Dissecting and Reconstructing Synergism: IN SITU VISUALIZATION OF COOPERATIVITY AMONG CELLULASES*

Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer and a major reservoir of fixed carbon on earth. Comprehension of the elusive mechanism of its enzymatic degradation represents a fundamental problem at the interface of biology, biotechnology, and materials science. The interdependence of cellulose disintegration and hydrolysis and the synergistic interplay among cellulases is yet poorly understood. Here we report evidence from in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) that delineates degradation of a polymorphic cellulose substrate as a dynamic cycle of alternating exposure and removal of crystalline fibers. Direct observation shows that chain-end-cleaving cellobiohydrolases (CBH I, CBH II) and an internally chain-cleaving endoglucanase (EG), the major components of cellulase systems, take on distinct roles: EG and CBH II make the cellulose surface accessible for CBH I by removing amorphous-unordered substrate areas, thus exposing otherwise embedded crystalline-ordered nanofibrils of the cellulose. Subsequently, these fibrils are degraded efficiently by CBH I, thereby uncovering new amorphous areas. Without prior action of EG and CBH II, CBH I was poorly active on the cellulosic substrate. This leads to the conclusion that synergism among cellulases is morphology-dependent and governed by the cooperativity between enzymes degrading amorphous regions and those targeting primarily crystalline regions. The surface-disrupting activity of cellulases therefore strongly depends on mesoscopic structural features of the substrate: size and packing of crystalline fibers are key determinants of the overall efficiency of cellulose degradation.     

Hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose by cellobiohydrolase I and endoglucanase II from Trichoderma reesei: adsorption, sugar production pattern, and synergism of the enzymes

Microcrystalline cellulose (10 g/L Avicel) was hydrolysed by two major cellulases, cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I) and endoglucanase II (EG II), of Trichoderma reesei. Two types of experiments were performed, and in both cases the enzymes were added alone and together, in equimolar mixtures. In time course studies the reaction time was varied between 3 min and 48 h at constant temperature (40 degrees C) and enzyme loading (0.16 micromol/g Avicel). In isotherm studies the enzyme loading was varied in the range of 0.08-2.56 micromol/g at 4 degrees C and 90 min. Adsorption of the enzymes and production of soluble sugars were followed by FPLC and HPLC, respectively. Adsorption started quickly (50% of maximum achieved after 3 min) but was not completed before 60-90 min. For CBH I a linear relationship was observed between the production of soluble sugars and adsorption, showing that the average activity of the bound CBH I molecules does not change with increasing saturation. For EG II the corresponding curve levelled off which is explained by initial hydrolysis of loose ends on Avicel. The enzymes competed for binding sites, binding of EG II was considerably affected by CBH I, especially at high concentration. CBH I produced more soluble sugars than EG II, except at conversions below 1%. At 40 degrees C when the enzymes were added together they produced 27-45% more soluble sugars than the sum of what they produced alone, i.e. synergistic action was observed (the final conversion after 48 h of hydrolysis was 3, 6, and 13% for EG II, CBH I, and their mixture, respectively). At 4 degrees C, on the other hand, when the conversion was below 2.5%, almost no synergism could be observed. Molar proportions of the produced sugars were rather stable for CBH I (11-15%, 82-89%, and <6% for glucose, cellobiose, and cellotriose, respectively), while it varied considerably with both time and enzyme concentration for EG II. The observed stable but high glucose to cellobiose ratio for CBH I indicates that the processivity for this enzyme is not perfect. EG II produced significant amounts of glucose, cellobiose, and cellotriose, which are not the expected products of a typical endoglucanase activity on a solid substrate. We explain this by hypothesizing that EG II may show processivity due to its extended substrate binding site and the presence of its cellulose binding domain.     

