Simple Process for the Reduction in the Nucleic Acid Content in Yeast

A simple one-step process for the nucleic acid reduction in Rhodotorula glutinis is described. The process consists of submitting the yeast cells to a heat treatment in an acidic (pH 2) spent medium. The optimal temperature for pH 2 medium is 90 C and the final nucleic acid content in treated yeasts was 1.2%. Heat treatment at acidic pH is preferred to that at alkaline pH because it offers a better protection for amino acids and crude protein, while being more efficient in lowering the nucleic acid level. The new process is economic and rapid and could be easily used for industrial application.     

Reduction of Nucleic Acid Content in Candida Yeast Cells by Bovine Pancreatic Ribonuclease A Treatment

Yeast as a source of protein for human consumption is limited by its relatively high nucleic acid content. In this study, we developed an enzymatic method of decreasing the nucleic acid content. Candida utilis cells, heat-shocked at 80 C for 30 sec, were treated with bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A. Maximum leakage of nucleic acid was observed when the incubation temperature was between 55 and 65 C, the pH of the system from 6.75 to 8.0, and the enzyme-to-cell ratio 1:10,000 on a weight-by-weight basis. Other factors, such as yeast strain, age of cells, and method of propagation, did not influence the susceptibility of the yeast cells to the action of ribonuclease. Buffers and monovalent cations had no inhibiting effects. Magnesium and calcium ions at concentrations greater than 0.001 m showed marked inhibition on the rate of nucleic acid leakage. This enzymatic method reduced the nucleic acid content of yeast cells from 7.5 to 9.0% to 1.5 to 2.0% with no significant concomitant loss of protein.     

Pyrogenic Principle of the Ribonucleic Acid from the Yeast Candida utilis

Experiments were performed to characterize the pyrogenic principle of ribonucleic acid (RNA) from the yeast Candida utilis. It was shown that ribonuclease hydrolysis of the RNA does not lead to inactivation of the pyrogenicity. Pyrogenicity was, however, destroyed by treatment with sodium deoxycholate. On column chromatography with Biogel under sterile and pyrogen-free conditions, the pyrogenic principle of yeast RNA was eluted together with the RNA. After treatment of the RNA with ribonuclease, it was possible to separate the pyrogenic activity from the RNA (hydrolysis products) to a great extent. Column chromatography of Escherichia coli endotoxin showed that the endotoxin was eluted in the same fractions as the pyrogenic activity of yeast RNA. On the basis of the behavior of the pyrogen, it may very well be that the fever reaction is produced not by the nucleic acid but by pyrogenic contaminants of the RNA preparation.     

Genetic Engineering of Candida utilis Yeast for Efficient Production of L-Lactic Acid

Polylactic acid is receiving increasing attention as a renewable alternative for conventional petroleum-based plastics. In the present study, we constructed a metabolically-engineered Candida utilis strain that produces L-lactic acid with the highest efficiency yet reported in yeasts. Initially, the gene encoding pyruvate decarboxylase (CuPDC1) was identified, followed by four CuPDC1 disruption events in order to obtain a null mutant that produced little ethanol (a by-product of L-lactic acid). Two copies of the L-lactate dehydrogenase (L-LDH) gene derived from Bos taurus under the control of the CuPDC1 promoter were then integrated into the genome of the CuPdc1-null deletant. The resulting strain produced 103.3 g/l of L-lactic acid from 108.7 g/l of glucose in 33 h, representing a 95.1% conversion. The maximum production rate of L-lactic acid was 4.9 g/l/h. The optical purity of the L-lactic acid was found to be more than 99.9% e.e.     

Continuous Removal of Lactic Acid from Wastewater by Candida utilis

Under steady-state conditions, the maximum rate of lactic acid removal was found to be 588 mg/h per liter of continuous culture.     

Acid trehalase deficiency and extracellular trehalose utilization in Candida utilis

Biochemical characterization of a trehalase, detected in the mid-exponential growth phase of Candida utilis NCIM Y500, has indicated that it was a neutral trehalase and possibly the only trehalase present in this strain. Unlike Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other C. utilis strains, this strain without acid trehalase grew quite well in minimal or complete medium containing trehalose as the sole source of carbon. Both these observations were contradictory to the findings reported for acid trehalase mutants of S. cerevisiae and C. utilis. The trehalase system of the strain is suggested to be similar to that of fungi.     

