Ensuring constant oxygen supply during inoculation is essential to obtain reproducible results with obligatory aerobic acetic acid bacteria in vinegar production

Since obligatory aerobic acetic acid bacteria in vinegar production suffer even from short oxygen depletion during traditional precultivation steps, the reproducibility of results in the main culture is insufficient. Thus, the aim of this paper is to establish a reproducible small scale cultivation method for obligatory aerobic acetic acid bacteria at industrially relevant high ethanol and acetic acid concentrations by ensuring constant oxygen transfer in the whole inoculation procedure. An acetic acid bacteria preculture was drained off from a laboratory-scale bioreactor into an aerated mobile bubble column and then transferred to an already shaking RAMOS shake flask device. Whereas the respiration curves of the traditionally processed acetic acid bacteria cultures were low and greatly diverged, those of the preculture transferred first into the bubble column and then into the already shaking flasks were high and coincided with one another. Furthermore, shutting off aeration in the mobile bubble column led to a rapid decrease in bacterial activity. In conclusion, traditional precultivation steps are not suitable for obligatory aerobic acetic acid bacteria in vinegar production. Maintaining constant oxygen transfer is necessary to guarantee the reproducibility of main culture experiments with such bacteria.     

多拷贝毕赤酵母重组菌表达GCL摇瓶优化和高密度发酵

目的:构建高效表达白地霉脂肪酶的毕赤酵母重组菌株,并对筛选得到的菌株进行摇瓶发酵条件优化和分批补料高密度发酵工艺研究。方法:将诱导型表达载体pPIC9K-gcl电转化至毕赤酵母GS115。通过橄榄油-罗丹明B平板和摇瓶发酵筛选高脂肪酶活力的重组菌株,运用基于TaqMan探针的实时荧光定量PCR 法确定其拷贝数,并对菌株进行摇瓶发酵条件优化。在此基础上,研究重组菌在3L 发酵罐中的高密度发酵工艺。结果:筛选得到一株具有3 个白地霉脂肪酶基因拷贝的菌株GS115/pPIC9K-gcl 78#,初始酶活力为220 U/ml。当摇瓶发酵条件为甲醇诱导96 h,每24 h甲醇添加量1 %,接种量2 %,培养基初始pH 7.0,500 ml摇瓶装液量50 ml,甲醇诱导温度25℃ 时酶活力达735 U/ml。3L 发酵罐高密度发酵176.5 h,酶活力达到3360 U/ml,总蛋白含量达到4.30 g/L,且发酵过程中细胞活性一直保持在96 % 以上。结论:基因拷贝数与重组菌株的产酶水平呈正相关,摇瓶优化可显著提高重组菌株的产酶能力,为白地霉脂肪酶的工业化生产奠定了技术基础。     

Effect of light irradiation on anthocyanin production by suspended culture of Perilla frutescens

After a series of experiments on photoperiodicity and light intensity under daylight supplied by an ordinary fluorescent lamp in cultivations using a flask and a roux bottle, it was found that irradiation at 27.2 W/m(2) for the whole period was effective for anthocyanin production by a suspended culture of Perilla frutescens (shiso). A high amount of anthocyanin pigments, 3.0 g/L, was obtained in a bubble column bioreactor after 10 days of cultivation at an aeration rate of 0.1 vvm with light irradiation at 27.2 W/m(2), while 2 g/L was obtained at 13.6 W/m(2) and very little at 54.4 W/m(2). A high amount of anthocyanin pigments, 2.9 g/L, was also produced using an aerated and agitated bioreactor at an agitation speed of 130 rpm, an aeration rate of 0.1 vvm and light irradiation intensity of 27.2 W/m(2). The amount of anthocyanin produced was more than twice that without light irradiation, Keeping the other cultivation conditions the same. The results obtained also showed that the amount of anthocyanin pigment accumulated in a shake flask could be rather well reproduced in bioreactors for both aerated culture, and aerated and agitated culture, by improving the conditions of light irradiation, which conspicuously affects metabolite formation.     

