甲烷氧化细菌生物催化合成聚-β-羟基丁酸酯的分子量调控

在甲烷氧化细菌Methylosinus trichosporium IMV3011细胞内生物催化合成聚-β-羟基丁酸酯(PHB)的过程中,对影响聚合物分子量的各种因素进行了研究.发现碳源、培养基组分NH4+,NO3-,HPO24-,Mg2+,某些导向PHB合成的关键中间产物以及PHB的提取方法均会对PHB的分子量产生影响.同时,通过对胞内PHB合成酶系中关键作用酶的活性变化进行研究,发现β-酮硫解酶催化着控制进入PHB循环入口的关键反应,而PHB分子量的变化则主要取决于PHB合成酶和PHB降解酶的协同作用.     

Tyrosine 105 of Paucimonas lemoignei PHB depolymerase PhaZ7 is essential for polymer binding

The 3-dimensional structure of the Paucimonas lemoignei poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) depolymerase PhaZ7 has significant similarity to Bacillus subtilis lipase LipA but differs from the latter by the presence of an additional domain. Analysis of this lid-like domain revealed the presence of many hydrophobic amino acid residues including Tyr₁₀₅. In this study we constructed His-tag fusions of PhaZ7 for simplified purification and investigated the effect of amino acid exchange of eight tyrosine codons of the lid-like domain. Exchanges of Tyr₁₀₃, Tyr₁₇₂, Tyr₁₇₃, Tyr₂₀₃ or Tyr₂₀₄ to alanine or serine had no phenotype but muteins with substitution of Tyr₁₈₉, Tyr₁₉₀ and Tyr₁₀₅ to alanine showed a lag phase of the in vitro PHB depolymerase reaction. Replacement of Tyr₁₀₅ by glutamate further increased the lag phase. Binding assays of the purified PHB depolymerase proteins with the natural substrate, native PHB granules, revealed a significantly reduced binding ability of the Tyr₁₀₅Glu mutant compared to the wild type protein and confirmed that Tyr₁₀₅ is involved in interaction with the polymeric substrate.     

Study of enzymatic degradation of microbial copolyesters consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate and medium-chain-length 3-hydroxyalkanoates

Enzymatic degradation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyalkanoates) (PHBA) biopolyester consisting of 3-hydroxybutyrate (HB) and 15 mol% medium-chain-length 3-hydroxyalkanoates (HA) was studied using a polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) depolymerase produced by Ralstonia pickettii T1. It was found that PHBA films did not lose their weight after 25 h of depolymerase treatment. In contrast, three commercially available PHAs including poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-19 mol% 3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-19 mol% 3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) lost 75%, 94% and 39% of their original weights. Slow degradation of PHBA was also confirmed by the absence of HA monomers, dimers or trimers as degradation products in their depolymerase solution compared with abundance of degradation products released by the other three PHAs under the same condition. Surface erosion of PHBA was only observed after 48 h of enzymatic treatment compared with those of PHB, PHBV and PHBHHx which already had obvious surface changes after 7.5 h of same treatment. Although the crystallinities of PHB, PHBV, PHBHHx and PHBA were in the order PHB > PHBV > PHBHHx > PHBA valued at 55.8%, 47.8%, 45.9% and 40.9%, respectively, the order of degradability was PHBV > PHB > PHBHHx > PHBA. It can be proposed that PHA enzymatic degradation using this depolymerase was structure related: longer side-chain PHA including PHBHHx and PHBA was less favorable for the depolymerase degradation, longer the side chain, less the biodegradation.     

