Purification, amino acid sequence and characterization of the class IIa bacteriocin weissellin A, produced by Weissella paramesenteroides DX

Weissella paramesenteroides DX has been shown to produce a 4450-Da class IIa bacteriocin, weissellin A, composed of 43 amino acids with the sequence KNYGNGVYCNKHKCSVDWATFSANIANNSVAMAGLTGGNAGN. The bacteriocin shares 68% similarity with leucocin C from Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Computational analyses predict that the bacteriocin is a hydrophobic molecule with a beta-sheet type conformation. Weissellin A exhibited various levels of activity against all gram-positive bacteria tested, but was not active against Salmonella enterica Enteritidis. The antimicrobial activity was not associated with target-cell lysis. The bacteriocin retained activity after exposure to 121 °C for 60 min or to −20 °C for 6 months, and to pH 2.0-10.0. It was not sensitive to trypsin, α-chymotrypsin, pepsin and papain, but was inactivated by proteinase K. At a dissolved oxygen concentration of 50%, weissellin A was produced with growth-associated kinetics. The properties of weissellin A make this bacteriocin a potentially suitable agent for food and feed preservation.     

Preferential and high-yield production of a cephamycin C by dissolved oxygen controlled fermentation

Streptomyces sp. P6621-RS1726, a high cephamycin C producing mutant, usually produces cephamycin C together with its precursor, penicillin N, in flask fermentation. The fermentation conditions for selective and high yield production of cephamycin C were investigated using 20-l jar fermentors. As a result, cephamycin C was preferentially produced without penicillin N when the DO level was maintained at least higher than at 10% during the production phase. However, when the agitation speed was too high at the initial stage of the fermentation, the cell growth was inhibited, resulting in suppression of both cephamycin C and penicillin N production, even if the DO was maintained at a high level. Based on these experiments, a computer control system for preferential and high-yield production of cephamycin C was constructed. By using this computer control system, scale-up from a 20-l jar fermentor to a 1,500-l pilot fermentor was carried out with control of the DO level at 20% of saturation during the cephamycin C production phase. As a result, the profile of cephamycin C production in the former was favorably reproduced in the latter.     

Effects of dissolved oxygen concentration on lipase production by Rhizopus delemar

Summary The influence of the concentration of oxygen on lipase production by the fungus Rhizopus delemar was studied in different fermenters. The effect of oxygen limitation ( 47 mol/l) on lipase production by R. delemar is large as could be demonstrated in pellet and filamentous cultures. A model is proposed to describe the extent of oxygen limitation in pellet cultures. Model estimates indicate that oxygen is the limiting substrate in shake flask cultures and that an optimal inoculum size for oxygen-dependent processes can occur.Low oxygen concentrations greatly negatively affect the metabolism of R. delemar, which could be shown by cultivation in continuous cultures in filamentous growth form (D_optimal=0.086 h^-1). Continuous cultivations of R. delemar at constant, low-oxygen concentrations are a useful tool to scale down fermentation processes in cases where a transient or local oxygen limitation occurs.Symbols and Abbreviations CO Oxygen concentration in the gas phase at time = 0 (kg·m^-3) - C_{O 2i} Oxygen concentration at the pellet liquid interface (kg·m^-3) - C_{O 2i} Oxygen concentration in the bulk (kg·m^-3) - D Dilution rate (h^-1) - ID_{O 2} Diffusion coefficient for oxygen (m²·s^-1) - dw Dry weight of biomass (kg) - f Conversion factor (rs _{O 2} to oxygen consumption rate per m³) (-) - k Radial growth rate (m·s^-1) - K Constant - kla Volumetric mass transfer coefficient (s^-1) - klA Oxygen transfer rate (m^-3·s^-1) - kl Mass transfer coefficient (m·s^-1) - K _{O 2} Affinity constant for oxygen (mol·m^-3) - K _w Cotton plug resistance (m^-3·s^-1) - M Henry coefficient (-) - NV Number of pellets per volume (m^-3) - R Radius (m) - RO Radius of oxygen-deficient core (m) - RQ Respiration quotient (mol CO₂/mol O₂) - rs _{O 2} Specific oxygen consumption rate per dry weight biomass (kg O₂·s^-1[kg dw]^-1) - rX Biomass production rate (kg·m^-3·s^-1) - SG Soytone glucose medium (for shake flask experiments) - SG ₄ Soytone glucose medium (for tower fermenter and continuous culture experiments) - V Volume of medium (m^-3) - X Biomass (dry weight) concentration (kg·m^-3) - XR _o Biomass concentration within RO for a given X (kg·m^-3) - Y _{O 2} Biomass yield calculated on oxygen (kg dw/kg O₂) - Thiele modulus - Efficiency factor =1-(RO/R)³ (-) - Growth rate (m^-1·s^-1·kg^1/3) - Dry weight per volume of pellet (kg·m^-3)     

