Lignin peroxidase and protease production by Streptomyces viridosporus T7A in the presence of calcium carbonate

Streptomyces are good producers of enzymes of industrial interest, such as lignin peroxidase (LiP) and proteases. To optimize production of these enzymes by Streptomyces viridosporus T7A, two parameters were evaluated: carbon sources and calcium carbonate. Shake-flask fermentations were performed using culture media, with and without CaCO₃, contained yeast extract, mineral salts and either glucose, lactose, galactose, or corn oil. In the absence of calcium carbonate, the maximum values for LiP and protease activities occurred during the idiophase with LiP activity being favored by glucose, corn oil, and galactose, and protease activity being favored only by corn oil. Calcium carbonate affected the cell morphology by reducing the size of the pellets. Moreover, in the presence of the salt, LiP production was growth-associated in all media but the glucose medium. Higher enzyme levels were observed when galactose and glucose were used as carbon sources. Protease activity was repressed by both glucose and galactose, whereas corn oil was the best carbon source for the enzyme production. Calcium carbonate increased LiP production by up to 2.6-fold. Such improvement was not observed for protease production, suggesting a selective effect of CaCO₃ on LiP activity.     

Lignin peroxidase production by Streptomyces viridosporus T7A

Lignin peroxidase (LiP) production cost should be reduced to justify its use in the control of environmental pollution. In this work, we studied the enzyme production by Streptomyces viridosporus T7A using glucose or corn oil as a carbon source having 0.65% yeast extract as a nitrogen source. Enzyme activity, observed using either 0.65% glucose or corn oil at 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0% concentration, was 300, 150, 300, and 200 U/L, respectively. Although higher enzyme activity was obtained in both media containing 0.65% glucose and 0.5% corn oil, the use of corn oil resulted in a better LiP stability. When combined carbon sources were used, higher values of enzyme activity (360, 350, and 225 U/L) were observed in media with 0.65% glucose and supplemented with 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0% corn oil, respectively. Although the presence of both glucose and 0.5% corn oil is favorable for LiP production, satisfactory results in terms of enzyme production and stability could be also observed using 0.5% corn oil as a sole carbon source, which may lead to reduced production costs of the LiP enzyme.     

Quantitation ofAcidothermus cellulolyticus E1 endoglucanase andThermomonospora fusca E3 exoglucanase using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)

Two distinct quantitative indirect ELISAs were developed to determine the concentration of recombinant cellulase enzymes in culture filtrates. A monoclonal antibody (E1P7) was used as the primary antibody in developing an ELISA specific forAcidothermus cellulolyticus E1 endoglucanase. Likewise, a polyclonal rabbit serum (Ab684) was used to develop an ELISA specific forThermomonospora fusca E₃ exoglucanase. Dose-response curves indicated a dynamic range for both assays between 0.01 and 0.08 μg/mL (1–8 ng/assay) when purified enzymes were used as standards. These assays have been used to estimate concentrations of secreted recombinant E1 and/or E₃ in culture supernatants ofStreptomyces lividans strain TK24 in which the corresponding genes have been cloned and expressed.     

Immunologic relatedness of extracellular ligninases from the actinomycetesstreptomyces viridosporus t7a andstreptomyces badius 252

Four isoforms of the extracellular lignin peroxidase of the ligninolytic actinomyceteStreptomyces viridosporus T7A (ALip-P1, P2, P3, and P4) were individually purified by ultrafiltration and ammonium sulfate precipitation, followed by electro-elution using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Three of the purified peroxidases were compared for their immunologic relatedness by Western blot analysis using a polyclonal antibody preparation produced in rabbits against pure isoform P3. The anti-P3 antibody was also tested for its reactivity towards a lignin peroxidase from the white-rot fungusPhanerochaete chrysosporium and another ligninolytic actinomyceteStreptomyces badius 252. Results showed that peroxidases ALip-P1 through ALip-P3 are immunologically related to one another. The peroxidases ofS. badius, but not the peroxidase ofP. chrysosporium, also reacted with the antibody, thus indicating that the lignin peroxidases ofS. viridosporus andS. badius are immunologically related. Based upon its specific affinity, lignin peroxidase isoform ALip-P3 ofS. viridosporus was readily purified using an anti-P3 antibody affinity column.     