Oxygen transfer phenomena in 48-well microtiter plates: determination by optical monitoring of sulfite oxidation and verification by real-time measurement during microbial growth

Oxygen limitation is one of the most frequent problems associated with the application of shaking bioreactors. The gas-liquid oxygen transfer properties of shaken 48-well microtiter plates (MTPs) were analyzed at different filling volumes, shaking diameters, and shaking frequencies. On the one hand, an optical method based on sulfite oxidation was used as a chemical model system to determine the maximum oxygen transfer capacity (OTR(max)). On the other hand, the Respiration Activity Monitoring System (RAMOS) was applied for online measurement of the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) during growth of the methylotropic yeast Hansenula polymorpha. A proportionality constant between the OTR(max) of the biological system and the OTR(max) of the chemical system were indicated from these data, offering the possibility to transform the whole set of chemical data to biologically relevant conditions. The results exposed "out of phase" shaking conditions at a shaking diameter of 1 mm, which were confirmed by theoretical consideration with the phase number (Ph). At larger shaking diameters (2-50 mm) the oxygen transfer rate in MTPs shaken at high frequencies reached values of up to 0.28 mol/L/h, corresponding to a volumetric mass transfer coefficient (k(L)a) of 1,600 1/h. The specific mass transfer area (a) increases exponentially with the shaking frequency up to values of 2,400 1/m. On the contrary, the mass transfer coefficient (k(L)) is constant at a level of about 0.15 m/h over a wide range of shaking frequencies and shaking diameters. However, at high shaking frequencies, when the complete liquid volume forms a thin film on the cylindric wall of the well, the mass transfer coefficient (k(L)) increases linearly to values of up to 0.76 m/h. Essentially, the present investigation demonstrates that the 48-well plate outperforms the 96-well MTP and shake flasks at widely used operating conditions with respect to oxygen supply. The 48-well plates emerge, therefore, as an excellent alternative for microbial cultivation and expression studies combining the advantages of both the high-throughput 96-well MTP and the classical shaken Erlenmeyer flask.     

Integrated optical sensing of dissolved oxygen in microtiter plates: a novel tool for microbial cultivation

Microtiter plates with integrated optical sensing of dissolved oxygen were developed by immobilization of two fluorophores at the bottom of 96-well polystyrene microtiter plates. The oxygen-sensitive fluorophore responded to dissolved oxygen concentration, whereas the oxygen-insensitive one served as an internal reference. The sensor measured dissolved oxygen accurately in optically well-defined media. Oxygen transfer coefficients, k(L)a, were determined by a dynamic method in a commercial microtiter plate reader with an integrated shaker. For this purpose, the dissolved oxygen was initially depleted by the addition of sodium dithionite and, by oxygen transfer from air, it increased again after complete oxidation of dithionite. k(L)a values in one commercial reader were about 10 to 40 h(-1). k(L)a values were inversely proportional to the filling volume and increased with increasing shaking intensity. Dissolved oxygen was monitored during cultivation of Corynebacterium glutamicum in another reader that allowed much higher shaking intensity. Growth rates determined from optical density measurement were identical to those observed in shaking flasks and in a stirred fermentor. Oxygen uptake rates measured in the stirred fermentor and dissolved oxygen concentrations measured during cultivation in the microtiter plate were used to estimate k(L)a values in a 96-well microtiter plate. The resulting values were about 130 h(-1), which is in the lower range of typical stirred fermentors. The resulting maximum oxygen transfer rate was 26 mM h(-1). Simulations showed that the errors caused by the intermittent measurement method were insignificant under the prevailing conditions.     