简化核酸提取过程在病原体核酸检测中的应用现状和发展趋势

简化核酸提取过程相较于经典的试剂盒法和全自动核酸提取技术,凭借其简便的操作步骤、便携易用的仪器设备和简单的人员培训等优势在病原体核酸检测中得到广泛应用,为实现病原体核酸的快速检测和现场检测(Point-of-care testing,POCT)奠定了良好的基础。本文比较了不同的核酸提取方法,对简化核酸提取过程的方法学进行综述,讨论其在病原体核酸检测领域中的应用现状,并展望其发展趋势。     

Recombinant Candida utilis for the production of biotin

Biotin is an important nutritional supplement but is difficult to manufacture effectively. Here we present a trial of biotin production using the food yeast Candida utilis. In this system, we cloned the C. utilis biotin synthase (BIO2) gene, the gene of the rate-limiting enzyme for biotin biosynthesis, and assembled it under the control of a strong promoter. A series of plasmids were constructed to direct the integration of the BIO2 gene, either high-copy integration with 18S rDNA fragment or low-copy integration with URA3 or HIS3 fragment. The BIO2 gene can be successfully integrated into the C. utilis chromosome and can drive biotin production using these plasmids. The biotin yield in this system can reach 100-fold above the endogenous level in a small-scale culture. Although the biotin production is not stable if the selection pressure is removed, this system has the potential to produce biotin-rich feed or food additives directly without the requirement of further purification.     

Characterization of Nucleic Acid of Pichinde Virus

The nucleic acid of Pichinde virus was found to be single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) as determined by sensitivity to ribonuclease, by alkaline degradation, by buoyant density in cesium sulfate, and by analysis of the base composition. The RNA of the virion could be separated into five components which had sedimentation coefficients corresponding to 31S, 28S, 22S, 18S and 4 to 6S. The 28S, 18S, and possibly the 4 to 6S RNAs appear to be derived from host cell components incorporated into the virion, whereas the 31S and 22S components appear to represent the genome of the virus.     

Urea amidolyase of Candida utilis. Characterization of the urea cleavage reactions.

Evidence is presented that the enzymes catalyzing the three reactions involved in urea cleavage in Candida utilis, biotin carboxylation, urea carboxylation, and allophanate hydrolysis occur as a complex of enzymes. The allophanate-hydrolyzing activity could not be separated from the urea-cleaving activity using common methods of protein purification. Further, urea cleavage and allophanate hydrolysis activities are induced coordinately in cells grown on various nitrogen sources. The reactions involved in urea cleavage can be distinguished from one another on the basis of their sensitivities to (a) heat, (b) pH, and (c) chemical inhibitors. Evidence is presented for the product of the first reaction in urea cleavage, biotin carboxylation. Production of carboxylated enzyme is ATP dependent and avidin sensitive. Carboxylated enzyme is not observed in the presence of 1 mM urea.     

高温春化逆转对甘蓝体内核酸类物质含量的影响

甘蓝早熟品种‘8398’长至6片真叶和中熟品种‘京丰’长至7片真叶时进行绿体春化处理,前者处理18d和后者处理23d时用37℃高温进行春化逆转后检测植株体内核酸的结果表明,核酸、DNA和RNA含量以及RNA/DNA比值显著下降,而正常春化的植株则均呈缓慢上升趋势。     

Characterization and Cloning of Pneumocystis carinii Nucleic Acid

Large numbers of Pneumocystis carinii (2 × 10¹⁰ nuclei) were isolated and separated from the lungs of immunosupprcsscd rats by an enzymaric (collagcnasc, hyaluronidasc and DN'asc) digestion procedure. The nucleic acid isolated from this P. cartnii-cnnchcd preparation was characterized by melting point analysis and RNA-sizing gels. The GC content of P. carinii DNA was approximately 33% while the rat DNA was 41.4%. In addition, RNA isolated from the P. curmii-enrichcd preparation showed unique ribosomal RNA bands of 3.4 kb and 1.8 kb as compared with uninfected rat lung ribosoma! RNA. which banded at 4.8 and 1.9 kb. Following isolation and fragmentation by sonicaüon, the P. carinii D.VA fragments were inserted into the vector, λ gt-11. The resultant library contained 1.1 × 10⁵ phage, of which 40–45% hybridized to P. carinii DNA but not to rat DNA.     

Amino Acid Pools and Metabolism During the Cell Division Cycle of Arginine-Grown Candida utilis

Synchronous cultures obtained by isopycnic density gradient centrifugation are used to investigate amino acid metabolism during the cell division cycle of the food yeast Candida utilis. Isotopic labeling experiments demonstrate that the rates of uptake and catabolism of arginine, the sole source of nitrogen, double abruptly during the first half of the cycle, while the cells undergo bud expansion. This is accompanied by a doubling in rate of amino acid biosynthesis, and an accumulation of amino acids. The accumulation probably occurs within the storage pools of the vacuoles. Amino acids derived from protein degradation contribute little to this accumulation. For the remainder of the cell cycle, during cell separation and until the next bud initiation, the rates of uptake and catabolism of arginine and amino acid biosynthesis remain constant. Despite the abrupt doubling in the rate of formation of amino acid pools, their rate of utilization for macromolecular synthesis increases steadily throughout the cycle. The significance of this temporal organization of nitrogen source uptake and amino acid metabolism during the cell division cycle is discussed.     

