Fractionation of Nondialyzable Melanoidin into Components by Electrofocusing Electrophoresis

Nondialyzable melanoidin formed in a model system of glucose and glycine was applied on thin layer gel electrofocusing in a polyacrylamide gel. The electrofocusing profile differed according to the reaction time: the pI of the melanoidin formed in the early stage of the reaction was less than 2.9 and, as the reaction progressed, the pI of the melanoidin formed gradually shifted to a less acidic value, from 2.9 to 3.3. Those from the xylose and glycine model system gave a similar profile to that of the glucose system.

Preparative separation of the nondialyzable melanoidin, which was formed by heating the glucose system for 7hr, was performed by flat-bed electrofocusing in Sephadex gel. At least 14 melanoidin bands were clearly electrofocused at a pH range of 2.7-3.3 and about 59% of the melanoidin applied remained unaffected by electrophoresis at the starting position. The major component of electrofocused melanoidin was pI 3.00, this being made up of 12.5% of the total amount of electrofocused melanoidin. The molecular weight of melanoidin affected by electrophoresis was about 25,000, regardless of the pI value of the melanoidin components. The reducing activity, estimated by the potassium ferricyanide method, showed that the lower the pI of melanoidin, the higher was the reducing activity.

The addition of hydrochloric acid to the melanoidin solution caused it to gradually become viscous and the melanoidin was precipitated below pH 3.0-3.5, corresponding approximately to ampholite. This feature can be used as a method to prepare nondialyzable melanoidin in a short time.     

Isolation of Deoxyfructosazine and Its 6-Isomer from the Nondialyzable Melanoidin Hydrolyzate

The nondialyzable melanoidin prepared from glucose-ammonia system (kept in pH 5.3~6.0 during the reaction) was hydrolyzed. The hydrolyzate was fractionated by DEAE-cellulose column and Dowex 50 W column. Deoxyfructosazine and its 6-isomer were respectively isolated from main two fractions, and identified. Even on boiling the melanoidin in aqueous solution, these pyrazines as well as imidazoles and β-hydroxy pyridines in the melanoidin were liberated.

Furthermore, amounts of these heterocyclic compounds liberated from the nondialyzable melanoidin and the fractionated melanoidins (fractionated into five fractions on DEAE-cellulose column according to the method described previously) were examined.

The results obtained seem to suggest that these heterocyclic compounds are not present probably as a molecular skelton or an inclusion compound in the melanoidin, but as a small moiety of the melanoidin molecule with loose chemical bond.     

Screening of Microorganisms to Decolorize a Model Melanoidin and the Chemical Properties of a Microbially Treated Melanoidin

A microbe of Streptomyces werraensis TT 14, which was newly isolated from soil, decolorized the model melanoidin prepared from glucose and glycine, the decolorization rate being 64% in the optimal medium of pH 5.5 (2.0% starch, 1.0% yeast, 0.3% NaCl, and 0.3% CaC0₃) and 45% in a synthetic medium. There was virtually no difference in the UV-VIS absorption spectra of the microbially treated melanoidin and the control. The peaks of the gel permeation chromatogram for the treated melanoidin and for the control showed the same retention times, but lower molecular weight compounds increased in the decolorized melanoidin. The Cu(II)-chelating activity of the decolorized melanoidin was reduced to about half that of the control. The melanoidin component of pI 2.5 was increased and that of pI 3.5 was reduced by the microbial treatment.     

A Red,Fluorescent Protein from Silkworm

Nondiffusable melanoidin obtained from a glycine-xylose system was heated in aqueous media, and the resulting chemical changes, as affected by the presence of oxygen, pH value, temperature and the addition of transitional metals, were investigated.

Melanoidin, when heated at 90°C in an aqueous solution, caused remarkable discolorization accompanied by the development of fluorescence, oxygen consumption and a noticeable variation of reductone content. Heated melanoidin became polydispersive in molecular weight on gel filtration chromatograms. There appeared reductones, ninhydrin-positive substances, fluorescent substances, aromatic amines, aliphatic carbonyls, and aliphatic primary amines and/or methylene groups in diffusâtes of melanoidin heated in various media.

