Substrate-induced lipase gene expression and aflatoxin production in Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus

AIMS: To establish a relationship between lipase gene expression and aflatoxin production by cloning the lipA gene and studying its expression pattern in several aflatoxigenic and nontoxigenic isolates of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. METHODS AND RESULTS: We have cloned a gene, lipA, that encodes a lipase involved in the breakdown of lipids from aflatoxin-producing A. flavus, A. parasiticus and two nonaflatoxigenic A. flavus isolates, wool-1 and wool-2. The lipA gene was transcribed under diverse media conditions, however, no mature mRNA was detected unless the growth medium was supplemented with 0.5% soya bean or peanut oil or the fungus was grown in lipid-rich medium such as coconut medium. The expression of the lipase gene (mature mRNA) under substrate-induced conditions correlated well with aflatoxin production in aflatoxigenic species A. flavus (SRRC 1007) and A. parasiticus (SRRC 143). CONCLUSIONS: Substrate-induced lipase gene expression might be indirectly related to aflatoxin formation by providing the basic building block 'acetate' for aflatoxin synthesis. No direct relationship between lipid metabolism and aflatoxin production can be ascertained, however, lipase gene expression correlates well with aflatoxin formation. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Lipid substrate induces and promotes aflatoxin formation. It gives insight into genetic and biochemical aspects of aflatoxin formation.     

定点突变提高土曲霉Aspergillus terreus脂肪酶的催化活性

本研究旨在利用理性设计的方法来提高来源于土曲霉Aspergillus terreus的酸性脂肪酶ATL的催化活力。通过同源比对,选择脂肪酶盖子区域和底物结合口袋域中的位点进行定点突变,得到8种ATL的突变脂肪酶。结果发现,盖子区域突变酶ATLLid与底物结合口袋域突变酶ATLV218W的催化活性显著提高。ATLLid和ATLV218W对底物对硝基苯酚月桂酸酯p-nitrophenyl laurate(p-NPL)的催化活性最高,k_(cat)值较ATL分别提高了39.37倍和50.79倍,k_(cat)/K_m值较ATL分别提高了2.85倍和8.48倍。与ATL相比,ATLLid和ATLV218W的热稳定性略有下降,最适p H为5.0,p H 4.0–8.0具有较好的稳定性,说明突变未对ATL的嗜酸耐酸特性产生影响。通过同源建模模拟及分子对接技术分析底物p-NPL与酶分子间的相互作用,解析了ATLLid和ATLV218W催化活性提高的机理。     

Rice bran lipase: extraction, activity, and stability

A simple procedure for the extraction of the lipolytic activity from rice bran has been developed. Various conditions of extraction have been optimized so as to obtain maximum yield of the lipase. It was found that high enzyme activity could be obtained by first defatting the rice bran to remove the lipid component. This was followed by five cycles of aqueous extraction (potassium phosphate buffer, 50 mM and pH 7, containing 0.5 mM of CaCl(2)). The stability of the rice bran lipase under storage and operative conditions was investigated. Further, the influence of glycerol as a stabilizer has been assessed. It was found that further purification using micro- and ultrafiltration yielded an enzyme preparation with higher activity and specific activity and better stability.     

Preparation and properties of the endotoxins of Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus

Summary Endotoxins have been reported to occur inAspergillus fumigatus andA. flavus, but the data regarding them are incomplete. Optimal cultural conditions and methods of extraction are described here for the production of the toxins of both of these fungi. They are obtained from the well-washed mycelia; only minute amounts could be demonstrated in the concentrated culture fluids. Both are powerful nephrotoxins; a characteristic necrosis of the kidney cortex is evident grossly in mice, and histological study shows no difference between the effects on the kidney of the two toxins. However, the fumigatus extracts have strong hemolytic properties, especially for sheep erythrocytes, and marked dermonecrotic activity in rabbit skin. No hemolytic action has been demonstrated for the flavus extracts, which possess a powerful hemagglutinin for rabbit erythrocytes and only mild dermonecrotic properties. Immune sera have been prepared in rabbits for both toxins, and in each case these prevent all the observed effects of the toxin. Precipitin titers are closely correlated with neutralizing titers. Chemical differences are suggested by the different procedures applicable to concentration and purification of the toxins. The toxin fromA. fumigatus is precipitated by acetone and can be concentrated and purified to a considerable degree by acetone precipitation and dialysis. The flavus toxin has not been precipitated by any of the solvents tried but can be freed to some extent of inert substances by acid treatment and saturation with ammonium sulfate.Deceased.     

