Optimized lipase-catalyzed synthesis of adipate ester in a solvent-free system

Immobilized Candida antarctica lipase-catalyzed esterification of adipic acid and oleyl alcohol was investigated in a solvent-free system (SFS). Optimum conditions for adipate ester synthesis in a stirred-tank reactor were determined by the response surface methodology (RSM) approach with respect to important reaction parameters including time, temperature, agitation speed, and amount of enzyme. A high conversion yield was achieved using low enzyme amounts of 2.5% w/w at 60°C, reaction time of 438 min, and agitation speed of 500 rpm. The good correlation between predicted value (96.0%) and actual value (95.5%) implies that the model derived from RSM allows better understanding of the effect of important reaction parameters on the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of adipate ester in an organic solvent-free system. Higher volumetric productivity compared to a solvent-based system was also offered by SFS. The results demonstrate that the solvent-free system is efficient for enzymatic synthesis of adipate ester.     

Effect of thawing rate and post-thaw culture on the cryopreserved fetal rat islets: functional and morphological correlation

The ability of the fetal pancreatic islet cells to multiply rendered them a potential tissue for transplantation studies to cure diabetes. A bank of fetal islets could be created with proper storage in liquid nitrogen. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of thawing rate and post-thaw culture on the structural and functional integrity of isolated cryopreserved islets of rat fetuses. Fetal rat islets were isolated by the collagenase digestion, cultured for three days, and then cryopreserved using dimethylsulphoxide as cryoprotectant and the step-rate cooling to -40 degrees C before immersing them in liquid nitrogen. The islets were thawed by the slow or fast warming rates using hyperosmolar sucrose solution and then cultured for 1 or 2 days. Insulin and C-peptide contents of the slow thawed islets were higher than those of the control. In the fast thawed islets the contents were similar to those of the control. Insulin and C-peptide release in response to glucose for the slow thawed islets were lower than those of the control and in the fast thawed islets they were similar to that of the control. Histological examination showed irregular periphery and fragmented central part of the large slowly thawed islets, which showed also variable immunohistochemical reaction to anti-insulin serum, ranging from strongly positive reaction to markedly weak reaction. Fast thawed islets showed mostly regular periphery and their reaction to the anti-insulin serum was slightly weaker than that of the control islets. It was concluded that fast thawing and post-thaw culture is much better than slow thawing, as indicated by nearly normal insulin and C-peptide content and release and intact structural integrity.     

An organic solvent-stable alkaline protease from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain K: Enzyme purification and characterization

The organic solvent-tolerant strain K protease was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulphate precipitation and anion exchange chromatography with 124-fold increase in specific activity. The molecular mass of the purified enzyme as revealed by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis is 51,000 Da. The strain K protease was an alkaline metalloprotease with an optimum pH and temperature of 10 and 70 °C, respectively. The enzyme showed stability and activation in the presence of organic solvents with log P_a/w values equal or more than 4.0. After 14 days of incubation, the purified protease was activated 1.11, 1.82, 1.50, 1.75 and 1.80 times in 1-decanol, isooctane, decane, dodecane and hexadecane, respectively.     

Study on response surface methodology (RSM) of lipase-catalyzed synthesis of palm-based wax ester

The synthesis of wax ester using refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm oil and oleyl alcohol catalyzed by lipozyme IM was carried out. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on a five-level, four-variable central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used to evaluate the interactive effects of synthesis, of reaction time (2.5–10 h), temperature (30–70 °C), amount of enzyme (0.1–0.2 g) and substrate molar ratio (palm oil to oleyl alcohol, 1:1–1:5) on the percentage yield of wax esters. The optimum conditions derived via RSM were: reaction time 7.38 h, temperature 53.9 °C, amount of enzyme 0.149 g, and substrate molar ratio 1:3.41. The actual experimental yield was 84.6% under optimum condition, which compared well to the maximum predicted value of 85.4%.     

A modeling study by response surface methodology and artificial neural network on culture parameters optimization for thermostable lipase production from a newly isolated thermophilic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Geobacillus</Emphasis> sp. strain ARM

Background  

Thermostable bacterial lipases occupy a place of prominence among biocatalysts owing to their novel, multifold applications and resistance to high temperature and other operational conditions. The capability of lipases to catalyze a variety of novel reactions in both aqueous and nonaqueous media presents a fascinating field for research, creating interest to isolate novel lipase producers and optimize lipase production. The most important stages in a biological process are modeling and optimization to improve a system and increase the efficiency of the process without increasing the cost.     

Allosteric properties of phosphofructokinase from the epithelial cells of thermally injured rat small intestine

1. The allosteric properties of phosphofructokinase from the epithelial cells of thermally injured rat small intestine were studied and compared with those properties of the normal rats. 2. The fructose 6-phosphate saturation curve of mucosal phosphofructokinase from thermally injured rats (3 days post injury, 33% of body surface area) displayed cooperatively; the ratio of the activity observed at pH 7.0 in the presence of 0.5 mM fructose 6-phosphate and 2.5 mM-ATP to the optimal activity at pH 8.0, v 0.5/V, was 0.42 +/- 0.02 in the normal rats and 0.22 +/- 0.03 in the injured rats. 3. The enzyme from thermally injured rats was very sensitive to inhibition by ATP as compared to that from normal rats. 4. The enzyme from thermally injured rats was inhibited by citrate and phosphocreatine in a synergistic manner with ATP. 5. Activation under nearly cellular conditions was produced by ADP, AMP and glucose-1,6-biphosphate. 6. In general, the mucosal enzyme of thermally injured rats was more susceptible to inhibition or activation by various metabolites than the enzyme of the normal rats. 7. These results may suggest that mucosal phosphofructokinase of thermally injured rats may not be subject to the same control mechanism as the normal rats in vivo due to changes in the concentrations of fructose-2,6-biphosphate.     

