Characterization of an organic solvent-tolerant lipase from Haloarcula sp. G41 and its application for biodiesel production

A haloarchaeal strain G41 showing lipolytic activity was isolated from the saline soil of Yuncheng Salt Lake, China. Biochemical and physiological characterizations along with 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis placed the isolate in the genus Haloarcula. Lipase production was strongly influenced by the salinity of growth medium with maximum in the presence of 20 % NaCl or 15 % Na₂SO₄. The lipase was purified to homogeneity with a molecular mass of 45 kDa. Substrate specificity test revealed that it preferred long-chain p-nitrophenyl esters. The lipase was highly active and stable over broad ranges of temperature (30–80 °C), pH (6.0–11.0), and NaCl concentration (10–25 %), with an optimum at 70 °C, pH 8.0, and 15 % NaCl, showing thermostable, alkali-stable, and halostable properties. Enzyme inhibition studies indicated that the lipase was a metalloenzyme, with serine and cysteine residues essential for enzyme function. Moreover, it displayed high stability and activation in the presence of hydrophobic organic solvents with log P _ow?≥?2.73. The free and immobilized lipases from strain G41 were applied for biodiesel production, and 80.5 and 89.2 % of yields were achieved, respectively. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using lipases from halophilic archaea for biodiesel production.     

A novel thermostable and organic solvent-tolerant lipase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthomonas oryzae</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">oryzae</Emphasis> YB103: screening,purification and characterization

Thermostable lipases offer major biotechnological advantages over mesophilic lipases. In this study, an intracellular thermostable and organic solvent-tolerant lipase-producing strain YB103 was isolated from soil samples and identified taxonomically as Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. The lipase from X. oryzae pv. oryzae YB103 (LipXO) was purified 101.1-fold to homogeneity with a specific activity of 373.9 U/mg. The purified lipase showed excellent thermostability, exhibiting 51.1 % of its residual activity after incubation for 3 days at 70 °C. The enzyme showed optimal activity at 70 °C, suggesting it is a thermostable lipase. LipXO retained 75.1–154.1 % of its original activity after incubation in 20 % (v/v) hydrophobic organic solvents at 70 °C for 24 h. Furthermore, LipXO displayed excellent stereoselectivity (e.e._p >99 %) toward (S)-1-phenethyl alcohol in n-hexane. These unique properties of LipXO make it promising as a biocatalyst for industrial processes.     

Influence of N- and/or C-terminal regions on activity, expression, characteristics and structure of lipase from Geobacillus sp. 95

GD-95 lipase from Geobacillus sp. strain 95 and its modified variants lacking N-terminal signal peptide and/or 10 or 20 C-terminal amino acids were successfully cloned, expressed and purified. To our knowledge, GD-95 lipase precursor (Pre-GD-95) is the first Geobacillus lipase possessing more than 80 % lipolytic activity at 5 °C. It has maximum activity at 55 °C and displays a broad pH activity range. GD-95 lipase was shown to hydrolyze p-NP dodecanoate, tricaprylin and canola oil better than other analyzed substrates. Structural and sequence alignments of bacterial lipases and GD-95 lipase revealed that the C-terminus forms an α helix, which is a conserved structure in lipases from Pseudomonas, Clostridium or Staphylococcus bacteria. This work demonstrates that 10 and 20 C-terminal amino acids of GD-95 lipase significantly affect stability and other physicochemical properties of this enzyme, which has never been reported before and can help create lipases with more specific properties for industrial application. GD-95 lipase and its modified variants GD-95-10 can be successfully applied to biofuel production, in leather and pulp industries, for the production of cosmetics or perfumes. These lipases are potential biocatalysts in processes, which require extreme conditions: low or high temperature, strongly acidic or alkaline environment and various organic solvents.     

