A d-psicose 3-epimerase with neutral pH optimum from Clostridium bolteae for d-psicose production: cloning, expression, purification, and characterization

d-Tagatose 3-epimerase family enzymes can efficiently catalyze the epimerization of free keto-sugars, which could be used for d-psicose production from d-fructose. In previous studies, all optimum pH values of these enzymes were found to be alkaline. In this study, a d-psicose 3-epimerase (DPEase) with neutral pH optimum from Clostridium bolteae (ATCC BAA-613) was identified and characterized. The gene encoding the recombinant DPEase was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. In order to characterize the catalytic properties, the recombinant DPEase was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity using nickel-affinity chromatography. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid was shown to inhibit the enzyme activity completely; therefore, the enzyme was identified as a metalloprotein that exhibited the highest activity in the presence of Co²⁺. Although the DPEase demonstrated the most activity at a pH ranging from 6.5 to 7.5, it exhibited optimal activity at pH 7.0. The optimal temperature for the recombinant DPEase was 55 °C, and the half-life was 156 min at 55 °C. Using d-psicose as the substrate, the apparent K _m, k _cat, and catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _m) were 27.4 mM, 49 s^?1, and 1.78 s^?1 mM^?1, respectively. Under the optimal conditions, the equilibrium ratio of d-fructose to d-psicose was 69:31. For high production of d-psicose, 216 g/L d-psicose could be produced with 28.8 % turnover yield at pH 6.5 and 55 °C. The recombinant DPEase exhibited weak-acid stability and thermostability and had a high affinity and turnover for the substrate d-fructose, indicating that the enzyme was a potential d-psicose producer for industrial production.     

Characterization of a recombinant l-fucose isomerase from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus that isomerizes l-fucose, d-arabinose, d-altrose, and l-galactose

A recombinant l-fucose isomerase from Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus was purified as a single 68 kDa band with an activity of 76 U mg^?1. The molecular mass of the native enzyme was 204 kDa as a trimer. The maximum activity for l-fucose isomerization was at pH 7 and 75°C in the presence of 1 mM Mn²⁺. Its half-life at 70°C was 6.1 h. For aldose substrates, the enzyme displayed activity in decreasing order for l-fucose, with a k _cat of 11,910 min^?1 and a K _m of 140 mM, d-arabinose, d-altrose, and l-galactose. These aldoses were converted to the ketoses l-fuculose, d-ribulose, d-psicose, and l-tagatose, respectively, with 24, 24, 85, 55% conversion yields after 3 h.     

Characterization of a d-psicose-producing enzyme, d-psicose 3-epimerase, from Clostridium sp.

The gene coding for d-psicose 3-epimerase (DPEase) from Clostridium sp. BNL1100 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme was purified by Ni-affinity chromatography. It was a metal-dependent enzyme and required Co²⁺ as optimum cofactor. It displayed catalytic activity maximally at pH 8.0 and 65 °C (as measured over 5 min). The optimum substrate was d-psicose, and the K _m, turnover number (k _cat), and catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _m) for d-psicose were 227 mM, 32,185 min^?1, and 141 min^?1 mM^?1, respectively. At pH 8.0 and 55 °C, 120 g d-psicose l^?1 was produced from 500 g d-fructose l^?1 after 5 h.     

Characterization of ergothionase from Burkholderia sp. HME13 and its application to enzymatic quantification of ergothioneine

We identified ergothionase, which catalyzes conversion of ergothioneine to thiolurocanic acid and trimethylamine, in a newly isolated ergothioneine-utilizing strain, Burkholderia sp. HME13. The enzyme was purified and its N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined. Based on the amino acid sequence, the gene encoding the enzyme was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme was purified to homogeneity and characterized. The enzyme consisted of four identical 55-kDa subunits. The enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 8.0 and 65 °C and was stable between pH 7.0 and pH 10.0 and up to 60 °C. The enzyme acted on ergothioneine (K _m: 19 μM, V _max: 270 μmol/min/mg), but not d-histidine, l-histidine, d-tyrosine, l-tyrosine, d-phenylalanine, or l-phenylalanine. The enzyme was activated by BaCl₂ and strongly inhibited by CuSO₄, ZnSO₄, and HgCl₂. The amino acid sequence of ergothionase showed 23 % similarity to histidine ammonia-lyase (HAL) from Pseudomonas putida and 17 % similarity to phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) from parsley. However, the tripeptide sequence, Ala-Ser-Gly, which is important for catalysis in both HAL and PAL, was not conserved in ergothionase. The application of ergothionase for the quantification of ergothioneine contained in practical food and blood samples was investigated by performing a recovery test. Satisfactory recovery data (98.7–104 %) were obtained when ergothioneine was added to extract of tamogitake and hemolysis blood.     