Bacillomycin D: an iturin with antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus

AIMS: In a search for an antifungal peptide with a high activity against Aspergillus flavus, Bacillus subtilis AU195 was selected from a collection of isolates with antagonistic activity against A. flavus. METHODS AND RESULTS: To identify the antifungal peptides, a protein purification scheme was developed based on the detection of the antifungal activity in purified fractions against A. flavus. Two lipopeptides were purified with anion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. Their masses were determined to be 1045 and 1059 m/z with mass spectrometry, and their peptide moiety was identical to bacillomycin D. CONCLUSION: AU195 synthesized a mixture of two antifungal bacillomycin D analogues with masses of 1045 and 1059, the 14 mass unit difference representing the difference between a C15 and a C16 lipid chain. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Both bacillomycin D analogues were active at the same concentration against A. flavus, but the different lipid chain length apparently affected the activity of the lipopeptide against other fungi.     

Synthesis,characterization and antifungal activity of quaternary derivatives of chitosan on Aspergillus flavus

Two series of new chitosan derivatives were synthesized by reaction of deacetylated chitosan (CH) with propyl (CH-Propyl) and pentyl (CH-Pentyl) trimethylammonium bromides to obtain derivatives with increasing degrees of substitution (DS). The derivatives were characterized by ¹H NMR and potentiometric titration techniques and their antifungal activities on the mycelial growth of Aspergillus flavus were investigated in vitro. The antifungal activities increase with DS and the more substituted derivatives of both series, CH-Propyl and CH-Pentyl, exhibited antifungal activities respectively three and six times higher than those obtained with commercial and deacetylated chitosan. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were evaluated at 24, 48 and 72 h by varying the polymer concentration from 0.5 to 16 g/L and the results showed that the quaternary derivatives inhibited the fungus growth at polymer concentrations four times lower than that obtained with deacetylated chitosan (CH). The chitosans modified with pentyltrimethylammonium bromide exhibited higher activity and results are discussed taking into account the degree of substitution (DS).     

Intracellular hydrolases of Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus

When the distribution profile of hydrolases in mycelial homogenates and culture filtrates of A. parasiticus and A. flavus was examined, six hydrolytic enzymes viz. N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, aryl sulfatase, alkaline proteinase, cathepsin B, cathepsin D and aminopeptidase were detected in homogenate. The culture filtrates were devoid of any activity of these enzymes. The enzyme levels varied with the stage of incubation. The most abundant fungal exopeptidase showing preference for basic amino acid naphthylamides seems to be an aminopeptidase B. Incorporation of CEPA, an ethylene generating compound, stimulated the amino peptidase activity in the mycelium but inhibited the enzyme in vitro. The enzyme was also inhibited by different aflatoxins to varying degree. While aminopeptidase B was located intracellularly, a non-dialysable, heat-stable inhibitor of the enzyme was found to be secreted in the culture filtrate. This peptide inhibitor was however ineffective on the other enzymes.     

A particulate chitin synthase from Aspergillus flavus Link: the properties, location, and levels of activity in mycelium and regenerating protoplast preparations.

Chitin synthase (ED 2.4.1.16) has been characterized in Aspergillus flavus. A K(m) value of 2.5 m(M) was obtained for the substrate UDPGlcNAc. The enzyme had a requirement for GlcNAc, and Mg2+ and activity was increased in the presence of soluble chitodextrins F1 and F2. The optimum activity was obtained using Tris--HCl buffer, pH 7.5, with a secondary peak at pH 6.2 and an incubation temperature of 29.5 degrees C. Distribution patterns of chitin synthase in protoplasts and mycelial material were very similar. The highest specific activity was found in a 200 000 X g fraction. Enzyme levels in growing mycelium increased during the exponential growth phase after which they declined. Activity also increased during the early stages of regeneration of both conidial and mycelial protoplasts, despite an initial lack in net protein synthesis. Chitin synthase levels were also dependent upon the carbon source available during regeneration.     