An increase in pH value favored oxidative discolorization, while an increase in the concentration of transitional metals except Mn²⁺ restrained the discolorization. In the absence of oxygen, heated melanoidin brought about a slight strengthening of color and the accumulation of reductones ca. fifteen times more than the initial level, while in the presence of oxygen the increase of reductone content at the early period was followed by a rapid decrease.

According to the results obtained, the ambivalent reactivity of melanoidin, i.e. polymerization (colorization) and depolymerization (discolorization), was discussed in relation to influencing factors. A mechanism for the production of reductones in heated melanoidin was also proposed.     

Role of hydroxycinnamates in coffee melanoidin formation

Melanoidins are the high molecular weight brown end products of the Maillard reaction. They are formed during heat processing of foods like coffee, bread, malt, and beef. A chemical definition of these food polymers is still impossible, despite several efforts to determine their structure. In the last years, the interest in research on melanoidins has increased due to their biological activities. Coffee brew is one of the main sources of melanoidins in human diet. Various melanoidin fractions were obtained by applying chromatographic separation techniques or specific isolation procedures, allowing, a partial view on structural features and diversity of coffee brew melanoidins. Different melanoidin populations can be found with respect to total carbohydrate contents and their structural features. In this paper, the recent advances in research on coffee melanoidin structures and formation mechanisms are reviewed. The participation of hydroxycinnamates in melanoidin formation, especially true for coffee melanoidins, is a hypothesis older than three decades, but only recently more consistent data have been obtained for their presence. Although the role of hydroxycinnamates in melanoidin formation is not yet completely understood, it was demonstrated that the interaction between phenolic compounds and melanoidins can be of non-covalent or of covalent nature. The most likely linkage point is through the protein fragments incorporated in the coffee melanoidin during the roasting process, although carbohydrates, such as arabinose, seem to be possible binding sites for the chlorogenic acid derivatives on these brown structures, too.     

Selective antibody precipitation using polyelectrolytes: A novel approach to the purification of monoclonal antibodies

We evaluated the potential for polyelectrolyte induced precipitation of antibodies to replace traditional chromatography purification. We investigated the impact of solution pH, solution ionic strength and polyelectrolyte molecular weight on the degree of precipitation using the anionic polyelectrolytes polyvinylsulfonic acid (PVS), polyacrylic acid (PAA), and polystyrenesulfonic acid (PSS). As we approached the pI of the antibody, charge neutralization of the antibody reduced the antibody–polyelectrolyte interaction, reducing antibody precipitation. At a given pH, increasing solution ionic strength prevented the ionic interaction between the polyelectrolyte and the antibody, reducing antibody precipitation. With increasing pH of precipitation, there was an increase in impurity clearance. Increasing polyelectrolyte molecular weight allowed the precipitation to be performed under conditions of higher ionic strength. PVS was selected as the preferred polyelectrolyte based on step yield following resolubilization, purification performance, as well as the nature of the precipitate. We evaluated PVS precipitation as a replacement for the initial capture step, as well as an intermediate polishing step in the purification of a humanized monoclonal antibody. PVS precipitation separated the antibody from host cell impurities such as host cell proteins (HCP) and DNA, process impurities such as leached protein A, insulin and gentamicin, as well as antibody fragments and aggregates. PVS was subsequently removed from antibody pools to <1 µg/mg using anion exchange chromatography. PVS precipitation did not impact the biological activity of the resolubilized antibody. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 1141–1151. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Analysis of Magnetotactic Behavior by Swimming Assay

Melanoidin, which was obtained by the Maillard reaction between D-glucose and glycine, was found to exert a potent inhibitory effect on the activity of trypsin with BANA as a synthetic substrate. The concentration of melanoidin required to reduce the activity of trypsin by 50% was less than 1 μg/ml, similar to that of soybean trypsin inhibitor and leupeptin. On the other hand, chymotrypsin was not affected by melanoidin. The specific interaction between melanoidin and trypsin is discussed.     

