Optimization of casein-based semisynthetic medium for growing of toxigenic Corinebacterium diphtheriae in a fermenter

Diphtheria toxin is produced by growing Corinebacterium diphtheriae either in a semisynthetic casein-based medium or in the Pope-Lingood meat extract based medium. The World Health Organization advises the use of the semisynthetic one, as it has important advantages. Data on the composition of casein-based media and their ability to support high toxin production are not freely available. Important factors affecting toxin production during C. diphtheriae cultivation are the pH of the culture medium and the concentration of casein hydrolysate and of Fe2+. We established that the optimal pH for toxin production is 7.2. The highest yield of toxin was obtained using a casein hydrolysate concentration of 35.0 g/L and a Fe2+ concentration of 0.05-0.41 microg/mL. Under these conditions, diphtheria toxin with higher purity and yield compared with the batches obtained using the meat-based medium of Pope-Lingood was produced.     

Characterization of an aminopeptidase and a proline iminopeptidase from cabbage leaves

Aminopeptidase, preferring phenylalanine-p-nitroanilide as substrate, and proline iminopeptidase, highly-specific for proline-p-nitroanilide, were isolated from cabbage leaves (Brassica oleraceae var. capitata). As pH optima, 7.2-7.5 for aminopeptidase activity and 8.0-8.5 for proline iminopeptidase were determined. Both peptidases were strongly inhibited by p-chloromercuribenzoic acid, heavy metal ions and urea. The molecular weights were determined by gel filtration to be 56 and 204 kDa, respectively. The iminopeptidase was decomposed during SDS electrophoresis to four subunits of 50 kDa. Minor impurities of myrosinase-associated protein (approximately 70 kDa) were found in both preparations. Preliminary data of their amino acid sequences showed similarities to those of aminopeptidases N (family M1) and proline iminopeptidases (family S33).     

Extracellular acid phosphatase as a minor enzyme during the production of proteinases by Humicola lutea 120–5

Extracellular acid phosphatase was studied as a minor enzyme of the fungal strain Humicola lutea 120–5 having a clear relation to the secretion of acid proteinases. A medium lacking in mineral orthophosphates ensured a fivefold higher yield of phosphatase while the proteinase production was reduced. An acid phosphatase fraction free of proteinase activity was isolated demonstrating a maximum hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl-phosphate at a pH of 4.0 and 50°C. The phosphatase catalyzed a partial dephosphorylation of up to 30% of casein at a pH of 3.0 causing a complete substrate precipitation. Both proteinase and phosphatase biosynthesis increased twofold when natural casein was replaced by partially dephosphorylated casein in the cultivation medium.     

Improvement of acid phosphatase production by immobilization of Humicola lutea mycelium in polyurethane sponge

Acid phosphatase production by the fungus Humicola lutea 120-5, immobilized in polyurethane sponge, was studied under semicontinuous shake flask fermentation and compared to the enzyme secretion by free cells. The effect of parameters such as the carrier content and the duration of the batch in repeated batch experiments on the phosphatase production half-life was investigated. The best results were obtained with 1.0 g of sponge cubes (about 1.0 cm per side) per culture flask using 72 h runs. In these conditions the half-life of enzyme production by immobilized biocatalyst was 15 sequential cycles (45 days) compared to three cycles (9 days) for the free mycelium. The maximal phosphatase titre registered in free cell fermentation was 2500 U/l (i.e. 100%), while the relative enzyme activity of the optimal immobilized system was over 100% during the whole half-life time of 45 days. Significant improvement (200–215%) in the yield was observed in one-third of this period or 15 days. The supernatant medium obtained at any stage of the repeated batch cultures did not contain free cells and, due to the low pH (3.0–3.5), the whole process was carried out without any bacterial contamination. In comparison with free cell fermentation, the significant improvement of the acid phosphatase production by polyurethane sponge-immobilized H. lutea mycelium as well as its operation stability was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy.     

Production of casein hydrolysates by extracellular acid proteinases of immobilized Humicola lutea cells

Casein hydrolysis was studied during the cultivation of immobilized Humicola lutea cells producing acid proteinases. By monitoring the cultivation with time, various casein hydrolysates could be obtained, from partially modified proteins (yield 80%) with improved emulsion properties to peptones (yield > 50%) with a degree of hydrolysis >40%. The casein from the fermentation medium appeared to be simultaneously a nitrogen source, an inducer of proteinase biosynthesis, and a substrate for the production of casein hydrolysates. Casein (4%) and glucose (2%) ensured optimal cultivation conditions. The fungal cells, immobilized in calcium alginate beads, required a short cultivation time and demonstrated comparable hydrolysis of casein during five to seven reuses in batch mode. Correspondence to: B. Tchorbanov     

Submerged cultivation of a strain ofHumicola lutea 72 producing acid protease

Summary It is demonstrated for the first time that a species from the genusHumicola is a potential source of acid protease. A strain was classified by morphological investigations asHumicola lutea. The influence of constituents of the culture medium on the growth and acid protease production ofH. lutea 72 in submerged cultivation in flasks was investigated. An improved medium was devised for future studies. The optimal aeration rate, inoculum level and cultivation time were determined. A maximal proteolytic activity of 670 g tyrosine liberated from casein ml^–1 culture filtrate min^–1 at pH 3.0 was obtained.     

