Production of acrylamide using immobilized cells of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhodococcus rhodochrous</Emphasis> M33

The cellsof Rhodococcus rhodochrous M33, which produce a nitrile hydratase enzyme, were immobilized in acrylamide-based polymer gels. The optimum pH and temperature for the activity of nitrile hydratase in both the free and immobilized cells were 7.4 and 45°C, respectively, yet the optinum temperature for acrylamide production by the immobilized cells was 20°C. The nitrile hydratase of the immobilized cells was more stable with acrylamide than that of the free cells. Under optimal conditions, the final acrylamide concentration reached about 400 g/L with a conversion yield of almost 100% after 8 h of reaction when using 150 g/L of immobilized cells corresponding to a 1.91 g-dry cell weight/L. The enzyme activity of the immobilized cells rapidly decreased with repeated use. However, the quality of the acrylamide produced by the immobilized cells was much better than that produced by the free cells in terms of color, salt content, turbidity, and foam formation. The quality of the aqueous acrylamide solution obtained was found to be of commercial use without further purification.     

Catalytic properties of a nitrile hydratase immobilized on activated chitosan

The catalytic properties of a nitrile hydratase, isolated from a strain of Rhodococcus ruber gt1 and immobilized by covalent cross-linking with chitosan activated with 0.1% benzoquinone solution, have been investigated. The kinetic parameters of acrylonitrile hydration catalyzed by immobilized nitrile hydratase and the enzyme in a solution have been determined. It is found that the immobilization does not lead to a decrease in the maximum reaction rate (V _max), whereas the Michaelis constant (K _M) is reduced by a factor of 2.4. The possibility of reusing an immobilized enzyme for 50 consecutive cycles of acrylonitrile transformation was shown, and the nitrile hydratase activity in the 50th cycle exceeded that in the first cycle by 3.5 times. It is shown that the effect of temperature on activity depended on the concentration of the enzyme, which confirms the dissociative nature of nitrile hydratase inactivation. It was found that immobilized nitrile hydratases remain active at pH 3.0–4.0, whereas the enzyme is inactivated in a solution under these conditions. The resulting biocatalyst can be effectively used to receive acrylamide from acrylonitrile.     

Optimization of Culture Conditions of Brevibacterium SP. A4 for the Production of Nitrile Hydratase

Optimum culture conditions of Brevibacterium sp. A4 for production of nitrile hydratase were determined by two mathematical methods: the Hadamard method and graphic analysis of response areas. A minimal medium was optimized and the basic roles of Fe²⁺ and Mg²⁺ were clearly shown. The influence of physico-chemical factors (pH, temperature and light conditions) on the culture and on nitrile hydratase were also studied. Various results permit the production of Brevibacterium sp. A4 cells with low protease and high nitrile hydratase contents.     

Acrylamide synthesis using agar entrapped cells of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhodococcus rhodochrous</Emphasis> PA-34 in a partitioned fed batch reactor

The nitrile hydratase (Nhase) induced cells of Rhodococcus rhodochrous PA-34 catalyzed the conversion of acrylonitrile to acrylamide. The cells of R. rhodochrous PA-34 immobilized in 2% (w/v) agar (1.76 mg dcw/ml agar matrix) exhibited maximum Nhase activity (8.25 U/mg dcw) for conversion of acrylonitrile to acrylamide at 10°C in the reaction mixture containing 0.1 M potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.5), 8% (w/v) acrylonitrile and immobilized cells equivalent to 1.12 mg dcw (dry cell weight) per ml. In a partitioned fed batch reaction at 10°C, using 1.12 g dcw immobilized cells in a final volume of 1 l, a total of 372 g of acrylonitrile was completely hydrated to acrylamide (498 g) in 24 h. From the above reaction mixture 87% acrylamide (432 g) was recovered through crystallization at 4°C. By recycling the immobilized biocatalyst (six times), a total of 2,115 g acrylamide was produced.     