Effect of endoglucanase and cellobiohydrolase from Trichoderma reesei on cellulose microfibril structure

Abstract Cellobiohydrolase (CBH, EC 3.2.91) was purified to homogeneity from Trichoderma reesei culture fluids by means of preparative isoelectric focussing (IEF). Its isoelectric points was 4.2. The degradation product of crystalline cellulose (Avicel and cotton) was predominantly cellobiose. The action of purified endoglucanase (EG) and CBH on cellulose microfibrils was followed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations after Pt-C shadowing of the specimen. EG pretreatment of microfibrils resulted in submicrofibril formation. Addition of CBH induced the conversion of submicrofibrils into heterogeneous cellulose clusters and into homogeneous cellulose plaques. One structural effect of CBH was the increase in accessible cellulose surface area, possibly providing intermolecular entrace of water molecules between adjacent cellulose chains. Plaque formation is interpreted as a visible CBH action on crystalline cellulose to form swollen water-insoluble cellulose intermediates.     

Synergism of Trichoderma reesei cellulases while degrading different celluloses

Summary The synergistic action of purified cellulases from Trichoderma reesei in hydrolysis of cellulose decreased with increasing substrate concentration, depended strongly on the the type of cellulose used, and was maximal on crystalline cellulose. Contrarily, the activity of the individual cellulases was highest on amorphous cellulose. The binary combinations CBH I/EG III and CBH I/CBH II exhibited the greatest degree of synergism on crystalline cellulose.     

Visualization of Trichoderma reesei Cellobiohydrolase I and Endoglucanase I on Aspen Cellulose by Using Monoclonal Antibody-Colloidal Gold Conjugates

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I) and endoglucanase I (EG I) were conjugated to 10- and 15-nm colloidal gold particles, respectively. The binding of CBH I and EG I was visualized by utilizing the MAb-colloidal gold probes. The visualization procedure involved immobilization of cellulose microfibrils on copper electron microscopy grids, incubation of the cellulose-coated grids with cellulase(s), binding of MAb-colloidal gold conjugates to cellulase(s), and visualization via transmission electron microscopy. CBH I was seen bound to apparent crystalline cellulose as well as apparent amorphous cellulose. EG I was seen bound extensively to apparent amorphous cellulose with minimal binding to crystalline cellulose.     

Synergistic effects on crystalline cellulose degradation between cellulosomal cellulases from Clostridium cellulovorans

Clostridium cellulovorans produces a multienzyme cellulose-degrading complex called the cellulosome. In this study, we determined the synergistic effects on crystalline cellulose degradation by three different recombinant cellulosomes containing either endoglucanase EngE, endoglucanase EngH, or exoglucanase ExgS bound to mini-CbpA, a part of scaffolding protein CbpA. EngE, EngH, and ExgS are classified into the glycosyl hydrolase families 5, 9, and 48, respectively. The assembly of ExgS and EngH with mini-CbpA increased the activity against insoluble cellulose 1.5- to 3-fold, although no effects on activity against soluble cellulose were observed. These results indicated that mini-CbpA could help cellulase components degrade insoluble cellulose but not soluble cellulose. The mixture of the cellulosomes containing ExgS and EngH showed higher activity and synergy degrees than the other cellulosome mixtures, indicating the synergistic effect between EngH and ExgS was the most dominant effect among the three mixtures for crystalline cellulose degradation. Reactions were also performed by adding different cellulosomes in a sequential manner. When ExgS was used for the initial reaction followed by EngE and EngH, almost no synergistic effect was observed. On the other hand, when EngE or EngH was used for the first reaction followed by ExgS, synergistic effects were observed. These results indicated that the initial reactions by EngH and/or EngE promoted cellulose degradation by ExgS.     

Acid hydrolysis of bacterial cellulose reveals different modes of synergistic action between cellobiohydrolase I and endoglucanase I.