PRICKLE1 Interaction with SYNAPSIN I Reveals a Role in Autism Spectrum Disorders

The frequent comorbidity of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) with epilepsy suggests a shared underlying genetic susceptibility; several genes, when mutated, can contribute to both disorders. Recently, PRICKLE1 missense mutations were found to segregate with ASD. However, the mechanism by which mutations in this gene might contribute to ASD is unknown. To elucidate the role of PRICKLE1 in ASDs, we carried out studies in Prickle1^+/− mice and Drosophila, yeast, and neuronal cell lines. We show that mice with Prickle1 mutations exhibit ASD-like behaviors. To find proteins that interact with PRICKLE1 in the central nervous system, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen with a human brain cDNA library and isolated a peptide with homology to SYNAPSIN I (SYN1), a protein involved in synaptogenesis, synaptic vesicle formation, and regulation of neurotransmitter release. Endogenous Prickle1 and Syn1 co-localize in neurons and physically interact via the SYN1 region mutated in ASD and epilepsy. Finally, a mutation in PRICKLE1 disrupts its ability to increase the size of dense-core vesicles in PC12 cells. Taken together, these findings suggest PRICKLE1 mutations contribute to ASD by disrupting the interaction with SYN1 and regulation of synaptic vesicles.     

Cold-Adapted RTX Lipase from Antarctic Pseudomonas sp. Strain AMS8: Isolation, Molecular Modeling and Heterologous Expression

A new strain of psychrophilic bacteria (designated strain AMS8) from Antarctic soil was screened for extracellular lipolytic activity and further analyzed using molecular approach. Analysis of 16S rDNA showed that strain AMS8 was similar to Pseudomonas sp. A lipase gene named lipAMS8 was successfully isolated from strain AMS8, cloned, sequenced and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. Sequence analysis revealed that lipAMS8 consist of 1,431 bp nucleotides that encoded a polypeptide consisting of 476 amino acids. It lacked an N-terminal signal peptide and contained a glycine- and aspartate-rich nonapeptide sequence at the C-terminus, which are known to be the characteristics of repeats-in-toxin bacterial lipases. Furthermore, the substrate binding site of lipAMS8 was identified as S²⁰⁷, D²⁵⁵ and H³¹³, based on homology modeling and multiple sequence alignment. Crude lipase exhibited maximum activity at 20 °C and retained almost 50 % of its activity at 10 °C. The molecular weight of lipAMS8 was estimated to be 50 kDa via sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The optimal expression level was attained using the recombinant plasmid pET32b/BL21(DE3) expressed at 15 °C for 8 h, induced by 0.1 mM isopropyl β-D thiogalactoside (IPTG) at E. coli growth optimal density of 0.5.     

Kinetic behaviour of free lipase and mica-based immobilized lipase catalyzing the synthesis of sugar esters

The utilization of natural mica as a biocatalyst support in kinetic investigations is first described in this study. The formation of lactose caprate from lactose sugar and capric acid, using free lipase (free-CRL) and lipase immobilized on nanoporous mica (NER-CRL) as a biocatalyst, was evaluated through a kinetic study. The apparent kinetic parameters, K(m) and V(max), were determined by means of the Michaelis-Menten kinetic model. The Ping-Pong Bi-Bi mechanism with single substrate inhibition was adopted as it best explains the experimental findings. The kinetic results show lower K(m) values with NER-CRL than with free-CRL, indicating the higher affinity of NER-CRL towards both substrates at the maximum reaction velocity (V(max,app)>V(max)). The kinetic parameters deduced from this model were used to simulate reaction rate data which were in close agreement with the experimental values.     

High level expression and characterization of a novel thermostable, organic solvent tolerant, 1,3-regioselective lipase from Geobacillus sp. strain ARM

The mature ARM lipase gene was cloned into the pTrcHis expression vector and over-expressed in Escherichia coli TOP10 host. The optimum lipase expression was obtained after 18 h post induction incubation with 1.0 mM IPTG, where the lipase activity was approximately 1623-fold higher than wild type. A rapid, high efficient, one-step purification of the His-tagged recombinant lipase was achieved using immobilized metal affinity chromatography with 63.2% recovery and purification factor of 14.6. The purified lipase was characterized as a high active (7092 U mg⁻¹), serine-hydrolase, thermostable, organic solvent tolerant, 1,3-specific lipase with a molecular weight of about 44 kDa. The enzyme was a monomer with disulfide bond(s) in its structure, but was not a metalloenzyme. ARM lipase was active in a broad range of temperature and pH with optimum lipolytic activity at pH 8.0 and 65 °C. The enzyme retained 50% residual activity at pH 6.0-7.0, 50 °C for more than 150 min.