Detergent compatible alkaline lipase produced by marine Bacillus smithii BTMS 11

Bacillus smithii BTMS 11, isolated from marine sediment, produced alkaline and thermostable lipase. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation and ion exchange chromatography which resulted in 0.51 % final yield and a 4.33 fold of purification. The purified enzyme was found to have a specific activity of 360 IU/mg protein. SDS-PAGE analyses, under non-reducing and reducing conditions, yielded a single band of 45 kDa indicating the single polypeptide nature of the enzyme and zymogram analysis using methylumbelliferyl butyrate as substrate confirmed the lipolytic activity of the protein band. The enzyme was found to have 50 °C and pH 8.0 as optimum conditions for maximal activity. However, the enzyme was active over wide range of temperatures (30–80 °C) and pH (7.0–10.0). Effect of a number of metal salts, solvents, surfactants, and other typical enzyme inhibitors on lipase activity was studied to determine the novel characteristics of the enzyme. More than 90 % of the enzyme activity was observed even after 3 h of incubation in the presence of commercial detergents Surf, Sunlight, Ariel, Henko, Tide and Ujala indicating the detergent compatibility of B. smithii lipase. The enzyme was also found to be efficient in stain removal from cotton cloths. Further it was observed that the enzyme could catalyse ester synthesis between fatty acids of varying carbon chain lengths and methanol with high preference for medium to long chain fatty acids showing 70 % of esterification. Results of the study indicated scope for application of this marine bacterial lipase in various industries.     

Characterization of a Novel Alkalophilic Lipase From <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aneurinibacillus thermoaerophilus</Emphasis>: Lid Heterogeneity and Assignment to Family I.5

Recent investigations of Aneurinibacillus thermoaerophilus strains have allowed identification of a unique solvent tolerant lipase, distinct from known lipases. This work reports the expression and purification of this lipase (LipAT) and the first characterization of its structure and temperature and pH-dependent behaviour. LipAT has a secondary structural content compatible with the canonical lipase α/β hydrolase fold, and is dimeric at neutral pH. The protein was folded from pH 5 to 10, and association into folded aggregates at pH 7 and 8 likely protected its secondary structures from thermal unfolding. The enzyme was active from 25 to 65 °C under neutral pH, but its maximal activity was detected at pH 10 and 45 °C. The ability of LipAT to recover from high temperature was investigated. Heating at 70 °C and pH 10 followed by cooling prevented the restoration of activity, while similar treatments performed at pH 8 (where folded aggregates may form) allowed recovery of 50% of the initial activity. In silico analyses revealed a high conservation (85% or more) for the main lipase signature sequences in LipAT despite an overall low residue identity (60% identity compared to family I.5 lipases). In contrast, the active site lid region in LipAT is very distinct showing only 25% amino acid sequence identity to other homologous lipases in this region. Comparison of lids among lipases from the I.5 family members and LipAT reveals that this region should be a primary target for elucidation, optimisation and prediction of structure–function relationships in lipases.     

Staphylococcus lipolyticus sp. nov., a new cold-adapted lipase producing marine species