Intact and partially acid hydrolyzed cellulose from Acetobacter xylinum were used as model substrates for cellulose hydrolysis by 1,4-beta-D-glucan-cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I) and 1,4-beta-D-endoglucanase I (EG I) from Trichoderma reesei. A high synergy between CBH I and EG I in simultaneous action was observed with intact bacterial cellulose (BC), but this synergistic effect was rapidly reduced by acid pretreatment of the cellulose. Moreover, a distinct synergistic effect was observed upon sequential endo-exo action on BC, but not on bacterial microcrystalline cellulose (BMCC). A mechanism for endo-exo synergism on crystalline cellulose is proposed where the simultaneous action of the enzymes counteract the decrease of activity caused by undesirable changes in the cellulose surface microstructure.     

纤维二糖脱氢酶的纤维素降解中的作用研究

裂褶菌纤维二糖脱氢酶（ｃｅｌｌｏｂｉｏｓｅ ｄｅｈｙｄｒｏｇｅｎａｓｅ,ＣＤＨ）可以提高纤维素酶对纤维素的降解。以纤维二糖为电子供体,ＣＤＨ作用于羧甲基纤维可降低其溶液的粘度,作用纤维素ＣＦ１１和磷酸膨胀纤维素,分别使其悬浊液的浊度提高７％和１４．４％。ＣＤＨ与纤维二糖水解酶或切纤维素酶在降解棉花纤维素时没有表现出协同作用。但若棉花事先在纤维二糖存在下用ＣＤＨ预处理,则变得易于被水解。     

A synergistic kinetics model for enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis compared to degree-of-synergism experimental results

It is demonstrated that a two-enzyme component synergistic model can account for the observation that the degree of synergism goes through a maximum as the total enzyme concentration is increased. The degree of synergism is low at low enzyme concentration because the extent of conversion is low and therefore the cellulose chain ends, present originally, are not exhausted; thus the action of the cellobiohydrolase (CBH) is not dependent on the chain ends generated by the endoglucanase (EG). The degree of synergism declines at high enzyme concentration due to saturation of adsorption sites with CBH, thus decreasing the generation of chain ends by EG. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synergism between components of the cellulase system of the anaerobic rumen fungus Neocallimastix frontalis and those of the aerobic fungi Penicillium pinophilum and Trichoderma koningii in degrading crystalline cellulose

The cellulase system of Neocallimastix frontalis was separated by differential affinity on cellulose into an adsorbed fraction that could solubilize crystalline cellulose (crystalline-cellulose-solubilizing fraction, CCSF), and a non-adsorbed fraction that contained endoglucanase and -glucosidase activities (non-adsorbed endoglucanase/ -glucosidas, NAE/-G) but which showed no activity to crystalline cellulose. Both fractions were tested for their capacity to act synergistically with the cellobiohydrolase (CBH) components of aerobic fungi in degrading crystalline cellulose. The CCSF acted synergistically with CBH I components of both Penicillium pinophilum and Trichoderma koningii but not with CBH II. The NAE/-G fraction also acted synergistically with the CBH components of P. pinophilum but, remarkably, only when both CBH I and CBH II were present in the reaction mixture. By comparison with previously published studies on the mechanism of action of P. pinophilum cellulase it is speculated that the CCSF of N. frontalis may contain CBH I- and CBH II-type enzymes.     

The brown-rot basidiomycete Fomitopsis palustris has the endo-glucanases capable of degrading microcrystalline cellulose

Two endoglucanases with processive cellulase activities, produced from Fomitopsis palustris grown on 2% microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel), were purified to homogeneity by anion-exchange and gel filtration column chromatography systems. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that the molecular masses of the purified enzymes were 47 kDa and 35 kDa, respectively. The amino acid sequence analysis of the 47-kDa protein (EG47) showed a sequence similarity with fungal glycoside hydrolase family 5 endoglucanase from the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium. N-terminal and internal amino acid sequences of the 35-kDa protein (EG35), however, had no homology with any other glycosylhydrolases, although the enzyme had high specific activity against carboxymethyl cellulose, which is a typical substrate for endoglucanases. The initial rate of Avicel hydrolysis by EG35 was relatively fast for 48 h, and the amount of soluble reducing sugar released after 96 h was 100 microg/ml. Although EG47 also hydrolyzed Avicel, the hydrolysis rate was lower than that of EG35. Thin layer chromatography analysis of the hydrolysis products released from Avicel indicated that the main product was cellobiose, suggesting that the brown-rot fungus possesses processive EGs capable of degrading crystalline cellulose.     

