Salt-Inducible Bionylon Polymer from Bacillus megaterium

Poly-γ-glutamate (PGA) is a chiral polyamide material that possesses a nylon-like backbone, a bionylon polymer. We examined the PGA productivity of Bacillus megaterium and found NaCl-responsive PGA production in the bacterium. In the system of B. megaterium, salt would be significant in controlling the yield, molecular size, and stereochemistry of bionylon.     

PGA基因在酿酒酵母中的表达研究

本文根据GenBank 中巨大芽孢杆菌（Bacillus megaterium）的PGA基因序列设计了上下游引物,通过PCR扩增出巨大芽孢杆菌1.1741中的PGA基因。将该基因连接到T7lac启动子控制下的表达载体pYES2(amp+,ura+)上,构建了重组质粒pYES2-PGA。用LiAc/SSDNA/PEG方法将其转化进酿酒酵母(Saccharomyces cerevisiae)H158中表达,在不需要苯乙酸诱导的重组菌株发酵液中检测到了青霉素酰化酶活性,最高酶活达到0.75 U/ml。将该PGA基因测序结果与GenBank中巨大芽孢杆菌L04471.1、U07682.1和Z37542三株的PGA基因序列比对,表现出很高的同源性,分别达到97.1%、99.8% 和99.8%。     

Inhibition of acid production in Streptococcus mutans R9: Inhibition constants and reversibility

Abstract The pac gene encoding the penicillin G acylase (PGA) of Bacillus megaterium ATCC 14945 has been cloned in Escherichia coli HB101 ( proA, leuB ) using a selective minimal medium containing phenylacetyl-L-leucine instead of L-leucine. The nucleotide sequence of this gene has been determined and contains an open reading frame of 2406 nucleotides. The deduced amino acid sequence shows significant similarity with other β-lactam acylases. Although the PGA of B. megaterium is extracellular, the enzyme produced in E. coli appears to have a cytoplasmic localization.     

硅藻土在青霉素G酰化酶提纯中的应用

国产硅藻土经氢氧化铵处理后可用于从发酰液中直接取青霉素Ｇ酰化酶,平均吸附量为９０Ｕ／ｇ。吸附的酶可用２２％硫酸铵－０．３ｍｏｌ／ＬＰＢＳ（ｐＨ８．０）溶液洗脱。平均比１８Ｕ／１８Ｕｍｇ蛋白（ＮＩＰＡＢ法）。硅藻土可反复使用。苯乙酰胺－Ｓｅｐｈａｒｏｓｅ４Ｂ树脂可对酶作进一步的纯化。     

Expression and purification of extracellular penicillin G acylase in Bacillus subtilis

Penicillin G acylase (PGA) is one of the most important enzymes for the production of semisynthetic beta-lactam antibiotics and their key intermediates. To enhance its expression, the PGA gene from Bacillus megaterium was amplified by PCR and subcloned into an expression vector under the control of the P43 promoter. The resulting construct was transferred into Bacillus subtilis WB600 and the transformant producing the most PGA was selected and designated SIBAS205. In contrast to the parent cells, which have to be induced by phenylacetic acid and cultured at 28 and 25 degrees C successively to produce PGA, the recombinant cells needed neither induction nor thermoregulation during fermentation at 37 degrees C. PGA was secreted and reached an expression level of 40 U/mL under optimized conditions. The enzyme was separated by centrifugation and purified by Al(2)O(3) adsorption and phenyl-Sepharose CL-4B hydrophobic chromatography with a yield of 85%. The purified enzyme had a specific activity of 45 U/mg protein.     

巨大芽孢杆菌青霉素酰化酶在枯草杆菌中的表达及其分离纯化

青霉素酰化酶（ＰＧＡ）在医药工业起着重要的作用,它能够水解青霉素Ｇ产生６－氨基青霉烷酸（６－ＡＰＡ）和苯乙酸,６－ＡＰＡ是半合成青霉素的关键中间体．该酶广泛存在于各种微生物中如真菌和细菌中．国际上对Ｅ．ｃｏｌｉ、Ａｒｔｈｒｏｂａｃｔｅｒｖｉｓｃｏｓｕ...     