Overexpression of d-psicose 3-epimerase from Ruminococcus sp. in Escherichia coli and its potential application in d-psicose production

The d-psicose 3-epimerase (DPE) gene from Ruminococcus sp. was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein was purified and characterized. It was optimally active at pH 7.5–8.0 and 60?°C. Activity was not dependent on the presence of metal ions; however, it became more thermostable with added Mn²⁺. The K _m of the enzyme for d-psicose (48?mM) was lower than that for d-tagatose (230?mM), suggesting that d-psicose is the optimum substrate. More importantly, the thermostability of the novel DPE from Ruminococcus is the strongest among all of the d-psicose and d-tagatose 3-epimerases and may be suitable for the industrial production of d-psicose from fructose.     

Purification and Characterization of a Recombinant β-d-xylosidase from Thermobifida fusca TM51

The subject of our investigations was a recombinant ??-d-xylosidase (TfBXyl43) from Thermobifida fusca TM51 which was expressed in E. coli BL21DE3 and was purified to apparent homogeneity. The SDS-PAGE investigations demonstrated that the molecular weight of the monomer unit is 62.5?kDa but the native-PAGE studies indicated that the mass of the enzyme is 240?C250?kDa which proves the presence of a characteristic homo oligomer quaternary structure in solution phase. Optimal parameters of the enzyme activity were at pH 6.0 and 50?°C. The enzyme showed little stability under pH 4.5 and above 60?°C. The substrate specificity investigations indicated that the TfBXyl43 is an exo-glycosidase, hydrolyzing only xylobiose and ?Ctriose from the nonreducing end. Besides the enzyme shows very high specificity on the glycon part of the substrate, since it can only hydrolyze ??-d-xylopyranoside derivatives. The importance of hydrophobic interactions in the binding of the substrates are supported that the enzyme can hydrolize about four times more efficiently the artificial p-nitrophenyl-??-d-xylopyranoside substrate compared to the natural one, xylobiose. Furthermore we could detect transxylosidase activity both in the case of xylobiose and p-nitrophenyl-??-d-xylopyranoside donors which is the first example among the inverting ??-d-xylosidases from T. fusca.     

Engineering lower inhibitor affinities in β-d-xylosidase

β-d-Xylosidase catalyzes hydrolysis of xylooligosaccharides to d-xylose residues. The enzyme, SXA from Selenomonas ruminantium, is the most active catalyst known for the reaction; however, its activity is inhibited by d-xylose and d-glucose (K _i values of ～10^?2?M). Higher K _i’s could enhance enzyme performance in lignocellulose saccharification processes for bioethanol production. We report here the development of a two-tier high-throughput screen where the 1° screen selects for activity (active/inactive screen) and the 2° screen selects for a higher K _i(d-xylose) and its subsequent use in screening ～5,900 members of an SXA enzyme library prepared using error-prone PCR. In one variant, termed SXA-C3, K _i(d-xylose) is threefold and K _i(d-glucose) is twofold that of wild-type SXA. C3 contains four amino acid mutations, and one of these, W145G, is responsible for most of the lost affinity for the monosaccharides. Experiments that probe the active site with ligands that bind only to subsite ?1 or subsite +1 indicate that the changed affinity stems from changed affinity for d-xylose in subsite +1 and not in subsite ?1 of the two-subsite active site. Trp145 is 6 Å from the active site, and its side chain contacts three active-site residues, two in subsite +1 and one in subsite ?1.     