A cold-adapted lipase producing bacterium, designated SS-33^T, was isolated from sea sediment collected from the Bay of Bengal, India, and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Strain SS-33^T exhibited the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Staphylococcus cohnii subsp. urealyticus (97.18 %), Staphylococcus saprophyticus subsp. bovis (97.16 %) and Staphylococcus cohnii subsp. cohnii (97.04 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain SS-33^T belongs to the genus Staphylococcus. Cells of strain SS-33^T were Gram-positive, coccus-shaped, non-spore-forming, non-motile, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. The major fatty acid detected in strain SS-33^T was anteiso-C15:0 and the menaquinone was MK-7. The genomic DNA G + C content was 33 mol%. The DNA-DNA hybridization among strain SS-33^T and the closely related species indicated that strain SS-33^T represents a novel species of the genus Staphylococcus. On the basis of the morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, the results of phylogenetic analysis and the DNA-DNA hybridization, a novel species is proposed for strain SS-33^T, with the name Staphylococcus lipolyticus sp. nov. The strain type is SS-33^T (=MTCC 10101^T?=?JCM 16560^T). Staphylococcus lipolyticus SS-33^T hydrolyzed various substrates including tributyrin, olive oil, Tween 20, Tween 40, Tween 60, and Tween 80 at low temperatures, as well as mesophilic temperatures. Lipase from strain SS-33^T was partially purified by acetone precipitation. The molecular weight of lipase protein was determined 67 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Zymography was performed to monitor the lipase activity in Native-PAGE. Calcium ions increased lipase activity twofold. The optimum pH of lipase was pH 7.0 and optimum temperature was 30 °C. However, lipase exhibited 90 % activity of its optimum temperature at 10 °C and became more stable at 10 °C as compared to 30 °C. The lipase activity and stability at low temperature has wide ranging applications in various industrial processes. Therefore, cold-adapted mesophilic lipase from strain SS-33^T may be used for industrial applications. This is the first report of the production of cold-adapted mesophilic lipase by any Staphylococcus species.     

Functional expression of a novel alkaline-adapted lipase of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens from stinky tofu brine and development of immobilized enzyme for biodiesel production

Using enrichment procedures, a lipolytic strain was isolated from a stinky tofu brine and was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (named B. amyloliquefaciens Nsic-8) by morphological, physiological, biochemical tests and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Meanwhile, the key enzyme gene (named lip _BA) involved in ester metabolism was obtained from Nsic-8 with the assistance of homology analysis. The novel gene has an open reading frame of 645 bp, and encodes a 214-amino-acid lipase (Lip_BA). The deduced amino acid sequence shows the highest identity with the lipase from B. amyloliquefaciens IT-45 (NCBI database) and belongs to the family of triacylglycerol lipase (EC 3.1.1.3). The lipase gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) using plasmid pET-28a. The enzyme activity and specific activity were 250 ± 16 U/ml and 1750 ± 153 U/mg, respectively. The optimum pH and temperature of the recombinant enzyme were 9.0 and 40 °C respectively. Lip_BA showed much higher stability under alkaline conditions and was stable at pH 7.0–11.0. The Km and Vmax values of purified Lip_BA using 4-nitrophenyl palmitate as the substrate were 1.04 ± 0.06 mM and 119.05 ± 7.16 μmol/(ml min), respectively. After purification, recombinant lipase was immobilized with the optimal conditions (immobilization time 3 h at 30 °C, with 92 % enzyme recovery) and the immobilized enzyme was applied in biodiesel production. This is the first report of the lipase activity and lipase gene obtained from B. amyloliquefaciens (including wild strain and recombinant strain) and the recombinant Lip_BA with the detailed enzymatic properties. Also the preliminary study of the transesterification shows the potential value in biodiesel production applications.     

Purification and characterization of an organic solvent-tolerant lipase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa LX1 and its application for biodiesel production

An organic solvent-tolerant lipase from newly isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa LX1 has been purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and ion-exchange chromatography leading to 4.3-fold purification and 41.1% recovery. The purified lipase from P. aeruginosa LX1 was homogeneous as determined by SDS-PAGE, and the molecular mass was estimated to be 56 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature for lipase activity were found to be 7.0 and 40 °C, respectively. The lipase was stable in the pH range 4.5–12.0 and at temperatures below 50 °C. Its hydrolytic activity was found to be highest towards p-nitrophenyl palmitate (C16) among the various p-nitrophenol esters investigated. The lipase displayed higher stability in the presence of various organic solvents, such as n-hexadecane, isooctane, n-hexane, DMSO, and DMF, than in the absence of an organic solvent. The immobilized lipase was more stable in the presence of n-hexadecane, tert-butanol, and acetonitrile. The transesterification activity of the lipase from P. aeruginosa LX1 indicated that it is a potential biocatalyst for biodiesel production.     

