Purification and Biochemical Characterization of Two Xylanases from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus sydowii</Emphasis> SBS 45

Two xylanases were isolated and purified from crude culture filtrate of Aspergillus sydowii SBS 45 after 9 days of growth on wheat bran containing 0.5% (w/v) birch wood xylan as the carbon source under solid-state fermentation. After a three-step purification scheme involving ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration chromatography (Sephadex G-200), and anion exchange chromatography (DEAE-Sephadex A-50), xylanase I was purified 93.41 times, and xylanase II was purified 77.40 times with yields of 4.49 and 10.46, respectively. Molecular weights of xylanase I and II were 20.1 and 43 kDa, respectively, in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Optimum temperature was 50 degrees C, and optimum pH was 10.0 for both xylanase I and II. The Km value of xylanase I for birch wood xylan was 3.18 mg ml(-1) and for oat spelt xylan 6.45 mg ml(-1), while the Km value of xylanase II for birch wood xylan was 6.51 mg ml(-1) and for oat spelt xylan 7.69 mg ml(-1). Metal ions like Al3+, Ba2+, Ca2+, Na+, and Zn2+ enhanced the activity of xylanase I and II at 10 mM concentration. Among the additives, L-tryptophan enhanced the activity of xylanase I and II at 10-, 20-, and 30-mM concentrations. Both xylanases appeared to be glycoproteins.     

Extracellular Production and Characterization of Two <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptomyces</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-Asparaginases

l-Asparaginase (ASNase) has proved its use in medical and food industries. Sequence-based screening showed the thermophilic Streptomyces strain Streptomyces thermoluteus subsp. fuscus NBRC 14270 (14270 ASNase) to positive against predicted ASNase primary sequences. The 14270 ASNase gene and four l-asparaginase genes from Streptomyces coelicolor, Streptomyces avermitilis, and Streptomyces griseus (SGR ASNase) were expressed in Streptomyces lividans using a hyperexpression vector: pTONA5a. Among those genes, only 14270 ASNase and SGR ASNase were successful for overexpression and detected in culture supernatants without an artificial signal peptide. Comparison of the two Streptomyces enzymes described above demonstrated that 14270 ASNase was superior to SGR ASNase in terms of optimum temperature, thermal stability, and pH stability.     

Production and Characterization of Cellulase-Free Xylanase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma inhamatum</Emphasis>

The production of extracellular cellulase-free xylanase from Trichoderma inhamatum was evaluated in liquid Vogel medium with different carbon sources as natural substrates and agricultural or agro-industrial wastes. Optimal production of 244.02 U/mL was obtained with xylan as carbon source, pH 6.0 at 25 degrees C, 120 rpm, and 60-h time culture. Optimal conditions for enzyme activity were 50 degrees C and pH 5.5. Thermal stability of T. inhamatum xylanolytic complex expressed as T1/2 was 2.2 h at 40 degrees C and 2 min at 50 degrees C. The pH stability was high from 4.0 to 11.0. These results indicate possible employment of such enzymatic complex in some industrial processes which require activity in acid pH, wide-ranging pH stability, and cellulase activity absence.     

Properties and <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-glycosylation of recombinant endoglucanase II from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium verruculosum</Emphasis>

Cellulases are the main components of enzyme complexes used in biotransformation processes of plant raw materials into valuable commercial products. Endoglucanase II (EG II) from the Penicillium verruculosum fungus was cloned into Penicillium canescens. The homogeneous recombinant EGII form is isolated and its properties are studied in comparison with the native enzyme. The N-glycosylation sites and the structure of the N-linked glycans are been determined using mass spectrometry. The biochemical and catalytic properties, as well as the N-glycosylation type of the obtained recombinant EGII form, appear to be close to the native enzyme. At the two potential N-glycosylation sites (N42 and N194) of both forms of the enzyme, N-linked high mannose glycans (or their enzymatic “trimming” products) according to the general formula (Man)_1–9(GlcNAc)₂ are detected. No glycosylation is found at the third potential site (N19).     

