Stimulation of extracellular protein production in Bacillus brevis 47

Summary Bacillus brevis 47 was cultivated in 2-1 fermentors to study the effect of medium supplementation on extracellular protein production. Additional polypeptone, when supplied initially or at 12 h (late exponential phase), had little stimulatory effect on extracellular protein levels, which reached 6–7 g/l after 48h. A large increase in protein production was observed, however, when polypeptone was added at 21 h (stationary phase). This addition resulted in the accumulation in the medium of 14 g/l protein after 48 h, and a total of 16 g/l when cell-bound protein was included. In all cases, glucose was consumed only very slowly.     

Characteristics of Protease Production by Cephalosporium sp

We investigated protease formation by Cephalosporium sp. strain KM388, which produced trypsin inhibitor in the same cultures, in medium containing polypeptone, meat extract, and glucose (natural medium) and in medium containing NaNO₃, glucose, and yeast extract (semisynthetic medium). In natural medium, protease was secreted into the culture broth after cessation of growth caused by consumption of the polypeptone, the growth-limiting substrate. Enzyme formation in the stationary growth phase was due to de novo and so-called preferential synthesis, because cycloheximide immediately inhibited enzyme formation. In semisynthetic medium, protease was produced in parallel with mycelial growth, but production was repressed by the addition of polypeptone to the medium; protease production began after the added polypeptone was consumed. On the other hand, if glucose was eliminated from natural medium, the lag period of initiation of enzyme production was reduced until the late exponential phase. The addition of phosphate up to a concentration of 1.0% to natural medium also shortened the lag period and damped the pH change of the broth during cultivation.     

Regulation of beta-galactoside transport and accumulation in heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria.

Galactose-grown cells of the heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus buchneri transported methyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (TMG) by an active transport mechanism and accumulated intracellular free TMG when provided with an exogenous source of energy, such as arginine. The intracellular concentration of TMG resultant under these conditions was approximately 20-fold higher than that in the medium. In contrast, the provision of energy by metabolism of glucose, gluconate, or glucosamine promoted a rapid but transient uptake of TMG followed by efflux that established a low cellular concentration of the galactoside, i.e., only two- to fourfold higher than that in the medium. Furthermore, the addition of glucose to cells preloaded with TMG in the presence of arginine elicited a rapid efflux of the intracellular galactoside. The extent of cellular TMG displacement and the duration of the transient effect of glucose on TMG transport were related to the initial concentration of glucose in the medium. Exhaustion of glucose from the medium restored uptake and accumulation of TMG, providing arginine was available for ATP generation. The nonmetabolizable sugar 2-deoxyglucose elicited efflux of TMG from preloaded cells of L. buchneri but not from those of L. brevis. Phosphorylation of this glucose analog was catalyzed by cell extracts of L. buchneri but not by those of L. brevis. Iodoacetate, at a concentration that inhibits growth and ATP production from glucose, did not prevent efflux of cellular TMG elicited by glucose. The results suggested that a phosphorylated metabolite(s) at or above the level of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate was required to evoke displacement of intracellular TMG from the cells. Counterflow experiments suggested that glucose converted the active uptake of TMG in L. brevis to a facilitated diffusion mechanism that allowed equilibrium of TMG between the extra- and intracellular milieux. The means by which glucose metabolites elicited this vectorial regulation is not known, but similarities to the inducer expulsion that has been described for homofermentative Streptococcus and Lactobacillus species suggested the involvement of HPr, a protein that functions as a phosphocarrier protein in the phosphotransferase system, as well as a presumptive regulator of sugar transport. Indeed, complementation assays wit extracts of Staphylococcus aureus ptsH mutant revealed the presence of HPr in L. brevis, although this lactobacillus lacked a functional phaosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphortransferase system for glucose, 2-deoxyglucose, or TMG.     

Regulation of the glucose:H+ symporter by metabolite-activated ATP-dependent phosphorylation of HPr in Lactobacillus brevis.