Y443F mutation in the substrate-binding domain of extracellular PHB depolymerase enhances its PHB adsorption and disruption abilities

Extracellular poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) depolymerase (PhaZ_RpiT1) from Ralstonia pickettii T1 adsorbs to the PHB surface via its substrate-binding domain (SBD) and cleaves the PHB chain using its catalytic domain. Our previous study (Biomacromolecules 2010; 11: 113-119) has suggested that the hydrophobic interaction between the amino acid residues at positions 441, 443, and 445 in the SBD and the PHB surface plays a crucial role in facilitating the association phase of the enzyme adsorption process. In the present study, in order to improve PhaZ_RpiT1 for effective PHB degradation, we targeted Tyr at position 443 for substitution with a more highly hydrophobic amino acid residue because its hydrophobicity shows medium to high degree compared to those of general naturally occurring amino acid residues. We designed a mutant enzyme with an amino acid substitution at this position, taking the following factors into consideration: (1) to achieve higher hydrophobicity than the original residue, (2) to retain the β-sheet structure, and (3) to change as little as possible the volume of the amino acid residue after the substitution. As a result, the substitution of Tyr443 with Phe (Y443F) was considered to be appropriate. The purified Y443F enzyme showed identical CD spectrum and hydrolysis activity for a water-soluble substrate with the wild type, indicating that the mutation had no influence on the structure and the ester bond cleavage activity. In contrast, the Y443F enzyme had higher PHB degradation activity than the wild type. Kinetic analysis of PHB degradation suggests that this amino acid substitution promoted not only the adsorption of the mutant enzyme to PHB, but also the disruption of the PHB surface to enhance the hydrolysis of the PHB polymer chain.     

Adsorption of biopolyester depolymerase on silicon wafer and poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid] single crystal revealed by real-time AFM

The adsorption behavior of PHB depolymerase from R. pickettii T1 on a silicon wafer and on P(3HB) single crystals has been studied by real-time and AFM in air and a buffer solution. First, the morphology of PHB depolymerase adsorbed on a silicon wafer was characterized to show that one molecule of PHB depolymerase has dimensions of 2.2 +/- 0.7 nm height and 16 +/- 5 nm width. The observation of PHB depolymerase adsorbed on a P(3HB) single crystal indicated that the dimensions of enzyme on the crystalline surface in air were 1.2 +/- 0.5 nm high and 28 +/- 7 nm wide, while enzyme molecules with dimensions of 2.1 +/- 0.6 nm height and 16 +/- 7 nm width were detected in a buffer solution. Comparison of the dimensions of PHB depolymerase in air with those in a buffer solution showed that the enzyme was squashed in air, but not in a buffer solution. In addition, the influence of enzymatic adsorption on the molecular state of the P(3HB) crystalline surface was investigated. The AFM images of P(3HB) single crystals after enzymatic adsorption and washing with ethanol indicated that the adhesion of PHB depolymerase changed the molecular state and generated holes on the crystalline surface.     

TH‐11, a Streptomyces sp. Strain that Degrades Poly(3‐Hydroxybutyrate) and Poly(Ethylene Succinate)

TH‐11, a bacterial strain with strong depolymerase activity that breaks down aliphatic esters such as poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and poly(ethylene succinate) (PES) was isolated from a soil sample collected from the sediment of Tou‐Chain River, Taiwan, R.O.C. It was phenotypically and genetically characterized to be a Streptomyces strain. The degradation of PHB and PES were tested both using emulsified polymers in solid agar and thin polymer films in liquid culture media. The degradations were measured by clear‐zone formation on solid agar plates, or direct weight measurements and electromicroscope inspection of the incubated polymer films in the liquid culture. The depolymerase activities can be detected in the cell‐free preparation of the culture medium, and can be enhanced by gelatin.     