Importance of growth form on production of hybrid antibiotic byStreptomyces lividans TK21 by fed-batch and continuous fermentation

A fermentation strategy, based on the controlled feeding of growthlimiting nutrients in order to maintain metabolic activity for extended periods, has been examined in the case of the production of a hybrid antibiotic by a transformed strain ofStreptomyces lividans TK21. The fed-batch operation did not improve the results obtained with batch operation. Continuous cultures on defined medium showed stable levels of biomass concentration, but antibiotic production ceased when continuous operation was started. The results obtained indicate the critical influence that morphology of the cell aggregates has on metabolic activity. The antibiotic is produced only in culture conditions providing growth in compact mycelial pellets.     

Decolorization of olive mill waste-waters by free and immobilizedPhanerochaete chrysosporium cultures

This paper describes the decolorization and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of olive mill waste-waters (OMW) byPhanerochaete chrysosporium grown in agitated submerged cultures. WhenP. chrysosporium was cultivated in the form of pellet, no decolorization of crude OMW was observed. Decolorization occured only after removing by ultrafiltration, the high-mol-wt (HM) polyphenolic fraction (> 60 kDa). The use of high lignin peroxidase (LiP) producing medium yielded the highest levels of OMW decolorization and COD removal. In this case, extensive depolymerization and subsequent accumulation of phenolics with intermediates molecular weight were observed. Furthermore, increasing the concentration of the HM fraction decreased the color and COD removals. The decolorizing activity was lost when the concentration of the HM fraction reached 25% (v/v). Consequently, LiP activity was found to be completely inhibited in the presence of HM fraction, but not with the low-mol-wt (LM) polyphenolic fraction (<8 kDa). The use ofP. chrysosporium immobilized on polyurethane foam resulted in efficient decolorization of crude OMW. Moreover, the addition of an induction medium was shown to perform several repeated batch cultures for OMW decolorization and COD removal.     

Modeling the Biomass Growth and Enzyme Secretion by the White Rot Fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium: a Stochastic-Based Approach

The white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been identified to be an environmentally useful microorganism for the degradation of various hazardous pollutants, mainly because of its ligninolytic enzyme system, particularly the lignin peroxidase (LiP) secreted by the fungus. In the present work, the behavior of the fungus in liquid medium due to variation in physico-chemical parameters, i.e., glucose concentration, nitrogen concentration, agitation, etc., was studied. Increment of the initial concentration of glucose in the medium increases the biomass growth and LiP activity, when cultured under controlled conditions. The biomass growth and LiP activity by the fungus was modeled following stochastic approach. The behavior of growth and enzyme activity of the fungus observed from the model were found to be in agreement with the experiments qualitatively.     

Lignin Peroxidase from Streptomyces viridosporus T7A: Enzyme Concentration Using Ultrafiltration

It is well known that lignin degradation is a key step in the natural process of biomass decay whereby oxidative enzymes such as laccases and high redox potential ligninolytic peroxidases and oxidases play a central role. More recently, the importance of these enzymes has increased because of their prospective industrial use for the degradation of the biomass lignin to increase the accessibility of the cellulose and hemicellulose moieties to be used as renewable material for the production of fuels and chemicals. These biocatalysts also present potential application on environmental biocatalysis for the degradation of xenobiotics and recalcitrant pollutants. However, the cost for these enzymes production, separation, and concentration must be low to permit its industrial use. This work studied the concentration of lignin peroxidase (LiP), produced by Streptomyces viridosporus T7A, by ultrafiltration, in a laboratory-stirred cell, loaded with polysulfone (PS) or cellulose acetate (CA) membranes with molecular weight cutoffs (MWCO) of 10, 20, and 50 KDa. Experiments were carried out at 25 °C and pH 7.0 in accordance to the enzyme stability profile. The best process conditions and enzyme yield were obtained using a PS membrane with 10 KDa MWCO, whereby it was observed a tenfold LiP activity increase, reaching 1,000 U/L and 90% enzyme activity upholding.     