Purification and characterization of a novel solvent-tolerant lipase from Fusarium heterosporum

A microorganism producing a solvent-tolerant lipase was identified as Fusarium (F.) heterosporum. The lipase was purified from the culture filtrate to homogeneity as judged by disc-PAGE and SDS-PAGE. The purification included SP-Sephadex chromatography, gel filtration and isoelectric focusing, and the recovery yield was 38%. The lipase was a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of 31 kDa estimated by SDS-PAGE, and a pI of 7.0. The optimum pH at 40°C and optimum temperature at pH 5.6 were 5.5–6.0 and 45–50°C, respectively, when olive oil was used as the substrate. The lipase was stable over a pH range of 4–10 at 30°C for 4 h, and up to 40°C at pH 5.6 for 30 min. Furthermore, the enzyme was not inactivated even after incubation at 30°C in 50% solvent such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), hexane, benzene and ether for 20 h. The activity did not decrease in a reaction with stirring in a mixture containing 50% DMSO or dimethylformamide. The lipase preferably reacted on middle-chain fatty acid triglycerides (6≤C≤12), and cleaved only 1,3-ester bonds of triolein. The enzyme had an N-terminal sequence of Ala-Val-Thr-Val-Thr-Thr-Gln-Asp-Leu-Ser, which has not previously been found in any other protein. We compared the properties of lipases from F. heterosporum and another strain F. oxysporum.     

Purification and properties of enantioselective lipase from a newly isolated Bacillus cereus C71

A lipase from Bacillus cereus C71 was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation, followed by Phenyl-Sepharose chromatography, DEAE ion exchange chromatography and CIM^® QA chromatography. This purification procedure resulted in a 1092-fold purification of lipase with 18% yield. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme was determined to be approximately 42 kDa by SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometer. The lipase was stable in the pH range of 8.5–10.0, with the optimum pH 9.0. The enzyme exhibited maximum activity at 33 °C and retained 92% of original activity after incubation at 35 °C for 3 h. The protein hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl esters with acyl chain lengths between C4 and C12. Enzyme activity was strongly inhibited in the presence of Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ but promoted by non-ionic surfactants. The lipase demonstrated higher enantioselectivity toward R-isomer of ethyl 2-arylpropanoate than the commercial lipases, and can be used potentially as a catalyst to prepare optically pure pharmaceuticals.     

Encapsulation in a sol–gel matrix of lipase from Aspergillus niger obtained by bioconversion of a novel agricultural residue

Lipase from Aspergillus niger was obtained from the solid-state fermentation of a novel agroindustrial residue, pumpkin seed flour. The partially purified enzyme was encapsulated in a sol–gel matrix, resulting in an immobilization yield of 71.4 %. The optimum pH levels of the free and encapsulated enzymes were 4.0 and 3.0, respectively. The encapsulated enzyme showed greater thermal stability at temperatures of 45 and 60 °C than the free enzyme. The positive influence of the encapsulation process was observed on the thermal stability of the enzyme, since a longer half-life t _1/2 and lower deactivation constant were obtained with the encapsulated lipase when compared with the free lipase. Kinetic parameters were found to follow the Michaelis–Menten equation. The K _m values indicated that the encapsulation process reduced enzyme–substrate affinity and the V _max was about 31.3 % lower than that obtained with the free lipase. The operational stability was investigated, showing 50 % relative activity up to six cycles of reuse at pH 3.0 at 37 °C. Nevertheless, the production of lipase from agroindustrial residue associated with an efficient immobilization method, which promotes good catalytic properties of the enzyme, makes the process economically viable for future industrial applications.     

