Purification,properties, and mode of action of hemicellulase I produced by Ceratocystis paradoxa

A culture isolate (CP₂) of the fungal plant pathogen Ceratocystis paradoxa produces at least five extra-cellular hemicellulases when grown on a medium containing a commercial hemicellulose as inducer. One of the five enzymes, hemicellulase I (HC-I), was purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography (DEAE-Sephadex and then Cellex-CM), and iso-electric focusing at pH 3–10 and 8–10. HC-I behaves as a single protein on electrophoresis at pH 6.0 and 8.4. The enzyme degrades hemicellulose B (an arabino-4-O-methylglucuronoxylan) and arabinoxylan to arabinose, xylose, xylobiose (Xyl₂; β-D-Xylp-(1→4)-D-Xyl), and a mixture of arabinose-xylose and xylose oligosaccharides (AraXyl_n and Xyl_n, where n  3, 4, or 5). The enzyme is deduced to be an endo-enzyme. Xylotetraose (Xyl₄) was the lowest homologue of the xylose oligosaccharides attacked, yielding xylobiose and xylotriose (Xyl₃) only. A mechanism is postulated for this reaction. AraXyl₂AraXyl₅ were slowly hydrolysed to arabinose and the respective xylose saccharide (Xyl₂Xyl₅), and thence to Xyl₂ and Xyl₃. Hydrolysis of the arabinofuranosyl linkage probably does not occur at the same active site as for the xylose oligosaccharides. Hemicellulose B fractions from different sources appeared to be degraded by HC-I. The enzyme showed optimum activity at pH 5.5 and 40°, and K_m was 4.24 mg of hemicellulose/ml.     

Production of hemicellulases by three fungi pathogenic to sugar cane

Three fungal pathogens, Ceratocystis paradoxa (CP), Cephalosporium sacchari (CS), and Marasmius sacchari (MS) were screened for the production of hemicellulose-degrading enzymes (hemicellulases) by induction on bagasse hemicellulose B, and on a commercial preparation of hemicellulose (crude xylan). All three pathogen initially grew poorly on hemicellulose B and “crude xylan” as carbon source. Profuse growth was induced, however, by using mixtures of hemicellulose B and sucrose in the culture media for CP and CS until the organisms were capable of growing on media containing only hemicellulose B. These isolates were classified as CS₁ and CP₁. Profuse growth occurred when CS and CP were grown on carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and also when these cultures were transferred to media containing only hemicellulose B. These isolates were classified as CS₂ and CP₂. When the above four isolates were grown on hemicellulose B as carbon source in submerged liquid culture, only CP₁ did not produce any extra-cellular hemicellulase(s), and CP₂ produced the highest yield of enzyme. CS₂ and CP₂ also produced extra-cellular CM-cellulase(s). The CP₂-culture isolate was selected for the study of conditions for the optimal production of extra-cellular hemicellulase(s). A preliminary study of the action of enzymes from CS and CP isolated on hemicellulose is reported.     

Purification,properties, and mode of action of hemicellulase II produced by Ceratocystis paradoxa

An extra-cellular endo-hemicellulase (HC-II) from a culture isolate of the fungal plant pathogen Ceratocystis paradoxa (CP₂) was purified 147-fold by ammonium sulphate precipitation, DEAE-Sephadex chromatography, iso-electric focusing at pH 3–10, and gel-permeation chromatography. The resulting enzyme preparation, which contained traces of invertase, gave a single protein-band on disc electrophoresis at pH 8.4, and was active towards sucrose, hemicellulose, and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). HC-II randomly degraded hemicelluloses from several different sources, to xylose and to arabinose-xylose and xylose oligosaccharides of d.p. 3–6 and 2–5, respectively, and also produced a degraded hemicellulose which precipitated from the digest solution. The precipitated hemicellulose contained less arabinose and uronic acid than the original hemicellulose. When redissolved by alkali-treatment, it was susceptible to further degradation by hemicellulases HC-I and HC-II. CMC was degraded by HC-II, mainly to D-glucose and cellobiose, with trace amounts of unidentified higher oligosaccharides, while cellobiose remained unattacked. Xylotriose (Xyl₃) was the lowest homologue of the xylose oligosaccharides attacked by HC-II at a significant rate, yielding xylobiose [Xyl₂; β-D-Xylp-(1→4)-D-Xyl] and xylose. AraXyl₃AraXyl₅ were mainly hydrolysed to AraXyl₂, xylose, and Xyl₂ or Xyl₃. HC-II had a temperature optimum of 80°, and was stable for 1 h at temperatures up to 70°. The pH optimum was 5.1, and HC-II was stable between pH 5–10. The K_m was 0.267 mg of hemicellulose B/ml. The effects of mercury(II) ions and high concentrations of xylose on the activity of HC-II were also investigated.     

