Protease Production by Species of Entomophthora

Ten insect-pathogenic species of Entomophthora showed wide variation in their ability to produce alkaline protease in surface culture. E. coronata, the most active producer, was selected for studies in submerged culture together with E. virulenta. All media tested appeared suitable for mycelial growth of these two organisms, but a liver medium was superior for the production of protease. The effect of the constituents of the liver medium upon yield was investigated. The lag between growth and the production of protease was 24 to 40 hr, and only very small amounts of protease were obtained from sonically treated mycelium. The pH values during growth rose from ranges of 4.5 to 7.5 in the initial medium to 7.2 to 7.9, and did not affect the final yields. The optimal temperature for the production of protease by E. coronata was 24 to 32 C, and good growth was observed at temperatures as low as 16 C. The process with E. coronata was scaled up to fermentors without a decrease in yield; 5 enzyme units/liter were obtained after approximately 33 hr. This corresponds to a maximal productivity of 0.45 enzyme unit per liter per hr during the protease-producing phase. The process was insensitive to changes in aeration rate. The liver in the medium was replaced by various agricultural by-products, meat scrap, rapeseed oil meal, cottonseed nutrients, milk powder, and meat hydrolysate, with approximately the same or higher yields of protease.     

Proteinase production by a species of Cephalosporium

An unidentified Cephalosporium species produced an extracellular proteinase when grown in a variety of fermentation media under submerged culture conditions. Maximal enzyme yields were obtained in a medium containing 2% corn meal, 1% soybean meal, and 0.5% CaCO₃ in tap water. Optimal proteinase production in this medium occurred within a 72- to 96-hr growth period. High enzyme yields were also attained with media in which cottonseed meal, Fermatein, Pharmamedia, or soybean-α-protein was substituted for the soybean meal. The substitution of these ingredients for the corn meal resulted in significantly decreased proteinase yields. The addition of minerals or vitamins to the corn meal-soybean meal fermentation medium failed to enhance proteinase production. The enzyme was most active in an alkaline environment; maximal caseinolysis occurred at pH 7.5, whereas pH 8.5 was optimal for either hemoglobin or β-lactoglobulin hydrolysis. Enzymatic activity was also noted with either bovine albumin fraction V or soybean-α-protein substrates, whereas ovalbumin was not susceptible to enzymatic attack. The enzyme was stable within the pH range of 3.0 to 9.5 at 25 C for 2 hr, and at 5 C for 24 hr. The proteinase was stable upon heating for 10 min at 35 to 45 C, but it was totally inactivated at 70 C. The proteinase was unaffected by soybean inhibitor, partially inactivated by lima bean inhibitor, and completely inactivated by ovomucoid inhibitor.     

Continuous Production of Clostridium tetani Toxin

The continuous production of Clostridium tetani toxin has been carried out in a 1-liter stirred culture vessel for as long as 65 days. Toxin production of approximately 120 flocculating units per ml was maintained with a dilution rate of 0.125 hr^-1, a temperature of 34 C, a pH of 7.4, and the addition to the medium of 0.1 g of potassium chloride per liter. The average minimal lethal intraperitoneal dose of the toxin in mice was approximately 10⁶ per ml.     

Production of enterotoxin a

A method for production of enterotoxin A in multiple liter lots is described. The medium contained 4% N-Z Amine NAK supplemented with 0.001% niacin and 0.00005% thiamine, and was adjusted to pH 6. The inoculated medium in lots of 400 to 600 ml, in 2-liter Erlenmeyer flasks, was incubated at 37 C for 24 hr on a gyrotory shaker at 280 rev/min. Production of 4 to 6 μg of enterotoxin A per ml occurred.     

Production of Enterotoxin A

A method for production of enterotoxin A in multiple liter lots is described. The medium contained 4% N-Z Amine NAK supplemented with 0.001% niacin and 0.00005% thiamine, and was adjusted to pH 6. The inoculated medium in lots of 400 to 600 ml, in 2-liter Erlenmeyer flasks, was incubated at 37 C for 24 hr on a gyrotory shaker at 280 rev/min. Production of 4 to 6 μg of enterotoxin A per ml occurred.     

Pilot scale affinity chromatography: purification of beta-galactosidase

β-Galactosidase has been purified from an ammonium sulfate precipitate of E. coli strain ML308 by biospecific adsorption on a column of agarose gel substituted with p-aminophenyl-β-D -thiogalactopyranoside. The system described using a 1.8 liter column has a useful processing capacity of 3.8 × 10⁶ units of β-galactosidase per 2 hr cycle. This corresponds to about 5 g of pure enzyme. An electromechanical timing device operates a set of six solenoid valves and carries out a preset program consisting of sample application, washing, and elation operations.     

