Biased clique shuffling reveals stabilizing mutations in cellulase Cel7A

Renewable fuels produced from biomass‐derived sugars are receiving increasing attention. Lignocellulose‐degrading enzymes derived from fungi are attractive for saccharification of biomass because they can be produced at higher titers and at significantly less cost than those produced by bacteria or archaea. However, their properties can be suboptimal; for example, they are subject to product inhibition and are sensitive to small changes in pH. Furthermore, increased thermostability would be advantageous for saccharification as increased temperature may reduce the opportunity for microbial contamination. We have developed a mutagenesis platform to improve these properties and applied it to increase the operating temperature and thermostability of the fungal glycosyl hydrolase Cel7A. Secretion of Cel7A at titers of 26 mg/L with limited hyperglycosylation was achieved using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain with upregulated protein disulfide isomerase, an engineered α‐factor prepro leader, and deletion of a plasma membrane ATPase. Using biased clique shuffling (BCS) of 11 Cel7A genes, we generated a small library (469) rich in activity (86% of the chimeras were active) and identified 51 chimeras with improved thermostability, many of which contained mutations in the loop networks that extend over the enzyme's active site. This BCS library was far superior as a source of active and stable chimeras compared to an equimolar library prepared from the same 11 genes. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109: 2710–2719. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Optimization of DNA delivery by three classes of hybrid nanoparticle/DNA complexes

Plasmid DNA encoding a luciferase reporter gene was complexed with each of six different hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized from mixtures of poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide acid) (PLGA 50:50) and the cationic lipids DOTAP (1, 2-Dioleoyl-3-Trimethyammonium-Propane) or DC-Chol {3β-[N-(N', N'-Dimethylaminoethane)-carbamyl] Cholesterol}. Particles were 100-400 nm in diameter and the resulting complexes had DNA adsorbed on the surface (out), encapsulated (in), or DNA adsorbed and encapsulated (both). A luciferase reporter assay was used to quantify DNA expression in 293 cells for the uptake of six different NP/DNA complexes. Optimal DNA delivery occurred for 10⁵ cells over a range of 500 ng - 10 μg of NPs containing 20-30 μg DNA per 1 mg of NPs. Uptake of DNA from NP/DNA complexes was found to be 500-600 times as efficient as unbound DNA. Regression analysis was performed and lines were drawn for DNA uptake over a four week interval. NP/DNA complexes with adsorbed NPs (out) showed a large initial uptake followed by a steep slope of DNA decline and large angle of declination; lines from uptake of adsorbed and encapsulated NPs (both) also exhibited a large initial uptake but was followed by a gradual slope of DNA decline and small angle of declination, indicating longer times of luciferase expression in 293 cells. NPs with encapsulated DNA only (in), gave an intermediate activity. The latter two effects were best seen with DOTAP-NPs while the former was best seen with DC-Chol-NPs. These results provide optimal conditions for using different hybrid NP/DNA complexes in vitro and in the future, will be tested in vivo.     

Assignment of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase to chromosome 3 ofAnopheles stephensi

Genetics and linkage analysis of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) have been investigated in Anopheles stephensi. Both these markers were found to be autosomal and linked and have been assigned to linkage group III. Two mutant markers, Black larva (Bl) and golden-yellow larva (gy), were used to establish the map distances, and the current sequence of loci on chromosome 3 is as follows: Bl (3.75)-gy (14.53)-Mdh-2 (49.83)-6-pgd.