低聚磷酸盐对粪产碱杆菌合成热凝胶的影响

粪产碱杆菌合成热凝胶需要消耗大量ATP用于前体物质UDPG的再生,利用3种具有不同高能磷酸键的低聚磷酸盐Na4P2O7(2P)、Na5P3O10(3P)和(NaPO3)6(6P)作为高能磷酸键供体,并取代培养基中的KH2PO4-K2HPO4(1P)而作为磷元素供体,研究其对粪产碱杆菌合成热凝胶的影响。结果表明相对于对照磷元素摩尔含量的单倍和双倍量添加3P和6P能够分别提高热凝胶产量23%和134%,达到15.1g/L和30.0g/L;同时副产物乙酸分别较对照降低了87.5%和77.7%;在以双倍量添加6P后,副产物甲酸的生成也显著降低75.7%。当培养基中不含碳酸钙进行低聚磷酸盐添加实验时,生物量显著降低,热凝胶合成几乎没有,发酵液pH最低降到2.1。以磷元素单倍量和双倍量分别添加3P和6P,并与1P混合发酵时,热凝胶产量变化不大;但是,当发酵液不存在碳酸钙而1P被作为缓冲物质时,以单倍量和双倍量添加6P使得热凝胶产量较对照分别提高60.4%和49.4%,分别达到18.4g/L和16.9g/L。     

Melting behaviour of schizophyllan extracellular polysaccharide gels in the temperature range between 5 and 20°C

Gels of the glucan schizophyllan, consisting of a 1,3-β- -linked backbone of glucose residues with 1,6-β- -glucosyl side groups, were found to show melting behaviour in the temperature range between 5 and 20°C, depending on the glucose concentration in the solvent (0–50 wt% glucose). While the qualitative features of the modulus-versus-concentration and modulus-versus-temperature rheological data for the gels can be modelled using modified cascade theory (which implicitly assumes that no sub-level of organisation exists in the gel structure), a consistent quantitative fit cannot be achieved. The inconsistencies found are consistent with the idea that the gel is composed of bundles (consisting of many triple helices of schizophyllan) with strong intra-bundle attraction and weak inter-bundle forces. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) micrographs of diluted samples indicate that schizophyllan polymers engage in lateral aggregation of triple helical strands at temperatures below the melting temperature, suggesting that indeed bundles of polymers will be present in the gel state.     

葡萄糖和麦芽糖碳源底物对粪产碱杆菌合成凝胶多糖的胞内代谢流影响*

麦芽糖和葡萄糖对粪产碱杆菌发酵合成凝胶多糖有着显著的影响,为了详细分析两种底物对凝胶多糖合成的影响机制,利用恒化培养实验及稳态碳平衡代谢分析,研究发现在稀释速率为0.1h^-1时,利用麦芽糖和葡萄糖为碳源底物的条件下粪产碱杆菌的微观代谢途径通量有较大的差异。以麦芽糖为底物时凝胶多糖的摩尔得率为53.8%,比葡萄糖为碳源时的摩尔得率(36.9%)高出了45.8%以上。同时以麦芽糖为碳源时HMP途径的绝对代谢通量比葡萄糖时的通量提升了40%以上。这条途径通量的增加,提升了NADPH还原力供给速率,促进了依赖于还原力NADPH的凝胶多糖合成途径通量,提升了碳源底物向产物的摩尔转化速率。而且代谢流分析结果显示ED途径通量和能量提供也是影响粪产碱杆菌凝胶多糖合成效率的关键因素。麦芽糖作为碳源底物过程中维持的较低的残留葡萄糖浓度解除了高葡萄糖浓度条件下对凝胶多糖合成的抑制,能够实现更高通量的ATP能量提供效率,更加促进了凝胶多糖合成通量。     

DNA aptamers bind specifically and selectively to (1 → 3)-β-d-glucans

(1 → 3)-β-d-Glucans are structural cell wall components of fungi, plants, and some bacteria and have been linked with human respiratory symptoms following aerosol exposure. A clear interpretation of the health impact of (1 → 3)-β-d-glucans is limited by the high cost and uncertainties associated with current glucan quantitation methods. The objective of this research is to develop DNA aptamers for the measurement of (1 → 3)-β-d-glucans. Aptamers are synthetic DNA functional binding molecules that fold into unique conformations, allowing them to bind specifically to their target. Through the in vitro selection process SELEX, we have produced aptamers that are able to bind with sub-micromolar affinity to curdlan, a linear unbranched form of (1 → 3)-β-d-glucans. These aptamers display high selectivity to curdlan and do not bind to non-(1 → 3)-β-d-polysaccharides, suggesting specificity for the β-(1 → 3)-glycosidic linkage. The aptamers produced here will enable the production of more cost-effective, less ambiguous assays for the environmental measurement of (1 → 3)-β-d-glucans.     