Nitrile-metabolizing potential of Amycolatopsis sp. IITR215

Strain Amycolatopsis sp. IITR215 was isolated from a sewage sample using polyacrylonitrile powder as the sole nitrogen source. Identification was performed by 16S rDNA analysis. The isolated strain harbored multiple nitrile-metabolizing enzymes having a wide range of substrate specificities. It metabolized nitrile and amide compounds with constitutive enzymes. Studies using an amidase inhibitor showed that hydrolysis of acrylonitrile and acrylamide occurred due to nitrile hydratase and amidase, respectively, while hydrolysis of hexanenitrile was due to the action of either nitrilase or a second nitrile hydratase/amidase system. The inhibitory effects of N-bromosuccinimide and N-ethylmaleimide on enzymes of this culture were also studied and this further indicated the involvement of either a nitrilase or a second nitrile hydratase/amidase system for hydrolysis of hexanenitrile. Interestingly, hexanenitrile hydrolysis exhibited an optimum temperature of 55 °C, whereas acrylonitrile and acrylamide hydrolysis showed an optimum temperature of 45 °C. The optimum pH was 5.8 for hexanenitrile hydrolysis and 7.0 for acrylonitrile and acrylamide hydrolysis. Hexanenitrile hydrolysis by enzymes of this strain showed better organic solvent tolerance in the presence of alcohols. The maximum enzyme activity of nitrile-metabolizing enzymes was found using media containing isobutyramide as the nitrogen source. This is the first report on constitutive multiple enzymes from the Amycolatopsis genus.     

Biotransformation of acrylonitrile to acrylamide using immobilized whole cells of Brevibacterium CH1 in a recycle fed-batch reactor

Acrylamide was produced from acrylonitrile using immobilized Brevibacterium CH1 cells that were isolated from soil and found to possess nitrile hydratase activity. The reaction conditions and stability of the enzyme activity were studied. The conversion yield was nearly 100%, including a trace amount of acrylic acid. This strain showed strong activity of nitrile hydratase toward acrylonitrile and extremely low activity of amidase toward acrylamide. A packed bed reactor was operated in a fed-batch manner for acrylamide production of high concentration. The acrylonitrile concentration was maintained below 3% and the operating temperature at 4 degrees C to minimize enzyme deactivation.     

Solvent Effects on Circular Dichroism of Colominic Acid

To produce acrylamide from acrylonitrile by use of a new enzyme, nitrile hydratase, a number of nitrile-utilizing microorganisms were screened for the enzyme activity by an intact cell system. An isobutyronitrile-utilizing bacterium, strain B23, showed the best productivity among 186 strains tested. The strain was identified taxonomically as Pseudomonas chlor or aphis. The culture and reaction conditions for the production were studied for the strain. Under the optimum conditions, 400 grams/liter of acrylamide was produced in 7.5 hr. The yield was nearly 100% with a trace amount of acrylic acid. The cell-free extract of the strain showed strong activity of nitrile hydratase toward acrylonitrile and extremely low activity of amidase toward acrylamide.     

微生物法生产丙烯酰胺的研究（Ⅱ）—腈水合酶催化反应动力学与失活动力学

在以丙烯腈为原料 ,微生物转化生产丙烯酰胺的过程中 ,酶催化反应是过程的关键。为了了解酶催化的动力学 ,本研究以自由细胞的酶为催化剂 ,进行了腈水合酶的反应动力学和失活动力学的研究。首先研究了菌体浓度、温度、pH值、丙烯腈浓度、丙烯酰胺浓度等对腈水合酶催化反应速度的影响。结果表明 ,在这些因素中 ,温度和丙烯酰胺浓度是最主要的影响因素。 2 8℃时酶活为 5 6 5 9u mL(菌液 ) ,在 5℃时的反应速率仅为 2 8℃时的11 72 % ,相应的表观酶活为 6 6 3u mL(菌液 )。而在丙烯酰胺 45 %浓度条件下的酶活大约只有丙烯酰胺 5 %浓度下的酶活的 1 2。经过对不同温度下的反应速度的研究 ,得到腈水合酶水合反应的活化能为 6 5 5 7kJ·mol- 1 。本文进一步研究了自由细胞状态下 ,菌体浓度、pH值、温度、丙烯腈浓度、丙烯酰胺浓度对腈水合酶失活的影响 ,得到了失活动力学。结果表明 ,在这些因素中 ,对酶失活影响的最主要因素还是温度和丙烯酰胺浓度。尤其当丙烯酰胺浓度到达 35 %时 ,酶活下降得很快 ,在 5 5h后 ,酶活几乎为零。而在丙烯酰胺浓度为 10 %的情况下 ,5 5h的酶活仍然还存在约 5 0 %。试验结果还表明 ,丙烯腈对酶的稳定性的影响很小。经过数据处理 ,得到的 2 8℃的酶失活速率常数为 5℃下的 2 1 7     

Identification of an Active Site-bound Nitrile Hydratase Intermediate through Single Turnover Stopped-flow Spectroscopy

