Overproduction, purification, and characterization of the Trichoderma reesei hydrophobin HFBI

Many characteristics of fungal hydrophobins, such as an ability to change hydrophobicity of different surfaces, have potential for several applications. The large-scale processes of production and isolation of these proteins susceptible to aggregation and attachment to interfacial surfaces still needs to be studied. We report for the first time on a method for a gram-scale production and purification of a hydrophobin, HFBI of Trichoderma reesei. A high production level of the class II hydrophobin (0.6 g l(-1)) was obtained by constructing a T. reesei HFBI-overproducing strain containing three copies of the hfb1 gene. The strain was cultivated on glucose-containing medium, which induces expression of hfb1. HFBI hydrophobin was purified from the cell walls of the fungus because most of the HFBI was cell-bound (80%). Purification was carried out with a simple three-step method involving extraction of the mycelium with 1% SDS at pH 9.0, followed by KCl precipitation to remove SDS, and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The yield was 1.8 g HFBI from mycelium (419 g dw), derived from 15 l of culture. HFBI was shown to be rather unstable to N-terminal asparagine deamidation and also, to some extent, to non-specific proteases although its thermostability was excellent.     

Preparation of mutants ofTrichoderma viride with increased production of cellulase

Four mutant strains exhibiting increased production of cullulases were prepared by UV irradiation of conidia ofTrichoderma viride QM 9414. Selected mutants were tested for production of cellulases in submerged cultivations in shake flasks and in a 30-L fermentor in a synthetic medium containing 1 % microcrystaline cellulose as the carbon source. Some mutants showed considerable morphological differences when compared to the parent strain, the most noticeable being a higher degree of branching of the mutant hyphae. The branched mutants produced 2 to 3 times higher levels of β-glucosidase than the parent strain QM 9414.     

Surface adhesion of fusion proteins containing the hydrophobins HFBI and HFBII from Trichoderma reesei

Hydrophobins are surface-active proteins produced by filamentous fungi, where they seem to be ubiquitous. They have a variety of roles in fungal physiology related to surface phenomena, such as adhesion, formation of surface layers, and lowering of surface tension. Hydrophobins can be divided into two classes based on the hydropathy profile of their primary sequence. We have studied the adhesion behavior of two Trichoderma reesei class II hydrophobins, HFBI and HFBII, as isolated proteins and as fusion proteins. Both hydrophobins were produced as C-terminal fusions to the core of the hydrolytic enzyme endoglucanase I from the same organism. It was shown that as a fusion partner, HFBI causes the fusion protein to efficiently immobilize to hydrophobic surfaces, such as silanized glass and Teflon. The properties of the surface-bound protein were analyzed by the enzymatic activity of the endoglucanase domain, by surface plasmon resonance (Biacore), and by a quartz crystal microbalance. We found that the HFBI fusion forms a tightly bound, rigid surface layer on a hydrophobic support. The HFBI domain also causes the fusion protein to polymerize in solution, possibly to a decamer. Although isolated HFBII binds efficiently to surfaces, it does not cause immobilization as a fusion partner, nor does it cause polymerization of the fusion protein in solution. The findings give new information on how hydrophobins function and how they can be used to immobilize fusion proteins.     

Aggregation and self-assembly of hydrophobins from Trichoderma reesei: low-resolution structural models

Hydrophobins are secreted fungal proteins, which have diverse roles in fungal growth and development. They lower the surface tension of water, work as adhesive agents and coatings, and function through self-assembly. One of the characteristic properties of hydrophobins is their tendency to form fibrillar or rod-like aggregates at interfaces. Their structure is still poorly known. In a step to elucidate the structure/function relation of hydrophobin self-assembly, we present the low-resolution structure of self-assembled fibrils of the class II hydrophobin HFBII from Trichoderma reesei based on small and wide-angle x-ray scattering. We first studied the solution state (10 mg/mL) of both HFBI and HFBII and showed that they formed assemblages in aqueous solution, which have a radius of gyration of ~24 A and maximum dimension of ~65 A, corresponding to the size of a tetramer. This result was supported by size-exclusion chromatography. Undried samples of HFBII fibrils had a monoclinic crystalline structure, which changed to hexagonal when the material was dried. A low-resolution structure for the HFBII fibrils is suggested. There are data in the literature based on staining properties suggesting that hydrophobins of class I form assemblies with an amyloid structure. Comparison of the HFBII data (x-ray results, staining with thioflavin T) to published data showed that the HFBII assemblages are not amyloid.     