赤霉素发酵溶氧优化调控研究

为了解溶氧对赤霉素发酵过程影响以及相应工艺优化,采用不同溶氧条件下藤仓赤霉菌Gibberella fujikuroi分批发酵生产赤霉素的过程进行菌丝浓度、残糖浓度和GA3产物浓度检测,并微分运算得出比生长速率与比产物合成速率随发酵时间变化,分析了溶氧对比生长速率与比产物合成速率以及得率的影响,进而提出Gibberella fujikuroi发酵高产的溶氧控制策略:在发酵初始阶段(0–50h)控制溶氧30%左右,以维持较高的菌体生长速率;发酵中后期(50–184h),溶氧控制在15%,以获取菌丝持续较高的GA3合成速率能力。采用这一优化溶氧控制策略,发酵过程中最大菌丝浓度19.24g/L、最终赤霉素浓度2 180mg/L和平均比产物合成速率0.616mg/(g·h),比未优化前发酵分别提高了8.33%、13.25%和4.58%,表明所采取的分阶段溶氧控制策略对促进GA3生产有效。     

D-xylose fermentation by Candida shehatae and pichia stipitis at low dissolved oxygen levels in fed-batch cultures

Summary The fermentation of D-xylose byCandida shehatae andPichia stipitis was studied in fed-batch fermentations using dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) control in the range of 0.2 to 1.4% air saturation. The response of these two yeasts to DOT was significantly different. Whereas the ethanol yield withC. shehatae was 0.35 to 0.38 g.g^–1 at all DOT levels, that ofP. stipitis decreased from 0.44 at a zero DOT reading to 0.19 g.g^–1 at 1.4% DOT.     

Effects of dissolved oxygen tension and mechanical forces on fungal morphology in submerged fermentation

The effects of dissolved oxygen tension and mechanical forces on fungal morphology were both studied in the submerged fermentation of Aspergillus awamori. Pellet size, the hairy length of pellets, and the free filamentous mycelial fraction in the total biomass were found to be a function of the mechanical force intensity and to be independent of the dissolved oxygen tension provided that the dissolved oxygen tension was neither too low (5%) nor too high (330%). When the dissolved oxygen concentration was close to the saturation concentration corresponding to pure oxygen gas, A. awamori formed denser pellets and the free filamentous mycelial fraction was almost zero for a power input of about 1 W/kg. In the case of very low dissolved oxygen tension, the pellets were rather weak and fluffy so that they showed a very different appearance. The amount of biomass per pellet surface area appeared to be affected only by the dissolved oxygen tension and was proportional to the average dissolved oxygen tension to the power of 0.33. From this it was concluded that molecular diffusion was the dominant mechanism for oxygen transfer in the pellets and that convection and turbulent flow in the pellets were negligible in submerged fermentations. The biomass per wet pellet volume increased with the dissolved oxygen tension and decreased with the size of the pellets. This means that the smaller pellets formed under a higher dissolved oxygen tension had a higher intrinsic strength. Correspondingly, the porosity of the pellets was a function of the dissolved oxygen tension and the size of pellets. Within the studied range, the void fraction in the pellets was high and always much more than 50%.     

Impact of dissolved oxygen concentration on some key parameters and production of rhG-CSF in batch fermentation

The impact of different levels of agitation speed, carbondioxide and dissolved oxygen concentration on the key parameters and production of rhG-CSF in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)PLysS were studied. Lower carbondioxide concentrations as well as higher agitation speeds and dissolved oxygen concentrations led to reduction in the acetate concentrations, and enhanced the cell growth, but inhibited plasmid stability and rhG-CSF expression. Similarly, higher carbondioxide concentrations and lower agitation speeds as well as dissolved oxygen concentrations led to enhanced acetate concentrations, but inhibited the cell growth and protein expression. To address the bottlenecks, a two-stage agitation control strategy (strategy-1) and two-stage dissolved oxygen control strategy (strategy-2) were employed to establish the physiological and metabolic conditions, so as to improve the expression of rhG-CSF. By adopting strategy-1 the yields were improved 1.4-fold over constant speed of 550 rpm, 1.1-fold over constant dissolved oxygen of 45%, respectively. Similarly, using strategy-2 the yields were improved 1.6-fold over constant speed of 550 rpm, 1.3-fold over constant dissolved oxygen of 45%, respectively.     

