High level expression of a synthetic gene encoding Peniophora lycii phytase in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris

Phytase is widespread in nature. It has been used as a cereal feed additive that can enhance the phosphorus and mineral absorption in monogastric animals to reduce the level of phosphorus output in manure. Phytase of Peniophora lycii is a 6′-phytase, which owns high specific activity. To achieve a high expression level of 6′-phytase in Pichia pastoris, the 1,230-bp phytase gene of P. lycii was synthesized and optimized for codon usage, G+C content, as well as mRNA secondary structures. The gene constructs containing wild type or modified phytase gene coding sequences under the control of the highly-inducible alcohol oxidase gene (AOX1) promoter, the synthetic signal peptide (designated MF4I), which is a codon-modified Saccharomyces cerevisiae mating factor α-prepro-leader sequence, were used to transform P. pastoris. The P. pastoris strain that expressed the modified phytase gene (phy-pl-sh) with MF4I sequence produced 12.2 g phytase per liter of fluid culture, with the phytase activity of 10,540 U ml⁻¹. The yield of the modified phytase gene, with bias codon usage and MF4I signal, is 4.4 times higher than that of the wild type gene with MF4I signal and 13.6 times higher than that of the wild type gene with wild type S. cerevisiae signal. The recombinant phytase had one optimum pH (pH 4.5) and an optimum temperature of 50°C. The P. pastoris strain expressed the modified 6-phytase gene, with the MF4I signal peptide showing great potential as a commercial phytase production system.Electronic Supplementary MaterialSupplementary material is available for this article at     

Secretion of active recombinant phytase from soybean cell-suspension cultures.

Phytase, an enzyme that degrades the phosphorus storage compound phytate, has the potential to enhance phosphorus availability in animal diets when engineered into soybean (Glycine max) seeds. The phytase gene from Aspergillus niger was inserted into soybean transformation plasmids under control of constitutive and seed-specific promoters, with and without a plant signal sequence. Suspension cultures were used to confirm phytase expression in soybean cells. Phytase mRNA was observed in cultures containing constitutively expressed constructs. Phytase activity was detected in the culture medium from transformants that received constructs containing the plant signal sequence, confirming expectations that the protein would follow the default secretory pathway. Secretion also facilitated characterization of the biochemical properties of recombinant phytase. Soybean-synthesized phytase had a lower molecular mass than did the fungal enzyme. However, deglycosylation of the recombinant and fungal phytase yielded polypeptides of identical molecular mass (49 kD). Temperature and pH optima of the recombinant phytase were indistinguishable from the commercially available fungal phytase. Thermal inactivation studies of the recombinant phytase suggested that the additional protein stability would be required to withstand the elevated temperatures involved in soybean processing.     

The GacA global regulator is required for the appropriate expression of Erwinia chrysanthemi 3937 pathogenicity genes during plant infection

Pathogenicity of the phytopathogenic enterobacterium Erwinia chrysanthemi , the causal agent of soft rot disease on many plants, is a complex process involving several factors whose production is regulated by a complex, intertwined regulatory network. In this work we characterized the GacA regulator, member of the GacS–GacA two-component system, as a global regulator which is required for disease expression but not for bacterial multiplication in planta during the first stages of the plant infection. GacA was shown to control the expression of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes and hrp genes in vitro . Analysis of virulence gene expression during infection of Arabidopsis thaliana revealed a coordinated expression of these virulence genes at 12 h post infection and showed that GacA is required for the appropriate production of virulence factors in planta . GacA might partly act by negatively controlling the expression of the pecT gene encoding the global repressor PecT, indicating a hierarchy in the pathways involved in the E. chrysanthemi regulatory network.     