Effect of aeration on lignin peroxidase production by Streptomyces viridosporus T7A

The effect of aeration on lignin peroxidase production by Streptomyces viridosporus T7A was studied in a bench-scale bioreactor using a previously optimized growth medium (0.65% yeast extract and 0.1% corn oil, pH7.0) at 37°C and natural pH. Airflow rates of 0.3, 1.0, and 1.5 vvm and a fixed agitation of 200 rpm were initially studied followed by 1.0 vvm and 200, 300, 400, and 500 rpm. The use of 1.0 vvm and 400 rpm increased enzyme concentration 1.8-fold (100–180 U/L) and process productivity 4.8-fold (1.4–6.7 U/[L·h]) in comparison with the use of 200 rpm and 0.3 vvm. The inexpensive corn oil, used as carbon source, besides its antifoam properties, proved to be nonrepressive for enzyme production.     

Synthesis of stereochemical probes for new fluorogenic assays for yeast transketolase variants

For the screening of yeast transketolase (TK) variants with improved or new properties acquired by random mutagenesis, we report on the stereoselective synthesis of fluorogenic substrates as probes for measuring TK activity. Compound 1 (7-(2′,3′,5′-trihydroxy-4′-oxo-pentyl)oxycoumarine), prepared as previously described, [Tetrahedron Lett.2003, 44, 827-830] enabled us to evaluate wild type TK velocity in a simple, specific and reproducible way. To select TK mutants able to produce d-threo aldoses, we prepared compound 2 (dihydroxy-4-O-(2′-oxo-benzopyran-7′-yl-D-threose) from dimethyl tartrate. Starting from d-ribose, we successfully obtained compound 3 (7′-(2,3,5-trihydroxy-4-oxo-pentyl)oxycoumarine) as a probe for TK mutants able to produce l-erythro ketoses.     

Hydroxylation of ionized aromatics including carboxylic acid or amine using recombinant Streptomyces lividans cells expressing modified biphenyl dioxygenase genes

The bphA1(2072)A2A3A4 gene cluster codes for a shuffled biphenyl dioxygenase holoenzyme with broad substrate specificity. These bphA1(2072)A2A3A4 genes were expressed in the actinomycetes Streptomyces lividans using a thiostrepton-inducible promoter P_tipA. Biotransformation experiments of various aromatics including carboxylic acid or amine in their molecular structure, such as 1-naphthoic acid, 2-(1-naphthyl)acetic acid, diphenylamine, and 1-benzyl-4-piperidone, were performed using the recombinant S. lividans cells. These ionized aromatics were converted to the corresponding 1,2-dihydrodiol, mono- or tri-hydroxy forms in 48 h. The structure of the converted products was determined by their EI-MS, ¹H- and ¹³C NMR analysis, and several products were found to be novel compounds.     

Synthesis and properties of lignin peroxidase fromstreptomyces viridosporus T7A

The production of lignin peroxidase byStreptomyces viridosporus T7A was studied in shake flasks and under aerobic conditions in a 7.5-L batch fermentor. Lignin peroxidase synthesis was found to be strongly affected by catabolite repression. Lignin peroxidase was a non-growth-associated, secondary metabolite. The maximum lignin peroxidase activity was 0.064 U/mL at 36 h.

In order to maximize lignin peroxidase activity, optimal conditions were determined. The optimal incubation temperature, pH, and substrate (2,4-dichlorophenol) concentration for the enzyme assays were 45°C, 6, and 3 mM, respectively. Stability of lignin peroxidase was determined at 37, 45, and 60°C, and over the pH range 4–9.

     

Exploration of Hypoglycemic Activity of Saccharomyces pastorianus Extract and Evaluation of the Molecular Mechanisms