Isolation and Some Properties of Alkalophilic Bacteria Utilizing Rayon Waste

Bacillus No. C-11 which utilized rayon waste was isolated. This strain belongs to the genus Bacillus from its morphological and biochemical characteristics but grew better in alkaline media than in neutral media. Residual sugars of rayon waste were 34.7 % after 2 days cultivation, 25.5% after 4 days and 7.0% after 9 days. Yeast extract and N-source, such as polypeptone or urea stimulated the utilization of rayon waste. The long period cultivation optimum pH was about 11, and the short period cultivation optimum pH was about 9. Partially purified hemicellulase from Bacillus No. C-11 was most active at pH 7, but still active at pH 10. The stable pH for this enzyme action was in the range of 5.5 to 9, and from the hemicellulose enzymatic digest, xylose, xylobiose, xylotriose and oligosaccharides were detected.     

Production and purification of two Himecellulases from Cephalosporium sacchari

The production of extracellular hemicellulases by the fungus Cephalosporiumsacchari was studied in the presence of various sources of carbon and at various initial pH values and temperatures. Hemicellulose B and holocellulose from spear grass (Heteropogon contortus) were the best sources of carbon, and the optimum temperature was 27°. The initial pH value had little influence on the final yield of hemicellulases. Two hemicellulases (HC-III and HC-IV) were purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation and isoelectric focusing. Their molecular weights were 10.700 and 9,550, and their pI values 9.40 and 6.0, respectively. HC-III hydrolysed hemicellulose B to oligosaccharides without production of monosaccharides.     

Synergism in Degradation and Utilization of Intact Forage Cellulose, Hemicellulose, and Pectin by Three Pure Cultures of Ruminal Bacteria

Pure cultures of ruminal bacteria characterized as using only a single forage polysaccharide (Fibrobacter succinogenes A3c, cellulolytic; Bacteroides ruminicola H2b, hemicellulolytic; Lachnospira multiparus D15d, pectinolytic) were inoculated separately and in all possible combinations into fermentation tubes containing orchard grass as the sole substrate. Fermentations were run to completion, and then cultures were analyzed for digestion of cellulose plus degradation and utilization of hemicellulose and pectin. Addition of the noncellulolytic organisms, in any combination, to the cellulolytic organism F. succinogenes had little effect on overall cellulose utilization. F. succinogenes degraded but could not utilize hemicellulose; however, when it was combined with B. ruminicola, total utilization of hemicellulose increased markedly over that by B. ruminicola alone. L. multiparus was inactive in hemicellulose digestion, alone or in any combination. Although unable to degrade and utilize purified pectin, B. ruminicola degraded and utilized considerable quantities of the forage pectin. In contrast, L. multiparus was very active against purified pectin, but had extremely limited ability to degrade and utilize pectin from the intact forage. Both degradation and utilization of forage pectin increased when F. succinogenes was combined with B. ruminicola. Sequential addition of two cultures, allowing one to complete its fermentation before adding the second, was used to study synergism between cultures on forage pectin digestion. In general, synergistic effects did not appear to be related to a particular sequence of utilization. The ability of F. succinogenes to degrade and B. ruminicola to degrade and utilize forage pectin contradicts both previous and present data obtained with purified pectin. Thus, isolation and characterization of ruminal bacteria on purified substrates may be misleading with regard to their role in the overall ruminal fermentation.     

trans-2, cis-4-Heptadienoic Acid,One of Metabolites of Sporobolomyces odorus

Water-soluble phospholipase B was purified to homogeneity from Torulaspora delbrueckii cell washings. The washings were concentrated by ultrafiltration, and then a fraction with phospholipase B activity was precipitated with ammonium sulfate, and purified by sequential column chromatographies on Octyl-Sepharose CL-4B, DEAE-Sephacel, and Sepharose 6B. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be 170,000~200,000 by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by gel filtration with a Sephadex G-200 column. The isoelectric point of the enzyme was 4.0. The purified enzyme had two pH optima at pH 2.5 and pH 7.5. The activity at acidic pH was greatly stimulated by the divalent metal ions tested, but the activity at alkaline pH was stimulated mainly by Ca²⁺ and Fe²⁺. The purified enzyme had both lysophospholipase activity and phospholipase B activity in a ratio of 37:1 at acidic pH and 73:1 at alkaline pH. The amino acid composition of the enzyme was characterized by high contents of Asp, Ser, Leu, and Gly.     