Stopped-flow kinetic data were obtained for the iron-type nitrile hydratase from Rhodococcus equi TG328-2 (ReNHase) using methacrylonitrile as the substrate. Multiple turnover experiments suggest a three-step kinetic model that allows for the reversible binding of substrate, the presence of an intermediate, and the formation of product. Microscopic rate constants determined from these data are in good agreement with steady state data confirming that the stopped-flow method used was appropriate for the reaction. Single turnover stopped-flow experiments were used to identify catalytic intermediates. These data were globally fit confirming a three-step kinetic model. Independent absorption spectra acquired between 0.005 and 0.5 s of the reaction reveal a significant increase in absorbance at 375, 460, and 550 nm along with the hypsochromic shift of an Fe³⁺←S ligand-to-metal charge transfer band from 700 to 650 nm. The observed UV-visible absorption bands for the Fe³⁺-nitrile intermediate species are similar to low spin Fe³⁺-enzyme and model complexes bound by NO or N₃⁻. These data provide spectroscopic evidence for the direct coordination of the nitrile substrate to the nitrile hydratase active site low spin Fe³⁺ center.     

An isobutyronitrile-induced bienzymatic system of Alcaligenes sp. MTCC 10674 and its application in the synthesis of α-hydroxyisobutyric acid

Alcaligenes sp. MTCC 10674 was isolated as acetone cyanohydrin hydrolyzing bacterium from soil of orchid gardens of Himachal Pradesh. Acetone cyanohydrin hydrolyzing activity of this organism comprised nitrile hydratase and amidase activities. It exhibited higher substrate specificity towards aliphatic hydroxynitrile (acetone cyanohydrin) in comparison to arylaliphatic hydroxynitrile. Isobutyronitrile (40 mM) acted as a carbon source as well as inducer for growth of Alcaligenes sp. MTCC 10674 and expression of acetone cyanohydrin hydrolyzing activity. Optimization of culture condition using response surface methodology increased acetone cyanohydrin hydrolyzing activity by 1.3-fold, while inducer mediation approach increased the activity by 1.2-fold. The half life of this enzyme was 25 h at 15 °C. V _max and K _m value for acetone cyanohydrin hydrolyzing enzyme was 0.71 μmol mg^?1 min^?1 and 14.3 mM, when acetone cyanohydrin was used as substrate. Acetone cyanohydrin hydrolyzing enzyme encountered product inhibition and IC50 and K _i value were calculated to be 28 and 10.2 mM, respectively, when product α-hydroxyisobutyric acid was added in the reaction. Under optimized reaction conditions at 40 ml fed batch scale, 3 mg dcw ml ^? resting cells of Alcaligenes sp. MTCC 10674 fully converted 0.33 M acetone cyanohydrin into α-hydroxyisobutyric acid (1.02 g) in 6 h 40 min. The characterization of acetone cyanohydrins hydrolyzing activity revealed that it comprises bienzymatic nitrile hydrolyzing system, i.e. nitrile hydratase and amidase for the production of α-hydroxyisobutyric acid from acetone cyanohydrin and maximum 70 % yield is being reported for the first time.     

Biochemistry and biotechnology of mesophilic and thermophilic nitrile metabolizing enzymes

Mesophilic nitrile-degrading enzymes are widely dispersed in the Bacteria and lower orders of the eukaryotic kingdom. Two distinct enzyme systems, a nitrilase catalyzing the direct conversion of nitriles to carboxylic acids and separate but cotranscribed nitrile hydratase and amidase activities, are now well known. Nitrile hydratases are metalloenzymes, incorporating Fe^III or Co^II ions in thiolate ligand networks where they function as Lewis acids. In comparison, nitrilases are thiol-enzymes and the two enzyme groups have little or no apparent sequence or structural homology. The hydratases typically exist as αβ dimers or tetramers in which the α- and β-subunits are similar in size but otherwise unrelated. Nitrilases however, are usually found as homomultimers with as many as 16 subunits. Until recently, the two nitrile-degrading enzyme classes were clearly separated by functional differences, the nitrile hydratases being aliphatic substrate specific and lacking stereoselectivity, whereas the nitrilases are enantioselective and aromatic substrate specific. The recent discovery of novel enzymes in both classes (including thermophilic representatives) has blurred these functional distinctions. Purified mesophilic nitrile-degrading enzymes are typically thermolabile in buffered solution, rarely withstanding exposure to temperatures above 50°C without rapid inactivation. However, operational thermostability is often increased by addition of aliphatic acids or by use of immobilized whole cells. Low molecular stability has frequently been cited as a reason for the limited industrial application of "nitrilases"; such statements notwithstanding, these enzymes have been successfully applied for more than a decade to the kiloton production of acrylamide and more recently to the smaller-scale production of nicotinic acid, R-(−)-mandelic acid and S-(+)-ibuprofen. There is also a rapidly growing catalog of other potentially useful conversions of complex nitriles in which the regioselectivity of the enzyme coupled with the ability to achieve high conversion efficiencies without detriment to other sensitive functionalities is a distinct process advantage. Received: January 22, 1998 / Accepted: February 16, 1998     