Effect of multiple copies of cohesins on cellulase and hemicellulase activities of Clostridium cellulovorans mini-cellulosomes

Cellulosomes in Clostridium cellulovorans are assembled by the interaction between the repeated cohesin domains of a scaffolding protein (CbpA) and the dockerin domain of enzyme components. In this study, we determined the synergistic effects on cellulosic and hemicellulosic substrates by three different recombinant mini-cellulosomes containing either endoglucanase EngB or endoxylanase XynA bound to mini-CbpA with one cohesin domain (mini-CbpA1), two cohesins (mini-CbpA12), or four cohesins (mini-CbpA1234). The assembly of EngB or XynA with mini-CbpA increased the activity against carboxymethyl cellulose, acid-swollen cellulose, Avicel, xylan, and corn fiber 1.1-1.8-fold compared with that for the corresponding enzyme alone. A most distinct improvement was shown with corn fiber, a natural substrate containing xylan, arabinan, and cellulose. However, there was little difference in activity between the three different mini-cellulosomes when the cellulosomal enzyme concentration was held constant regardless of the copy number of cohesins in the cellulosome. A synergistic effect was observed when the enzyme concentration was increased to be proportional to the number of cohesins in the mini-cellulosome. The highest degree of synergy was observed with mini-CbpA1234 (1.8-fold) and then mini-CbpA12 (1.3-fold), and the lowest synergy was observed with mini-CbpA1 (1.2-fold) when Avicel was used as the substrate. As the copy number of cohesin was increased, there was more synergy. These results indicate that the clustering effect (physical enzyme proximity) of the enzyme within the mini-cellulosome is one of the important factors for efficient degradation of plant cell walls.     

Synergistic cooperation of cellulases of trichoderma reesei as distinguished by a new filter-paper destruction assay

WHATMAN 1 CHR filter paper manufactured from macerated cotton fibers was shown to be a soft substrate when broken down by purified cellulases of Trichoderma reesei (CELLUCLAST). Destruction of filter-paper disks was induced by CBH I/1, CBH I/2, CBH II/1, CBH II/2, and EG I in a macroscopic assay. Attack on disks by mixtures of these cellulases (CBH I/1 or CBH I/2 mixed with CBH II/1, CBH II/2, or with EGJ) were followed by synergistically enhanced destructions. SCHLEICHER &SCHUELL filter paper No 595 was shown to be a harder substrate of enzymatical decomposition when induced by cellulases of CELLUCLAST. None of the cellulases could induce macroscopic destruction of filter-paper disks when acting in isolation. However, mixtures of isolated exo and endo-glucanases (CBH I/1 or CBH I/2 mixed with CBH II/1, CBH II/2, or EG I) caused powerful destruction of filter-paper disks. SCHLEICHER &SCHUELL filter paper No 595 incubated first with an endo-glucanase (CBH II/1, CBH II/2, EG I) and treated in a secondary incubation with an exo-glucanase (CBH I/1, CBH I/2) were destroyed to a greater extent than with incubations executed in the reverse order. Results confirm the endo exo concept of explaining cellulose decomposition. The filter-paper destruction assay was performed with filter-paper disks prepared with an office punch. Disks were incubated in 1 ml EPPENDORF reaction tubes filled up beforehand with 0.4 or 0.5 ml of enzyme solution. The degree of synergism of cellulases resulted from the assay in the range of 300 to 1 300 p.c.     