Significance of agitation-induced shear stress on mycelium morphology and lavendamycin production by engineered Streptomyces flocculus

Lavendamycin methyl ester (LME) is a derivative of a highly functionalized aminoquinone alkaloid lavendamycin and could be used as a scaffold for novel anticancer agent development. This work demonstrated LME production by cultivation of an engineered strain of Streptomyces flocculus CGMCC4.1223 ΔstnB1, while the wild-type strain did not produce. To enhance its production, the effect of shear stress and oxygen supply on ΔstnB1 strain cultivation was investigated in detail. In flask culture, when the shaking speed increased from 150 to 220 rpm, the mycelium was altered from a large pellet to a filamentous hypha, and the LME production was almost doubled, while no significant differences were observed among varied filling volumes, which implied a crucial role of shear stress in the morphology and LME production. To confirm this suggestion, experiments with agitation speed ranging from 400 to 1,000 rpm at a fixed aeration rate of 1.0 vvm were conducted in a stirred tank bioreactor. It was found that the morphology became more hairy with reduced pellet size, and the LME production was enhanced threefolds when the agitation speed increased from 400 to 800 rpm. Further experiments by varying initial k _L a value at the same agitation speed indicated that oxygen supply only slightly affected the physiological status of ΔstnB1 strain. Altogether, shear stress was identified as a major factor affecting the cell morphology and LME production. The work would be helpful to the production of LME and other secondary metabolites by filamentous microorganism cultivation.     

On line estimation of oxygen uptake rate for insect cells growing in a modified spinner flask

The simple design of traditional spinner flasks makes the on-line estimation of cellular metabolism impossible. An on-line estimation system has been developed and used for the monitoring of oxygen uptake rate (OUR) for insect cells growing in a modified spinner flask. Neglect of oxygen desorption from culture media is a common source of error in OUR measurements for Sf21 cells. Therefore, an algorithm was developed to compensate for the affect of such desorption process on the determination of OUR. A modified spinner flask was successfully used as a low-volume bioreactor for insect cell cultivation and the OUR measurement developed here is both convenient and reliable.     

alpha-Factor directed expression of the human epidermal growth factor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Expression kinetics of the human Epidermal Growth Factor (hEGF) from the alpha-factor prepro region in a 2-mum based plasmid was studied in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Production of hEGF was highly medium de pendent as a chemically defined, nonenriched media had a significantly lower yield than did enriched media. Also cells grown on yeast nitrogen base without amino acids with casamino acids degraded the hEGF after cell growth as opposed to a yeast extract, peptone, and dextrose (YEPD) medium, which elicited no measurable extracellular proteolysis of the hEGF. alpha-factor directed production kinetics of hEGF on the YEPD medium were growth associated, secretion limitations and extracellular degradation were negligible, and the hEGF was nearly 100% selectively secreted. With sufficient agitation, shake flask experiments were representative of aerated controlled batch fermentations. No effect of high cell density was observed on cell growth or hEGF production kinetics. The hollow fiber bioreactor had no direct effect on the substrate or protein yields of S. cerevisiae, however the low oxygen transfer capacity of the membrane was not sufficient to support respiration.     

Non-invasive methods for determination of cellular growth inPodophyllum hexandrum suspension cultures

Culture conductivity and on-line NADH fluorescence were used to measure cellular growth in plant cell suspension cultures ofPodophyllum hexandrum. An inverse correlation between dry cell weight and medium conductivity was observed during shake flask cultivation. A linear relationship between dry cell weight and culture NADH fluorescence was obtained during the exponential phase of batch cultivation in a bioreactor under the pH stat (pH 6) conditions. It was observed that conductivity measurement were suitable for biomass characterisation under highly dynamic uncontrolled shake flask cultivation conditions. However, if the acid/alkali feeding is done for pH control the conductivity measurement could not be applied. On the other hand the NADH fluorescence measurement allowed online-in situ biomass monitoring of rather heterogenous plant cell suspension cultures in bioreactor even under the most desirable pH stat conditions.     