Development of a Selective Medium for Isolation of Helicobacter pylori from Cattle and Beef Samples

Helicobacter pylori has been isolated from the human stomach with media containing only minimal selective agents. However, current research on the transmission and sources of infection requires more selective media due to the higher numbers of contaminants in environmental, oral, and fecal samples. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate detection techniques that are sufficiently selective to isolate H. pylori from potential animal and food sources. Since H. pylori survives in the acidic environment of the stomach, low pH with added urea was studied as a potential selective combination. H. pylori grew fairly well on H. pylori Special Peptone plating medium supplemented with 10 mM urea at pH 4.5, but this pH did not sufficiently inhibit the growth of contaminants. Various antibiotic combinations were then compared, and a combination consisting of 10 mg of vancomycin per liter, 5 mg of amphotericin B per liter, 10 mg of cefsulodin per liter, 62,000 IU of polymyxin B sulfate per liter, 40 mg of trimethoprim per liter, and 20 mg of sulfamethoxazole per liter proved to be highly selective but still allowed robust colonies of H. pylori to grow. This medium was highly selective for recovering H. pylori from cattle and beef samples, and it is possible that it could be used to enhance the recovery of this bacterium from human and environmental samples, which may be contaminated with large numbers of competing microorganisms.     

Production and stabilization of cells of Bacillus popilliae and Bacillus lentimorbus

Bacillus popilliae and B. lentimorbus grew most rapidly and to the greatest extent in aerated cultures at 30 to 32 C with oxygen absorption rates of 1 mmole of O₂ per min per liter, or above. The control of pH also increased the maximal populations attained. Media were developed which consistently produced cell populations of about 10⁹ within 24 to 48 hr in aerated cultures of these two species. The acetic acid produced in highly aerated cultures was shown not to be responsible for the rapid loss of cell viability in stationary phase cultures. However, H₂O₂ was very lethal to cells of B. popilliae, and this species is known to have the capacity to produce it. Stationary-phase cells were partially stabilized by reducing the availability of oxygen after 24 hr of incubation on a shaker, and the addition of low levels of glucose further stabilized the cells. The most stable cells were those produced in a medium in which 4% Trypticase (BBL) and 0.1% barbituric acid were incorporated. A high percentage of these cells contained refractile bodies visible under a phase microscope. Although these bodies were not heat-resistant and lacked other characteristics of endospores, cells in cultures containing them had reasonably high viability for extended periods, as compared with those in control cultures.     

Effect of pH and Chelating Agents on the Heat Resistance and Viability of Salmonella typhimurium Tm-1 and Salmonella senftenberg 775W in Egg White

Supplementation of egg white at pH 8.9 with 5 mg of disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) per ml resulted in a kill of Salmonella typhimurium Tm-1 of greater than 10⁶ per ml after 28 days at 2 C. While at 28 C, supplementation with 7 mg of EDTA per ml resulted in approximately a 10⁶ kill in less than 24 hr. Kena supplementation at 40 mg/ml of egg white resulted in a kill of S. typhimurium Tm-1 of greater than 10⁶ after approximately 60 hr of storage at 28 C. This is in contrast to no reduction in viable count in unsupplemented egg white stored at 2 C and a 100-fold increase in viable count in that stored at 28 C. Supplementation of egg white with EDTA at 7 mg/ml or with Kena at 10 mg/ml also affected the heat resistant characteristics of the two organisms at 52.5 C, reducing the time required to kill 90% of the population (D value) at any pH by a factor of 2 to 6. There was a synergistic effect between EDTA and lactic acid when lactic acid was used to adjust EDTA-supplemented egg white to an acidic pH (5.3) which greatly decreased the heat resistance of Salmonella senftenberg 775W (from 100D to D).     

极地适冷菌Pseudoalteromonas sp. QI-1产适冷蛋白酶发酵条件的优化

对极地适冷菌Pseudoalteromonas sp. QI-1产适冷蛋白酶的发酵条件进行优化。结果表明:菌株QI-1的最适生长和产酶温度均为5℃;最佳接种量为1%;发酵培养基的最适初始pH和最佳装样量分别为5和10%;盐度为2%时对菌株的生长和产酶最为有利;麸皮和醋酸钠分别为最佳N源和C源;添加0.75%酪蛋白时菌株QI-1胞外蛋白酶的活性最高;10 mmol/L Mg2+和0.5%Tween-80有利于产酶。正交试验结果表明:菌株Pseudoalteromonassp. QI-1产蛋白酶较佳培养基配方(g/L)为麸皮5,酵母粉2.5,酪蛋白3,MgCl2.6H2O 3,KCl 1.5;发酵液比酶活为166.20 U/mL,较优化前提高了约56%。     