Lipase production by Serratia marcescens strain SN5gR isolated from the scat of lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) in Silent Valley National Park, a biodiversity hotspot in India

An extracellular lipase-producing bacterium was isolated from a fecal sample of lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), an endangered Old World monkey that is endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. Morphological, biochemical and molecular analyses identified the bacterium as Serratia marcescens. Production of lipase was investigated in shake-flask culture. Optimum tributyrin concentration of 1.5 % was found to be the most suitable triglyceride to increase lipase production (13.3 U ml^?1). The next best lipid source observed was olive oil (11.94 U ml^?1), followed by castor oil, coconut oil and palm oil. Analyzing the effect of different carbon sources on lipase production revealed that 2 % glucose yielded higher lipase production than the other tested carbon sources. Investigations on suitable nitrogen source for lipase production revealed that 2 % meat extract yielded higher lipase production. The most suitable trace element for maximum lipase production was zinc sulfate, followed by magnesium sulfate and copper sulfate. Partial characterization of the crude lipase revealed that pH 7.0 and a temperature of 40 °C gave optimal lipase activity. Enzymatic activity of the crude sample was retained over a wide temperature range (20–75 °C), and 70 % of enzyme activity was retained at 60 °C. Testing the effect of various organic solvents on lipase activity revealed that hexadecane increased lipase activity by 85 % over the control.     

Combination of two lipases more efficiently catalyzes methanolysis of soybean oil for biodiesel production in aqueous medium

A combination of two lipases was employed to catalyze methanolysis of soybean oil in aqueous medium for biodiesel production. The two lipase genes were cloned from fungal strains Rhizomucor miehei and Penicillium cyclopium, and each expressed successfully in Pichia pastoris. Activities of the 1,3-specific lipase from R. miehei (termed RML) and the non-specific mono- and diacylglycerol lipase from P. cyclopium (termed MDL) were 550 U and 1545 U per ml respectively, and enzymatic properties of these supernatant of fermentation broth (liquid lipase) were stable at 4 °C for >3 months. Under optimized conditions, the ratio of biodiesel conversion after 12 h at 30 °C, using RML alone, was 68.5%. When RML was assisted by addition of MDL, biodiesel conversion ratio was increased to >95% under the same reaction conditions. The results suggested that combination of lipases with different specificity, for enzymatic conversion of more complex lipid substrates, is a potentially useful strategy for biodiesel production.     

Extracellular solvent stable cold-active lipase from psychrotrophic Bacillus sphaericus MTCC 7526: partial purification and characterization

Psychrotropic Bacillus sphaericus producing solvent stable cold-active lipase upon growth at low temperature was isolated from Gangotri glacier. Optimal parameters for lipase production were investigated and the strain was able to produce lipase even at 15 °C. An incubation period of 48 h and pH 8 was found to be conducive for cold-active lipase production. The addition of trybutyrin as substrate and lactose as additional carbon source increased lipase production. The enzyme was purified up to 17.74-fold by ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by DEAE cellulose column chromatography. The optimum temperature and pH for lipase activity were found to be 15 °C and 8.0, respectively. The lipase was found to be stable in the temperature range 20–30 °C and the pH range 6.0–9.0. The protein retained more than 83 % of its initial activity after exposure to organic solvents. The lipase exhibited significant stability in presence of acetone and DMSO retaining >90 % activity. The enzyme activity was inhibited by 10 mM CuSO₄ and EDTA but showed no loss in activity after incubation with other metals or inhibitors examined in this study.     

Characterization of a NaCl-tolerant β-N-acetylglucosaminidase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphingobacterium</Emphasis> sp. HWLB1