Biosynthesis and metabolic engineering of 1-hydroxyphenazine in Pseudomonas chlororaphis H18

The split GFP assay is a well-known technology for activity-independent screening of target proteins. A superfolder GFP is split into two non-fluorescent parts, GFP11 which is fused to the target protein and GFP1-10. In the presence of both, GFP1-10 and the GFP11-tag are self-assembled and a functional chromophore is formed. However, it relies on the availability and quality of GFP1-10 detector protein to develop fluorescence by assembly with the GFP11-tag connected to the target protein. GFP1-10 detector protein is often produced in small scale shake flask cultivation and purified from inclusion bodies. The production of GFP1-10 in inclusion bodies and purification was comprehensively studied based on Escherichia coli as host. Cultivation in complex and defined medium as well as different feed strategies were tested in laboratory-scale bioreactor cultivation and a standardized process was developed providing high quantity of GFP1-10 detector protein with suitable quality. Split GFP assay was standardized to obtain robust and reliable assay results from cutinase secretion strains of Corynebacterium glutamicum with Bacillus subtilis Sec signal peptides NprE and Pel. Influencing factors from environmental conditions, such as pH and temperature were thoroughly investigated. GFP1-10 detector protein production could be successfully scaled from shake flask to laboratory scale bioreactor. A single run yielded sufficient material for up to 385 96-well plate screening runs. The application study with cutinase secretory strains showed very high correlation between measured cutinase activity to split GFP fluorescence signal proofing applicability for larger screening studies.     

Combined dissolved oxygen tension and online viscosity measurements in shake flask cultivations via infrared fluorescent oxygen-sensitive nanoparticles

Oxygen supply is one of the most critical process parameters in aerobic cultivations. To assure sufficient oxygen supply, shake flasks are usually used in combination with orbital shaking machines. In this study, a measurement technique for the dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) in shake flask cultures with viscosity changes is presented. The movement of the shaker table is monitored by means of a Hall effect sensor. For DOT measurements, infrared fluorescent oxygen-sensitive nanoparticles are added to the culture broth. The position of the rotating bulk liquid needs to be determined to assure measurements inside the liquid. The leading edge of the bulk liquid is detected based on the fluorescence signal intensity of the oxygen-sensitive nanoparticles. Furthermore, online information about the viscosity of the culture broth is acquired due to the detection of the position of the leading edge of the bulk liquid relative to the direction of the centrifugal force, as described by Sieben et al. (2019. Sci. Rep., 9, 8335). The DOT measurement is combined with a respiration activity monitoring system which allows for the determination of the oxygen transfer rate (OTR) in eight parallel shake flasks. Based on DOT and OTR, the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (k_La) is calculated during cultivation. The new system was successfully applied in cultivations of Escherichia coli, Bacillus licheniformis, and Xanthomonas campestris.     

Batch culture of bacteria under controlled gaseous conditions

Summary A flask, designed for direct gassing of batch cultures of bacteria, was evaluated for its use in studying oxygen absorption rates (OAR) and suitability for physiological studies under various controlled atmospheres. Such flasks, aerated directly without shaking, yielded an OAR (up to 1.2 mmol O₂/l/min) that was comparable to or higher than those obtained in conventional flasks aerated by shaking. Direct aeration in combination with shaking resulted in OAR values that were elevated and most favorable for growth of oxygen demanding bacteria (5 mmol O₂/l/min). In comparison with controls, the direct method of aeration in combination with shaking proved most efficient and least dependent on the surface to volume ratio of the aerated solution. In experiments with the facultative anaerobe Streptococcus faecalis 10Cl, grown in controlled aerobic, anaerobic, and mixed gas (CO₂-free air, air-plus-CO₂, N₂-plus-CO₂) environments, a specific anaerobic requirement for CO₂ could be established. The wide range of gaseous environments possible renders the newly tested flask useful for comparative biochemical studies, especially when the gaseous condition of culture is a factor of critical importance.     

Correlation between mass transfer coefficient k<Subscript>L</Subscript>a and relevant operating parameters in cylindrical disposable shaken bioreactors on a bench-to-pilot scale

Background

Among disposable bioreactor systems, cylindrical orbitally shaken bioreactors show important advantages. They provide a well-defined hydrodynamic flow combined with excellent mixing and oxygen transfer for mammalian and plant cell cultivations. Since there is no known universal correlation between the volumetric mass transfer coefficient for oxygen k_La and relevant operating parameters in such bioreactor systems, the aim of this current study is to experimentally determine a universal k_La correlation.