Effect of pressure on an aminoglycoside fermentation mediated by dissolved oxygen

The intent of this work was to determine whether the high pressure due to the static liquid head could account for the yield loss observed in the scaleup of aminoglycoside fermentation. The growth of Micromonospora purpurea and aminoglycoside production were severely reduced when the pressure was raised from 1.68 to 2.37 atm in 10 l fermentors. Mass transfer calculations showed that this effect was not due to CO₂ solubility. The retardation in growth and production was apparently caused by high DO. When the DO was controlled at low levels, good growth and productivity were observed even at 2.37 atm pressure.     

Regulation of citric acid production by oxygen: Effect of dissolved oxygen tension on adenylate levels and respiration in Aspergillus niger

Summary The mechanism of the control of citric acid accumulation by oxygen was investigated by means of pilot plant fermentation using Aspergillus niger. The critical dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) for oxygen uptake of this fungus was about 18–21 and 23–26 mbar for trophophase and idiophase, respectively. Minimal DOT for citric acid production was about 25 mbar. Citric acid production increased steadily between 40–150 mbar. Short time changes in the DOT produced immediate, irreversible changes in the rate of product formation. Adenine nucleotides paralleled growth but showed no evidence for control function in the oxygen effect on citric acid fermentation. A branched respiratory system was identified by experiments using specific inhibitors (antimycin, cyanide, azide, rotenone, amytal and salicylhydroxamic acid). Growth was sensitive towards inhibitors of the standard respiratory chain, but only slightly sensitive towards salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM). Citric acid synthesis was highly sensitive towards SHAM during trophophase, but sensitive towards antimycine during idiophase. Interruptions in aeration cause an impairment of the SHAM sensitive oxidase during trophophase, and of the antimycin sensitive oxidase during idiophase.Dedicated to emeritus Professor Dr. Richard Brunner on the occasion of his 80th birthday     

氮源种类及溶氧水平对锁掷酵母产类胡萝卜素组分的影响

在锁掷酵母（Sporidioboluspararoseus）发酵产类胡萝卜紊的过程中,发酵产物中类胡萝卜紊种类繁多,而且性质相似,加大了不同色素分离纯化的难度。为定向积累不同种类的类胡萝卜素,以本实验室保藏锁挪酵母JD-2为出发菌,研究了氮源种类和浓度及溶氧对锁掷酵母产类胡萝卜素的影响,并在7L发酵罐中进行了补料分批发酵试验。发现培养基中同时添加有机氮源和无机氮源且溶氧控制较低（5％）时有利于β-胡萝卜素的大量积累,最佳有机氮源和无机氮源分别为玉米浆（20g／L）、硫酸铵（5g／L）。补料分批发酵时β-胡萝卜素产量达到31．28mg／L,红酵母烯12．38mg／L。培养基中只添加有机氮源且相对溶氧控制相对较高（30％）时有利于红酵母烯的大量积累,最佳有机氮源为酵母膏（20g／L）。补料分批发酵时红酵母烯产量达到38．96mg／L,8．胡萝卜素12．36mg／L。     

Combined dissolved oxygen and pH control strategy to improve the fermentative production of l-isoleucine by Brevibacterium lactofermentum

The effect of both dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH on l-isoleucine production by batch culture of Brevibacterium lactofermentum was investigated. A two-stage agitation speed control strategy was developed, and the isoleucine production reached 23.3 g L⁻¹ in a relative short time (52 h), increased by 11.6% compared to the results obtained in the single agitation speed control process. In order to make sure whether the combination of DO and pH control can boost the production by a mutual effect, different control modes were conducted, based on the data obtained from the two-stage agitation speed control strategy and the analysis of kinetics parameters at different pH values. The results showed that the mode of combining two-stage DO with two-stage pH control strategy was the optimal for isoleucine production. The isoleucine production can reach 26.6 g L⁻¹ at 56 h, increased by 14.3% comparing to that obtained by the single two-stage DO control strategy.     