以聚丙烯腈纤维为载体制备固定化青霉素G酰化酶的研究

以酸部分水解聚丙烯腈纤维为载体 ,以戊二醛为交联剂 ,共价键结合制备了固定化胞外青霉素G酰化酶。当水解后的载体中 NH2 基含量为 690 μmol g和含水量为 64%时 ,对酶蛋白的固定量达 1 0 0mg g以上 ,固定化酶的活力达 2 30 0IU g ,酶活力总产率为 30 % ,固定化效率为 56%。酶活力的总产率和固定化率随加酶量的增加而降低。该酶可以将浓度为 2 5%～1 2 5%的青霉素G钾盐水解 98%以上。批投青霉素G钾盐为 1 0g,酶负荷为 1 50IU g(PGK) ,经2 0批水解反应后 ,剩余酶活力为 80 %。用二硫基苏醣醇处理固定化酶 ,对水解青霉素G钾盐的操作稳定性有促进作用。固定化酶的室温保存半衰期为 1 30d。用戊二醛和硼氢化钠溶液处理固定化酶后 ,酶活力的室温保存稳定性有所降低。     

A highly sensitive method for detection of 32P incorporation into acid-soluble compounds and its application to evaluate ATP-forming ability of Bacillus megaterium QM B1551 spores at the very early stage of germination

A method for specific removal of [32P]orthophosphate (Pi) as phosphomolybdate-triethylamine complex was slightly modified by repeating the Pi precipitation procedures in the presence of unlabeled Pi, which resulted in a complete removal of 32Pi (greater than 99.98%). Using this modified method, we determined 32P incorporation into acid-soluble compounds in order to evaluate the ATP-forming ability of Bacillus megaterium spores at the very early stage of germination. Addition of fructose as a substrate started the 32P incorporation later than a few min after triggering germination. This delay of a few min was well coincident with the onset of 3-phosphoglycerate (3PGA) breakdown, indicating that fructose metabolism and the accompanying aerobic ATP formation were initiated only after fructose phosphorylation by the ATP derived from anaerobic breakdown of endogenous 3PGA. In contrast, addition of glucose started incorporation of 32P into acid-soluble compounds immediately after germination. In the latter case, NADH generated by glucose oxidation to gluconate (catalyzed by glucose dehydrogenase) might serve as an initial ATP source without depending on 3PGA breakdown and glucose metabolism via the Embden-Meyerhof pathway.     

The penicillin G acylase production by B. megaterium is amino acid consumption dependent

Aiming at to enhance the production of penicillin G acylase (PGA) by Bacillus megaterium, we have performed flasks experiments using different medium composition. Using 51 g/L of casein hydrolyzed with Alcalase and 2.7 g/L of phenylacetic acid (PhAc), the following carbon substrates were tested, individually and combined: glucose, glycerol, and lactose (present in cheese whey). Glycerol and glucose showed to be effective nutrients for the microorganism growth but delayed the PGA production. Cheese whey always increased enzyme production and cell mass. However, lactose (present in cheese whey) was not a significant carbon source for B. megaterium. PhAc, amino acids, and small peptides present in the hydrolyzed casein were the actual carbon sources for enzyme production. Replacement of hydrolyzed casein by free amino acids, 10.0 g/L, led to a significant increase in enzyme production (app. 150%), with a preferential consumption of alanine, aspartic acid, glycine, serine, arginine, threonine, lysine, and glutamic acid. A decrease of the enzyme production was observed when 20.0 g/L of amino acids were used. Using the single omission technique, it was shown that none of the 18 tested amino acids was essential for enzyme production. The use of a medium containing eight of the preferentially consumed amino acids lead to similar enzyme production level obtained when using 18 amino acids. PhAc, up to 2.7 g/L, did not inhibit enzyme production, even if added at the beginning of the cultivation.     

Regulation of phosphoglycerate phosphomutase in developing forespores and dormant and germinated spores of Bacillus megaterium by the level of free manganous ions.

