Continuous Enzymatic Regeneration of Electron Acceptors Used by Flavoenzymes: Cellobiose Dehydrogenase-Catalyzed Production of Lactobionic Acid as an Example

An efficient enzymatic bioprocess is described in which lactose, an abundant renewable resource produced by the dairy industry, is completely and efficiently converted with a specific productivity of up to 32 g (kU h)^-1 into lactobionic acid, without the formation of any by-products. The key biocatalyst of this new process is the fungal enzyme cellobiose dehydrogenase which oxidizes several β-1,4-linked disaccharides including lactose specifically at position C-1 of the reducing sugar moiety to the corresponding lactones. The electron acceptor employed in this reaction is continuously regenerated with the help of laccase, a H₂O-producing, copper-containing oxidase, and therefore has to be added in low, catalytic amounts only. Redox mediators that were successfully employed in this novel process and hence are compatible with the laccase regeneration system include benzoquinone, ABTS, ferricyanide, or ferrocene, amongst others. Factors affecting operational stability of the biocatalysts employed in this process include the redox mediator used, the temperature, and importantly the volumetric gas flow necessary for maintaining the dissolved oxygen tension. Lactobionic acid is a mild and sweet tasting acid with excellent chelating properties. These useful characteristics have lead to a growing number of patents for diverse applications in the food, pharmaceutical and detergent industries.     

Bubble-free oxygenation of a bi-enzymatic system: effect on biocatalyst stability

The effect of bubble-free oxygenation on the stability of a bi-enzymatic system with redox mediator regeneration for the conversion of lactose to lactobionic acid was investigated in a miniaturized reactor with bubbleless oxygenation. Earlier investigations of this biocatalytic oxidation have shown that the dispersive addition of oxygen can cause significant enzyme inactivation. In the process studied, the enzyme cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) oxidizes lactose at the C-1 position of the reducing sugar moiety to lactobionolactone, which spontaneously hydrolyzes to lactobionic acid. 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt was used as electron acceptor for CDH and was continuously regenerated (reoxidized) by laccase, a blue multi-copper oxidase. Oxygen served as the terminal electron acceptor of the reaction and was fully reduced to water by laccase. The overall mass transfer coefficient of the miniaturized reactor was determined at 30 and 45 degrees C; conversions were conducted both in the reaction-limited and diffusion-limited regime to study catalyst inactivation. The bubbleless oxygenation was successful in avoiding gas/liquid interface inactivation. It was also shown that the oxidized redox mediator plays a key role in the inactivation mechanism of the biocatalysts unobserved during previous studies.     

Continuous Production of l-Alanine with NADH Regeneration by a Nanofiltration Membrane Reactor

A conjugated enzyme system, alanine dehydrogenase (AIDH) for stereospecific reduction of pyruvate to l-alanine and glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) for regeneration of NADH, were coimmobilized in a nanofiltration membrane bioreactor (NFMBR) for the continuous production of l-alanine from pyruvate with NADH regeneration. Since pyruvate was proved to be unstable at neutral pH, it was kept under acidic conditions and supplied to NFMBR separately from the other substrates. As 0.2 m pyruvate in HCl solution (pH 4), 10 mm NAD, 0.2 m glucose, and 0.2 m NH₄Cl in 0.5 m Tris buffer (pH 8) were continuously supplied to NFMBR with immobilized AIDH (100 U/ml) and GDH (140 U/ml) at the retention time of 80 min, the maximum conversion, reactor productivity, and NAD regeneration number were 100%, 320 g/liter/d, and 20,000, respectively. To avoid the effect of pyruvate instability, a consecutive reaction system, lactate dehydrogenase (l-LDH) and AIDH, was also used. In this system, the l-LDH provides pyruvate, the substrate for the AIDH reaction, from l-lactate regenerating NADH simultaneously, so the pyruvate could be consumed as soon as it was produced. As 0.2 m l-lactate, 10 mm NAD, 0.2 m NH₄Cl in 0.5 m Tris buffer (pH 8) were continuously supplied to NFMBR with immobilized l-LDH (100 U/ml) and AIDH (100 U/ml) at the retention time of 160 min, the maximum conversion, reactor productivity, and the NAD regeneration number were 100%, 160 g/Iiter/d, and 20,000, respectively.     