Effect of Dephosphorylation on the Self-association and the Precipitation of β-Casein

The pyrolyzate of the nondialyzable melanoidin prepared from glucose-ammonia reaction system (kept in pH 5.3~6.0 during the reaction) was fractionated to volatile fraction and nonvolatile fraction. Among the volatile components, two pyridines and four alkylpyrazines were identified. On the other hand, one imidazole compound and two β-hydroxypyridines isolated from the nonvolatile fraction were identified as 4(5)-methylimidazole, 3-hydroxypyridine and 2-methyl-5-hydroxypyridine, respectively. It is inferred that these compounds are not produced by the fission of the main skeleton in the melanoidin molecule, but formed by pyrolysis of the heterocyclic compounds present as a small moiety in the melanoidin.     

The separation of proteins with heteropolyacids

The precipitation of proteins with heteropolyacids has been studied for the purpose of large scale primary purification. A precipitate will form if the pH of the reaction between purified ovalbumin, hemoglobin, trypsin, pepsin, bovine serum albumin, ovomucoid, gelatin or ribonuclease and tungstrophosphoric, tungstosilicic or molybdosilicic acid is close to the isoelectric point of the protein and does not cause the dissociation of the heteropolyacid. Below the isoelctric point, the percent precipitation depends on the conformational changes of the protein. The precipitation of ovalbumin with tungstophosphoric decreases as the ionic strength of the buffer increases and is independent, of the protein concentration. Mixtures of ovalbumin and bovine serum albumin, though having close isoelectric points, can be separated by varying the concentration of the precipitant. The electropositive groups which combine with the tungstophosphoric acid are guanidino, ε-amino and imidazole. No precipitation is given by the α-amino groups. Filtrates of microbial fermentations containing lactase, glucose aerode-hydrogenase, alkaline protease, amyloglucosidase, and transglucosylase have been purified by precipitation with heteropolyacids.     

Physiological Effects of Nondialyzable Melanoidin in Rats

The absorption and excretion of melanoidins, a mixture of the low- and high-molecular weight components (LMM and HMM), and the LMM component prepared from a l-lysine^d-glucose system, at pH 7.4 and 9.0, respectively, and the effects of these melanoidins on cholesterol metabolism were examined in rats. Weanling male rats of the Wistar strain weighing about 50 g were fed diets containing 10% casein (10C) with 3% of a melanoidin or 25% casein (25C) with 4% of the melanoidin for 12 weeks, and the 25C diet including 3% of the melanoidin or LMM for 8 weeks. The growth and organ weights of the melanoidin-supplied groups were not different from those of the control ones. In rats given the melanoidin diets with both protein levels, the kidneys became dark brownish due to the accumulation of the melanoidin, though the accumulated amount was extremely small (nearly 0.5 mg/g wet kidney), and gel filtration chromatography of a water extract of the kidneys on Sephadex G-75 showed that the deposited melanoidin was the LMM component. Most of the ingested melanoidin, however, was excreted in the feces, and on comparison of the gel chromatographic patterns, the melanoidin groups were found to have more fecal LMM than the control ones. When rats were provided with LMM, HMM increased in their feces. The addition of melanoidin suppressed the level of plasma total cholesterol and elevated the fecal excretion of total lipids and total cholesterol. The urinary contents of protein and total creatinine did not differ from those in the control groups.     

Purification and Some Properties of Melanoidin Decolorizing Enzymes,P-III and P-IV,from Mycelia of Coriolus versicolor Ps4a

Melanoidin decolorizing enzymes (MDE) were extracted from mycelia of Coriolus versicolor Ps4a and purified by DEAE-Sephadex, DEAE-Sephacel and Sephadex G-200 column chromatographies. MDE of this strain consisted of a main fraction, P-fraction, and a minor fraction, E-fraction, and the P-fraction was composed of at least five enzymes. P-III and P-IV in the P-fraction were picked as typical enzymes of this strain, and their enzymatic properties were investigated. P-III had a molecular weight of 48,400 ~ 50,000, an optimum pH of 5.5 and an optimum temperature of 30~35°C. P-III required glucose and 02 for the appearance of the activity, and was inhibited by p-CMB, N-BSI, Ag⁺ and o-phenanthroline.