Characterization and overproduction of the Escherichia coli appA encoded bifunctional enzyme that exhibits both phytase and acid phosphatase activities

The appA gene that was previously shown to code for an acid phosphatase instead codes for a bifunctional enzyme exhibiting both acid phosphatase and phytase activities. The purified enzyme with a molecular mass of 44,708 Da was further separated by chromatofocusing into two isoforms of identical size with isoelectric points of 6.5 and 6.3. The isoforms had identical pH optima of 4.5 and were stable at pH values from 2 to 10. The temperature optimum for both phytase isoforms was 60 degrees C. When heated at different pH values the enzyme showed the greatest thermal resistance at pH 3. The pH 6.5 isoform exhibited K(m) and Vmax values of 0.79 mM and 3165 U.mg-1 of protein for phytase activity and 5.5 mM and 712 U.mg-1 of protein for acid phosphatase, respectively. The pH 6.3 isoform exhibited slightly lower K(m) and Vmax values. The enzyme exhibited similar properties to the phytase purified by Greiner et al. (1993), except the specific activity of the enzyme was at least 3.5-fold less than that previously reported, and the N-terminal amino acid sequence was different. The Bradford assay, which was used by Greiner et al. (1993) for determination of enzyme concentration was, in our hands, underestimating protein concentration by a factor of 14. Phytase production using the T7 polymerase expression system was enhanced by selection of a mutant able to grow in a chemically defined medium with lactose as the carbon source and inducer. Using this strain in fed-batch fermentation, phytase production was increased to over 600 U.mL-1. The properties of the phytase including the low pH optimum, protease resistance, and high activity, demonstrates that the enzyme is a good candidate for industrial production as a feed enzyme.     

A thermostable phytase from Bacillus sp. MD2: cloning, expression and high-level production in Escherichia coli

Phytase is used as a feed additive for degradation of antinutritional phytate, and the enzyme is desired to be highly thermostable for it to withstand feed formulation conditions. A Bacillus sp. MD2 showing phytase activity was isolated, and the phytase encoding gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant phytase exhibited high stability at temperatures up to 100°C. A higher enzyme activity was obtained when the gene expression was done in the presence of calcium chloride. Production of the enzyme by batch- and fed-batch cultivation in a bioreactor was studied. In batch cultivation, maintaining dissolved oxygen at 20–30% saturation and depleting inorganic phosphate below 1 mM prior to induction by IPTG resulted in over 10 U/ml phytase activity. For fed–batch cultivation, glucose concentration was maintained at 2–3 g/l, and the phytase expression was increased to 327 U/ml. Induction using lactose during fed-batch cultivation showed a lag phase of 4 h prior to an increase in the phytase activity to 71 U/ml during the same period as IPTG-induced production. Up to 90% of the total amount of expressed phytase leaked out from the E. coli cells in both IPTG- and lactose-induced fed-batch cultivations.     

木霉植酸酶编码基因多样性及作为系统发育标记潜力研究

对现有的148株木霉菌株在含植酸钙的琼脂培养基上进行了产植酸酶能力鉴定,结果表明所有菌株均产生了水解透明图,说明所有测试的木霉菌株都具有植酸酶活性,植酸酶编码基因在木霉群体中具有广泛性.选取14个种类的21株木霉,采用植酸酶保守序列设计简并引物P8205、P500-2扩增获得其中11种17株木霉植酸酶基因片段,进行了序列测定;利用ITS4、ITS5引物扩增17个木霉菌株的ITS序列并测序.分别基于植酸酶基因片段序列以及ITS序列信息,通过邻接法(N-J法)构建系统发育树,结果表明植酸酶基因序列具有多样性的特点,而基于植酸酶基因序列与基于ITS序列的分类结果基本相同,不同的是长枝木霉(Trichoderma longibrachiatum)植酸酶基因序列与哈茨木霉(Trichoderma harzianum)被分到同一分支当中,与ITS序列的进化关系相差较大,表明有可以作为木霉分类的一种新的标记的潜力,并携带部分与ITS序列不同的系统发育相关信息.     

Citrobacter amalonaticus Phytase on the Cell Surface of Pichia pastoris Exhibits High pH Stability as a Promising Potential Feed Supplement

Phytase expressed and anchored on the cell surface of Pichia pastoris avoids the expensive and time-consuming steps of protein purification and separation. Furthermore, yeast cells with anchored phytase can be used as a whole-cell biocatalyst. In this study, the phytase gene of Citrobacter amalonaticus was fused with the Pichia pastoris glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored glycoprotein homologue GCW61. Phytase exposed on the cell surface exhibits a high activity of 6413.5 U/g, with an optimal temperature of 60°C. In contrast to secreted phytase, which has an optimal pH of 5.0, phytase presented on the cell surface is characterized by an optimal pH of 3.0. Moreover, our data demonstrate that phytase anchored on the cell surface exhibits higher pH stability than its secreted counterpart. Interestingly, our in vitro digestion experiments demonstrate that phytase attached to the cell surface is a more efficient enzyme than secreted phytase.     