Lactobacillus brevis takes up glucose and the nonmetabolizable glucose analog 2-deoxyglucose (2DG), as well as lactose and the nonmetabolizable lactose analoge thiomethyl beta-galactoside (TMG), via proton symport. Our earlier studies showed that TMG, previously accumulated in L. brevis cells via the lactose:H+ symporter, rapidly effluxes from L. brevis cells or vesicles upon addition of glucose and that glucose inhibits further accumulation of TMG. This regulation was shown to be mediated by a metabolite-activated protein kinase that phosphorylase serine 46 in the HPr protein. We have now analyzed the regulation of 2DG uptake and efflux and compared it with that of TMG. Uptake of 2DG was dependent on an energy source, effectively provided by intravesicular ATP or by extravesicular arginine which provides ATP via an ATP-generating system involving the arginine deiminase pathway. 2DG uptake into these vesicles was not inhibited, and preaccumulated 2DG did not efflux from them upon electroporation of fructose 1,6-diphosphate or gluconate 6-phosphate into the vesicles. Intravesicular but not extravesicular wild-type or H15A mutant HPr of Bacillus subtilis promoted inhibition (53 and 46%, respectively) of the permease in the presence of these metabolites. Counterflow experiments indicated that inhibition of 2DG uptake is due to the partial uncoupling of proton symport from sugar transport. Intravesicular S46A mutant HPr could not promote regulation of glucose permease activity when electroporated into the vesicles with or without the phosphorylated metabolites, but the S46D mutant protein promoted regulation, even in the absence of a metabolite. The Vmax but not the Km values for both TMG and 2DG uptake were affected. Uptake of the natural, metabolizable substrates of the lactose, glucose, mannose, and ribose permeases was inhibited by wild-type HPr in the presence of fructose 1,6-diphosphate or by S46D mutant HPr. These results establish that HPr serine phosphorylation by the ATP-dependent, metabolite-activated HPr kinase regulates glucose and lactose permease activities in L. brevis and suggest that other permeases may also be subject to this mode of regulation.     

Fermentative production of succinic acid from glucose and corn steep liquor byAnaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens

Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens requires expensive complex nitrogen sources such as yeast extract and polypeptone for its growth and succinic acid production. It was found thatA. succiniciproducens was able to grow in a minimal medium containing glucose when supplemented with corn steep liquor (CSL) as the sole complex nitrogen source. The concentration of CSL had a significant effect on the glucose consumption byA. succiniciproducens. When 10–15 g/L of CSL was supplemented, cells were grown to an OD₆₆₀ of 3.5 and produced 17.8 g/L succinic acid with 20 g/L glucose. These results are similar to those obtained by supplementing yeast extract and polypeptone, thereby suggesting that succinic acid can be produced more economically using glucose and CSL.     

Growth, pigment production and protease activity of Monascus purpureus as affected by salt, sodium nitrite, polyphosphate and various sugars

The effect of different levels of salt, sodium nitrite, polyphosphate and various sugars on growth, pigment production, protease activity and culture pH caused by Monascus purpureus was studied in broth medium and ground meat. The addition of sodium chloride (> 50.0 g l(-1)) and polyphosphate (> 3.0g l(-1)) to broth medium decreased mycelial growth, pigment production and protease activity of M. purpureus, whereas low concentrations of sodium nitrite (< 0.2 g l(-1)) promoted mycelial growth and pigment production. When the basal medium and ground meat contained salt, 150.0 g l(-1), the mould growth was stopped. The medium with fructose as carbon source proved to be the most suitable for mycelium growth and pigment production, with maltose and glucose being the second most productive. When sucrose and lactose were used as carbon sources, mycelium growth and pigment production were inhibited but the protease activity increased significantly. The mould showed more tolerance to salt and polyphosphate in ground meat than in broth medium and used sucrose as a carbon source as well as glucose for growth and pigment production in the meat mixture.     

Analysis of S-layer proteins of Lactobacillus brevis

Abstract The presence of S-layer proteins in Lactobacillus brevis was examined by SDS-PAGE analysis. Thirty six out of a total of 41 L. brevis strains possessed S-layer proteins of molecular masses ranging from 38 to 55 kDa. Western blot analysis using antisera raised against whole cells of S-layer protein-carrying strains demonstrated the heterogeneity of L. brevis S-layer proteins. No clear relationship was observed between the presence of S-layer proteins or their immunological characteristics and the physiological activity of L. brevis as a beer spoilage organism.     

The biodiversity of lactic acid bacteria in Greek traditional wheat sourdoughs is reflected in both composition and metabolite formation

