be resistant to treatment with the antifungal drug amphotericin B (6, 14, 17). Despite the clinical significance of this organism, little is known about the epidemiology, genetic diversity, and population structure of A. terreus.Historically, A. terreus has been identified in the laboratory by conventional methods such as colony morphology and microscopic characteristics. Such morphological studies have placed A. terreus as a single homogenous species within the section Terrei along with two other varieties, A. terreus var. africanus and A. terreus var. aureus (11). Recent studies have shown that morphological characteristics may not be reliable for distinguishing Aspergillus species, as inferred from the demonstration of multiple cryptic species within the section Fumigati by molecular phylogenetic methods (3-5, 13, 18).In the past, molecular methods largely based on randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR-based assays have shown that A. terreus isolates can have great strain diversity (1, 8, 16). One recent genotyping study of several A. terreus clinical isolates recovered from two different medical centers using this method concluded that nosocomial acquisition of A. terreus infections was highly unlikely given the great genetic diversity observed (7). Another study demonstrated that comparative sequence analyses of the D1 and D2 regions had limited utility to study relationships within the section Terrei, while the internal transcribed spacer regions were useful since there was more nucleotide diversity in this region (16). However, the authors of this study could not resolve species within the section Terrei using these molecular approaches.In the present study, we have developed a multilocus sequence approach employing three protein-coding regions to study species diversity of the section Terrei using a large panel of isolates from both clinical and environmental origins recovered from various parts of the world. The studies outlined below demonstrate the presence of a new, clinically relevant species, Aspergillus alabamensis, and clarify the taxonomic position of the A. terreus variant A. terreus var. aureus.     

Evaluation of the in vitro methods for micropropagation of Chondracanthus acicularis (Roth) Fredericq (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta): tissue culture and production of protoplasts

Tissue was cultured and protoplasts isolated from the carrageenophyte Chondracanthus acicularis with the aim of developing micropropagation as an alternative to harvesting raw material from natural beds. Both adventitious shoots and filamentous calluses were induced by tissue culture on medium solidified with 0.4–1 % (w/v) agar. Adventitious shoots were mainly produced from discoid bases while filamentous calluses were mainly induced from basal zones and sub-apical explants. A gradient of the regeneration ability was observed from the top to the bottom of the thallus. The discoid base was the most reactive explant and produced the highest number of adventitious shoots compared to basal zones and sub-apical explants, irrespective of the concentration of agar. Protoplasts were isolated enzymatically from the whole thallus using a combination of cellulase R-10 Onozuka, macerozyme R-10, and crude extract of the gland gut of algivorous molluscs. The highest mean yield of protoplasts (1.2?×?10⁶ protoplasts g^?1 fresh weight) was obtained after 16 h of digestion with an enzyme mixture containing 2 % (w/v) cellulase R-10, 1 % (w/v) macerozyme R-10 Onozuka, 4 % (v/v) crude extract of gut gland of Haliotis, 0.8 M mannitol, 50 mM sodium citrate, 0.3 % (w/v) bovine serum albumin. Depending on the conditions, mean protoplast yields ranged from 3.14?×?10⁵ to 1.2?×?10⁶ protoplasts g^?1 fresh weight. Different factors (storage duration, mannitol, sodium citrate, crude extract of the gland gut of algivorous molluscs) were tested to improve the yield of protoplasts but none has a significantly effect.