Aspergillus nomius,a new aflatoxin-producing species related to Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus tamarii

Aspergillus nomius is described and represents a new aflatoxigenic species phenotypically similar to A. flavus. Strains examined were isolated from insects and agricultural commodities. Separation from A. flavus is based on the presence of indeterminate sclerotia and a lower growth temperature. Comparisons of DNA relatedness show A. nomius to have only relatively recently evolved from A. flavus and A. tamarii.     

Bacterial Antagonists of Aspergillus flavus

In order to search for bacteria capable of reducing the aflatoxin contamination of cottonseed, 892 indigenous bacterial isolates, including 11 that were endophytic to cotton, were screened for their ability to inhibit the growth of Aspergillus flavus on cottonseed in an in vitro bioassay. Only six isolates partially or totally inhibited fungal growth. All antagonistic isolates were recovered from boll, lint or seed surface or from the lint of mature bolls. One was retrieved from mature seeds. None of the endophytic isolates showed activity. In four field trials, the incidence of A. flavus -induced damage to locules inoculated simulteously with A. flavus plus the most A. flavus plus the most effective antagonistic isolate (D1) was reduced by 41-100% relative to locules inoculated with A. flavus alone. The severity of damage to locules inoculated simultaneously with A. flavus and with D1 was reduced by 60-l00% relative to locules inoculated with A. flavus alone. Isolate D1, identified as Pseudomonas cepacia, completely inhibited the growth of A. flavus on synthetic media.     

Enhanced activity and stability of ionic liquid-pretreated lipase

The activity and stability of Mucor javanicus lipase pretreated with various ionic liquids (ILs) were investigated. The results show that the activity and stability of lipase pretreated with ILs were higher than those of untreated lipase for the hydrolysis reaction in an aqueous medium. The activities of lipase pretreated with ILs such as [Bmim][PF₆], [Emim][Tf₂N], [Bmim][BF₄] and [Emim][BF₄] were 1.81, 1.66, 1.56 and 1.60 times higher than that of untreated lipase, respectively. Furthermore, activities of lipase in ILs were well maintained even after 7 days of incubation in ILs at 60 °C, while untreated lipase in phosphate buffer was fully inactivated only after 12 h of incubation at the same temperature. These results suggest that pretreatment of lipase with ILs might form IL-coated lipase which causes the structural change of lipase, and thus, enhances the activity and stability of lipase in aqueous solution.     

Evidence for importance of the Staphylococcus hyicus lipase pro-peptide in lipase secretion, stability and activity

Abstract To investigate the function of the pro-peptide (PP) region of the Staphylococcus hyicus exolipase, restriction sites were created in the lipase gene to facilitate the construction of deletions in this region. Lipase gene expression was carried out in Staphylococcus carnosus . In the presence of the entire PP region, the 86-kDa pro-lipase was efficiently exported, had high lipolytic activity, and hardly any degradation products were seen in Western blot analysis. In addition to the 86-kDa pro-lipase, the membrane fraction contained a 106-kDa immunoreactive form. If the PP was completely or partially deleted, signal peptide processing, lipase secretion, lipase activity and/or lipase stability were impaired. The results obtained with lipase PP deletion mutants indicate that the PP region may have two functional domains. The N-terminal region of the lipase PP appears to be more important for lipase activity and the C-terminal portion for lipase secretion and proteolytic stability. In the presence of only the C-terminal part of the PP lipase, secretion was hardly affected. However, the activity of the extracellular lipase was markedly reduced. If only a small portion of the C-terminal part of the PP was present, lipase secretion was again markedly reduced and no lipase activity was detectable. In the presence of the N-terminal half of the PP region, lipase secretion was affected to a lesser extent. However, the resulting 60-kDa form, which showed comparably good specific lipase activity, suffered severe proteolytic degradation.     