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from Greek traditional wheat sourdoughs manufactured without the addition of baker's yeast. Application of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of total cell protein, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR, DNA-DNA hybridization, and 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, in combination with physiological traits such as fructose fermentation and mannitol production, allowed us to classify the isolated bacteria into the species Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus paralimentarius, and Weissella cibaria. This consortium seems to be unique for the Greek traditional wheat sourdoughs studied. Strains of the species W. cibaria have not been isolated from sourdoughs previously. No Lactobacillus pontis or Lactobacillus panis strains were found. An L. brevis-like isolate (ACA-DC 3411 t1) could not be identified properly and might be a new sourdough LAB species. In addition, fermentation capabilities associated with the LAB detected have been studied. During laboratory fermentations, all heterofermentative sourdough LAB strains produced lactic acid, acetic acid, and ethanol. Mannitol was produced from fructose that served as an additional electron acceptor. In addition to glucose, almost all of the LAB isolates fermented maltose, while fructose as the sole carbohydrate source was fermented by all sourdough LAB tested except L. sanfranciscensis. Two of the L. paralimentarius isolates tested did not ferment maltose; all strains were homofermentative. In the presence of both maltose and fructose in the medium, induction of hexokinase activity occurred in all sourdough LAB species mentioned above, explaining why no glucose accumulation was found extracellularly. No maltose phosphorylase activity was found either. These data produced a variable fermentation coefficient and a unique sourdough metabolite composition.     

Regulation of S-layer protein synthesis of Bacillus stearothermophilus PV72 through variation of continuous cultivation conditions

The crystalline cell surface layer (S-layer) of Bacillus stearothermophilus PV72 shows hexagonal lattice symmetry and is composed of a single protein species with a molecular weight of 130000. For investigating the regulation of S-layer protein synthesis, Bacillus stearothermophilus PV72 was grown in continuous culture on synthetic PVIII- medium with glucose as carbon source at constant dilution rate of 0.3 h⁻¹ at 57 ° C under different conditions and limitations. A complete outer S-layer and an S-layer protein pool sufficient for formation of about 70% inner S-layer was produced under carbon-limited growth. The inner S-layer results from an S-layer protein pool stored in the peptidoglycan-containing layer of whole cells which can emerge and assemble on the inner face of the rigid cell wall layer during the cell wall preparation procedure. Under oxygen-limited growth, only a complete outer S-layer but no S-layer protein pool was synthesized. Reduction of the methionine concentration of PVIII-medium from 100 to 10 mg l⁻¹ led to a clear decrease in S-layer protein production and to an incomplete outer S-layer. During growth in the presence of excess glucose, S-layer protein synthesis was replaced by that of an exopolysaccharide matrix. After changing to carbon limitation again, the original level of S-layer protein synthesis was achieved after only four volume exchanges. Feeding of casein hydrolysate or aromatic or basic amino acids to the continuous culture induced an irreversible loss of S-layer protein synthesis after from five to ten volume exchanges. In contrast, addition of Gly, Ala, Val, Leu, Ile, Glu, Gln, Asp, Asn, Ser and Thr in different mixtures could significantly stimulate S-layer protein production.     

乙酸合成途径阻断及NADH氧化酶表达对于谷氨酸棒杆菌生产乙偶姻的影响

【目的】研究乙酸合成途径阻断及NADH氧化酶表达对于谷氨酸棒杆菌生产乙偶姻的影响。【方法】在谷氨酸棒杆菌CGF2中异源表达als SD操纵子构建乙偶姻生产菌株CGT1,考察敲除乙酸生成途径cat和pqo对乙偶姻的影响。然后引入短乳杆菌的NADH氧化酶,在优化的溶氧条件下研究其对乙偶姻产量的影响。【结果】CGT1在摇瓶发酵中可积累6.27 g/L乙偶姻,敲除cat使乙偶姻产量显著提高30.94%,达到8.21 g/L;双敲除cat和pqo没有进一步提高产量。通过优化发酵的溶氧水平,乙偶姻产量达到10.06 g/L。在高溶氧水平下引入NADH氧化酶导致菌株的生长和糖代谢速率提高,但乙偶姻产量略有降低。在分批补料发酵中,重组菌株乙偶姻产量达到40.51 g/L,产率为0.51 g/(L?h)。【结论】在谷氨酸棒杆菌中阻断乙酸合成途径cat能够有效提高乙偶姻产量,NADH氧化酶在高溶氧水平下表达不利于乙偶姻的合成,需要进一步调节表达水平以确定其效果。     

Exopolysaccharide and Poly-(beta)-Hydroxybutyrate Coproduction in Two Rhizobium meliloti Strains

The effects of different nitrogen and carbon sources on cell growth, pH, and exopolysaccharide (EPS) and poly-(beta)-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) production by two strains of Rhizobium meliloti (M5N1 and Su47) are reported. Differences in the behavior of glucose- and fructose-grown cells were shown, in particular with the M5N1 strain. Growth in a glucose-containing medium was accompanied by acidification of the culture medium, which leads to cell death. On fructose, acidification was detected only in the medium with a mineral nitrogen supply. A lag phase in EPS production was observed with cells grown with glucose, probably related to an initial extracellular conversion of the carbohydrate into an acid. No lag phase was observed in EPS production from fructose or in PHB synthesis whatever the carbon source. A decrease in PHB content was noticed for both strains under conditions where acidification of media occurred. The extent of production, emphasized by the use of a coproduction index, indicates that the M5N1 strain is a more promising organism than is the Su47 strain for polymer production. Such a strain, put in rich medium (containing yeast extract) supplemented with fructose, accumulated PHB up to 85% of dry cell weight and excreted about 1.5 g of EPS per liter in the medium. Regulation of the coproduction of EPS and PHB by these cells is suggested.     