Purification and Characterization of a Novel Collagenase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus pumilus</Emphasis> Col-J

The collagenase, produced extracellular by Bacillus pumilus Col-J, was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by two gel filtrations, involving Sephadex G-100 column and Sepharose Fast Flow column. Purified collagenase has a 31.53-fold increase in specific activity of 87.33 U/mg and 7.00% recovery. The collagenase has a relative molecular weight of 58.64 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The optimal temperature for the enzyme reaction was 45 °C. More than 50% of the original activity still remained after 5 min of incubation at 70 °C or 10 min at 60 °C. The maximal enzyme activity of collagenase was obtained at pH 7.5, and it was stable over a pH range of 6.5–8.0. The collagenase activity was strongly inhibited by Mn²⁺, Pb²⁺, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid, and β-mercaptoethanol. However, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ greatly increased its activity. The collagenase from B. pumilus Col-J showed highly specific activity towards the native collagen from calf skin. The K _m and V _max of the enzyme for collagen were 0.79 mg/mL and 129.5 U, respectively.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Z</Emphasis>-and <Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis>-conformers of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-chloroacetylcytisine

N-Chloroacetylcytisine was synthesized by acylation of (–)-cytisine. Stable Z- and E-conformers with respect to rotational isomerism around the N-12–CO bond were found in PMR spectra at room temperature. The point at which PMR resonances of the Z- and E-conformers coalesced upon heating was measured. The transition barrier between the conformers was estimated.     

Purification and Characterization of a Novel Thermostable Mycelial Lectin from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus terricola</Emphasis>

Lectin has been isolated from mycelia of Aspergillus terricola by single step purification on porcine stomach mucin-Sepharose 4B affinity column. Lectin could be effectively purified with 75% recovery and 4.47-fold increase in specific activity. Lectin migrated as a single band on SDS-PAGE with an apparent molecular mass of 32.5 kDa. Sugar inhibition assay revealed that the lectin did not strongly interact with most carbohydrates and their derivatives tested while strong binding affinity to d-glucose, d-sucrose, N-acetyl-d-galactosamine, asialofetuin, porcine stomach mucin, and bovine submaxillary mucin was indicated. Neuraminidase and protease treatment to erythrocytes enhanced lectin titre. Lectin activity was stable within the pH range of 7.0–10.5. A. terricola lectin displayed remarkable thermostability and remained unaffected upon incubation at 70 °C for 2.5 h. Lectin did not require metal ions for its activity. Incubation with denaturants (urea, thiourea, and guanidine–HCl) substantially reduced lectin activity. Carbohydrate analysis revealed that it is a glycoprotein with 9.76% total sugars.     

Purification and Characterization of a Naringinase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptococcus albidus</Emphasis>

Naringinase which was extracted from the fermented broth of Cryptococcus albidus was purified about 42-folds with yield 0.7% by sulfate fractionation and chromatography on Toyopearl HW-60, Fractogel DEAE-650-s, and Sepharose 6B columns. Molecular weight of protein determined by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE was 50 kDa. Naringinase of C. albidus includes high content of the dicarbonic and hydrophobic amino acids. Enzyme contains also carbohydrate component, represented by mannose, galactose, rhamnose, ribose, arabinose, xylose, and glucose. The enzyme was optimally active at pH 5.0 and 60 °C. Naringinase was found to exhibit specificity towards p-nitrophenyl-α-L-rhamnose, p-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucose, naringin, and neohesperidin. Its K _m towards naringin was 0.77 mM and the V _max was 36 U/mg. Naringinase was inhibited by high concentrations of reaction product—L-rhamnose. Enzyme revealed stability to 20% ethanol and 500 mM glucose in the reaction mixture that makes it possible to forecast its practical use in the food industry in the production of juices and wines.     