Isolation and characterization of novel tyrosinase from Laceyella sacchari

We here describe the isolation and characterization of a tyrosinase from a newly isolated soil bacterium. 16S rDNA sequence analysis revealed that the bacterium most probably belongs to the species Laceyella sacchari (Ls) ( > 99.9 % identity). The tyrosinase extracellular enzymatic activity was induced in the presence of L-methionine and CuSO4. The crude enzyme was first purified by centrifugation followed by ammonium sulphate precipitation and ultrafiltration. After removal of a brown pigment, probably melanin, a purified enzyme was obtained by further separation of the crude protein mixture using size exclusion chromatography. Some 10.5 mg of pure tyrosinase (LsTyr) was isolated with a molecular mass of 30 910 Da, based on MALDI mass spectrometry. Together with the observed enzymatic activity, N-terminal chemical sequence analysis confirmed that the isolated enzyme is homologous to other tyrosinases. The kinetic parameters for the diphenol substrates L-DOPA and dopamine and for the monophenol substrate L-tyrosine were determined to be KM = 4.5 mM , 1.5 mM and 0.055 mM, and kcat/KM = 261.5 mM-1 s -1 , 30.6 mM-1 s-1 and 56.3 mM-1 s-1, respectively. Maximal activities of the purified enzyme were found to occur at pH 6.8.     

Molecular composition of diphtheria toxoid produced using semi-synthetic and meat extract-based broths

The use of semi-synthetic broths for cultivation of Corynebacterium diphtheriae instead of a meat extract-based broth avoids the presence of highly undesirable bovine meat antigens in the diphtheria toxoid. As information on the composition of casein digest-based broths used for the production of diphtheria toxoid is scarce, we have now developed one. The composition of a casein-based medium that supports vigorous bacterial growth as well as high toxin production is described below. The comparative analysis of the toxoids, produced using the meat-based Pope–Lingood and the casein digest-based broths, showed considerable differences in their molecular composition. The variance of weight distribution of toxoid-containing molecular complexes was smaller when the semi-synthetic broth was used. Normal human therapeutic IgG recognizes some of the proteins in the meat-based medium but does not react with any components of the semi-synthetic medium. While precipitation at the isoelectric point of the diphtheria toxoid produced by culturing the C. diphtheriae strain in the semi-synthetic medium resulted in a preparation meeting the requirement for purity (more than 1500 limit floculation Lf/mg protein nitrogen PN), the toxoid produced in the Pope–Lingood broth failed to meet this requirement in some cases, even after a second purification step using ultrafiltration.     

Acid phosphatases excreted by Humicola lutea 120-5 in casein-containing medium

The fungus Humicola lutea 120-5 cultivated in casein-containing media, in the presence or absence of inorganic phosphate (P_i), excretes three different molecular forms of acid phosphatase (with M_r values of approximately 140, 70 and 35 kDa). The enzyme forms were isolated and purified 30–100-fold by a procedure involving two steps of ion-exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-200 gel chromatography. It was found that the fungus excretes only one of the phosphatases with the highest M_r (140 kDa) during growth on medium with inorganic nitrogen source (NaNO₃). This form (designed AcPh I) was assumed to be a constitutive, since it showed resistance to high P_i-concentrations (10 mM) and its biosynthesis was not affected by the type of nitrogen source (casein or NaNO₃). The other two forms (AcPh II-70 and AcPh III-35 kDa) were competitively inhibited by P_i (K _i = 0.5 and 0.2 mM, respectively) and were induced by casein. The K _m values of AcPh I and AcPh II were estimated as 1.3 mM, while AcPh III showed a higher affinity for p-nitrophenylphosphate (pNPP) with K _m of 0.5 mM. The AcPh I–III fractions demonstrated a pH optimum in the range of 4.5–4.8 and an optimal temperature of 55 °C using pNPP as a substrate. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Production of acid proteinases byHumicola lutea immobilized in polyacrylamide gel

Summary Fungal spores ofHumicola lutea 120–5 were entrapped in 5% polyacrylamide gel and were cultivated for 44–48 h to form a mycelial network inside the beads. A dense mycelial growth also occurred on the surface of the beads. It was possible to reuse the immobilized mycelium for production of acid proteinases in 12 different batches without loss of mechanical stability. The inoculum size should be controlled prior to its transfer into fresh production medium. Maximal enzyme production exceeding the level of free cell fermentation was registered in the fourth to seventh cycles. According to the size of the inoculum, half of the initial production rate was reached after 7–14 batches.