Surface display of foreign epitopes on the Lactobacillus brevis S-layer

So far, the inability to establish viable Lactobacillus surface layer (S-layer) null mutants has hampered the biotechnological applications of Lactobacillus S-layers. In this study, we demonstrate the utilization of Lactobacillus brevis S-layer subunits (SlpA) for the surface display of foreign antigenic epitopes. With an inducible expression system, L. brevis strains producing chimeric S-layers were obtained after testing of four insertion sites in the slpA gene for poliovirus epitope VP1, that comprises 10 amino acids. The epitope insertion site allowing the best surface expression was used for the construction of an integration vector carrying the gene region encoding the c-Myc epitopes from the human c-myc proto-oncogene, which is composed of 11 amino acids. A gene replacement system was optimized for L. brevis and used for the replacement of the wild-type slpA gene with the slpA-c-myc construct. A uniform S-layer, displaying on its surface the desired antigen in all of the S-layer protein subunits, was obtained. The success of the gene replacement and expression of the uniform SlpA-c-Myc recombinant S-layer was confirmed by PCR, Southern blotting MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunofluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, the integrity of the recombinant S-layer was studied by electron microscopy, which indicated that the S-layer lattice structure was not affected by the presence of c-Myc epitopes. To our knowledge, this is the first successful expression of foreign epitopes in every S-layer subunit of a Lactobacillus S-layer while still maintaining the S-layer lattice structure.     

A synthetic medium for continuous culture of the S-layer carrying Bacillus stearothermophilus PV 72 and studies on the influence of growth conditions on cell wall properties

Bacterial cell surface layers (S-layers) which show a crystalline structure, defined pores, and a regular arrangement of functioal groups can be used for production of isoporous ultrafiltration membranes and as a matrix for immobilization of macromolecules. S-layer-carrying cell wall fragments from thermophilic Bacillaceae possess an extremely thin peptidoglycan-containing layer with pores larger than those in the S-layer lattice. Thus, they can directly be used for biotechnological applications, when an S-layer protein pool is stored in the rigid cell wall layer which is released during cell wall preparation, forming an inner S-layer. In the present study, a synthetic medium for Bacillus stearothermophilus PV 72 was developed by applying the pulse and shift technique with the aim to produce cell wall fragments with before-mentioned properties by varying the growth conditions in condtinuous culture. The organism was grown at 57 degrees C in a bioreactor with 1 L working volume equipped with exhaust gas analysis and connected to a PC-based process control system. Biomass concentration was 2.2 g/L out of 8 g/L glucose at a dilution rate of 0.3 h(-1), giving a biomass productivity of 0.66 g/L h. Although the organism was grown under different conditions, no change in peptidoglycan composition, extent of peptidoglycan crosslinking, and content of secondary cell wall polymers was observed. The amount of S-layer protein pool stored in the rigid cell wall layer and the autolytic activity depended mainly on the specific growth rate. Cell wall fragments with properties required for ultrafiltration membrane production could be produced by parameter settings in continuous culture. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

不同发酵条件下产甘油假丝酵母有机酸代谢的研究

产甘油假丝酵母 (Candidaglycerolgenesis)发酵产生的有机酸对丙三醇产品质量和产率均有影响。发现在发酵其它条件恒定 ,装液比和玉米浆浓度增加时 ,发酵液总酸是递增的。在装液比为 0 2和玉米浆浓度为 8g L时 ,丙酮酸和乳酸在细胞生长期可分别积累达 4 1g L和 1 0g L ,比正常发酵时增加 2倍以上 ,丙三醇产率也低 ;然而 ,装液比为 0 0 8和玉米浆浓度为 4g L时 ,丙酮酸和乳酸产生较低 ,丙三醇产率较高 ,但乙酸积累比供氧不足时高 ,可达 2 6g L。发酵过程中有机酸被细胞代谢 ,含量逐渐下降 ,如在初糖浓度为 1 0 0g L时 ,有机酸在细胞生长期积累至高峰后 ,丙三醇和有机酸随之均降低至较低含量 ,并且丙酮酸或乳酸可以转化为乙酸。此外 ,在外加一些添加剂时对其产生有机酸也有影响 ,如添加 1 %油酸和VB1时可以降低乙酸的积累 ,同时增加丙酮酸的含量 ,丙三醇产量也有所增加 ;而丙酮酸结构类似物氟代丙酮酸和亚硫酸盐促进乙酸的产生 ,使酮戊二酸合成减少 ,丙三醇产量约增加 2 0 %。     