The Effect of Xyloglucans on the Degradation of Cell-Wall-Embedded Cellulose by the Combined Action of Cellobiohydrolase and Endoglucanases from Trichoderma viride

Two endoglucanases of Trichoderma viride, endoI and endoIV, were assayed for their activity toward alkali-extracted apple xyloglucans. EndoIV was shown to have a 60-fold higher activity toward xyloglucan than endoI, whereas carboxymethyl cellulose and crystalline cellulose were better substrates for the latter. The enzymic degradation of cellulose embedded in the complex cell-wall matrix of apple fruit tissue has been studied using cellobiohydrolase (CBH) and these two different endoglucanases. A high-performance liquid chromatographic method (Aminex HPX-22H) was used to monitor the release of cellobiose and oligomeric xyloglucan fragments. Synergistic action between CBH and endoglucanases on cell-wall-embedded cellulose was, with respect to their optimal ratio, slightly different from that reported for crystalline cellulose. The combination of endoIV and CBH solubilized twice as much cellobiose compared to a combination of endoI and CBH. Apparently, the concomitant removal of the xyloglucan coating from cellulose microfibrils by endoIV is essential for an efficient degradation of cellulose in a complex matrix. Cellulose degradation slightly enhanced the solubilization of xyloglucans. These results indicate optimal degradation of cell-wall-embedded cellulose by a three-enzyme system consisting of an endoglucanase with high affinity toward cellulose (endoI), a xyloglucanase (endoIV), and CBH.     

Intrinsic Fluorescence in Endoglucanase and Cellobiohydrolase from Trichoderma pseudokiningii S-38: Effects of pH, Quenching Agents, and Ligand Binding

To gain further insight into the difference in substrate specificity between endoglucanase and cellobiohydrolase, the intrinsic fluorescence properties of cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I) and endoglucanase I (EG I) from Trichoderma pseudokiningii S-38 were investigated. The results for the spectral characteristics, ligand binding and fluorescence quenching suggest that the fluorescence of two enzymes comes from tryptophan residues, and that tryptophan residue(s) may be involved in the function of the two enzymes. The results also suggest that the binding tryptophan in EG I may be more exposed to solvent than that in CBH I. This interpretation is supported by the observations that the effects of pH upon the fluorescence of EG I are greater than that of CBH I; spectral shifts are different in EG I and CBH I under various conditions, and fluorescence lifetime changes caused by cellobiose binding are larger for EG I than for CBH I.     

A mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway modulates the expression of two cellulase genes in Cochliobolus heterostrophus during plant infection

Conserved eukaryotic signaling elements play an important role in the development of fungal pathogens on their hosts. Chk1, a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), functions in virulence, mating, and sporulation of the maize leaf pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus. Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to identify fungal genes whose expression on the host plant is affected in chk1 deletion mutants. Two of the genes isolated in this screen were predicted to encode cellulolytic enzymes: a cellobiohydrolase, CBH7, and an endoglucanase, EG6. Expression of EG6 and CBH7 was followed by the fusion of their upstream regulatory regions to the coding sequence of the green fluorescent protein. Induction of both genes began at the onset of invasive growth and reached its maximal extent during leaf necrosis. Furthermore, EG6 was induced preferentially within necrotic lesions. Disruption of MAPK CHK1 resulted in a delay in the penetration of hyphae into the leaf and a concomitant delay in the induction of expression of both cellulase genes. In saprophytic culture, the absence of Chk1 resulted in a marked delay in the induction of CBH7 expression by crystalline cellulose. EG6 was expressed at a basal level in culture, and this expression was found to depend strictly on Chk1. Thus, the Chk1 MAPK signaling pathway is involved in the regulation of two cellulase-encoding genes and is necessary for their timely induction by environmental signals.     