Results

A Respiration Activity Monitoring System (RAMOS) was used to measure k_La values in cylindrical disposable shaken bioreactors and Buckingham’s π-Theorem was applied to define a dimensionless equation for k_La. In this way, a scale- and volume-independent k_La correlation was developed and validated in bioreactors with volumes from 2 L to 200 L. The final correlation was used to calculate cultivation parameters at different scales to allow a sufficient oxygen supply of tobacco BY-2 cell suspension cultures.

Conclusion

The resulting equation can be universally applied to calculate the mass transfer coefficient for any of seven relevant cultivation parameters such as the reactor diameter, the shaking frequency, the filling volume, the viscosity, the oxygen diffusion coefficient, the gravitational acceleration or the shaking diameter within an accuracy range of +/? 30%. To our knowledge, this is the first k_La correlation that has been defined and validated for the cited bioreactor system on a bench-to-pilot scale.

     

Characterisation of the gas-liquid mass transfer in shaking bioreactors

The maximum gas-liquid mass transfer capacity of 250ml shaking flasks on orbital shaking machines has been experimentally investigated using the sulphite oxidation method under variation of the shaking frequency, shaking diameter, filling volume and viscosity of the medium. The distribution of the liquid within the flask has been modelled by the intersection between the rotational hyperboloid of the liquid and the inner wall of the shaking flask. This model allows for the calculation of the specific exchange area (a), the mass transfer coefficient (k(L)) and the maximum oxygen transfer capacity (OTR(max)) for given operating conditions and requires no fitting parameters. The model agrees well with the experimental results. It was furthermore shown that the liquid film on the flask wall contributes significantly to the specific mass transfer area (a) and to the oxygen transfer rate (OTR).     

STATISTICAL OPTIMIZATION OF GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN PRODUCTION FROM Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)

An optimized cultivation condition is needed to maximize the functional green fluorescent protein (GFP) production. Six process variables (agitation rate, temperature, initial medium pH, concentration of inducer, time of induction, and inoculum density) were screened using the fractional factorial design. Three variables (agitation rate, temperature, and time of induction) exerted significant effects on functional GFP production in E. coli shake flask cultivation and were optimized subsequently using the Box–Behnken design. An agitation rate of 206 rpm at 31°C and induction of the protein expression when the cell density (OD_600nm) reaches 1.04 could enhance the yield of functional GFP production from 0.025 g/L to 0.241 g/L, which is about ninefold higher than the unoptimized conditions. Unoptimized cultivation conditions resulted in protein aggregation and hence reduced the quantity of functional GFP. The model and regression equation based on the shake flask cultivation could be applied to a 2-L bioreactor for maximum functional GFP production.     

Enhancement of anthocyanin production by Perilla frutescens cells in a stirred bioreactor with internal light irradiation

Oxygen supply and light irradiation exhibited significant influence on the production of anthocyanin (red pigments) by suspended cultures of Perilla frutescens cells in a 2.6-l aerated and agitated bioreactor with a six-flat-bladed turbine. When the initial volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (k_La) value was below 10 h⁻¹ and light was not irradiated, the anthocyanin production was never over 0.6 g/l. By modification of a gas sparger, the oxygen supply capability of the bioreactor was remarkably improved, and 1.65 g/l of anthocyanin was obtained at an enhanced k_La value of 15.4 h⁻¹. Moreover, it was found that anthocyanin accumulation at a 0.2 vvm aeration rate was higher than that at 0.1 or 0.4 vvm in the modified bioreactor, with the other cultivation conditions kept the same. Light irradiation also significantly increased anthocyanin accumulation in the stirred reactor at a low k_La value, i.e. 9.9 h⁻¹. However, a combination of irradiation with a higher oxygen supply reduced the production of anthocyanin in the bioreactor.     