二维傅里叶变换红外(2D FTIR)相关光谱技术研究聚羟基丁酸酯(PHB)的熔融与结晶

应用新型二维傅里叶变换红外(2DFTIR)相关光谱研究细菌合成聚羟基丁酸酯(PHB)在升温时的预熔行为以及降温后的重结晶过程.在25～220℃的变温过程中测得动态红外光谱.着重讨论了在热力学干扰导致红外谱图中羰基峰(1700～1770cm^-1)和醚键(1230～1310cm^-1)吸收强度的波动.结果表明,这种影响来自样品中PHB的结晶态和非晶态之间的相态变化.二维谱图分析表明,在热熔过程中,结晶态的消失并不同时引起完全非晶态的出现,暗示在分子排列高度有序的晶态和非晶态之间存在某种中间态,PHB晶体向非晶态转变时必须经过一个预熔过程.在红外谱图上这个中间态很可能对应着由二维分析显示出来的位于1730cm^-1的吸收峰.同时,在PHB熔体从非晶态逐渐生成晶体的过程中也探测到了中间态的存在.     

Stable Isotope Dilution Analysis of Gibberellin Residues in Tomato Paste by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

An accurate and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of gibberellic acid(GA₃), gibberellin A₄(GA₄) and gibberellin A₇(GA₇) residues in tomato paste was developed by coupling solid phase extraction to high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) with electrospray ionization based stable isotope dilution analysis(SIDA). The isotope labeled internal standard can compensate for the losses during the extraction and cleanup steps and for discrimination due to ion suppression. After extraction from methanol, hydrophile lipophilic balance(HLB) solid phase extraction(SPE) column was tested for the capacity of the cleanup of the tomato paste in compared with C₁₈ SPE column which is the common way to the detection of GAs, and the former gained better result. Spiked experiments were performed in the non-contaminated tomato pastes and the recoveries of GA₃, GA₄ and GA₇ were 42.6%―75.0% in external standard method(ESM) and 91.1%―103.8% in internal standard method(ISM) respectively. The validities of this method were investigated and good analytical performance for the three GAs was obtained, including low limits of method detection(2 ng/g for GA₃ and GA₄, 0.3 ng/g for GA₇), excellent linear dynamic ranges(5―500 ng/g for GA₃ and GA₄, 1―100 ng/g for GA₇) and good relative standard deviation ranges(4.8%―9.4% for the intra-day test and 3.5%―11.9% for the inter-day test).     

Adsorption effects of poly(hydroxybutyric acid) depolymerase on chain-folding surface of polyester single crystals revealed by mutant enzyme and frictional force microscopy

Adsorption effects of poly(hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) depolymerase from Ralstonia pickettii T1 on various polymer single crystals were studied using a catalytically inactive mutant of PHB depolymerase by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and frictional force microscopy (FFM). Six types of polymer single crystals, poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid] (P(3HB)), poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid-co-6 mol% (R)-3-hydroxyvaleric acid] (P(3HB-co-6 mol% 3HV)), poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid-co-8 mol% (R)-3-hydroxyhexanoic acid] (P(3HB-co-8 mol% 3HH)), poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA), poly(d-lactic acid) (PDLA), and polyethylene (PE), were prepared to examine the influence of an ester bond and stereoregularity of a polymer on the enzymatic adsorption. The numbers of PHB depolymerase enzymes adsorbed on P(3HB) and P(3HB-co-6 mol% 3HV) single crystals were determined as 171 and 183 enzymes/μm² by AFM, respectively. AFM observation revealed that the concentration of PHB depolymerase enzymes adsorbed onto PLLA and PDLA single crystals is much higher compared to those on a P(3HB) single crystal, whereas the concentration of enzyme adsorbed onto PE and P(3HB-co-8 mol% 3HH) single crystals is much less. In addition, the single crystals of each polymer were characterized by TEM and FFM before and after enzymatic treatment by mutant for 1 h at 37 °C. The surface properties of P(3HB), P(3HB-co-6 mol% 3HV), and P(3HB-co-8 mol% 3HH) single crystals were changed by the enzymatic adsorption, whereas the internal structures were not affected. On the basis of these results, the properties of the binding domain of PHB depolymerase to polymer chain-folding surfaces have been discussed.     

Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) by Vibrio alginolyticus Strains Isolated from Salt Fields

Vibrio alginolyticus is a halophilic organism usually found in marine environments. It has attracted attention as an opportunistic pathogen of aquatic animals and humans, but there are very few reports on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production using V. alginolyticus as the host. In this study, two V. alginolyticus strains, LHF01 and LHF02, isolated from water samples collected from salt fields were found to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) from a variety of sugars and organic acids. Glycerol was the best carbon source and yielded the highest PHB titer in both strains. Further optimization of the NaCl concentration and culture temperature improved the PHB titer from 1.87 to 5.08 g/L in V. alginolyticus LHF01. In addition, the use of propionate as a secondary carbon source resulted in the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV). V. alginolyticus LHF01 may be a promising host for PHA production using cheap waste glycerol from biodiesel refining.     

聚β－羟基烷酸酯热分解行为的直接裂解质谱研究

用ＤＰＭＳ、ＴＧ、ＤＴＡ等方法研究了聚β－羟基丁酸酯（ＰＨＢ）及其共聚物Ｐ（ＨＢ－ｃｏ－ＨＶ）的热分解行为和某些结构性质．能提供多至７个链节重复单元的裂解碎片．可较好地反应共聚物的组成和分布．结果表明：聚β－羟基烷酸酯的热分解具有较高的选择性，通过β－Ｈ转移反应形成由羧基和烯烃结尾的齐聚物．齐聚物准分子离子可进一步脱去一分子水．     

利用微生物本身的PHAs解聚酶生产羟基丁酸单体

金黄芽孢杆菌Bacillus aureus JMα5先在糖蜜上发酵积累聚羟基丁酸酯（PHB）,然后在限氧条件下降解生成手性羟基丁酸（HB）分子。研究各种培养条件如pH值、温度、时间等对该菌降解生产手性HB分子的影响。结果表明,37℃下,当pH=6时,10h内,HB单体的产量可达3．04g/L,降解率为75％,说明采用酶降解法生产HB单体具有一定的实际应用价值。在各种影响因素（包括降解体系的pH值、降解的温度和降解时间等）中,pH值对降解率的影响最大。     

Biosynthesis of (R)-3-hydroxyalkanoic acids by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli

An efficient system for the production of (R)-hydroxyalkanoicacids (RHAs) was developed in natural polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-producing bacteria and recombinant Escherichia coli. Acidic alcoholysis of purified PHA and in vivo depolymerization of PHA accumulated in the cells allowed the production of RHAs. In recombinant E. coli, RHA production was achieved by removing CoA from (R)-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA and by in vivo depolymerization of PHA. When the recombinant E. coli harboring the Ralstonia eutropha PHA biosynthesis genes and the depolymerase gene was cultured in a complex or a chemically defined medium containing glucose, (R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid (R3HB) was produced as monomers and dimers. R3HB dimers could be efficiently converted to monomers by mild alkaline heat treatment. A stable recombinant E. coli strain in which the R. eutropha PHA biosynthesis genes were integrated into the chromosome disrupting the pta gene was constructed and examined for the production of R3HB. When the R. eutropha intracellular depolymerase gene was expressed by using a stable plasmid containing the hok/sok locus of plasmid R1, R3HB could be efficiently produced.     

Characteristic Interactions between Poly(hydroxybutyrate) Depolymerase and Poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate] Film Studied by a Quartz Crystal Microbalance