液态发酵条件下拟康宁木霉8985产纤维素酶能力初探

液态发酵条件下,以微晶纤维素为唯一碳源,比较了拟康宁木霉Trichoderma koningiopsis 8985和里氏木霉T.reesei QM9414产纤维素酶的能力。8985发酵12 h开始产生纤维素酶,36 h时酶活达到产酶峰值的50%,此时QM9414尚未诱导产酶。测定8985发酵84 h时上清液中滤纸纤维素酶、羧甲基纤维素酶、β-葡萄糖苷酶和木聚糖酶的酶活分别为1.06、3.62、1.80和6.67 IU/mL,分别是QM9414上述酶活的1.72、1.70、6.35和1.12倍。8985滤纸纤维素酶酶活的最适反应条件为pH 4.5,反应温度50℃,在Fe³⁺(≤4 mmol/L)和Cu²⁺(0–10 mmol/L)存在条件下酶活稳定。     

Two crystal structures of Trichoderma reesei hydrophobin HFBI--the structure of a protein amphiphile with and without detergent interaction

Hydrophobins are small fungal proteins that are highly surface active and possess a unique ability to form amphiphilic membranes through spontaneous self-assembly. The first crystal structure of a hydrophobin, Trichoderma reesei HFBII, revealed the structural basis for the function of this amphiphilic protein--a patch consisting of hydrophobic side chains on the protein surface. Here, the crystal structures of a native and a variant T. reesei hydrophobin HFBI are presented, revealing the same overall structure and functional hydrophobic patch as in the HFBII structure. However, some structural flexibility was found in the native HFBI structure: The asymmetric unit contained four molecules, and, in two of these, an area of seven residues was displaced as compared to the two other HFBI molecules and the previously determined HFBII structure. This structural change is most probably induced by multimer formation. Both the native and the N-Cys-variant of HFBI were crystallized in the presence of detergents, but an association between the protein and a detergent was only detected in the variant structure. There, the molecules were arranged into an extraordinary detergent-associated octamer and the solvent content of the crystals was 75%. This study highlights the conservation of the fold of class II hydrophobins in spite of the low sequence identity and supports our previous suggestion that concealment of the hydrophobic surface areas of the protein is the driving force in the formation of multimers and monolayers in the self-assembly process.     

Cellobiohydrolase II is the main conidial-bound cellulase in Trichoderma reesei and other Trichoderma strains

Monoclonal antibodies have been used to determine the presence of cellobiohydrolases I and II (CBH I and II), and endoglucanase I (EG I) on the surface of conidia from Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 and RUT C-30, and 8 other Trichoderma species. For this purpose, proteins were released from the conidial surface by treatment with a non-ionic detergent (Triton X-100 and -octylglucoside), followed by SDS-PAGE/Western blotting and immunostaining. Both CBH I and II were clearly present, but — unlike in extracellular culture fluids from Trichoderma — CBH II was the predominant cellulase. In T. reesei EG I could not be detected. The higher producer strain T. reesei RUT C-30 exhibited a higher conidial level of CBH II than T. reesei QM 9414. In order to assess the importance of the conidial CBH II level for cellulase induction by cellulose, multiple copies of the chb2 gene were introduced into the T. reesei genome by cotransformation using PyrG as a marker. Stable multicopy transformants secreted the 2- to 4-fold level of CBH II into the culture medium when grown on lactose as a carbon source, but their CBH I secretion was unaltered. Upon growth on cellulose, both CBH I and CBH II secretion was enhanced. Those strain showing highest cellulase activity on cellulose also appeared to contain the highest level of conidial bound CBH II. CBH II was also the predominant conidial cellulase in various other Trichoderma sp. However, roughly the same amount of conidial bound CBH II was detected in all strains, although their cellulase production differed considerably.     