β-N-Acetylglucosaminidases serve important biological functions and various industrial applications. A glycoside hydrolase family 3 β-N-acetylglucosaminidase gene was cloned from Sphingobacterium sp. HWLB1 and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The purified recombinant enzyme (rNag3HWLB1) showed apparent optimal activity at pH 7.0 and 40 °C. In the presence of 0.5–20.0 % (w/v) NaCl, the activity and stability of rNag3HWLB1 were slightly affected or not affected. The enzyme could even retain 73.6 % activity when 30.0 % (w/v) NaCl was added to the reaction mixture. The half-life of the enzyme was approximately 10 min at 37 °C without the addition of NaCl. However, the enzyme was stable at 37 °C in the presence of 3.0 % (w/v) NaCl. A large negatively charged surface in the catalytic pocket of the enzyme was observed and might contribute to NaCl tolerance and thermostability improvement. The degree of synergy between a commercial endochitinase and rNag3HWLB1 on chitin enzymatic degradation ranged from 3.11 to 3.74. This study is the first to report the molecular and biochemical properties of a NaCl-tolerant β-N-acetylglucosaminidase.     

Immobilization and characterisation of a lipase from a new source, Bacillus sp. ITP-001

A new source of lipase from Bacillus sp. ITP-001 was immobilized by physical adsorption on the polymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) in aqueous solution. The support and immobilized lipase were characterised, compared to the lyophilised lipase, with regard to the specific surface area, adsorption–desorption isotherms, pore volume (Vp) and size (dp) by nitrogen adsorption, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, chemical composition analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and biochemical properties. The immobilized enzyme displayed a shift in optimum pH towards the acidic side with an optimum at pH 4.0, whereas the optimum pH for the free enzyme was at pH 7.0; the optimum temperature of activity was 80 and 37 °C for the free and immobilized enzyme, respectively. The inactivation rate constant for the immobilized enzyme at 37 °C was 0.0038 h^?1 and the half-life was 182.41 h. The kinetic parameters obtained for the immobilized enzyme gave a Michaelis–Menten constant (K _m) of 49.10 mM and a maximum reaction velocity (V _max) of 205.03 U/g. Furthermore, the reuse of the lipase immobilized by adsorption allowed us to observe that it could be reused for 10 successive cycles, duration of each cycle (1 h), maintaining 33 % of the initial activity.     

Lipase from marine strain using cooked sunflower oil waste: production optimization and application for hydrolysis and thermodynamic studies

The marine strain Pseudomonas otitidis was isolated to hydrolyze the cooked sunflower oil (CSO) followed by the production of lipase. The optimum culture conditions for the maximum lipase production were determined using Plackett–Burman design and response surface methodology. The maximum lipase production, 1,980 U/ml was achieved at the optimum culture conditions. After purification, an 8.4-fold purity of lipase with specific activity of 5,647 U/mg protein and molecular mass of 39 kDa was obtained. The purified lipase was stable at pH 5.0–9.0 and temperature 30–80 °C. Ca²⁺ and Triton X-100 showed stimulatory effect on the lipase activity. The purified lipase was highly stable in the non-polar solvents. The functional groups of the lipase were determined by Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The purified lipase showed higher hydrolytic activity towards CSO over the other cooked oil wastes. About 92.3 % of the CSO hydrolysis was observed by the lipase at the optimum time 3 h, pH 7.5 and temperature 35 °C. The hydrolysis of CSO obeyed pseudo first order rate kinetic model. The thermodynamic properties of the lipase hydrolysis were studied using the classical Van’t Hoff equation. The hydrolysis of CSO was confirmed by FT-IR studies.     

Molecular cloning, expression, purification and characterization of thioredoxin from Antarctic sea-ice bacteria Pseudoalteromonas sp. AN178

Thioredoxin (Trx) is a highly conserved and multi-functional protein that plays a pivotal role in maintaining the redox state of the cell and in protecting the cell against oxidative stress. Trx gene from Antarctic sea-ice bacteria Pseudoalteromonas sp. AN178 was cloned and expressed as soluble protein in Escherichia coli (designated as PsTrx). Trx gene consisted of an open reading frame of 324-bp nucleotides encoding a protein of 108 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 11.88 kDa. The deduced protein included the conserved Cys–Gly–Pro–Cys active-site sequence. After purification by a single step Ni–NTA affinity chromatography, recombinant PsTrx with a high specific activity of 96.67 U/mg was obtained. The purified PsTrx had an optimal temperature and pH of 25 °C and 7.0, respectively, and showed about 55 % of the residual catalytic activity even at 0–10 °C. It had high tolerance to a wide range of NaCl concentrations (0–2 M NaCl) and was stable in the presence of H₂O₂. This research suggested that PsTrx displayed unique catalytic properties.     