Biochemical properties of a serine protease from Aspergillus flavus and application in dehairing

The proteases are enzymes produced by several filamentous fungi with important biotechnological applications. In this work, a protease from Aspergillus flavus was characterized. The culture filtrate of A. flavus was purified to homogeneity by Sephacryl S-200 column chromatography followed by CM–cellulose. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be approximately 32?kDa by SDS–PAGE. The enzyme hydrolysed BTpNA (N-α-benzoyl-dl-tyrosyl-p-nitroanilide), azo-casein and casein as substrates. Optimal temperature and pH were 55?°C and 6.5, respectively. The enzyme was stimulated by Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺ and inhibited by Hg²⁺ and Ag²⁺ and Cu²⁺. The protease showed increased activity with detergents, such as Tween 80 and Triton X, and was stable to the reducing agents, such as β-mercaptoethanol. The protease activity was strongly inhibited in the presence of phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, indicating it is a serine protease. The enzyme entrapped in calcium alginate beads retained its activity for longer time and could be reused up to 10 times. The thermostability was increased after the immobilization and the enzyme retained 100% of activity at 45?°C after 60?min of incubation, and 90% of residual activity at 50?°C after 30?min. In contrast, the free enzyme only retained 10% of its residual activity after 60?min at 50?°C. The enzymatic preparation was demonstrated to be efficient in the capability of dehairing without destruction of the hide. The remarkable properties such as temperature, pH and immobilization stability found with this enzyme assure that it could be a potential candidate for industrial applications.     

Deglycosylation of glucoamylase from Aspergillus niger: Effects on structure,activity and stability

A comparative structure–function study was performed to establish possible roles of carbohydrates in stabilization of glycoproteins, using glucoamylase (GA) as a model system. In addition to kinetic properties, stability toward elevated temperatures, extremes of pH, high salt concentrations together with circular dichroism, intrinsic/extrinsic fluorescence studies, proteolysis and affinity for interaction with hydrophobic ligands were investigated. Related to all the main properties examined, with one exception, glycosylation provided improvement in functional characteristics of the enzyme, especially in relation to its thermostability. Results are explained in terms of provision of stabilizing intermolecular interactions by the sugar molecules. The improvement in protein rigidity together with reduction of surface hydrophobicity appear to be especially important in relation to prevention of aggregation, an important mechanism of irreversible thermoinactivation, occurring at elevated temperatures.     

Nitrification of Aspartate by Aspergillus flavus

Heterotrophic conversion of l-aspartic acid to nitrification products by Aspergillus flavus was studied in a replacement incubation system. Numerous amino acids supported nitrification; aspartate and glutamate were about equivalent as the best sources of nitrate. Addition of sodium bicarbonate to the incubation system substantially enhanced nitrate formation for all nitrifiable amino acids except aspartic acid, but the basis for the bicarbonate effect is obscure. The yield of nitrate from l-aspartate was not approached by forms of aspartic acid resulting from substitution on the beta carbon, the amino nitrogen, or the gamma carboxyl group or by aspartate presented as the d-configuration. There was no relationship between nitrate formation and the occurrence of such possible intermediates as nitrite, bound hydroxylamine, ammonia, aspergillic acid, and beta-nitropropionic acid. Uniformly labeled (14)C-l-aspartate that was nitrified in replacement incubation led to no accumulation of label in possible nitrification products in the culture filtrate. Label was found in components of the mycelium after acid hydrolysis, with heaviest accumulation in what appeared to be glucosamine and an unidentified compound, possibly acetylglucosamine. Detectable label was redistributed into serine, glycine, and threonine.     

Degradation of aflatoxin by Aspergillus flavus

Aflatoxin degradative activity was demonstrated in 6- to 12-d-old intact mycelium and cell-free extracts of Aspergillus flavus. The addition of cycloheximide, SKF 525-A or metyrapone to cultures of A. flavus prevented subsequent degradation of the aflatoxins, while in cell-free extracts degradation was inhibited by SKF 525-A, metyrapone and cytochrome c but not by KCN. In cell-free extracts, aflatoxin degradation was enhanced by NADPH and NaIO4. The results suggest the involvement of cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases in the aflatoxin degradative activity of A. flavus.