The glucose repressor genecre1 ofTrichoderma: Isolation and expression of a full-length and a truncated mutant form

Thecre1 genes of the filamentous fungiTrichoderma reesei andT. harzianum were isolated and characterized. The deduced CREI proteins are 46% identical to the product of the glucose repressor genecreA ofAspergillus nidulans, encoding a DNA-binding protein with zinc fingers of the C₂H₂ type. Thecre1 promoters contain several sequence elements that are identical to the previously identified binding sites forA. nidulans CREA. Steady-state mRNA levels forcre1 of theT. reesei strain QM9414 varied depending on the carbon source, being low on glucose-containing media. These observations suggest thatcre1 expression may be autoregulated. TheT. reesei strain Rut-C30, a hyperproducer of cellulolytic enzymes, was found to express a truncated form of thecre1 gene (cre1-1) with an ORF corresponding to a protein of 95 amino acids with only one zinc finger. Unlike QM9414 the strain Rut-C30 produced cellulase mRNAs on glucose-containing medium and transformation of the full-lengthcre1 gene into this strain caused glucose repression ofcbh1 expression, demonstrating thatcre1 regulates cellulase expression.     

Cellulase secretion from a hyper-cellulolytic mutant of Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30

Two strains of Trichoderma reesei, wild type QM6a and mutant Rut-C30, were grown in meida containing an inducer, insoluble crystalline cellulose (Avicel PH101), as carbon source for 11 days. The cell growth, expressed as myceliar protein content, of Rut-C30 was 4–5 times higher than QM6a. The lack of ultrastructural disorganization, and absence of intracellular enzyme release into the growth medium, indicated that none of these two strains had undergone any significant autolysis during the entire growth phase. Cellulase activities, mainly endoglucanase, cellobiase and filter paper degrading activity (disc) were enhanced in Rut-C30 cells. A major change was observed in the endoglucanase activity which was 30 times higher in Rut-C30 than QM6a, whereas, both -glucosidase and disc activities were 3 times enhanced in Rut-C30 compared to QM6a. In addition to synthesis, cellulase secretion was also enhanced in Rut-C30. Both the organisms contained same amounts of intracellular marker enzyme activities (e.g., inosine diphosphatase, thiamine pyrophosphatase, alkaline phosphatase). Finally, the enahncement of secretory activity of Rut-C30 was correlated with the proliferation of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and increased phospholipid content. It appears that Rut-C30 is not only a hypercellulolytic but also a hypersecretor mutant.     

Effect of different carbon sources on cellulase production by Hypocrea jecorina (Trichoderma reesei) strains

The ascomycete Hypocrea jecorina, an industrial (hemi)cellulase producer, can efficiently degrade plant polysaccharides. At present, the biology underlying cellulase hyperproduction of T. reesei, and the conditions for the enzyme induction, are not completely understood. In the current study, three different strains of T. reesei, including QM6a (wild-type), and mutants QM9414 and RUT-C30, were grown on 7 soluble and 7 insoluble carbon sources, with the later group including 4 pure polysaccharides and 3 lignocelluloses. Time course experiments showed that maximum cellulase activity of QM6a and QM9414 strains, for the majority of tested carbon sources, occurred at 120 hrs, while RUT-C30 had the greatest cellulase activity around 72 hrs. Maximum cellulase production was observed to be 0.035, 0.42 and 0.33 µmol glucose equivalents using microcrystalline celluloses for QM6a, QM9414, and RUTC-30, respectively. Increased cellulase production was positively correlated in QM9414 and negatively correlated in RUT-C30 with ability to grow on microcrystalline cellulose.     

The glucose repressor genecre1 ofTrichoderma: Isolation and expression of a full-length and a truncated mutant form

Thecre1 genes of the filamentous fungiTrichoderma reesei andT. harzianum were isolated and characterized. The deduced CREI proteins are 46% identical to the product of the glucose repressor genecreA ofAspergillus nidulans, encoding a DNA-binding protein with zinc fingers of the C₂H₂ type. Thecre1 promoters contain several sequence elements that are identical to the previously identified binding sites forA. nidulans CREA. Steady-state mRNA levels forcre1 of theT. reesei strain QM9414 varied depending on the carbon source, being low on glucose-containing media. These observations suggest thatcre1 expression may be autoregulated. TheT. reesei strain Rut-C30, a hyperproducer of cellulolytic enzymes, was found to express a truncated form of thecre1 gene (cre1-1) with an ORF corresponding to a protein of 95 amino acids with only one zinc finger. Unlike QM9414 the strain Rut-C30 produced cellulase mRNAs on glucose-containing medium and transformation of the full-lengthcre1 gene into this strain caused glucose repression ofcbh1 expression, demonstrating thatcre1 regulates cellulase expression.     