Comparison of a production process in a membrane-aerated stirred tank and up to 1000-L airlift bioreactors using BHK-21 cells and chemically defined protein-free medium

The applicability of a protein-free medium for the production of recombinant human interleukin-2 with baby hamster kidney cells in airlift bioreactors was investigated. For this purpose, a BHK-21 cell line, adapted to grow and produce in protein-free SMIF7 medium without forming spheroids in membrane-aerated bubble-free bioreactors, was used as the producer cell line. First, cultivation of the cells was established at a 20-L scale using an internal loop airlift bioreactor system. During the culturing process the medium formulation was optimized according to the specific requirements associated with cultivation of mammalian cells under protein-free conditions in a bubble-aerated system. The effects of the addition of an antifoam agent on growth, viability, productivity, metabolic rates, and release of lactate dehydrogenase were investigated. Although it was possible to establish cultivation and production at a 20-L scale without the use of antifoaming substances, the addition of 0.002% silicon-oil-based antifoaming reagent improved the cultivation system by completely preventing foam formation. This reduced the release of lactate dehydrogenase activity to the level found in bubble-free aerated stirred tank membrane bioreactors and led to a reduction in generation doubling times by about 5 h (17%). Using the optimized medium formulation, cells were cultivated at a 1000-L scale, resulting in a culture performance comparable to the 20-L airlift bioreactor. For comparison, cultivations with protein-containing SMIF7 medium were carried out at 20- and 1000-L scales. The application of protein supplements did not lead to a significant improvement in the cultivation conditions. The results were also compared with experiments performed in a bubble-free aerated stirred tank membrane bioreactor to evaluate the influence of bubbles on the investigated culture parameters. The data implied a higher metabolic activity of the cells in airlift bioreactors with a 150% higher glucose consumption rate. The results of this study clearly demonstrate the applicability of a protein-free chemically defined medium for the production of recombinant proteins with BHK cells in airlift bioreactors.     

Adaptation of the "Dynamic Method" for measuring the specific respiration rate in oxygen transfer systems through diffusion membrane

Monitoring the specific respiration rate (Q(O2)) is a valuable tool to evaluate cell growth and physiology. However, for low Q(O2) values the accuracy may depend on the measurement methodology, as it is the case in animal cell culture. The widely used "Dynamic Method" imposes serious difficulties concerning oxygen transfer cancellation, especially through membrane oxygenation. This paper presents an improved procedure to this method, through an automated control of the gas inlet composition that can minimize the residual oxygen transfer driving force during the Q(O2) measurement phase. The improved technique was applied to animal cell cultivation, particularly three recombinant S2 (Drosophila melanogaster) insect cell lines grown in a membrane aeration bioreactor. The average measurements of the proposed method reached 98% of stationary liquid phase balance method, taken as a reference, compared to 21% when the traditional method was used. Furthermore, this methodology does not require knowledge of the volumetric transfer coefficient k(L)a, which may vary during growth.     

溶氧水平对红豆杉细胞悬浮培养的影响研究

紫杉醇 (Ｔａｘｏｌ)是源自红豆杉提取物的一种高度衍生化的二萜类化合物 ,临床实验结果表明紫杉醇对于卵巢癌、乳腺癌、胃肠道癌等具有明显的抗肿瘤活性[1] ,因而受到世界各国的广泛关注 ,并已被美国食品与药品管理局 (ＦＤＡ)批准用于卵巢癌与乳腺癌的治疗[2 ] 。到目前为止紫杉醇仍然主要从树皮中提取 ,但由于红豆杉生长缓慢 ,天然资源非常有限 ,加快其替代来源的研究势在必行。利用植物细胞悬浮培养生产紫杉醇作为一种可行的选择 ,近年来取得了较大的进展[3 ,4 ] 。本文研究了摇瓶及 2 0 Ｌ反应器培养过程的溶氧水平对细胞生长及紫杉醇…