A New Approach in the Active Site Investigation of an Inverting β-d-Xylosidase from Thermobifida fusca TM51

The catalytic amino acid residues of the β-d-xylosidase (EC 3.2.1.37; GH43), from Thermobifida fusca TM51 (TfBXyl43), were investigated by direct chemical modifications. The pH dependence curves of the kinetic parameters (k_cat and k_cat/K_M) gave pK values for the free enzyme (5.55 ± 0.19; 6.44 ± 0.19), and pK values of for the enzyme–substrate complex (4.85 ± 0.23; 7.60 ± 0.28) respectively, by using an artificial substrate p-nitrophenyl-β-d-xylopyranoside (pNP-Xyl). The detailed inhibition studies demonstrated well the hydrophobic character of the glycon binding site. Carbodiimide-mediated chemical modifications of the enzyme with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDAC) in the presence of glycine methyl ester supports the conclusion that a carboxylate residue can be fundamental in the catalytic process. We have also synthesized and tested N-bromoacetyl-β-d-xylopyranosylamine (NBAXA) for TfBXyl43 as an affinity label, which also inactivated the enzyme irreversible. The pH dependence studies in both cases of inactivation revealed that the modified group is the catalytic proton donor (NBAXA pK_A = 6.68 ± 0,1; EDAC pK_A = 7.42 ± 0.22) which displays its essential role in the hydrolytic process. The β-d-xylopyranosylazide as competitive inhibitor protected the enzyme in all cases against the inactivation, suggesting that the chemical modification which has an impact on the activity took place in the active center. Changing of the enzyme conformation was followed by CD spectroscopy, as a result of the NBAXA inactivation. Our study is important because to our knowledge no similar investigations were made in the case of an inverting β-d-xylosidase.     

d-Tagatose production in the presence of borate by resting Lactococcus lactis cells harboring Bifidobacterium longum l-arabinose isomerase

Bifidobacterium longum NRRL B-41409 l-arabinose isomerase (l-AI) was overexpressed in Lactococcus lactis using a phosphate depletion inducible expression system. The resting L. lactis cells harboring the B. longum l-AI were used for production of d-tagatose from d-galactose in the presence of borate buffer. Multivariable analysis suggested that high pH, temperature and borate concentration favoured the conversion of d-galactose to d-tagatose. Almost quantitative conversion (92 %) was achieved at 20 g L^?1 substrate and at 37.5 °C after 5 days. The d-tagatose production rate of 185 g L^?1 day^?1 was obtained at 300 g L^?1 galactose, at 1.15 M borate, and at 41 °C during 10 days when the production medium was changed every 24 h. There was no significant loss in productivity during ten sequential 24 h batches. The initial d-tagatose production rate was 290 g L^?1 day^?1 under these conditions.     

Characterization of a recombinant cellobiose 2-epimerase from Dictyoglomus turgidum that epimerizes and isomerizes β-1,4- and α-1,4-gluco-oligosaccharides

A recombinant putative N-acyl-d-glucosamine 2-epimerase from Dictyoglomus turgidum was identified as a cellobiose 2-epimerase by evaluating its substrate specificity. The purified enzyme was a 46?kDa monomer with a specific activity of 16.8?μmol?min^?1?mg^?1 for cellobiose. The epimerization activity was maximal at pH 7.0 and 70?°C with a half-life of 55?h. The isomerization of the glucose at the reducing end of β-1,4- and α-1,4-linked gluco-oligosaccharides to a fructose moiety by the enzyme took place after the epimerization of the glucose to a mannose moiety. The enzyme converted cellobiose to 12.8?% 4-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-d-mannose and 54.6?% 4-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-d-fructose as an equilibrium and converted lactose to 12.8?% epilactose and 54.3?% lactulose.     

Characterization of ribose-5-phosphate isomerase converting d-psicose to d-allose from Thermotoga lettingae TMO

The gene coding for ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (Rpi) from Thermotoga lettingae TMO was cloned and expressed in E. coli. The recombinant enzyme was purified by Ni-affinity chromatography. It converted d-psicose to d-allose maximally at 75 °C and pH 8.0 with a 32 % conversion yield. The k _m, turnover number (k _cat), and catalytic efficiency (k _cat k _m ^?1 ) for substrate d-psicose were 64 mM, 6.98 min^?1 and 0.11 mM^?1 min^?1 respectively.     