The large depot of phosphoglyceric acid (PGA) which is accumulated within spores of Bacillus megaterium is greater than 99% 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3-PGA). The 3-PGA depot is stable in forespores and dormant spores, but is utilized rapidly during spore germination. When spores were germinated in KBr plus NaF, the PGA depot was not utilized, but 13% of the 3-PGA was converted to 2-PGA. These data suggest phosphoglycerate phosphomutase as the enzyme which is regulated to allow 3-PGA accumulation during sporulation. Young isolated forespores, in which 3-PGA was normally stable, utilized their 3-PGA rapidly when incubated with Mn2+ plus the divalent cation ionophore X-537A; Mn2+ or ionophore alone or Mg2+ or Ca2+ plus ionophore was without effect. Young forespores contained significant amounts of Mn2+. However, forespore Mn2+ exchanged slowly with exogenous Mn2+ and was removed poorly by toluene treatment. This suggests that much of the forespore Mn2+ is tightly bound to some forespore component. Since phosphoglycerate phosphomutase from B. megaterium has an absolute and specific requirement for Mn2+, these data suggest that the activity of this enzyme in vivo may be regulated to a large degree by the level of free Mn2+. Indeed, the activity of this enzyme in forespore or dormant spore extracts was stimulated greater than 25-fold by Mn2+, whereas comparable extracts from cells or germinated spores were stimulated only two- to fourfold.     

以环氧乙烷为活性基的多孔颗粒状固定化青霉素酰化酶的制备

报道了用以环氧乙烷为活性基的多孔颗粒状载体（Eupergit-C）制备固定由巨大芽孢杆菌（B．megaterium）产生的青霉素酰化酶的研究。用已二胺,赖氨酸对载体进行化学修饰后制备固定化酶,获得了较好的固定结果。用未修饰的载体制备固化酶,经24h固定反应,酶活力达176．5IU／g（wet）,酶活力总叫率达53．7％,酶蛋白的固定量为19＝7mg/g（dr）,酶蛋白的固定效率达87．5％。游离酶的酶浓度对制备固定化酶的活力无显影响。当加酶量从312IU/g（dry）上升到6250IU／g（dry）时,固定化酶活力从89IU／g(wet）上升到475IU／g（wet）,总收率和固定化效率分别从99％和99％下降到26．5％和32．5％,酶蛋白的固定量从6．9mg/g（dry）上升到112mg/g（dry）,酶蛋白的固定效率从99％下降至80．5％。以酶活力为155IU/g(wet）,酶蛋白固定量为22mg/g(dry）的固定化酶水解青霉素G钾盐,经过20批循环水解后,剩余酶活力为92．5％。     

Gene dosage effect on the expression of the delta-endotoxin genes of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki in Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium

Significant differences in expression of the delta-endotoxin genes cryA1 and cryA2 of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki were observed in B. subtilis and B. megaterium. The cryA1 gene was expressed when present on a high-copy-number (hcn) vector in B. megaterium but not in B. subtilis. The cryA2 gene was expressed in both hosts, but at a higher level in B. megaterium. Expression of the cryA2 gene in B. megaterium was better from a hcn vector than from a low copy number vector. Inhibition of sporulation was observed when the toxin genes were present on hcn plasmids in B. subtilis while no such effect was evident in B. megaterium. In addition, there was a significant reduction in copy numbers in both B. subtilis and B. megaterium when delta-endotoxin genes or a spoVG promoter-containing fragment of DNA were cloned into hcn plasmids.     

Comparison of various properties of low-molecular-weight proteins from dormant spores of several Bacillus species.

Several properties of the major proteins degraded during germination of spores of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus subtilis have been compared. All of the proteins had low molecular weights (6,000 to 13,000) and lacked cysteine, cystine, and tryptophan. The proteins could be subdivided into two groups: group I (B. megaterium A and C proteins, B. cereus A protein, and B. subtilis alpha and beta proteins) and group II (B. cereus and B. megaterium B proteins and B. subtilis gamma protein). Species in group II had lower levels of (or lacked) the amino acids isoleucine, leucine, methionine, and proline. Similarly, proteins in each group were more closely related immunologically. However, antisera against a B. megaterium group I protein cross-reacted more strongly with the B. megaterium group II protein than with group I proteins from other spore species, whereas antisera against the B. megaterium group II protein cross-reacted most strongly with B. megaterium group I proteins. Analysis of the primary sequences at the amino termini and in the regions of the B. cereus and B. subtilis proteins cleaved by the B. megaterium spore protease revealed that the B. cereus A protein was most similar to the B. megaterium A and C proteins, and the B. cereus B protein and the B. subtilis gamma protein were most similar to the B. megaterium B protein. However, amino terminal sequences within one group of proteins varied considerably, whereas the spore protease cleavage sites were more highly conserved.     