Preparation of (1 → 3)-β-d-glucan oligosaccharides by hydrolysis of curdlan with commercial α-amylase

Water soluble (1 → 3)-β-d-glucan oligosaccharides were prepared by hydrolyzing curdlan with α-amylase. The hydrolysis process was monitored by the DE values of the hydrolysates. Under the optimized conditions (pH, 5.98; temperature, 55.92 °C; α-amylase amount, 31.94 mg α-amylase/500 mL of reaction mixture containing 5 g curdlan; reaction time, 30 min), maximum DE value (15.62%) was obtained. The resulting products were composed of (1 → 3)-β-d-glucan oligosaccharides of DP 2-9. The hydrolysates were filtered, concentrated to ∼20% (w/v), and precipitated with 5 volumes of ethanol, which were then freeze dried to yield a water soluble powder. The (1 → 3)-β-d-glucan oligosaccharides content of the product and the yield were 97.7% and 97.6% (w/w), respectively.     

Curdlan as a support matrix for immobilization of enzyme

Curdlan, a high molecular weight extracellular β(1→3) glucan produced by pure culture fermentation by Agrobacterium radiobacter NCIM 2443 contains large number of free hydroxyl groups. The reaction of hydroxyl containing supports with epichlorohydrin results in activated epoxy groups that can covalently link with available amino, hydroxyl, or sulfhydryl groups of enzymes, thereby immobilizing it. The present work reports on preparation of epoxy-activated matrix for immobilization of a model enzyme, porcine pancreatic lipase. The binding capacity of the matrix prepared by extraction of epoxy-activated curdlan by isopropyl alcohol was found to be 58.7% with about 0.6% loss of the enzyme activity during immobilization. Further, the specific activity of the enzyme increased marginally from 9.37 to 10.2. The corresponding value was 10.15 for a commercial sample of curdlan, epoxy-activated as for laboratory-isolated curdlan. Sepharose, the most widely used support matrix for the immobilization of enzymes was used for comparison in this study.     

Curdlan-mediated regulation of human phagocyte-specific chitotriosidase

Human phagocyte-specific chitotriosidase is part of innate immunity and shows anti-fungal activity towards chitin-containing fungi. We investigated the effect of stimulation of the C-type lectin receptor dectin-1 by β-1,3-glucan (curdlan) on chitotriosidase expression and release by human phagocytes. We observed that curdlan triggers chitotriosidase release from human neutrophils. In addition, we show that curdlan impairs chitotriosidase induction in monocytes. Finally, curdlan temporarily induces chitotriosidase in enzyme-expressing monocyte-derived macrophages, followed by reduction of chitotriosidase expression after prolonged stimulation. These data on regulation of phagocyte-specific chitotriosidase following curdlan recognition support an important role of chitotriosidase in the elimination of chitin-containing pathogens.     

The curdlan-type exopolysaccharide produced by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cellulomonas flavigena</Emphasis> KU forms part of an extracellular glycocalyx involved in cellulose degradation

The genus Cellulomonas is comprised of a group of Gram-positive, soil bacteria capable of utilizing cellulose as their sole source of carbon and energy. Cellulomonas flavigena KU was originally isolated from leaf litter and subsequently shown to produce large quantities of a curdlan-type (-1,3-glucan) exopolysaccharide (EPS) when provided with an excess of glucose or other soluble carbon-source. We report here that curdlan EPS is also produced by Cellulomonas flavigena KU when growing on microcrystalline cellulose in mineral salts-yeast extract media. Microscopic examination of such cultures shows an adherent biofilm matrix composed of cells, curdlan EPS, and numerous surface structures resembling cellulosome complexes. Those Cellulomonas species that produce curdlan EPS are all non-motile and adhere to cellulose as it is broken down into soluble sugars. These observations suggest two very different approaches towards the complex process of cellulose degradation within the genus Cellulomonas.