A novel xylan degrading β-d-xylosidase: purification and biochemical characterization

Aspergillus ochraceus, a thermotolerant fungus isolated in Brazil from decomposing materials, produced an extracellular ??-xylosidase that was purified using DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography, Sephadex G-100 and Biogel P-60 gel filtration. ??-xylosidase is a glycoprotein (39?% carbohydrate content) and has a molecular mass of 137?kDa by SDS-PAGE, with optimal temperature and pH at 70?°C and 3.0?C5.5, respectively. ??-xylosidase was stable in acidic pH (3.0?C6.0) and 70?°C for 1?h. The enzyme was activated by 5?mM MnCl₂ (28?%) and MgCl₂ (20?%) salts. The ??-xylosidase produced by A. ochraceus preferentially hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl-??-d-xylopyranoside, exhibiting apparent K_m and V_max values of 0.66?mM and 39?U (mg protein)^?1 respectively, and to a lesser extent p-nitrophenyl-??-d-glucopyranoside. The enzyme was able to hydrolyze xylan from different sources, suggesting a novel ??-d-xylosidase that degrades xylan. HPLC analysis revealed xylans of different compositions which allowed explaining the differences in specificity observed by ??-xylosidase. TLC confirmed the capacity of the enzyme in hydrolyzing xylan and larger xylo-oligosaccharides, as xylopentaose.     

An l-glucitol oxidizing dehydrogenase from Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110 for production of d-sorbose with enzymatic or electrochemical cofactor regeneration

A gene in Bradyrhizobium japonicum USDA 110, annotated as a ribitol dehydrogenase (RDH), had 87 % sequence identity (97 % positives) to the N-terminal 31 amino acids of an l-glucitol dehydrogenase from Stenotrophomonas maltophilia DSMZ 14322. The 729-bp long RDH gene coded for a protein consisting of 242 amino acids with a molecular mass of 26.1 kDa. The heterologously expressed protein not only exhibited the main enantio selective activity with d-glucitol oxidation to d-fructose but also converted l-glucitol to d-sorbose with enzymatic cofactor regeneration and a yield of 90 %. The temperature stability and the apparent K _m value for l-glucitol oxidation let the enzyme appear as a promising subject for further improvement by enzyme evolution. We propose to rename the enzyme from the annotated RDH gene (locus tag bll6662) from B. japonicum USDA as a d-sorbitol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.14).     

l-Arabinose/d-galactose 1-dehydrogenase of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii characterised and applied for bioconversion of l-arabinose to l-arabonate with Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Four potential dehydrogenases identified through literature and bioinformatic searches were tested for l-arabonate production from l-arabinose in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The most efficient enzyme, annotated as a d-galactose 1-dehydrogenase from the pea root nodule bacterium Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii, was purified from S. cerevisiae as a homodimeric protein and characterised. We named the enzyme as a l-arabinose/d-galactose 1-dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.-), Rl AraDH. It belongs to the Gfo/Idh/MocA protein family, prefers NADP⁺ but uses also NAD⁺ as a cofactor, and showed highest catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _m) towards l-arabinose, d-galactose and d-fucose. Based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and modelling studies, the enzyme prefers the α-pyranose form of l-arabinose, and the stable oxidation product detected is l-arabino-1,4-lactone which can, however, open slowly at neutral pH to a linear l-arabonate form. The pH optimum for the enzyme was pH 9, but use of a yeast-in-vivo-like buffer at pH 6.8 indicated that good catalytic efficiency could still be expected in vivo. Expression of the Rl AraDH dehydrogenase in S. cerevisiae, together with the galactose permease Gal2 for l-arabinose uptake, resulted in production of 18 g of l-arabonate per litre, at a rate of 248 mg of l-arabonate per litre per hour, with 86 % of the provided l-arabinose converted to l-arabonate. Expression of a lactonase-encoding gene from Caulobacter crescentus was not necessary for l-arabonate production in yeast.     