Hemicellulosic Polysaccharides from the Xylopodium of Ocimum nudicaule: Changes in Composition in Dormancy and Sprouting

Changes in the yield and composition of hemicelluloses fromthe underground organs (xylopodia) of Ocimum nudicaule wereinvestigated. Hemicelluloses constituted about 12% of the delipidizedpowder in sprouting and about 30 % in dormant phases. Xyloseis the major component of hemicelluloses A and B (and is alsopresent in C), followed by arabinose, galactose, glucose, rhamnoseand mannose. The amounts of hemicellulose B decreased by sixtimes between dormancy and sprouting, whereas the yields ofhemicelluloses A and C remained constant. This, together withthe higher solubility of hemicellulose B and its higher susceptibilityto hemicellulase in sprouting indicates that this fraction constitutesa cell-wall bound storage polysaccharide, which may play a rolein the onset of xylopodia bud sprouting. Ocimum nudicaule, hemicelluloses, cell-wall storage polysaccharide     

BSF1 fibrinolytic enzyme from a marine bacterium Bacillus subtilis A26: Purification,biochemical and molecular characterization

A novel fibrinolytic enzyme, subtilisin BSF1, from a newly isolated Bacillus subtilis A26 was purified, characterized and the gene was isolated and sequenced. The subtilisin BSF1 was purified to homogeneity by five-step procedure with a 4.97-fold increase in specific activity and 6.28% recovery. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme was estimated to be 28 kDa by SDS-PAGE and gel filtration. The purified enzyme exhibited high fibrinolytic activity on fibrin agar plates.Interestingly, the enzyme was highly active over a wide range of pH from 7.0 to 12.0, with an optimum at pH 9.0. The relative activities at pH 10.0 and 11.0 were 97.8% and 85.2% of that at pH 9.0. The optimum temperature for enzyme activity was 60 °C. The activity of subtilisin BSF1 was totally lost in the presence of PMSF, suggesting that the purified enzyme is a serine protease. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the first 11 amino acids (aa) of the purified fibrinolytic enzyme was AQSVPYGISQI.The bsf1 gene encoding the subtilisin BSF1 was isolated and its DNA sequence was determined. The bsf1 gene consisted of 1146 bp encoding a pre-pro-protein of 381 amino acids organized into a signal peptide (29 aa), a pro-peptide (77 aa) and a mature domain (275 aa). The deduced amino acids sequence of the mature enzyme (BSF1) differs from those of nattokinase from B. subtilis natto and subtilisin DFE from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens DC-4 by 5 and 39 amino acids, respectively.     

白腐真菌血红密孔菌漆酶复合酶预处理烟梗丝的响应面法优化

烟梗是烟草工业的重要副产物,也是宝贵的自然资源。本研究首先利用白腐菌漆酶对烟梗丝进行预处理,提升了添加烟梗丝的卷烟品质;然后分别以木质素、纤维素、半纤维素和果胶的降解率为响应值,采用Box-Behnken设计建立方程模型,对漆酶、纤维素酶、半纤维素酶和果胶酶组成的复合酶预处理烟梗丝条件进行了优化。结果表明：每100g烟梗丝加入30U漆酶,在料液比为35%、温度为30℃、酶解pH为5处理48h的条件下预处理的烟梗丝对提升卷烟品吸效果最佳,烟梗丝中木质素、纤维素、半纤维素和果胶的降解率分别为20.16%、15.10%、7.20%和12.40%;为获得与之相同的各组分降解率,响应面法优化漆酶复合酶最佳处理条件为：每100g烟梗丝加入漆酶14.72U、纤维素酶1.00U、半纤维素酶1.00U、果胶酶8.45U。验证发现烟梗丝各组分降解率实测值与理论值无显著性差异,且显微结构观察显示复合酶处理后的烟梗丝表面致密结构被破坏,孔洞数量明显增加。本研究获得的白腐菌漆酶预处理后的烟梗丝在卷烟中的添加能有效改善卷烟品质,且漆酶复合酶的使用大幅减少了漆酶的用量,降低了漆酶预处理烟梗丝的成本,为废弃烟梗生物质的资源化利用提供了重要依据。     

碳源和氮源对彩绒革盖菌Coriolus versicolor木质纤维素酶和木质素酶分泌的影响

研究了彩绒草盖菌在不同碳源和氮源培养基中生长时,对纤维素酶、半纤维素酶、木质素酶（漆酶、多酚氧化酶、愈创木酚氧化酶）分泌的影响。结果表明不同碳源和氮源对酶类的分泌影响很大,富含淀粉的物质能明显促进木质素酶的分泌,而专一性底物（纤维素和半纤维素）对纤维素酶和半纤维素酶有诱导作用,麸皮也能诱导半纤维素酶的产生。     