A novel extracellular low‐temperature active phytase from Bacillus aryabhattai RS1 with potential application in plant growth

Bacillus aryabhattai RS1 isolated from rhizosphere produced an extracellular, low temperature active phytase. The cultural conditions for enzyme production were optimized to obtain 35 U mL^?1 of activity. Purified phytase had specific activity and molecular weight of 72.97 U mg^?1 and ～40 kDa, respectively. The enzyme was optimally active at pH 6.5 and 40°C and was highly specific to phytate. It exhibited higher catalytic activity at low temperature, retaining over 40% activity at 10°C. Phytase was more thermostable in presence of Ca²⁺ ion and retained 100% residual activity on preincubation at 20–50°C for 30 min. Partial phytase encoding gene, phy_B (816 bp) was cloned and sequenced. The encoded amino acid sequence (272 aa) contained two conserved motifs, DA[A/T/E]DDPA[I/L/V]W and NN[V/I]D[I/L/V]R[Y/D/Q] of β‐propellar phytase and had lower sequence homology with other Bacillus phytases, indicating its novelty. Phytase and the bacterial inoculum were effective in improving germination and growth of chickpea seedlings under phosphate limiting condition. Moreover, the potential applications of the enzyme with relatively high activity at lower temperatures (20–30°C) could also be extended to aquaculture and food processing. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:633–641, 2017     

土壤中微生物植酸酶的活性及其提高方法与应用

磷是有限不可再生资源,土壤缺磷是植物生长和农作物生产的主要限制因子之一。无机磷肥施入土壤后,极易被土壤固相吸附或与金属阳离子形成难溶性络合物或转化为有机磷,导致其生物可利用性降低。土壤磷主要以有机磷形式存在,占比20%-80%。有机磷又以植酸(盐)为主要成分,占比约50%。植酸不可被植物直接吸收利用,需在专一性酶植酸酶作用下经脱磷酸化水解释放磷供植物吸收。土壤植酸酶主要来源于微生物,易受温度、pH、土壤吸附、钙含量及钙磷比、底物含量和有效性等影响,导致酶活降低甚至失活。如何保持或提高土壤中植酸酶活性,进而提高土壤内源植酸磷的利用率,对降低外源磷肥施加和保障农业生产具有重要意义。本文综述微生物植酸酶的来源、分类与作用机制及土壤中植酸酶活性的影响因素,重点阐述保持或提高其活性的方法及实际应用效率。针对土壤植酸酶活性低和稳定性差的问题,对通过调控最适pH范围、提高热稳定性、将植酸酶负载于纳米材料和基因工程改造等改善植酸酶性质的方法进行展望。综述内容可为理解土壤中植酸酶活性的影响因素,进而提高土壤内源植酸磷的利用效率提供理论依据和技术参考,对减少外源磷肥施用、降低磷流失和土壤面源/水体污染风险及保障农业可持续发展具有一定的现实意义。     

Cloning and High-Level Expression of the Enzymatic Region of Phytase in E. coli

Phytase is an important enzyme poses great nutritional significance in humans and monogastric animals diets. The phytase production yield using wild sources, including micro-organisms, plants, and animals is sorely low. Thus, recombinant expression of phytase has received increasing interest for achieving production rate. Escherichia coli is the most preferred host for expression of heterologous proteins but overexpression of recombinant phytase in E. coli, met with limited success due to the sequestration of the enzyme into inclusion bodies. In the present study, artificial phytases gene with excellent thermostability and activity were designed by detecting the enzymatic region of the E. coli phytase gene by employing bioinformatics tools. Then, the PCR amplified recombinant gene was expressed in E. coli and the active enzyme was recovered from inclusion bodies. Employing cysteine amino acid in the dialysis buffer succeed to the superior activity of the enzyme with a specific activity of 73.8 U/mg. The optimum temperature and pH for enzyme activity were determined at 60 °C and 4, respectively. The novel recombinant enzyme illustrated perfect thermostability up to 70 °C with maintenance 75% of its activity. The enzyme was stable at pH range of 2–10. Moreover, the effects of ions and chemical compounds on enzyme stability and activity were assessed.