Identification of a novel fumarase C from Streptomyces lividans TK54 as a good candidate for l-malate production

Fumarase is a key enzyme that catalyzes the reversible hydration of fumarate to l-malate in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. This reaction has been extensively utilized for industrial applications in producing l-malate. In this study, a fumarase C gene from Streptomyces lividans TK54 (slFumC) was cloned and expressed as a fused protein (SlFumC) in Escherichia coli. The molecular mass of SlFumC was about 49 kDa determined by SDS-PAGE. Kinetic studies showed that the K _m value of SlFumC for l-malate increased by approximately 8.5-fold at pH 6.5 (6.7 ± 0.81 mM) to 8.0 (57.0 ± 1.12 mM), which was higher than some known fumarases. The catalytic efficiency (k _cat) and the specific activity increased by about 9.5-fold at pH 6.5 (65 s^?1) to 8.0 (620 s^?1) and from 79 U/mg at pH 6.5 to 752 U/mg at pH 8.0, respectively. Therefore, SlFumC may acquire strong catalytic ability by increasing pH to partially compensate for the loss of substrate affinity. The enzyme also showed substrate inhibition phenomenon, which is pH-dependent. Specific activity of SlFumC was gradually enhanced with increasing phosphate concentrations. However, no inhibition was observed at high concentration of phosphate ion, which was distinctly different in case of other Class II fumarases. In industrial process, the reaction temperatures for l-malate production are usually set between 40 and 60 °C. The recombinant SlFumC displayed maximal activity at 45 °C and remained over 85 % of original activity after 48 h incubation at 40 °C, which was more thermostable than other fumarases from Streptomyces and make it an efficient enzyme for use in the industrial production of l-malate.     

Synthesis of β-alanine from l-aspartate using l-aspartate-α-decarboxylase from Corynebacterium glutamicum

β-Alanine is mainly produced by chemical methods in current industrial processes. Here, panD from Corynebacterium glutamicum encoding l-aspartate-α-decarboxylase (ADC) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). ADC _C.g catalyzes the α-decarboxylation of l-aspartate to β-alanine. The purified ADC _C.g was optimal at 55 °C and pH 6 with excellent stability at 16–37 °C and pH 4–7. A pH–stat directed, fed-batch feeding strategy was developed for enzymatic synthesis of β-alanine to keep the pH value within 6–7.2 and thus attenuate substrate inhibition. A maximum conversion of 97.2 % was obtained with an initial 5 g l-aspartate/l and another three feedings of 0.5 % (w/v) l-aspartate at 8 h intervals. The final β-alanine concentration was 12.85 g/l after 36 h. This is the first study concerning the enzymatic production of β-alanine by using ADC.     

Characterization of a recombinant l-rhamnose isomerase from Dictyoglomus turgidum and its application for l-rhamnulose production

A putative recombinant enzyme from Dictyoglomus turgidum was characterized and immobilized on Duolite A568 beads. The native enzyme was a 46 kDa tetramer. Its activity was highest for l-rhamnose, indicating that it is an l-rhamnose isomerase. The maximum activities of both the free and immobilized enzymes for l-rhamnose isomerization were at pH 8.0 and 75 °C in the presence of Mn²⁺. Under these conditions, the half-lives of the free and immobilized enzymes were 28 and 112 h, respectively. In a packed-bed bioreactor, the immobilized enzyme produced an average of 130 g l-rhamnulose l^?1 from 300 g l-rhamnose l^?1 after 240 h at pH 8.0, 70 °C, and 0.6 h^?1, with a productivity of 78 g l^?1 h^?1 and a conversion yield of 43 %. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the enzymatic production of l-rhamnulose.     