Assessing host range,symbiotic effectiveness,and photosynthetic rates induced by native soybean rhizobia isolated from Mozambican and South African soils

Host range and cross-infectivity studies are important for identifying rhizobial strains with potential for use as inoculants. In this study, 10 native soybean rhizobia isolated from Mozambican and South African soils were evaluated for host range, symbiotic effectiveness and ability to induce high rates of photosynthesis leading to enhanced plant growth in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.), Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean L. Verdc.), Kersting’s groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum Harm) and soybean (Glycine max L. Merr). The test isolates had different growth rates and colony sizes. Molecular analysis based on enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR revealed high genetic diversity among the test isolates. The results further showed that isolate TUTLBC2B failed to elicit nodulation in all test plants, just as TUTNSN2A and TUTDAIAP3B were also unable to nodulate cowpea, Kersting’s bean and Bambara groundnut. Although the remaining strains formed ineffective nodules on cowpea and Kersting’s bean, they induced effective nodules on Bambara groundnut and the two soybean genotypes. Bacterial stimulation of nodule numbers, nodule dry weights and photosynthetic rates was generally greater with isolates TUTRSRH3A, TUTM19373A, TUTMCJ7B, TUTRLR3B and TUTRJN5A. As a result, these isolates elicited significantly increased accumulation of biomass in shoots and whole plants of Bambara groundnut and the two soybean genotypes. Whole-plant symbiotic nitrogen (N) of soybean and Bambara groundnut was highest for the commercial strains CB756 and WB74, as well as for TUTRLR3B, TUTMCJ7B and TUTRSRH3A, suggesting that the three native rhizobial isolates have potential for use as inoculants.     

生物垃圾好氧处理中的纤维素降解菌生长规律研究

目的:研究了蔬菜垃圾好氧处理过程中,纤维素降解菌和半纤维素降解菌(细菌和真菌),纤维素酶活和半纤维素酶活,和有机物降解之间的变化规律。方法:用添加纤维素和半纤维素的牛肉膏蛋白胨培养基和查式培养基,分别培养计数纤维素降解细菌、真菌和半纤维素降解细菌、真菌;马福炉灼烧测有机物含量。结果:好氧处理的初始阶段中,前4d有机物日均降解率5.2%,后3d日均降解率2.2%。结论:半纤维素降解菌的数量比纤维素降解菌的多,半纤维素酶活力,也高于纤维素酶活力;微生物的变化情况为前6d产两种酶的微生物主要有细菌和真菌;从第6d开始真菌快速生长;至第7d真菌纤维素酶和半纤维素酶活力显著升高。     

Production of β-xylosidase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma asperellum</Emphasis> KIF125 and its application in efficient hydrolysis of pretreated rice straw with fungal cellulase

On-site cellulase and hemicellulase production is a promising way to reduce enzyme cost in the commercialization of the lignocellulose-to-ethanol process. A hemicellulase-producing fungal strain suitable for on-site enzyme production was selected from cultures prepared using wet disc-milling rice straw (WDM-RS) and identified as Trichoderma asperellum KIF125. KIF125 hemicellulase showed uniquely high abundance of β-xylosidase in the xylanolytic enzyme system compared to other fungal hemicellulase preparations. Supplementation of Talaromyces cellulolyticus cellulase with KIF125 hemicellulase was more effective than that with the hemicellulases from other fungal sources in reducing the total enzyme loading for the improvement of xylose yield in the hydrolysis of ball-milling RS, due to its high β-xylosidase dominance. β-Xylosidase in KIF125 hemicellulase was purified and classified as a glycosyl hydrolase family 3 enzyme with relatively high specificity for xylobiose. The production of KIF125 β-xylosidase in the fermentor was estimated as 118 U/g-WDM-RS (2350 U/L culture) at 48 h. These results demonstrate that KIF125 is promising as a practical hemicellulase source to combine with on-site cellulase production using T. cellulolyticus.     

Alkali solubility of hemicelluloses in relation to delignification

The polysaccharide composition of bark from Pinus radiata, Salix fragilis, and Populus euramericana has been determined. All the barks contained lower levels of cellulose and hemicellulose than the corresponding woods; cellulose: hemicellulose ratios were also lower in the barks. Alkali extracted all of the hemicellulose-A but only half of the hemicellulose-B from P. radiata bark without prior delignification. Similar alkaline extraction removed almost all of the hemicellulose (A + B) from ryegrass leaves without delignification. With the other samples tested only a part of the hemicellulose A and B is extracted without delignification. It is suggested that the polysaccharide so extracted represents wall hemicellulose which is not linked to lignin or other wall constituents by alkali-stable links.     