Simultaneous Production of Amino Acid Dehydrogenases and Glucose Dehydrogenase by Bacillus Megaterium and Their Utilization for L-Valine Synthesis with Nadh Regeneration

An improved method for the simultaneous production of valine dehydrogenase and glucose dehydrogenase by Bacillus megaterium (ATCC 39118) is described. The highest yields in volumetric activities (8200 U.S^-1' of glucose dehydrogenase and 7200 U.S¹ of valine dehydrogenase) were obtained using a fed batch cultivation technique with glucose, yeast extract and corn steep liquor in the feed medium. The main characteristics (stability, optimal pH, Michaelis constants, substrate and product inhibitions) of valine dehydrogenase and glucose dehydrogenase from crude extracts were determined. B. megaterium crude extract was suitable for synthesis of L-valine from $aL-keto isovalerate with glucose dehydrogenase as the NADH-regenerating enzyme and the conditions of the conversion have been optimized. $aL-Keto acid was supplied in fed batch mode in order to avoid substrate inhibition and was not involved in side reactions. With the optimized system, a concentration of 95 mM L-valine was obtained in 45 hours with a molar conversion yield close to 100%.     

Enzymatic synthesis of L‐lactic acid from carbon dioxide and ethanol with an inherent cofactor regeneration cycle

Efficient conversion of carbon dioxide is of great interests to today's endeavors in controlling greenhouse gas emission. A multienzyme catalytic system that uses carbon dioxide and ethanol to produce L ‐lactate was demonstrated in this work, thereby providing a novel reaction route to convert bio‐based ethanol to an important building block for synthesis biodegradable polymers. The synthetic route has a unique internal cofactor regeneration cycle, eliminating the need of additional chemical or energy for cofactor regeneration. Lactate was successfully synthesized with 41% of ethanol converted in a batch reaction, while a turnover number of 2.2 day⁻¹ was reached for cofactor regeneration in a reaction with continuous feeding of ethanol. A kinetic model developed based on reaction kinetic parameters determined separately for each reaction step predicted well the reaction rates and yields of the multienzyme reaction system. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011;108: 465–469. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Enzymatic Production of Pyrimidine Nucleotides Using Corynebacterium ammoniagenes Cells and Recombinant Escherichia coli Cells: Enzymatic Production of CDP-Choline from Orotic Acid and Choline Chloride (Part I)

Enzymatic production of cytidine diphosphate choline (CDP-choline) using orotic acid and choline chloride as substrates was investigated using a 200-ml beaker as a reaction vessel. When Corynebacterium ammoniagenes KY13505 cells were used as the enzyme source, UMP was accumulated up to 28.6 g/liter (77.6 mm) from orotic acid after 26 h of reaction. In this reaction, UDP and UTP were also accumulated, but CTP, a direct precursor of CDP-choline, was not accumulated sufficiently. Escherichia coli JF646/pMW6 cells, which overproduce CTP synthetase by selfcloning of the pyrG gene, were used together with cells of KY13505 for the enzymatic reaction using orotic acid as a substrate. CTP was produced at 8.95 g/liter (15.1 mm) after 23 h of this reaction. To produce CDP-choline, two additional enzyme activities were needed. E. coli MM294/pUCK3 and MM294/pCC41 cells, which express a choline kinase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CKIase; encoded by the CKI gene) and a cholinephosphate cytidylyltransferase from S. cerevisiae (CCTase; encoded by the CCT gene) respectively, were added to this CTP-producing reaction system. After 23 h of the reaction using orotic acid and choline chloride as substrates, 7.7 g/liter (15.1 mm) of CDP-choline was accumulated without addition of ATP or phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP). ATP and PRPP required in the CDP-choline forming reaction system are biosynthesized by those cells using glucose as a substrate.