Identification of germination gene of Bacillus megaterium

Glucose, KNO3, proline and leucine initiate the spore germination of B. megaterium ATCC 12872, but not of B. megaterium ATCC 19213. In order to isolate the gene concerning germination of B. megaterium ATCC 12872, we constructed its gene library in plasmid vector, and introduced into B. megaterium ATCC 19213. We obtained a transformant whose spores differed from those of the wild type strain with respect to germinability. Spores of this transformant could be germinated by glucose, proline or leucine. The recombinant plasmid prepared from this transformant was found to carry 2 kilobase pairs fragment of B. megaterium ATCC 12872 DNA. This fragment may contain the gene encoding the protein which plays an important role in germination.     

Metabolome profiling reveals metabolic cooperation between Bacillus megaterium and Ketogulonicigenium vulgare during induced swarm motility

The metabolic cooperation in the ecosystem of Bacillus megaterium and Ketogulonicigenium vulgare was investigated by cultivating them spatially on a soft agar plate. We found that B. megaterium swarmed in a direction along the trace of K. vulgare on the agar plate. Metabolomics based on gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) was employed to analyze the interaction mechanism between the two microorganisms. We found that the microorganisms interact by exchanging a number of metabolites. Both intracellular metabolism and cell-cell communication via metabolic cooperation were essential in determining the population dynamics of the ecosystem. The contents of amino acids and other nutritional compounds in K. vulgare were rather low in comparison to those in B. megaterium, but the levels of these compounds in the medium surrounding K. vulgare were fairly high, even higher than in fresh medium. Erythrose, erythritol, guanine, and inositol accumulated around B. megaterium were consumed by K. vulgare upon its migration. The oxidization products of K. vulgare, including 2-keto-gulonic acids (2KGA), were sharply increased. Upon coculturing of B. megaterium and K. vulgare, 2,6-dipicolinic acid (the biomarker of sporulation of B. megaterium), was remarkably increased compared with those in the monocultures. Therefore, the interactions between B. megaterium and K. vulgare were a synergistic combination of mutualism and antagonism. This paper is the first to systematically identify a symbiotic interaction mechanism via metabolites in the ecosystem established by two isolated colonies of B. megaterium and K. vulgare.     

Efficient cloning in Bacillus megaterium: comparison to Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli cloning hosts

Quantitative cloning efficiencies for B. megaterium, B. subtilis , and E. coli were compared. Transformation of B. megaterium is less efficient than transformation of B. subtilis or E. coli . The frequency of recombinant clones was equal in E. coli and B. megaterium ; both somewhat higher than in B. subtilis . Equivalent average insert sizes were found in B. megaterium and E. coli clones, but significantly smaller inserts were obtained in B. subtilis clones. Clones obtained and propagated in B. megaterium were structurally stable when grown under plasmid selection.     

Methylated Bases of Bacillus megaterium KM Nucleic Acids: Comparison with Escherichia coli

Parallel studies were performed with methionineless derivatives of Escherichia coli 15 T(-) and Bacillus megaterium KM: T(-). Methylated bases are present in the total cell ribonucleic acid (RNA) of B. megaterium. The level of RNA methylation in E. coli is about 60% greater than that in B. megaterium. Although E. coli deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was found to contain 0.12% 5-methylcytosine (5-MC) and 0.24% 6-methylaminopurine (6-MA), methylated bases were not detected in the DNA of B. megaterium. Assuming a molecular weight of 7 x 10(9) daltons for B. megaterium DNA, it was calculated that this organism could not contain more than one molecule of 5-MC or 6-MA per genome, and that possibly no methylated bases were present. Methylated bases were also not detected in the DNA of thymine-starved B. megaterium. Crude extracts of this organism possess RNA methylase activity but no detectable DNA methylase activity.     

巨大芽孢杆菌表达外源蛋白的特点及其研究进展

巨大芽孢杆菌是一种很有潜力的分泌型基因工程宿主菌,现已广泛应用于工业和学术研究领域。它具有表达率高、遗传稳定、产物可分泌、发酵工艺成熟等优点。本文综述了其自身的优点,表达载体的特点,巨大芽孢杆菌的转化方法,外源蛋白的表达,以及高效表达的策略,并对未来进行展望。