A novel thermostable nitrile hydratase

A novel, nitrile-degrading, thermophilic microorganism belonging to the genus Bacillus and most closely related to strain DSM 2349 has been isolated. The strain grew optimally at 65°C with the constitutive expression of a thermostable intracellular nitrile hydratase. No aromatic-specific "benzonitrilase" activity was detected under any conditions. The enzyme, an α₂β₂ heterotetramer with a native molecular weight of 110 kDa, was purified to homogeneity. N-terminal sequence data showed no homology to known bacterial α subunit sequences but had a high level of identity with other bacterial N-terminal β subunit sequences. The purified enzyme had a broad pH-activity range (50% activity limits were pH 5.1 and 8.7) and was stable in aqueous solution up to 60°C in the absence of either substrates or substrate analogues. Substrate specificity was restricted to aliphatic nitriles, but an unusual preference for branched and cyclic aliphatic nitriles was noted. Turnover rates under optimum reaction conditions were 746 and 4580 sec⁻¹ for acetonitrile and valeronitrile, respectively. Received: December 1, 1997 / Accepted: February 24, 1998     

A study of the catalytic properties of the nitrile hydratase immobilized on aluminum oxides and carbon-containing adsorbents

The nitrile hydratase isolated from Rhodococcus ruber strain gt1, displaying a high nitrile hydratase activity, was immobilized on unmodified aluminum oxides and carbon-containing adsorbents, including the carbon support Sibunit. The activity and operational stability of the immobilized nitrile hydratase were studied in the reaction of acrylonitrile transformation into acrylamide. It was demonstrated that an increase in the carbon content in the support led to an increase in the amount of adsorbed enzyme and, concurrently, to a decrease in its activity. The nitrile hydratase immobilized on Sibunit and carbon-containing aluminum α-oxide having a “crust” structure displayed the highest operational stability in acrylonitrile hydration. It was shown that the thermostability of adsorbed nitrile hydratase increased by one order of magnitude.     

Enantioselective hydration of 2-arylpropionitriles by a nitrile hydratase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain d3

The enantioselective nitrile hydratase from the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens d3 was purified and completely separated from the amidase activity that is also present in cell extracts prepared from this strain. The nitrile hydratase had an activity optimum at pH 7.0 and a temperature optimum of 40 °C. The holoenzyme had a molecular mass of 69 kDa, the subunits a molecular mass of 27 kDa. The enzyme hydrated various 2-arylpropionitriles and other aromatic and heterocyclic nitriles. With racemic 2-phenylpropionitrile, 2-phenylbutyronitrile, 2-(4-chlorophenyl)propionitrile, 2-(4-methoxy)propionitrile or ketoprofen nitrile the corresponding (S)-amides were formed enantioselectively. The highest enantiomeric excesses (ee >90% until about 30% of the respective substrates were converted) were found for the amides formed from 2-phenylpropionitrile, 2-phenylbutyronitrile and ketoprofen nitrile. For the reaction of the purified nitrile hydratase, higher ee values were found than when whole cells were used in the presence of an inhibitor of the amidase activity. The enantioselectivity of the whole-cell reaction was enhanced by increasing the reaction temperature. Received: 20 June 1997 / Received revision: 28 August 1997 / Accepted: 29 August 1997     

ESR Spectral Studies on the Free Radical Formed by the Reaction of Dehydroascorbic Acid with Amino Acid

Acrylonitrile-hydrating activity was found in various bacteria belonging to the genera Arthrobacter, Corynebacterium, Microbacterium, Nocardia, Pseudomonas and Rhodococcus. A strain, N-774, isolated by acetonitrile enrichment culture from soil showed the highest activity. Taxonomic studies indicated that strain N-774 belonged to the genus Rhodococcus. The acrylonitrile-hydrating enzyme of strain N-774 was constitutively formed in the cells. Besides acrylonitrile, many nitriles were hydrated to the corresponding amides. «-Butyronitrile, suc- cinonitrile and chloroacetonitrille served as suitable substrates. This bacterium could utilize many aliphatic nitriles and amides as a sole source of nitrogen but hardly utilized malononitrile, acrylonitrile or acrylamide. Cells having high nitrile hydratase activity (about 50units/mg of dry cells) could be easily prepared by cultivation at 30°C for 40 hr in a malt extract and yeast extract medium.     