Production of 2-Ketogluconic Acid by Serratia marcescens

Production of 2-ketogluconic acid from glucose by fermentation with Serratia marcescens NRRL B-486 was studied in 20-liter stainless-steel fermentors. Conditions for 2-ketogluconic acid production included the following: glucose-salt medium, aeration rate of 0.75 volumes per volume per minute, agitation rate of 400 rev/min, temperature of 30 C, CaCO₃ to neutralize the acid formed, and a 5% (v/v) inoculum. Foaming was controlled with an antifoam agent added at intervals during the fermentation. When 120 g per liter of glucose were supplied, 95 to 100% yields of 2-ketogluconic acid were obtained in 16 hr. Larger amounts of glucose could be used in the fermentation provided that the carbohydrate was fed continuously. Continuous feeding of glucose to a total amount of 180 g per liter gave 95 to 100% yields of 2-ketogluconic acid in 24 hr; feeding glucose to a total amount of 240 g per liter gave 85 to 90% yields in 32 to 40 hr.     

Anaerobic Production of Thiobacillus denitrificans for the Enzyme Rhodanese

A method for the anaerobic growth of Thiobacillus denitrificans in a 140-liter (total capacity) stainless-steel culture vessel is described. As a result of controlling the pH value of cultures, and of ensuring that certain essential nutrients were in excess, cell yields approaching 700 mg (dry weight) per liter were obtained. These were over threefold higher than the best yields hitherto reported. The average rhodanese content of the cells from four cultures was 176,000 units per gram (dry weight). Adenosine-5′-phosphosulfate reductase (average content, 238 units per gram dry weight) and adenylate kinase (average content, 15,300 units per gram, dry weight) were also present.     

Thermostable Acid Protease Produced by Penicillium duponti K1014, a True Thermophilic Fungus Newly Isolated from Compost

A thermophilic fungus, K1014, newly derived from a compost was selected on the basis of protease productivity as the only one of 81 isolates to produce high levels of acid protease. The fungus was named Penicillium duponti K1014 based on taxonomical studies. It grew in the temperature range of 28 to 58 C, and the optimum was 45 to 50 C. These temperature characteristics showed that the fungus was the most strongly thermophilic of all the fungi next to Humicola lanuginosa. When P. duponti K1014 was grown on moistened wheat bran, maximal accumulation of acid protease occurred after 2 days at 45 to 50 C. The addition of ammonium salts, but not nitrate, was effective for the production of the acid protease. The acid protease of P. duponti K1014 was stable at 60 C for 1 hr and retained more than 65% of original activity after the treatment for 1 hr at 70 C at pH 4.7. This thermal property was different from those of the ordinary acid proteases, indicating that the enzyme is a thermostable protein.     

Replicating Units (Replicons) of DNA in Cultured Mammalian Cells

Exponentially growing L5178Y mouse leukemic cells were incubated in the presence of 5′-bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) for about 4 hr, transferred to the nonBUdR-containing medium for a certain period (t hours), and then pulse-labeled with TdR-³H for 10 min. When DNA isolated from these cells was subjected to CsCl gradient centrifugation, the ³H-activity was found to shift gradually from the heavy BUdR-containing peak to the light nonBUdR-containing peak with increasing time t. The average time required for the complete shift of ³H-activity from the heavy to the light DNA fraction was 2.76 hr. Taking this as the average replicating time and the size of DNA fragments in the present preparation as 1.3 × 10⁷ daltons, the rate of replication was found to be 2.1 nucleotides per strand per replicon per sec. By taking the upper limit of the average replicating time as the S period (7.3 hr), various characteristics of the replicating units, such as the lower and upper limits of average size, the average replicating time, the average number of replicating units, etc., were calculated (see Table I).     

Relation Between Iron Uptake, pH of Growth Medium, and Penicillinase Formation in Staphylococcus aureus

The uptake of iron and the formation of penicillinase was examined in cultures of wild-type Staphylococcus aureus. Uptake of iron was about twice as great at pH 4.7 as at pH 7.4 At pH 4.7, increase in iron uptake in the range of 1.0 to 4.0 μg per mg of bacterial protein was associated with a progressive increase in the rate of penicillinase formation, but a direct correlation between cellular iron content and rate of enzyme formation was not demonstrated. Addition of iron to deferrated medium enhanced penicillinase formation at pH 6.5 to 7.4 two- to fourfold in cultures induced with benzylpenicillin and in uninduced cultures. To demonstrate an effect on the uninduced cells, it was necessary to increase iron uptake by preliminary incubation of cells with iron in buffer. Calcium and certain other ions depressed iron uptake at acidic and at neutral pH, and, presumably as a result of this action, depressed the formation of penicillinase. Iron did not enhance penicillinase formation at pH 4.7 by two penicillinase constitutive mutants nor by wild-type cells undergoing induction at pH 6.5 by cephalosporin C or methicillin. After removal of cephalosporin C or methicillin during an early phase of induction, residual synthesis of enzyme was increased by prior uptake of iron. The results are considered compatible with the concept that uptake of iron, especially at acidic pH, interferes with the formation or function of penicillinase repressor.     