Metabolic engineering of Candida utilis for isopropanol production

A genetically-engineered strain of the yeast Candida utilis harboring genes encoding (1) an acetoacetyl-CoA transferase from Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824, (2) an acetoacetate decarboxylase, and (3) a primary–secondary alcohol dehydrogenase derived from Clostridium beijerinckii NRRL B593 produced up to 0.21 g/L of isopropanol. Because the engineered strain accumulated acetate, isopropanol titer was improved to 1.2 g/L under neutralized fermentation conditions. Optimization of isopropanol production was attempted by the overexpression and disruption of several endogenous genes. Simultaneous overexpression of two genes encoding acetyl-CoA synthetase and acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase increased isopropanol titer to 9.5 g/L. Moreover, in fed-batch cultivation, the resultant recombinant strain produced 27.2 g/L of isopropanol from glucose with a yield of 41.5 % (mol/mol). This is the first demonstration of the production of isopropanol by genetically engineered yeast.     

假丝酵母尿酸酶形成条件

选出了一株产尿酸酶的产朊候丝酵母(Candida utilis)AS2．117。此菌株尿酸酶形成条件的研究表明：尿酸、黄嘌呤和鸟嘌呤对酶形成起诱导作用;玉米浆对菌株生长和酶形成起十分重要的作用;蔗糖、葡萄塘、D-甘露糖和果糖是酶形成的适合碳源;生物素对酶产生有促进作用;在含有玉米浆培养基中加入无机氮源对产酶无作用,添加有机氮略增加产酶量。尿酸酶形成最适培养基组成为(％)：蔗糖;,玉米浆3,尿酸0．1,蛋白胨0．1,生物素0．05,KCI0．1,NaCl 0.1。最适pH为6．2。在250ml三角瓶中装30ml培养基为最适。在200r／min的旋转摇床上25℃振荡培养21h,在此条件下最终酶活力可达0．6u／ml。     

核酸疫苗制备工艺研究进展

核酸疫苗是指被用作疫苗的带有编码外源蛋白抗原基因的真核表达质粒,它能较安全地表达目的蛋白,是具有较大发展潜力的一类生物制品。研究核酸疫苗的制备工艺,对于规模化生产成本低、免疫效果好的疫苗具有重要的现实意义。核酸疫苗规模化生产工艺的流程主要包括核酸疫苗的构建、工程菌的发酵、菌体裂解、分离纯化及产品检验等关键环节,而每个环节对核酸疫苗的质量都有较大的影响。     

Transitional states in a chemostat culture of Candida utilis

Transient states of the chemostat Candida utilis 1668-3-37 culture were studied when its growth was limited by ethanol and an abrupt acidification of the medium from pH 5.0 to 2.2 was done or when the dilution rate was rapidly changed from D = 0.1 to 0.3 h-1 and back to 0.07 h-1. The pH shock was found to cause stronger oscillations in a number of parameters (the weight of dry biomass, the content of residual ethanol, the content of RNA in the cells) than a change in the dilution rate. In the latter case the population density changed more smoothly than the content of RNA did. DNA content remained at one and the same level in all of the experiments. All of the oscillations were observed only in the first generation after a shock; there upon, the culture remained for a long time (7 to 10 generations) in a very stable state typical of chemostat cultures. The oscillations induced by the unfavourable pH of the medium were compared with those caused by an abrupt change in the dilution rate. The pH shock brought about multiple damping oscillations of the parameters whereas a change in the dilution rate resulted, most often, in a merely one oscillation.     

Extraction of uricase from Candida utilis

Summary Six methods of uricase extraction from Candida utilis were tested and compared. X-press disintegration and sonic oscillation gave the best results.     

响应面法优化产朊假丝酵母培养及干燥工艺

本研究旨在优化产朊假丝酵母液体培养参数及干燥保护剂配方,提高产朊假丝酵母液体培养数量,制备出高复苏率的活性干酵母。以装液量、转速、温度和培养时间为影响因素,设计单因素试验,并采用Box-Behnken试验设计及响应面分析法优化产朊假丝酵母液体培养方案。在此条件下培养酵母,以L-谷氨酸钠、乳糖、脱脂奶粉为影响因素进行单因素保护试验,并采用响应面分析法优化干燥保护剂的组合。结果表明,产朊假丝酵母最佳培养条件为装液量45 mL/250 m L,转速200 r/min,温度30℃,培养时间24 h。在此条件下,培养的产朊假丝酵母数量可以达到9.34×10~8CFU/mL;最佳保护剂组合1%L-谷氨酸钠、12%脱脂奶粉、6%乳糖,经干燥后,产朊假丝酵母复苏率达到81.9%。此时活菌数7.65×10~8CFU/g,比未加保护剂组提高了3.83倍。