Enzymatic degradation of poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxybutyrate] (P(3HB)) film by the poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) depolymerase from Ralstonia picketti T1 was studied in 0.01 M phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4) at 37 °C by using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique. Enzymatic degradation of P(3HB) film was quantitatively followed by QCM as a positive frequency shift. While, the amount of depolymerases adsorbed on the film could be evaluated as a negative frequency shift by using a mutant enzyme which had no hydrolytic activity in a catalytic site. The degradation rate increased with enzyme concentration to reach a maximum value at 1.0 μg · mL^?1, and then the rate decreased at higher enzyme concentration. This enzyme concentration dependence could be quantitatively explained in terms of a change of coverage of the film surface by the adsorbed enzyme. When the wild‐type enzyme solution in a QCM cell was replaced with the mutant enzyme solution in the middle of the reaction, the degradation rate was reduced markedly, indicating that the wild‐type enzyme adsorbed on the P(3HB) surface is easily substituted by the mutant enzyme in the solution. On the other hand, replacement of the wild‐type enzyme solution with other proteins or buffer solutions did not affect the degradation rate at all, suggesting that the adsorbed enzyme was not desorbed from the film surface. Thus, the adsorbed PHB depolymerase is released from the P(3HB) surface only by interaction with the same depolymerase in solution.

Time courses of frequency changes (ΔF) or weight changes (Δw) observed during enzymatic degradation of P(3HB) film by PHB depolymerase from R. picketti T1 at 37 °C.     

聚羟基脂肪酸酯细菌合成的生长环境依赖性

聚羟基脂肪酸酯 (Polyhydroxyalkanoate,PHA)是一类由许多细菌合成的、结构多变的能量和碳源的储藏物质 .为了得到能合成新型PHA的菌种 ,或得到能在便宜简单碳源上合成PHA的菌种 ,以我们实验室开发的傅立叶红外 (FT IR)细胞无损检测技术和常规气相色谱 (GC)法对全国各地的采集的不同样品中分离的菌种进行了筛选 .往往在不同的地理环境中 ,筛选出的菌株所合成的PHA的单体组成不同 ,有的以含四个或五个碳原子的短链单体PHA(Short chain lengthPHA ,sclPHA)为主 ,有的以含六个到十六个碳原子的中长链单体PHA(Medium chain lengthPHA ,mclPHA)为主 .在我们以六种底物为碳源培养的 371株形态不一的菌株中 ,有 40 %的菌可以合成PHA ,而其中许多可以同时合成PHB与中长链PHA共混的聚合物 .本研究为进行PHA研究的高分子同行提供了寻找能合成PHA的微生物菌种的依据     

Polymerization and copolymerization of β-butyrolactone and benzyl-β-malolactonate by aluminoxane catalysts

High molecular weight poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and poly (β-hydroxybutyrate-co-β-benzyl malate) [P (HB? BM)], were prepared by ring-opening polymerization reactions of racemic β-butyrolactone (BL) and racemic β-benzyl malolactonate (BM) using two types of oligomeric aluminoxane catalysts prepared by the reaction of water with either triethyl-aluminum (EAO) or triisobutylaluminum (IBAO). The stereoregularities, crystallinities, and molecular weights were determined for both the PHB homopolymers and the P (HB? BM) copolymers by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). All homopolymers and copolymers obtained could be separated into acetone-soluble and acetone-insoluble fractions. In every case the latter had higher degrees of crystallinity, higher molecular weights and higher degrees of stereoregularity (84–87% isotactic dyads) than the former. Hence all of the polymers obtained from both types of catalysts apparently had stereoblock isotactic structures. Copolymer compositions and monomer dyad sequence distributions were determined by NMR spectroscopy.     