Purification and properties of Bacillus coagulans cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase

Cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase), produced in a culture filtrate by Bacillus coagulans, was purified to a single, homogeneous protein. It has a monomeric structure with a molecular weight of 65,000, isoelectric point of 4.6, and contains 2 mol of Ca²⁺ per mol of the enzyme. The enzyme was most active at pH 6.0 and at 70°C. It did not lose its activity by heat treatment at 70°C for 10 min in the presence of CaCl₂ in the pH range of 5.5∼9.5, and by incubation in the pH range of 5.0∼10.5 at 4°C for one month. The enzyme converted about 60% of potato starch to cyclodextrins for 20 h at 50°C, and the ratio of α-: β-: γ-cyclodextrin produced was 8.1:8.9:1.0 B. coagulans CGTase was compared with B. macerans CGTase which was purified by the same method.     

Dietary assimilation and the digestive strategy of the omnivorous anomuran land crab<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Birgus latro</Emphasis> (Coenobitidae)

On Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, the diet of robber crabs, Birgus latro (Linnaeus) was generally high in fat, storage polysaccharides or protein and largely comprised fruits, seeds, nuts and animal material. The plant items also contained significant amounts of hemicellulose and cellulose. In laboratory feeding trials, crabs had similar intakes of dry matter when fed artificial diets high in either fat or storage polysaccharide, but intake was lower on a high protein diet. Assimilation coefficients of dry matter (69–74%), carbon (72–81%), nitrogen (76–100%), lipid (71–96%) and storage polysaccharide (89–99%) were high on all three diets. B. latro also assimilated significant amounts of the chitin ingested in the high protein diet ( 93%) and hemicellulose (49.6–65%) and cellulose (16–53%) from the high carbohydrate and high fat diets. This is consistent with the presence of chitinase, hemicellulase and cellulase enzymes in the digestive tract of B. latro. The mean retention time (27.2 h) for a dietary particle marker (⁵⁷Co-labelled microspheres) was longer than measured in leaf-eating land crabs. The feeding strategy of B. latro involves the selection of highly digestible and nutrient-rich plant and animal material and retention of the digesta for a period long enough to allow extensive exploitation of storage carbohydrates, lipids, protein and significant amounts of structural carbohydrates (hemicellulose, cellulose and chitin).Communicated by I.D. Hume     

Some chemical and biochemical changes in straw constituents during growth of Pleurotus flabellatus (Berk & Br) Sacc

Summary The quantitative changes in constituents of rice straw during different stages of growth of the fungus Pleurotus flabellatus were investigated. Cellulose, hemicellulose(s), lignin, total carbon and total nitrogen showed a continuous decrease from inoculation until the end of fruit body harvesting, whereas free sugars, total ash and C/N ratio increased. As calculated on constant ash basis, 14 and 13.9% of cellulose, 6.6 and 7% of hemicellulose(s) and 4 and 1.5% of lignin were decomposed during the mycelial growth and fructification respectively. Total N decreased by 0.16 and 0.23% during the mycelial growth and fructification respectively. The progressive breakdown of cellulose and hemicellulose(s) was correlated to an apparent increase in the activities of celullase and hemicellulase(s). The trend in development of cellulases and -glucosidase activities in the substrate during different stages of its growth was demonstrated.     

Purification and Some Properties of Cyclomaltodextrin Glucanotransferase from Bacillus circulans

Cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase was purified from B. circulans C31 through two successive steps of starch and Biogel column chromatography. The enzyme was purified up to 90-fold with a 30% yield. Its molecular weight was around 103,000. The purified enzyme converted 28% of the soluble starch to β-cyclodextrin at pH 7.0 and a substrate concentration of 5%. The optimum pH for the enzyme was found to be 5.5. The optimum temperature was 60°C. The enzyme optimum was stable from pH 5.5~9.0 and up to 50°C.     

Digestion and excretion of nitrogen and carbohydrate by the cranefly larva Tipula paludosa (Diptera: Tipulidae)

The nitrogenous and carbohydrate components of ryegrass and faeces from larvae of Tipula paludosa Meigen, fed on ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), were compared. Proteins in ryegrass were efficiently digested and uric acid was the major nitrogenous excretory product. The alkaline midgut (pH 9.1) was considered to enhance the digestibility of hemicellulose, by removing inhibitory acetyl groups, and of cellulose by altering its crystallinity. T. paludosa larvae assimilated 50% of ryegrass cellulose, and 50% of an isolated ¹⁴C-labelled cellulose, whereas 86% of hemicellulose was digested.