Screening method for microorganisms producing L-aminoacids from D,L-5-monosubstituted hydantoins

Summary The ability of microorganisms to produce hydantoinase and L-N-carbamoylase could be established by an overlay assay. Enzyme producing strains form clear areas around their colonies caused by the cleavage of D,L-indolylmethylhydantoin. A second overlayer with a tryptophan-auxotroph yeast enables us to detect microorganisms which are able to produce L-tryptophan from D,L-indolylmethylhydantoin.     

X-ray absorption spectroscopy of selenium-containing amino acids

Received: 2 April 1999 / Accepted: 17 September 1999     

A modular approach to situation identification of the dynamics of bacterial populations synthesizing poly-β-hydroxybutyrate

Biotechnological processes involving bacteria are strongly nonlinear. Therefore, both their productivity and the final product quality may be considerably improved by applying appropriate control strategies to modulate behavior of the bacteria during transitional states. This requires advance identification of indicative signals by off-line investigation (i.e. experimental analysis) and on-line monitoring, (i.e. real time evaluation). A modular scheme is presented for doing this, which incorporates an Extended Kalman Filter and a prediction filter. If this is based on a suitable process-feature vector, which must be chosen in advance, the system can provide sufficient information to trigger appropriate feedback signals. Thus, it can provide a key element in modular situation control, allowing continuously periodic process management. In this publication the individual modules involved, and their assembly into an integrated system are described. Potential problems concerning selection of the feature vector, and experimental results are also discussed.     

Dimorphism in methane seep-dwelling ecotypes of the largest known bacteria

We present evidence for a dimorphic life cycle in the vacuolate sulfide-oxidizing bacteria that appears to involve the attachment of a spherical Thiomargarita-like cell to the exteriors of invertebrate integuments and other benthic substrates at methane seeps. The attached cell elongates to produce a stalk-like form before budding off spherical daughter cells resembling free-living Thiomargarita that are abundant in surrounding sulfidic seep sediments. The relationship between the attached parent cell and free-living daughter cell is reminiscent of the dimorphic life modes of the prosthecate Alphaproteobacteria, but on a grand scale, with individual elongate cells reaching nearly a millimeter in length. Abundant growth of attached Thiomargarita-like bacteria on the integuments of gastropods and other seep fauna provides not only a novel ecological niche for these giant bacteria, but also for animals that may benefit from epibiont colonization.     

Continuous microbial production ofl-leucine with cell retention

Summary Continuous production ofl-leucine was carried out withCorynebacterium glutamicum, strain ATCC 13032 starting from-ketoisocaproic acid as the precursor, glucose as the carbon source and ammonium sulphate as the nitrogen source, with biotin in a mineral medium. By means of cross-flow microfiltration or centrifugal separation for cell retention in continuous fermentation an increase in cell density was achieved and the product solution was obtained cell-free. The cells were concentrated to over 70 g cell dry mass/1. In experiments of up to 42 days, conversion rates of 85%–99% andl-leucine yields of 85%–93% were achieved. With a substrate residence time of 3.6 h, 114 mmol/1l-leucine was produced with a space-time yield of 97 g/1 per day. A scale-up of the fermentation volume from 4 to 1001 provided comparable results.     

Isolation of humic acid from the brown algaPilayella littoralis

A standard humic acid extraction procedure has been used to isolate dark brown organic residues from samples of the macroscopic marine brown algaPilayella littoralis. The residues are insoluble in water, but soluble at high pH, and are similar in elemental composition, ash content, UV-visible, IR, PMR and X-Ray fluorescence spectra, X-Ray diffractograms and scanning electron micrographs to residues of a humic acid isolated from municipal compost. These results indicate thatPilayella produces humic acids.Author for correspondence     

Enzymatic transfer of sialic acids modified at C-5 employing four different sialyltransferases

We present kinetic studies on the enzymatic transfer of several synthetic sialic acid analogues, modified at C-5, to distinct glycoprotein glycans by sialytransferases differing in acceptor- and linkage-specificity. Biochemical properties of sialic acids were modified by introducing formyl-, trifluoroacetyl-, benzyloxycarbonyl-, and aminoacetyl-groups to the amino group at C-5 of neuraminic acid. The latter substitution renders the corresponding -glyocoside resistant towards sialidases. The respective CMP-sialic acid analogues were prepared by CMP-sialic acid synthase with a yield of 13–55%.The kinetic parameters of several sialyltransferases for the 5-substituted CMP-glycosides differed significantly. Relative to parent CMP-NeuAc, reaction rates of human- and rat liver Gal1, 4GlcNAc 2,6-sialyl-transferases ranged from 50 to 170%, of GalNAc 2,6-sialyltransferases from 40–140%, and of Gal1,3Gal-NAc 2,3-sialyltransferase from 20–50%. Resialylation of asialo-₁-acid glycoprotein by 5-N-formyl- and 5-N-aminoacetyl-neuraminic acid employing rat liver Gal1,4GlcNAc 2,6-sialyltransferase proceeded to about 80% of galactose sites which is identical to the extent achieved with parent NeuAc.According to our data, neosialoglycoconjugates which carry sialic acids modified at theN-acetyl group can be prepared for structure-function analysis, as this position seems crucial for recognition of adhesion proteins and influenza viruses.