聚羧基脂肪酸酯细菌合成的生长环境依赖性

聚羟基脂肪酸酯（Ｐｏｌｙｈｙｄｒｏｘｙａｌｋａｎｏａｔｅ,ＰＨＡ）是一类由许多细菌合成的、结构多变的能量和碳源的储藏物质,为了得到能合成新型ＰＨＡ的菌种,或得到能在便宜简单碳源上合成ＰＨＡ的菌种,以我们实验室开发的傅立叶红外（ＦＴ－ＩＲ）细胞无损检测技术和常规气相色谱（ＧＣ）法对全国各地的采集的不同样品中分离的菌种进行了筛选,往往在不同的地理环境中,筛选出的菌株所合成的ＰＨＡ的单体组成不同,有以含四个或五个碳原子的短链单体ＰＨＡ（Ｓｈｏｒｔ－ｃｈａｉｎ－ｌｅｎｇｔｈＰＨＡ,ｓｃｌＰＨＡ）为主,有的以含六个到十六个碳原子的中长链单体ＰＨＡ（Ｍｅｄｉｕｍ－ｃｈａｉｎ－ｌｅｎｇｔｈＰＨＡ,ｍｃｌ ＰＨＡ）为主,在我们以六种底物为碳源培养的３７１株形态不一的菌株中,有４０％的菌可以合成ＰＨＡ,而其中许多可以同时合成ＰＨ     

Crystal Engineering of Multiple-component Organic Compound:Organic co-Crystals of the Functional Groups of Carboxyl and Amino with Persistent Hydrogen Bonding Motifs

Three small organic molecular co-crystal compounds (C₃N₆H₆)·(C₆H₁₀O₄)·H₂O(1), C₃H₈N₂O(3) and (H₄btec)₂·(4,4'-bipy)(4)(H₄btec=1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid, 4,4'-bipy=4,4'-bipyridine) and one coordination supramolecular compound [Mn(C₂O₄)(H₂O)₂]·C₆H₁₁NO₂(2) were synthesized by hydrothermal reaction. They were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared(IR) spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction(XRD). Structural analyses reveal that these 2D or 3D supramolecular networks of the compounds were formed by C―H···O, N―H···O, N―H···N, O―H···O and O―H···N hydrogen bonds. Therein, the functional groups of ―COOH, ―NH₂ and ―OH play important roles in constructing supramolecular architectures.     

Use of in‐situ atomic force microscopy to monitor the biodegradation of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)

Thin films of a co‐polymer mixture of poly 3‐hydroxybutyrate and poly 3‐hydroxyvalerate P(3HB‐3HV) were spun‐cast onto glass slides resulting in 35 nm thick layers with a spherulitic microstructure. An untyped strain of Streptomyces sp. bacteria was isolated from soil samples, and it's PHA depolymerase was used to degrade the P(3HB‐3HV) thin films. Both ex‐situ and in‐situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) biodegradation studies were performed to determine the kinetics of the biodegradation over the course of three hours at room temperature. Ex‐situ AFM was performed in Tapping Mode and in‐situ AFM was performed in the PHA depolymerase using contact mode AFM in the liquid cell, allowing for the real‐time analysis of P(3HB‐3HV) biodegradation. Biodegradation is observed uniformly throughout the surface, and can be observed within 30 min. of depolymerase exposure. In‐situ AFM analysis yields a linear degradation rate as a function of time, while the ex‐situ study suggests a more complex kinetics.     

Compatibilizing effect of a graft copolymer on bacterial poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends

Blends of isotactic (natural) poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) are partially miscible, and PHB in excess of 20 wt % segregates as a partially crystalline pure phase. Copolymers containing atactic PHB chains grafted onto a PMMA backbone are used to compatibilize phase‐separated PHB/PMMA blends. Two poly(methyl methacrylate‐g‐hydroxybutyrate) [P(MMA‐g‐HB)] copolymers with different grafting densities and the same length of the grafted chain have been investigated. The copolymer with higher grafting density, containing 67 mol % hydroxybutyrate units, has a beneficial effect on the mechanical properties of PHB/PMMA blends with 30–50% PHB content, which show a remarkable increase in ductility. The main effect of copolymer addition is the inhibition of PHB crystallization. No compatibilizing effect on PHB/PMMA blends with PHB contents higher than 50% is observed with various amounts of P(MMA‐g‐HB) copolymer. In these blends, the graft copolymer is not able to prevent PHB crystallization, and the ternary PHB/PMMA/P(MMA‐g‐HB) blends remain crystalline and brittle. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1390–1399, 2002