Phytase from Aspergillus terreus

1) Aspergillus terreus No. 9A-1 was cultivated by a shaking method and the optimal cultural conditions for the phytase production were concluded as follows: Composition of medium; rice bran 30 g, ammonium sulfate 3 g, distilled water 1.0 liter; initial pH 5.5; shaking condition; 50 ml of medium/500 ml vol. flask; 120 oscil./min, 90 hr.

2) Phytase from Asp. terreus was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, acetone precipitation and chromatography on SE-Sephadex C-50 and Sephadex G-200 columns. The enzyme was purified about 520-folds with the yield of 20% from the broth. The purified enzyme was homogeneous by column chromatography, ultracentrifugation and electrophoresis.

3) This purified preparation of phytase showed following properties, a) Optimal pH for the reaction was 4.5; b) optimal temperature for the reaction was about 70°C; c) the enzyme was stable in the range of pH from 1.2 to 9.0     

Growth,protease formation,and sporulation of Bacillus larvae in aerated broth culture

Strains of Bacillus larvae varied in their capacity to produce spores and proteases in aerated broth culture. Addition of activated charcoal to the medium increased both products in each strain tested. The small molecular-size protease appeared first in the medium, while optimal sporulation was accompanied by release of the large molecular-size enzyme. Continued incubation usually resulted in a reduction in free spores and a disappearance of proteases.     

Effect of pH on Adenine and Amino Acid Uptake During Sporulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

During the early stages of sporulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the pH of the acetate sporulation medium rises to values of 8.0 or higher. Associated with this rise in pH is a reduced cell permeability to certain precursors of ribonucleic acid (RNA), deoxyribonucleic acid or protein. Uptake of adenine, alanine, and leucine was optimal at pH 5.6 to 6.0, but sporulation was inhibited when the sporulation medium was buffered below pH 7.0. Cellular impermeability can be largely overcome by adjusting the acetate sporulation medium to pH 6.0 for optimal uptake of ¹⁴ C-adenine during short pulses without any apparent effect on sporulation. Sporulating cells pulse-labeled 20 min at pH 6.0 incorporated 40 times more ¹⁴C-adenine into RNA than sporulating cells pulse-labeled at pH 8.0. This increased incorporation can be attributed to a 100-fold increase in labeled adenosine triphosphate in cells pulse-labeled at pH 6.0 where maximum uptake occurs.     

Production of Thermostable α-Amylase, Pullulanase, and α-Glucosidase in Continuous Culture by a New Clostridium Isolate

The production of α-amylase, pullulanase, and α-glucosidase and the formation of fermentation products by the newly isolated thermophilic Clostridium sp. strain EM1 were investigated in continuous culture with a defined medium and an incubation temperature of 60°C. Enzyme production and excretion were greatly influenced by the dilution rate and the pH of the medium. The optimal values for the formation of starch-hydrolyzing enzymes were a pH of 5.9 and a dilution rate of 0.075 to 0.10 per h. Increase of the dilution rate from 0.1 to 0.3 per h caused a drastic drop in enzyme production. The ethanol concentration and optical density of the culture, however, remained almost constant. Growth limitation in the chemostat with 1% (wt/vol) starch was found optimal for enzyme production. Under these conditions 2,800 U of pullulanase per liter and 1,450 U of α-amylase per liter were produced; the amounts excreted were 70 and 55%, respectively.     

Trypanosoma cruzi: Isolation and characterization of a protease

Ion-exchange chromatography and Sephadex gel filtration were used to isolate a soluble proteolytic enzyme from culture (epimastigote) forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. The enzyme had a molecular weight of ~200,000 and an isoelectric point of pH 5.5. The enzyme exhibited protease, esterase, and transamidase activity, with a Michaelis constant of 0.122 mmole/liter [substrate: α-N-benzoyl-dl-arginine-p-nitroanilide (BAPA)]. The enzyme was specific for peptide bonds, involving the carboxyl groups of arginine, tryptophan, or α-N-substituted lysine. Two percent of the enzyme molecule was carbohydrate; glucose, mannose, xylose, galactose, and glucosamine were detected. The enzyme was inhibited by several sulfhydryl inhibitors, and was highly susceptible to oxidation. We concluded that the enzyme possesses active sulfhydryl groups.