Bacteriocin-Producing Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Mangrove Forests in Southern Thailand as Potential Bio-Control Agents: Purification and Characterization of Bacteriocin Produced by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis KT2W2L

The aim of this work was to purify and characterize the bacteriocin produced by Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis KT2W2L previously isolated from mangrove forests in southern Thailand, in order to evaluate its potential as new food protective agent. The active peptide from the cell-free supernatant of this strain was purified in 4 steps: (1) precipitation with 70 % saturated ammonium sulfate, (2) elution on a reversed-phase cartridge using different concentrations of acetonitrile, (3) cation-exchange chromatography and (4) final purification by reversed-phase HPLC on a C₈ column. The molecular mass of 3,329.5254 Da of the purified bacteriocin, determined by mass spectrometry, is nearly identical to that of peptide nisin Z. The activity of the purified bacteriocin was unaffected by pH (2.0–10.0), thermostable but was sensitive to proteolytic enzymes. The bacteriocin activity was stable after 8 weeks of storage at ?20 °C and 7 weeks of storage at 4 °C, but decreased after 3 weeks of storage at 37 °C. It was stable when incubated for 1 month at 4 °C in 0–30 % NaCl. Inhibitory spectrum of this bacteriocin showed a wide range of activity against similar bacterial strains, food-spoilage and food-borne pathogens. L. lactis subsp. lactis KT2W2L was sensitive to kanamycin, penicillin and tetracycline but resistant to ampicillin, gentamicin and vancomycin. The fragment obtained after amplification of genomic DNA from L. lactis subsp. lactis KT2W2L, with specific primers for bacteriocin genes, presented 99 % homology to the nisin Z gene. PCR amplification demonstrated that L. lactis subsp. lactis KT2W2L does not harbor virulence genes cylA, cylB, efaAfs and esp. The bacteriocin and its producing strain may find application as bio-preservatives for reduction in food-spoilage and food-borne pathogens in food products.     

Production,characterization, and immobilization of partially purified surfactant–detergent and alkali-thermostable protease from newly isolated Aeromonas caviae

Proteolytic Aeromonas caviae P-1-1 growing at wide-ranging pH (7.0–11.0) and moderate salinity (0–5% NaCl) was isolated from cattle shed of Thanjavur, India. It produced lipase, gelatinase, and polyhydroxybutyrate. Different culture conditions, incubation time, carbon and nitrogen sources, vitamins, amino acids, surfactants, and metal ions for optimal growth and protease production of P-1-1 were examined. Maximum protease (0.128?U/mL) production was achieved with 1% fructose, 1% yeast extract, 0.1% ammonium sulfate, 3% NaCl, 0.1% CaCl₂?·?2H₂O, 1% glycine, 0.1% vitamin E, and 0.1% Tween-40 at pH 8.0 after 42?hr of incubation at 37°C. It was active over broad range of pH (7.0–12.0), temperature (15–100°C), and salinity (0–9% NaCl) with optima at pH 10.0, 55°C, and 3% NaCl. It retained 65 and 48% activities at pH 12.0 and 100°C, respectively. Partially purified protease was highly stable (100%) within pH range 7.0–12.0 and salinities of 0–5% NaCl for 48?hr. Cu²⁺, Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ca²⁺ did not inhibit its activity. Its stability at extreme pHs, temperatures, and in the presence of surfactants and commercial detergents suggests its possible application in laundry detergents. Partially purified protease was immobilized and reused. This is the first report of alkali-thermotolerant, surfactant–detergent-stable partially purified extracellular protease from A. caviae.