Lipids from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Halostachys caspica</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Halocharis hispida</Emphasis>

The composition of lipids from the aerial parts of two species of halophytes from the family Chenopodiaceae, Halostachys caspica C. A. Mey. and Halocharis hispida Bge. was determined. Neutral lipids (NL, 62.1 and 54.2%, respectively) dominated the total lipids (TL) of these plants. More than a third of the NL were esters of aliphatic alcohols and phytosterols (FAE). Fatty acids 16:0, 18:1, and 18:2 dominated the acids of FAE; 16:0, 18:1, and 18:3, the phospholipids. The principal fatty acids of glycolipids were unsaturated acids (68.3 and 75.1%) with linolenic acid dominating (44.9 and 43.5%). Presented at the 7th International Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Compounds, Tashkent, October 16–18, 2007. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 276–278, May–June, 2009.     

Synthesis of Novel <Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">Seco</Emphasis>-Pregnenes

Summary. A new synthetic route was developed for the preparation of trans-3-hydroxy-16,17-seco-pregna-5,17(20)-dien-16-al, using Grob fragmentation as the key step. This seco-steroid contains a formyl group and an unsaturated side-chain in a sterically favourable position, and is therefore a promising starting material for the synthesis of novel condensed steroid heterocycles.Received March 22, 2003; accepted April 22, 2003 Published online September 25, 2003     

Purification and Application of a Lipase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium expansum</Emphasis> PED-03

An extracellular lipase was purified from the fermentation broth of Penicillium expansum PED-03 by DEAE-Sepharose chromatography, followed by sephacryl S-200 chromatography. The enzyme was purified 81.8-fold with 19.8% recovery and a specific activity of 85.94 U/mg. The molecular weight of the homogeneous enzyme was about 28 kDa, determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzymatic resolution of racemic ibuprofen was carried out by the lipase from P. expansum PED-03, and the conversion reached 46% with excellent enantioselectivity(E > 200 ), which showed a good application potential in the production of optically pure ibuprofen.     

A new <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-containing cucurbitacin from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hemsleya endecaphylla</Emphasis>

A new cucurbitacin, endecaphyllacin C, was isolated from the tubers of Hemsleya endecaphylla. The structure was elucidated as 2β,16α,20β,25-tetrahydroxy-24-acetylaminocucurbita-5-en-3,11,22-trione (1) on the basis of extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques, including COSY, HMBC, HMQC, and NOESY correlations, as well as HR-FAB-MS analysis.     

Production and Characterization of Cellobiohydrolase from a Novel Strain of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penicillium purpurogenum</Emphasis> KJS506

A high cellobiohydrolase (CBH)-producing strain was isolated and identified as Penicillium purpurogenum KJS506 according to the morphology and comparison of internal transcribed spacer rDNA gene sequence. When rice straw and corn steep powder were used as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively, a maximum CBH activity of 2.6 U mg-protein⁻¹, one of the highest among CBH-producing microorganisms, was obtained. The optimum temperature and pH for CBH production were 30 °C and 4.0, respectively. The increased production of CBH in P. purpurogenum culture at 30 °C was confirmed by two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by MS/MS sequencing of the partial peptide. The internal amino acid sequences of P. purpurogenum CBH showed a significant homology with hydrolases from glycoside hydrolase family 7. The extracellular CBH was purified to homogeneity by sequential chromatography of P. purpurogenum culture supernatants on a DEAE-sepharose column, a gel filtration column, and then on a Mono Q column with fast-protein liquid chromatography. The purified CBH was a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of 60 kDa and showed broad substrate specificity with maximum activity towards p-nitrophenyl β-d-cellobiopyranoside. P. purpurogenum CBH showed t _1/2 value of 4 h at 60 °C and V _max value of 11.9 μmol min⁻¹ mg-protein⁻¹ for p-nitrophenyl-d-cellobiopyranoside. Although CBHs have been reported, the high specific activity distinguishes P. purpurogenum CBH.     