Production of cellulose from glucose by Acetobacter xylinum

Acetobacter xylinum 1FO 13693 was selected as the best cellulose-producing bacterium among 41 strains belonging to the genus Acetobacter and Agrobacterium. Cellulose was found to be produced at the liquid surface in static liquid cultivation. The rate of cellulose production depended proportionally on the surface-area of the culture medium and was unaffected by the depth and volume of the medium. The optimum pH for cellulose production was 4.0 to 6.0. Glucose, fructose and glycerol were preferred carbon sources for cellulose production. The yield of cellulose, relative to the glucose consumed, decreased with an increase in initial glucose concentration, and gluconic acid accumulated at a high initial glucose concentration. The decrease in cellulose yield could be due to some glucose being metabolized to gluconic acid. However, the accumulated gluconic acid did not affect cellulose production. The culture conditions of the bacterium for cellulose production were optimized. The maximum production rate of cellulose was 36 g/d·m², with a yield of 100% for added glucose under the optimal conditions.     

Protease production by fermentation of fish solubles from salmon canning processes

Production of protease by fermentation, using Sorangium 495, of a substrate based on condensed fish solubles is demonstrated. The effects of carbohydrate addition, pH, fish solubles concentration, scale-up, agitation, and air flow rate on protease yields are described. While the fish solubles medium alone could give rise to measurable yields of protease, these were, at worst, doubled when 1% glucose was added to the medium. pH 7 was optimal for protease yield. Although the concentration of fish solubles in the basic medium showed no significant effect on cell yield, maximum protease yield was observed at a protein concentration equivalent to 3.85 mg/mL of bovine serum albumin. Protease production rates decreased as medium protein fermentor showed no significant effect on maximum protease yields. The effects of agitator speed and air flow rate on protease yield suggested that the rate of O2 transfer from air to medium could limit the rate of protease production. It was also noted that protease production is not growth associated.     

Kinetics, stereospecificity, and expression of the malolactic enzyme.

Mass spectrometric measurement of carbon dioxide production was used to study malolactic fermentation (MLF) in Lactobacillus collinoides isolated from cider. The kinetics and stereospecificity of the malolactic enzyme (MLE) were studied, and the stoichiometry of the reaction sequence was investigated. The optimum pH for activity of the MLE was 4.9. MLF was more rapid (in both intact cells and cell extracts) when L-malic acid was used than when D-malic acid or the racemic mixture was added. The enzyme was found to be constitutively present in L. collinoides. Addition of L-malic acid (37 mM) to the growth medium resulted in increased MLE activity; addition of the D isomer alone or the racemic mixture resulted in lower activities. Addition of the main sugars in apple juice (fructose, sucrose, and glucose) to the growth medium in the presence of malic acid repressed production of MLE to similar extents in all three cases; in the absence of malic acid, instead of inhibiting MLF, addition of sugars to the growth medium somewhat increased the residual MLE activity.     

Comparative study on the cell wall structure of protein-producing Bacillus brevis

Abstract Among eight strains of protein-producing Bacillus brevis , three morphological groups have been identified according to the structure of the cell walls.

• (I)

  Cell wall consisting of a peptidoglycanlayer
• (II)

  Two-layered cell wall consisting of a peptidoglycan-layer and an S-layer
• (III)

  Three-layered cell wall consisting of a peptidoglycan-layer and two S-layers

Group I and group II cell walls have not been described yet for protein-producing bacteria. The S-layers observed in this study all had hexagonal symmetry and lattice constants of approximately 18 nm. The immunological relation between the S-layer proteins of the newly isolated B. brevis strains and those of B. brevis 47 has been examined using antisera against both S-layer-proteins of B. brevis 47. S-layers from protein-producing B. brevis strains, which were adjacent to the peptidoglycan-layer, were similar to each other, whether they were the outermost cell wall layer (group II) or not (group III). However, no similarity was found between these layers and the outermost S-layer of B. brevis 47 (group III).