溶氧对Candida glycerinogenes产甘油发酵过程的影响

研究了溶氧浓度对产甘油假丝酵母分批发酵生产甘油过程的影响。实验结果表明：当溶氧浓度控制在30%时,C. glycerinogenes的甘油产量、得率和产率达到最高,分别为120.7 g/L、0.575 g/g和1.69 g/(L•h),而糖酵解代谢副产物形成最少。当溶氧浓度为10%时,发酵过程呈现出“巴斯德效应”的特征,生成的酵解代谢副产物维持在较高水平。在快速生长阶段,随着溶氧从10%增加到60%,细胞呼吸类型表现为从厌氧呼吸向好氧呼吸转变,酵解代谢副产物依次减少。在生长稳定期,控制的溶氧浓度越高,酵解代谢副产物乙醇、乙酸等的生成减少。分别选用Logistic方程、Luedeking-Piret方程和Luedeking-Piret-like方程,能较好地模拟细胞生长、甘油合成和葡萄糖消耗的动力学过程。     

发酵法生产L-异亮氨酸的溶氧控制策略

研究了溶氧对Brewibacterium lactofermentation分批发酵生产L-异亮氨酸（Ile）的影响,提出了前10h恒700d/min以维持溶氧在35％以上,10h后调至600r／min以维持溶氧在15％～20％的两阶段供氧控制模式。与对照相比,获得了较高的产率（0．094g／g）和糖耗速度（4．76/L·h）,在较短时间内（52h）获得较高的Ile产量（23．3g／L）,比结果最好的单一搅拌转速（600r/min）提高11．6％。生产强度（0．448d/L·h）比恒定搅拌转速（500、600、700、800r/min）控制下的过程分别提高了83．6％、28．7％、44．9％、35．7％。最后采用代谢通量分析对该结果产生的原因进行了定量解释。     

Effects of fed-batch fermentation and pH profiles on nisin production in suspended-cell and biofilm reactors

A biofilm reactor not only shortens the lag phase of nisin production, but also enhances nisin production when combined with an appropriate pH profile. Due to the substrate inhibition that takes place at high levels of carbon source, fed-batch fermentation was proposed as a better alternative for nisin production. In this study, the combined effects of fed-batch fermentation and various pH profiles on nisin production in a biofilm reactor were evaluated. The tested pH profiles include 1) a constant pH profile at 6.8 (profile 1), 2) a constant pH profile with an autoacidification after 4 h (profile 2), and 3) a step-wise pH profile with pH adjustment every 2 h (profile 3). When profile 1 was applied, fed-batch fermentation enhanced nisin production for both suspended-cell (4,188 IU ml⁻¹) and biofilm (4,314 IU ml⁻¹) reactors, yielded 1.8- and 2.3-fold higher nisin titer than their respective batch fermentation. On the other hand, pH profiles that include periods of autoacidification (profiles 2 and 3) resulted in a significantly lower nisin production in fed-batch fermentation (2,494 and 1,861 IU ml⁻¹ for biofilm reactor using profile 2 and 3, respectively) due to toxicity of excess lactic acid produced during the fermentation. Overall, this study suggested that fed-batch fermentation can be successfully used to enhance nisin production for both suspended-cell and biofilm reactors.     

Effect of dissolved oxygen on growth and production of exopolysaccharide by Rhizobium trifolii

Batch fermentations of Rhizobium trifolii 0403 were performed with dissolved oxygen (DO) control to determine the effect of DO on growth rate, and the production of exopolysaccharide and biomass. When DO was maintained between 4 and 20% of saturation, growth was exponential. The apparent specific growth rate, biomass and exopolysaccharide production did not vary significantly over this DO range. At oxygen transfer rates less than the minimum required for exponential growth, DO fell to below 1%. Growth under these conditions was linear and in direct relation to the oxygen transfer rate. Exopolymer production increased and biomass production decreased under oxygen-limited conditions.     

A novel approach to controlling dissolved oxygen levels in laboratory experiments

Hypoxia is a widespread environmental stressor that affects marine, estuarine and freshwater systems worldwide. Investigating the effects of hypoxia on aquatic animals in the natural environment is difficult and expensive. Laboratory experiments provide an alternative that allows manipulation of environmental variables and simulation of altered conditions that are expected in the future. However, controlling dissolved oxygen (DO) levels precisely in laboratory test situations is challenging and generally costly and time intensive. In this paper, we describe a novel chamber design that is capable of maintaining low DO levels precisely for a period of at least 4 days with minimal re-adjustment and nitrogen gas requirement. The system is simple, inexpensive and easy to use, and offers the additional benefit of being portable. The utility of this design is demonstrated with an experiment to test the effects of hypoxia and high salinity on hatch rates and yolk-sac larvae survival in the estuarine fish black bream Acanthopagrus butcheri (Munro, 1949). The results show that early life-stage black bream are sensitive to hypoxia and increased salinity, indicating that deterioration in estuarine environmental conditions may have negative effects on spawning success and recruitment to fish populations. This new laboratory technique will be useful for testing future scenarios for the estuaries of southern Australia as predicted by climate change models. Other potential applications and modifications for further development of this new technique are discussed.