Molecular properties of the copolymers of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-diallyl-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-dimethylammonium chloride and maleic acid

The hydrodynamic and conformational properties of molecules of poly(N,N-diallyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride) and N,N-diallyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride-maleic acid copolymers of different compositions in solutions with various ionic-strength and pH values, as well as of the polyelectrolyte complex based on the copolymer with dodecyl sulfate anions in chloroform, are studied. For poly(N,N-diallyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride) molecules in a 1 M NaCl solution, the Kuhn segment length and the hydrodynamic diameter of the chain are estimated as A = 3.9 nm and d = 0.48 nm, respectively. In acidic solutions with pH 3.5, the copolymers demonstrate behavior typical for polyelectrolytes. In an alkaline solution with pH 13, when 1 M NaCl is added to the solution of the copolymer containing 29 mol % maleic acid units, there is an antipolyelectrolyte effect that manifests itself as an increase in the intrinsic viscosity of the copolymer and in the hydrodynamic radius of its molecules. It is found that an increase in the fraction of maleic acid units in the copolymer from 12 to 42 mol % brings about a reduction in the equilibrium rigidity of its macromolecules from 4.1 to 2.2 nm. The equilibrium rigidity of polyelectrolyte-complex molecules is higher than that of initial copolymer molecules owing to steric interactions arising between the aliphatic chains of dodecyl sulfate anions. In an electric field, the molecules of the complex are oriented owing to the induced dipole moment resulting from the displacement of dodecyl sulfate anions along the chain contour.     

Purification and Characterization of Hyaluronate Lyase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arthrobacter globiformis</Emphasis> A152

A hyaluronate lyase was obtained by cultivating Arthrobacter globiformis strain A152. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity from the supernatant by ammonium sulfate fractionation, Q Sepharose Fast Flow, and Sephadex G-100 chromatography. The purification resulted in a 32.78-fold increase in hyaluronate lyase activity with specific activity of 297.2 U/mg. The molecular weight of the enzyme determined by SDS-PAGE was approximately 73.7 kDa. Using hyaluronic acid (HA) as a substrate, the maximal reaction rate (V_max) and the Michaelis–Menten constant (K_m) of hyaluronate lyase were found to be 4.76 μmol/min/ml and 0.11 mg/ml, respectively. The optimum pH and temperature values for hyaluronate lyase activity were pH 6.0 and 42 °C, respectively. This enzyme was stable at pH 4–10, 5–7, and 5–7 at 4, 37, and 42 °C, respectively. Investigation about temperature effects on hyaluronate lyase displayed that it was stable at 30–37 °C and also showed high activity at 37 °C. The enzymatic activity was enhanced by Ca²⁺ and was strongly inhibited by Cu²⁺ and SDS. These properties suggested that the hyaluronate lyase in this study could bring promising prospects in medical and industry applications.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">seco</Emphasis>-Kaurane skeleton diterpenoids from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Croton oblongifolius</Emphasis>

A new seco-kaurane type diterpenoid, ent-3,4-seco-17-oxo-kaur-4(19),15(16)-dien-3-oic acid, and a known compound, ent-3,4-seco-kaur-4(19),16(17)-dien-3-oic acid, were isolated from the stem bark of Croton oblongifolius. The structures of these compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic data.     

Copolymer of <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-diallyl-<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-dimethylammonium chloride with maleic acid as drug carrier

A copolymer of N,N-diallyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride with maleic acid of constant composition was prepared under the conditions of radical initiation. The possibility of the functionalization of the copolymer with drugs containing amino groups by polymer-analogous transformations was examined. Conditions were found for preparing conjugates of the copolymer with isoniazid. The structures and the quantitative compositions of the conjugates were determined by ¹³С NMR spectroscopy, and the possibility of preparing conjugates with controlled drug content was demonstrated.