Biosynthesis of gallotannins

Cell-free extracts from leaves of Rhus typhina L. (sumach) were found to transfer the 1-O-galloyl moiety of l,6-di-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose to the 2-position of the same compound, yielding 1,2,6-tri-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose and leaving 6-O-galloylglucose as the deacylated by-product. The enzyme catalyzing this ‘disproportionation’ was purified almost 1700-fold. It had a molecular weight of approx. 56 000, a K _m value of 11.5 mM, was stable between pH 4.5 and 6.5, and most active at pH 5.9 and 40° C. The systematic name “1,6-di-O-galloyl-glucose: 1,6-di-O-galloylglucose 2-O-galloyltransferase” (EC 2.3.1.) was proposed for this new enzyme whose detection provided evidence that, in addition to β-glucogallin (1-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose), higher substituted glucose esters also have the potential to serve as acyl donors in the biosynthesis of gallotannins.     

Fabrication of an amperometric d-amino acid biosensor based on nickel hexacyanoferrate polypyrrole hybrid film deposited on glassy carbon electrode

A nickel hexacyanoferrate polypyrrole film was synthesized through an electrochemical two-step methodology leading to a very stable and homogenous robust hybrid film. A highly sensitive, specific and rapid amperometric d-amino acid biosensor was constructed by immobilizing d-amino acid oxidase on this film deposited over the surface of a glassy carbon electrode. The modified electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry. The biosensor showed optimum response within 1 s, when operated at 50 mV s^?1 in 0.01 M Tris HCl buffer, pH 7.0 at 30 °C. The biosensor exhibited excellent sensitivity with a detection limit of 1.5 µM (S/N = 3) for d-amino acids and wider linear range, 20–500 µM. Analytical recovery of added d-alanine (5 and 10 mM) in serum samples was 98.00 and 98.80 %, respectively. Within-batch and between-batch coefficients of variation in serum samples were 1.36 and 2.77 %, respectively. The enzyme electrode was used more than 50 times over 2 months, when stored at 4 °C. The proposed modified electrode exhibited sufficient mechanical and electrochemical stability and high sensitivity compared to earlier electrochemical d-amino acid biosensors. Interference by ascorbic acid and uric acid, the main interfering species in the biological samples, was negligible.     

K+-dependent 3H-d-glucose transport by hepatopancreatic brush border membrane vesicles of a marine shrimp

The effects of sodium, potassium, sugar inhibitors, and membrane potential on ³H-d-glucose uptake by hepatopancreatic epithelial brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) of the Atlantic marine shrimp, Litopenaeus setiferus, were investigated. Brush border membrane vesicles were prepared using a MgCl₂/EGTA precipitation method and uptake experiments were conducted using a high speed filtration technique. ³H-d-Glucose uptake was stimulated by both sodium and potassium and these transport rates were almost doubled in the presence of an inside-negative-induced membrane potential. Kinetics of ³H-d-glucose influx were hyperbolic functions of both external Na⁺ or K⁺, and an induced membrane potential increased influx J _max and lowered K_m in both salts. ³H-d-Glucose influx versus [glucose] in both Na⁺ or K⁺ media also displayed Michaelis–Menten properties that were only slightly affected by induced membrane potential. Phloridzin was a poor inhibitor of 0.5 mM ³H-d-glucose influx, requiring at least 5 mM in NaCl and 10 mM in KCl to significantly reduce hexose transport. Several sugars (d-galactose, α-methyl-d-gluco-pyranoside, unlabeled d-glucose, d-fructose, and d-mannose) were used at 75 mM as potential inhibitors of 0.1 mM ³H-d-glucose influx. Only unlabeled d-glucose, d-fructose, and d-mannose significantly (p < 0.05) reduced labeled glucose transport. An additional experiment using increasing concentrations of d-mannose (0, 10, 25, 75, and 100 mM) showed this hexose to be an effective inhibitor of 0.1 mM ³H-d-glucose uptake at concentrations of 75 mM and higher. As a whole these results suggest that ³H-d-glucose transport by hepatopancreatic BBMV occurs by a carrier system that is able to use both Na⁺ and K⁺ as drivers, is enhanced by membrane potential, is relatively refractory to phloridzin, and is only inhibited by itself, d-fructose, and d-mannose. These properties are similar to those exhibited by the mammalian SLC5A9/SGLT4 transporter, suggesting that an invertebrate analogue of this protein may occur in shrimp.