On the other hand, P-IV had a molecular weight of 43,800 ~ 45,000, an optimum pH of 4.0~4.5 and an optimum temperature of 30~35°C. P-IV could decolorize melanoidin in the absence of glucose and O₂, and was inhibited weakly by Ag⁺, p-CMB and N-BSI. P-IV is the enzyme that attacks the melanoidin directly in comparison with P-III which attacks melanoidin indirectly as in the sub-reaction of sugar oxidase.

Incidentally, a multiplicative effect between P-III and P-IV for decolorization was observed.     

Biodegradation of Natural and Synthetic Humic Acids by the White Rot Fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Biodegradation of natural and synthetic (melanoidin) humic acids by Phanerochaete chrysosporium BKM-F 1767 was demonstrated by decolorization in batch culture, reduction in molecular weight, and ¹⁴CO₂ production from labeled melanoidin. This biodegradation occurred during secondary metabolism of the fungus in nitrogen-limited cultures; experimental results suggest that all or a part of the lignin-degrading system of BKM-F 1767 plays a part in biodegradation.     

Protein sorption and recovery by hydrogels using principles of aqueous two-phase extraction

Use of the thermodynamic principles of aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE) to drive protein into a crosslinked gel is developed as a protein isolation and separation technique, and as a protein loading technique for drug delivery applications. A PEG/dextran gel system was chosen as a model system because PEG/dextran systems are widely used in aqueous two-phase extraction and dextran gels (Sephadex(R)) are common chromatographic media. The effects of polymer concentrations and molecular weights, salts, and pH on the partitioning of ovalbumin matched ATPE heuristics and data trends. Gel partition coefficients (Cgel/Csolution) increased with increasing PEG molecular weight and concentration and decreasing dextran concentration (increased gel swelling). The addition of PEG to the buffer solution yielded partition coefficients more than an order of magnitude greater than those obtained in systems with buffer alone, or added salt. A combined salt/PEG system yielded an additional order of magnitude increase. For example, when ovalbumin solution (2.3 mg/mL) was equilibrated with Sephadex(R) G-50 at pH 6.75, the partition coefficients were 0.13 in buffer, 0.11 in buffer with 0.22M KI, 2.3 in 12 wt% PEG-10,000 and 32.0 in 12 wt% PEG-10, 000 with 0.22M KI. The effect of anions and cations as well as ionic strength and pH on the partitioning of ovalbumin also matched ATPE heuristics. Using the heuristics established above, partition coefficients as high as 80 for bovine serum albumin and protein recoveries over 90% were achieved. In addition, the wide range of partition coefficients that were obtained for different proteins suggests the potential of the technique for separating proteins. Also, ovalbumin sorption capacities in dextran were as high as 450 mg/g dry polymer, and the sorption isotherms were linear over a broad protein concentration range.     

Determination of the molecular weight of proteins in heterogeneous mixtures: use of an air-driven ultracentrifuge for the analysis of protein--protein interactions.

A high-speed air-driven ultracentrifuge (Airfuge) has been used to study the molecular weights of proteins in heterogeneous mixtures. The method is based on previous studies (M. A. Bothwell, G. J. Howlett, and H. K. Schachman, 1978, J. Biol. Chem., 253, 2073–2077) which showed that at sedimentation equilibrium in the Airfuge the fraction of a protein remaining in an upper fraction of the Airfuge tube is almost linearly related to the exponential of the reduced molecular weight of the protein. In this study the total fraction of each particular protein remaining in an upper fraction of the Airfuge tube is determined by quantitative sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. This procedure allows a wide range of proteins to be analyzed in a single Airfuge experiment. The method yields the “native” molecular weights of the protein components and is independent of the shape of the macromolecules being studied. Interactions occurring between the components in solution can be detected from the Airfuge data, and procedures are described which allow the experimental data for such interactions to be analyzed in terms of an equilibrium constant for the interaction. Results obtained for the electrostatic interaction at neutral pH between lysozyme and ovalbumin (K = 1.1 × 10⁵, m^?1) and lysozyme and bovine serum albumin (K = 1.0 × 10⁵, m^?1) agree well with literature values.     