Screening of highly cellulolytic fungi and the action of their cellulase enzyme systems

Over 100 strains of wood-rotting fungi were compared for their ability to degrade wood blocks. Some of these strains were then assayed for extracellular cellulase [1,4-(1,3;1,4)-β- -glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.4] activity using a variety of different solid media containing carboxymethyl cellulose or acid swollen cellulose. The diameter of clearing on these plates gave an approximate indication of the order of cellulase activities obtained from culture filtrates of these strains. Trichoderma strains grown on Vogels medium gave the highest cellulase yields. The cellulase enzyme production of T. reesei C30 and QM9414 was compared with that of eight other Trichoderma strains. Trichoderma strain E58 had comparable endoglucanase and filter paper activities with the mutant strains while the β- -glucosidase [β- -glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.21] activity was approximately six to nine times greater.     

A method for increasing cellulase production by Trichoderma viride

A doubling of cellulase production by Trichoderma viride (QM9414) is possible by increasing the cellulose concentration in the medium from 0.75 to 2%, increasing the nitrogen concentration, and controlling pH during growth. A four-to fivefold increase in β -glucosidase is found with the higher cellulose concentration. Culture filtrates from 2% cellulose cultures can reduce the hydrolysis time in a practical saccharification to one-half that required by culture filtrates from 0.75% cellulose cultures.     

Solution structure and interface‐driven self‐assembly of NC2, a new member of the Class II hydrophobin proteins

Hydrophobins are fungal proteins that self‐assemble spontaneously to form amphipathic monolayers at hydrophobic:hydrophilic interfaces. Hydrophobin assemblies facilitate fungal transitions between wet and dry environments and interactions with plant and animal hosts. NC2 is a previously uncharacterized hydrophobin from Neurospora crassa. It is a highly surface active protein and is able to form protein layers on a water:air interface that stabilize air bubbles. On a hydrophobic substrate, NC2 forms layers consisting of an ordered network of protein molecules, which dramatically decrease the water contact angle. The solution structure and dynamics of NC2 have been determined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The structure of this protein displays the same core fold as observed in other hydrophobin structures determined to date, including the Class II hydrophobins HFBI and HFBII from Trichoderma reesei, but certain features illuminate the structural differences between Classes I and II hydrophobins and also highlight the variations between structures of Class II hydrophobin family members. The unique properties of hydrophobins have attracted much attention for biotechnology applications. The insights obtained through determining the structure, biophysical properties and assembly characteristics of NC2 will facilitate the development of hydrophobin‐based applications. Proteins 2014; 82:990–1003. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Effect of gene copy number and chaperone coexpression on recombinant hydrophobin HFBI biosurfactant production in Pichia pastoris

Hydrophobins are small highly surface-active fungal proteins with potential as biosurfactants in a wide array of applications. However, practical implementation of hydrophobins at large scale has been hindered by low recombinant yields. In this study, the effects of increasing hydrophobin gene copy number and overexpressing endoplasmic reticulum resident chaperone proteins Kar2p, Pdi1p, and Ero1p were explored as a means to enhance recombinant yields of the class II hydrophobin HFBI in the eukaryotic expression host Pichia pastoris. One-, 2-, and 3-copy-HFBI strains were attained using an in vitro multimer ligation approach, with strains displaying copy number stability following subsequent transformations as measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Increasing HFBI copy number alone had no effect on increasing HFBI secretion, but increasing copy number in concert with chaperone overexpression synergistically increased HFBI secretion. Overexpression of PDI1 or ERO1 caused insignificant changes in HFBI secretion in 1- and 2-copy strains, but a statistically significant HFBI secretion increase in 3-copy strain. KAR2 overexpression consistently resulted in enhanced HFBI secretion in all copy number strains, with 3-copy-HFBI secreting 22±1.6 fold more than the 1-copy-HFBI/no chaperone strain. The highest increase was seen in 3-copy-HFBI/Ero1p overexpressing strain with 30±4.0 fold increase in HFBI secretion over 1-copy-HFBI/no chaperone strain. This corresponded to an expression level of approximately 330 mg/L HFBI in the 5 ml small-scale format used in this study.     