Immobilization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhodococcus ruber</Emphasis> strain gt1, possessing nitrile hydratase activity,on carbon supports

Rhodococcus ruber strain gt1, possessing nitrile hydratase activity, was immobilized by adsorption on carbon supports differing in structure and porosity. The adsorption capacity of the supports towards cells, the substrate of the nitrile hydratase reaction (acrylonitrile), and the product (acrylamide) was studied. Also, the effect of immobilization on nitrile hydratase activity of bacteria was investigated, and the operational stability of the immobilized biocatalyst was determined. It was shown that crushed and granulated active coals were more appropriate for immobilization than fibrous carbon adsorbents.     

Surface modification of polyacrylonitrile with nitrile hydratase and amidase from Agrobacterium tumefaciens

A new strain of Agrobacterium tumefaciens (BST05) was found to grow on polyacrylonitrile (PAN; ¹³C labelled) converting the polymer to polyacrylic acid as shown by solid state NMR. When cultivated in a medium containing acetonitrile the bacterium produced nitrile hydratase and amidase activity. Activity recovery after lyophilisation and enzyme stability was significantly enhanced in the presence of 5% sorbitol leading to half life times of 12, 72 and 154 days at 25°C, 4°C and –20°C. The enzymes were able to convert 1.1% of the nitrile groups of PAN-powder to the corresponding acids. PAN fabrics were mainly converted to the amides as shown by an 80% increase of the O/C ratio in ESCA analysis. These data were confirmed by cationic dyeing and FTIR-ATR analysis.     

The superiority of the third-generation catalyst,Rhodococcus rhodochrous J1 nitrile hydratase,for industrial production of acrylamide

As the third-generation biocatalyst for industrial production of acrylamide, the superiority of Rhodococcus rhodochrous J1 nitrile hydratase was demonstrated in comparison with other acrylamide-producing bacteria. R. rhodochrous J1 enzyme is much more heat stable and more tolerant to a high concentration of acrylonitrile than Pseudomonas chlororaphis B23 and Brevibacterium R312 enzymes. The J1 enzyme is peculiar in its extremely high tolerance to acrylamide. The hydration reaction of acrylonitrile catalysed by J1 cells proceeded even in the presence of 50% (w/v) acrylamide. The tolerance of J1 enzyme to various organic solvents such as n-propanol and isopropanol was prominent. Using R. rhodochrous J1 resting cells, the accumulation reaction was carried out by feeding acrylonitrile to maintain a level of 6%. After 10 h incubation, the accumulation of acrylamide was approximately 65.6% (w/v) at 10°C, 56.7% (w/v) at 15°C, and 56.0 (w/v) at 20°C. The high stability, high catalytic efficiency and other outstanding features of the J1 enzyme are analysed and discussed. Correspondence to: T. Nagasawa     

Addition of Co2+ to culture medium decides the functional expression of a recombinant nitrile hydratase in Escherichia coli

A nitrile hydratase (NHase) gene from Aurantimonas manganoxydans, cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, gave an enzyme that efficiently hydrated 3-cyanopyridine to nicotinamide with high thermal stability. We have now found that adding Co²⁺ at 0.1 mM to LB medium was essential for production of an active enzyme. However, ≥0.3 mM Co²⁺ inhibited the growth of host cells in LB medium and decreased the production of the recombinant NHase. Furthermore, β-mercaptoethanol promoted regeneration of the Co²⁺-defective apoenzyme in vitro possibly by breaking a key disulfide bond thereby promoting the incorporation of Co²⁺ into the apoenzyme.     

Expression of nitrile hydratase gene of mutant 4D strain of Rhodococcus rhodochrous PA 34 in Pichia pastoris

The nitrile hydratase (NHase) gene of Rhodococcus rhodochrous PA-34 mutant 4D has been amplified by PCR, cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris KM-71 using pHIL-D2 expression vector. The recombinant P. pastoris KM-71 exhibited active expression of the nitrile hydratase gene of the mutant 4D and has shown very good potential for the transformation of 3-cyanopyridine to nicotinamide. The recombinant P. pastoris KM-71 exhibited maximum NHase activity when cultivated in YPD medium was supplemented with 0.4?mM cobalt ions. The recombinant P. pastoris KM-71 showed maximum nitrile hydratase enzyme production, when incubated at 30?°C for 15?h.