Decolourisation of synthetic and spentwash melanoidins using the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium JAG-40

Phanerochaete chrysosporium JAG-40 was isolated from the soil samples saturated with spilled molasses collected from a sugar mill. This isolate decolourised synthetic and natural melanoidins present in spentwash in liquid fermentation; up to 80% in 6 days at 30 degrees C under aerobic conditions. A large inoculum size stimulated fungal biomass production, but this gave less decolourisation of pigment; 5% w/v (dry weight) mycelial suspension was found optimum for maximum decolourisation in melanoidin medium supplemented with glucose and peptone. Gel-filtration chromatography showed that larger molecular weight fractions of melanoidin were decolourised more rapidly than small molecular weight fractions.     

The association of myelin basic protein with itself and other proteins

Chromatographic studies were performed to measure myelin basic protein (MBP) interactions by covalently binding a number of different proteins to Sepharose and passing radioactive bovine MBP over these columns. Studies at a variety of pH values, ionic strengths and temperatures revealed that the bovine MBP could interact with itself as well as cytochrome c, lysozyme, and ovalbumin. Chromatographic profiles of elution volume vs. pH revealed that the interaction between MBP and these immobilized proteins was biphasic. The self-association of MBP was found to be strongest between pH 7.4 and 8.1 and at an elevated temperature. Titration of the amino acid residues responsible for the association of MBP with other proteins revealed apparent pKs ranging from 6.10 to 6.70. A pH dependence study at an elevated temperature shifted the apparent pK of the MBP interaction to a lower value with all the proteins except ovalbumin. After destroying 60% of the histidine residues in MBP by photooxidation and passing¹²⁵I-labeled photooxidized MBP over Sepharose columns containing immobilized protein, the second phase in binding was decreased significantly with immobilized cytochrome c, lysozyme, and MBP and to a smaller extent with ovalbumin. These results are consistent with the involvement of deprotonated histidine residues in the MBP-protein associations.     

Isolation of a β2-glycoprotein from human serum after precipitation with dextran sulfate and manganese chloride

A new procedure was developed which affords isolation from among the euglobulins of human serum a beta 2-glycoprotein with a high degree of immunological and electrophoretic homogeneity. The isolated protein displays specific binding affinity for the activated form of the C4 component (C4b), and was identified by immunological and physico-chemical criteria as the C4 binding protein. The isolation procedure comprises the following steps: precipitation of euglobulins from serum at pH 5.5 and low ionic strength; precipitation of beta-lipoproteins from the redissolved precipitate with dextran sulfate and CaCl2; precipitation of a fraction of the lipoprotein-free euglobulins with dextran sulfate and MnCl2; redissolution of the precipitate and eventually chromatography on Sepharose 4B. The overall yield was between 15 and 20 per cent. The final product, devoid of immunologically detectable protein contaminants, was a homogeneous proline-rich monomeric beta 2-glycoprotein made up of eight disulfide-bonded polypeptide chains of the same molecular weight 63,000 +/- 3,000. Under non-reducing conditions, the molecular weight of both the native and the SDS-treated protein was 490,000 +/- 25,000. A monospecific antiserum to the isolated protein was raised in rabbits and used for the quantitation of the protein in sera of normal fasting donors; a mean concentration of 25 mg per 100 ml of serum (1 SD: 5) was established.     