Improvement of cellulose-degrading ability of a yeast strain displaying Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase II by recombination of cellulose-binding domains

To improve the cellulolytic activity of a yeast strain displaying endoglucanase II (EGII) from the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei QM9414, the genes encoding the cellulose-binding domain (CBD) of EGII, cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) and cellobiohydrolase II (CBHII) from T. reesei QM9414, were fused with the catalytic domain of EGII and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Display of each of the recombinant EGIIs was confirmed using immunofluorescence microscopy. In the case of EGII-displaying yeast strains in which the CBD of EGII was replaced with the CBD of CBHI or CBHII, the binding affinity to Avicel and hydrolytic activity toward phosphoric acid swollen Avicel were similar to that of a yeast strain displaying wild-type EGII. On the other hand, the three yeast strains displaying EGII with two or three tandemly aligned CBDs showed binding affinity and hydrolytic activity higher than that of the yeast strain displaying wild-type EGII. This result indicates that the hydrolytic activity of yeast strains displaying recombinant EGII increases with increased binding ability to cellulose.     

Isolation and mutation of cellulolytic fungi

Nineteen fungi were isolated from different soil samples on the basis of clear zones formed on Rose Bengal Cellulose agar medium. In shake flasks th isolate K1 gave 12.1 units/ml of CMCase activity. A mutant of the isolate K1, KM7, was selected after N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine treatment of the wild-type. This mutant differed morphologically from the parent strain on RBCA medium and gave 36.2 units/ml of CMCase activity which represented about 50% of the enzyme yield from the standard organism, Trichoderma viride QM 9414 (80 units/ml of CMCase activity). The isolate K1, which was identified as a Phoma species, produced 48 units of beta-glucosidase. The yield of beta-glucosidase was increased about 8-fold in the mutant KM7 and was about 68% higher than the level found in T. viride QM 9414.     

Formation and release of cellulolytic enzymes during growth of Trichoderma reesei on cellobiose and glycerol

Summary Production and release of cellulolytic enzymes by Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 were studied under induced and non-induced conditions. For that purpose, a method was developmed to produce cellulases by Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 using the soluble inducer, cellobiose, as the only carbon source. The production was based on continuous feeding of cellobiose to a batch culture. For optimum production, the cellobiose supply had to be adjusted according to the consumption so that cellobiose was not accumulated in the culture. With a proper feeding program the repression and/or inactivation by cellobiose could be avoided and the cellulase production by Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 was at least equally as high as with cellulose as the carbon source.During the cultivation, specific activities against filter paper, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and p-nitrophenyl glucoside were analyzed from the culture medium as well as from the cytosol and the cell debris fractions. There was a base level of cell debris bound hydrolytic activity against filter paper and p-nitrophenyl glucoside even in T. reesei grown non-induced on glycerol. T. reesei grown on cellobiose was induced to produce large amounts of extracellular filter paper and CMC hydrolyzing enzymes, which were actively released into the medium even in the early stages of cultivation. -Glucosidase was mainly detected in the cell debris and was not released unless the cells were autolyzing.     

Hydrophobin signal sequence mediates efficient secretion of recombinant proteins in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia pastoris</Emphasis>

Pichia pastoris is an important eukaryotic organism for the expression, processing, and secretion of recombinant proteins. Here, the secretion of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in P. pastoris by using three novel secretion signals originating from the HFBI and HFBII class 2 hydrophobins of Trichoderma reesei was investigated. EGFP was fused to the carboxyl terminus of hydrophobin secretion signals and expressed under the control of the constitutive GAP promoter. In every case, recombinant EGFP entered the secretory pathway of P. pastoris. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Western blot analysis of the cells' supernatant, and fluorescence measurements on single-cell level via flow cytometry confirmed the efficient secretion of EGFP mediated by the novel secretion sequences. In conclusion, the data clearly show that the secretion sequences derived from HFBI and HFBII of T. reesei have the potential to achieve an efficient secretion of heterologous proteins in P. pastoris. Due to the small size of the hydrophobin-derived secretion signals, their coding sequence can be easily introduced to the gene of interest by PCR.