Intrinsic Fluorescence in Endoglucanase and Cellobiohydrolase from Trichoderma pseudokiningii S-38: Effects of pH, Quenching Agents, and Ligand Binding

To gain further insight into the difference in substrate specificity between endoglucanase and cellobiohydrolase, the intrinsic fluorescence properties of cellobiohydrolase I (CBH I) and endoglucanase I (EG I) from Trichoderma pseudokiningii S-38 were investigated. The results for the spectral characteristics, ligand binding and fluorescence quenching suggest that the fluorescence of two enzymes comes from tryptophan residues, and that tryptophan residue(s) may be involved in the function of the two enzymes. The results also suggest that the binding tryptophan in EG I may be more exposed to solvent than that in CBH I. This interpretation is supported by the observations that the effects of pH upon the fluorescence of EG I are greater than that of CBH I; spectral shifts are different in EG I and CBH I under various conditions, and fluorescence lifetime changes caused by cellobiose binding are larger for EG I than for CBH I.     

Monitoring on-line desalted lignocellulosic hydrolysates by microdialysis sampling micro-high performance anion exchange chromatography with integrated pulsed electrochemical detection/mass spectrometry

An on-line system based on microdialysis sampling (MD), micro-high performance anion exchange chromatography (micro-HPAEC), integrated pulsed electrochemical detection (IPED), and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) for the monitoring of on-line desalted enzymatic hydrolysates is presented. Continuous monitoring of the enzymatic degradation of dissolving pulp from Eucalyptus grandis as well as degradation of sugar cane bagasse in a 5-mL reaction vessel was achieved up to 24 h without any additional sample handling steps. Combining MD with micro-HPAEC-IPED/MS and on-line desalting of hydrolysates enabled injection (5 microL) of at least 23 samples in a study of the sequential action of hydrolytic enzymes in an unmodified environment where the enzymes and substrate were not depleted due to the perm-selectivity of the MD membrane (30 kDa cut-off). Xylanase, phenolic acid esterase and a combination of endoglucanase (EG II) with cellobiohydrolase (CBH I) resulted in the production of DP 1 after the addition of esterase, DP 2 and DP 3 after the addition of EG II and CBH I, from the dissolving pulp substrate. Similar sequential enzyme addition to sugar cane bagasse resulted in DP 1 production after the addition of esterase and DP 1, DP 2 and DP 3 production after the addition of the EG II and CBH I mixture. Combining MS on-line with micro-HPAEC-IPED proved to be a versatile and necessary tool for such a study compared to conventional methods. The mass selectivity of MS revealed complementary information, including the co-elution of saccharides as well as the presence of more than one type of DP 2 in the case of dissolving pulp and several types of DP 2 and DP 3 for sugar cane bagasse. This study demonstrates the limitation of the use of retention time alone for confirmation of the identity of saccharides especially when dealing with complex enzymatic hydrolysates. In situ sampling and sample clean-up combined with on-line desalting of the chromatographic effluent, provides a generic approach to achieve real time monitoring of enzymatic hydrolysates when they are detected by a combination of IPED and MS.     

Identification and purification of the main components of cellulases from a mutant strain of Trichoderma viride T 100-14

A new mutant strain of fungus Trichoderma viride T 100-14 was cultivated on 1% microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) for 120h and the resulting culture filtrate was prepared for protein identification and purification. To identify the predominant catalytic components, cellulases were separated by an adapted two-dimensional electrophoresis technique. The apparent major spots were identified by high performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass (HPLC-ESI-MS). Seven of the components were previously known, i.e., the endoglucanases Cel7B (EG I), Cel12A (EG III), Cel61A (EG IV), the cellobiohydrolases Cel7A (CBH I), Cel6A (CBH II), Cel6B (CBH IIb) and the beta-glucosidase. The seven major components in the fermentation broth of T. viride T 100-14 probably constitute the essential enzymes for crystalline cellulose hydrolysis and they were further purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by a series of chromatography column. Hydrolysis studies of the purified elements revealed that three of the cellulases were classified as cellobiohydrolases due to their main activities on p-nitrophenyl-beta-d-cellobioside (pNPC). Three of the cellulases, with the abilities of hydrolyzing both carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC) and Avicel indicate their endoglucanase activities. It deserved noting that the beta-glucosidase from the T 100-14 displayed an extremely high activity on p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glycopyranoside (pNPG), which suggested it was a good candidate for the conversion of cellobiose to glucose.