The effect of compatible solutes on proteins

Summary The ability of the compatible solute, proline, to affect the behavior of proteins has been examined in many different systems by many researches. In the present study of protein solvation, proline has been shown to prevent or diminish, in a concentration-dependent manner, the glutamine synthetase-precipitating ability of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The effects of PEG concentration and molecular weight are reduced by proline, and the interaction is strongly affected by pH.PEG causes precipitation of many proteins, and the ability of proline to reduce the precipitation of two non-enzymatic conjugated proteins, alfalfa mosaic virus and an³H-testosterone/antiserum complex, was also examined. Proline was effective in reducing the PEG-induced precipitation of both proteins. Virus precipitation by PEG and its alleviation by proline are influenced by pH. The increased virus-precipitating effect of PEG in the presence of salt (NaCl) is also alleviated by proline. The precipitation of the radioimmune complex by PEG is diminished by proline and by a mixture of free amino acids.These results indicate the generality of the three-way interaction between proline, protein and PEG. They may be of importance for extraction of proteins from biological systems and in studies of enzyme inactivation or protein denaturation in a cytoplasmic milieu. The results suggest that the protective effects of some amino acids are at least additive and are consistent with the conclusion that the compatible solutes protect protein-containing systems against the unfavorable consequences of dehydration and other stresses, by increasing the tendency of the system to maintain thestatus quo.     

Caprylic acid precipitation method for impurity reduction: An alternative to conventional chromatography for monoclonal antibody purification

We report the use of caprylic acid based impurity precipitation as (1) an alternative method to polishing chromatography techniques commonly used for monoclonal antibody purification and (2) an impurity reduction step prior to harvesting the bioreactor. This impurity reduction method was tested with protein A purified antibodies and with cell culture fluid. First, the operational parameters influencing precipitation of host cell proteins and high molecular weight aggregate in protein A pools were investigated. When used as a polishing step, the primary factor affecting purification and yield was determined to be pH. Caprylic acid precipitation was comparable to polishing IEX chromatography in reducing host cell protein and aggregate levels. A virus reduction study showed complete clearance of a model retrovirus during caprylic acid precipitation of protein A purified antibody. Caprylic acid mediated impurity precipitation in cell culture showed that the impurity clearance was generally insensitive to pH and caprylic acid concentration whereas yield was a function of caprylic acid concentration. Protein A purification of caprylic acid precipitated cell culture fluid generated less turbid product pool with reduced levels of host cell proteins and high molecular weight aggregate. The results of this study show caprylic acid precipitation to be an effective purification method that can be incorporated into a production facility with minimal cost as it utilizes existing tanks and process flow. Eliminating flow through chromatography polishing step can provide process intensification by avoiding the process tank volume constraints for high titer processes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109: 2589–2598. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Production, purification and properties of endoglucanase from a newly isolated strain of Mucor circinelloides

A newly isolated strain of the fungus, Mucor circinelloides (NRRL 26519), when grown on lactose, cellobiose, or Sigmacell 50 produces complete cellulase (endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, and β-glucosidase) system. The extracellular endoglucanase (EG) was purified to homogeneity from the culture supernatant by ethanol precipitation (75%, v/v), CM Bio-Gel A column chromatography, and Bio-Gel A-0.5 m gel filtration. The purified EG (specific activity 43.33 U/mg protein) was a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of 27 000. The optimum temperature and pH for the action of the enzyme were at 55 °C and 4.0–6.0, respectively. The purified enzyme was fully stable at pH 4.0–7.0 and temperature up to 60 °C. It hydrolysed carboxymethyl cellulose and insoluble cellulose substrates (Avicel, Solka-floc, and Sigmacell 50) to soluble cellodextrins. No glucose, cellobiose, and short chain cellooligosaccarides were formed from these substrates. The purified EG could not degrade oat spelt xylan and larch wood xylan. It bound to Avicell, Solka-floc, and Sigmacell 50 at pH 5.0 and the bound enzyme was released by changing the pH to 8.0. The enzyme activity was enhanced by 27±5 and 44±14% by the addition of 5 mM MgCl₂ and 0.5 mM CoCl₂, respectively, to the reaction mixture. Comparative properties of this enzyme with other fungal EGs are presented.