Although the hypoglycemic potential of brewer’s yeast extract has been reported, there is limited information pertaining to the hypoglycemic ingredients of Saccharomyces pastorianus extract and their mechanisms of action available. This study aimed to investigate the in vivo and in vitro hypoglycemic effect of S. pastorianus extract and to elucidate its molecular mechanisms. S. pastorianus extract was mainly composed of proteins followed by carbohydrates. In diabetic rats, oral administration of S. pastorianus extract significantly reduced the levels of plasma glucose and enhanced the activity of hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase dehydrogenase. Treatment with S. pastorianus extract increased the localization of type 4 glucose transporter (GLUT4), PTP, and insulin receptor at 3T3-L1 cell membranes and raised the levels of P38 MAPK, PI3K, and AKT in the cytosol. In agreement with these results, pretreatment of 3T3-L1 cells with inhibitors of PTP, PI3K, Akt/PKB, and p38 MAPK inhibited glucose uptake induced by application of S. pastorianus extract. Most importantly, a 54 kDa protein with hypoglycemic activity was identified and suggested as the major ingredient contributing to the hypoglycemic activity of S. pastorianus extract. In summary, these results clearly confirm the hypoglycemic activity of S. pastorianus extract and provide critical insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms.     

Influence of media nutrients on synthesis of lignin peroxidase from Aspergillus sp

The effect of carbon and nitrogen sources, lignocellulosic substrates, and metal ions on lignin peroxidase (LiP) activity of Aspergillus sp., which was isolated from a mangrove area, was studied. Glucose (1%) was found to be the best carbon source. Among the various lignocellulosic substrates used, coir pith at 3% concentration increased LiP activity twofold on the second day of incubation. Peptone and KNO₃ completely inhibited the enzyme synthesis while (NH₄)₂SO₄ at 12.5 mM produced maximum activity. Since seawater contained all the requisite metal ions, any added ions had a negative effect on activity. Cu²⁺ had the most inhibiting effect while K⁺ the least. When all the optimized conditions were provided, in nitrogen- and carbon-sufficient medium, a maximum LiP activity of 345 U/mL was obtained on the second day of incubation.     

Organic Acids Secreted by Lactobacillus spp. Isolated from Urine and Their Antimicrobial Activity against Uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis

The natural microbiota of the urinary tract includes Lactobacillus spp., which secrete molecules with antimicrobial properties and have antagonistic activity against many pathogens. This paper focuses on the antibacterial effect of Lactobacillus strains isolated from urine against clinical strains of Proteus mirabilis isolated from kidney stones and from urine with coexisting urolithiasis. The study involved analyzing the main antimicrobial molecules secreted by Lactobacillus. In order to indicate which agent had the strongest antimicrobial effect, the supernatants were made alkaline and treated with catalase and high temperature. Both treated and untreated supernatants were analyzed for their activity. Exposing uropathogens to all untreated cell-free supernatants of Lactobacillus significantly reduced their growth, and it was established that these properties were related to organic acid secretion by these strains. Using LC–MS/MS and spectrophotometric techniques, lactic, citric, and succinic acids were determined qualitatively and quantitatively. The influence of these acids on the P. mirabilis growth and biofilm formation and their influence on membrane permeability were also investigated. The results indicate that organic acids secreted by Lactobacillus strains have a high antibacterial potential and could be used as novel agents in the treatment of urinary tract infections caused by P. mirabilis.     

A spectrophotometric method to determine the siderophore production by strains of fluorescent Pseudomonas in the presence of copper and iron

A simple procedure to determine levels of siderophore production by strains of Pseudomonas, particularly the Avm strain is described. Bacterial cells were incubated for 24 h in iron-rich (RM) and iron-limiting conditions (RM-Fe) with and without 6 and 60 μM of CuSO₄. Cells grown under iron-limiting conditions developed a green color even in the presence of Cu. The spent media supernatants from the Avm cells grown in RM-Fe medium showed a maximum peak of absorbance at 400 nm, which suggest that this strain produced a single type of siderophore. The presence of 60 μM of CuSO₄ in the cultures did not interfere with the detection of siderophores in the spent media. Clear supernatants obtained from cultures of 10 fluorescent Pseudomonas were diluted 1 to 10 in deionized water and the absorption at 400 nm was determined. The results demonstrated the clear discriminating capacity of this highly practical procedure to categorize a great number of fluorescent Pseudomonas strains by the range of siderophore production.     

Heterologous Expression and Engineering Studies of Labyrinthopeptins,Class III Lantibiotics from Actinomadura namibiensis

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Highlights? Heterologous expression of a class III lantibiotic gene cluster in S. lividans and S. albus ? Leader peptide adaptation for proteolytic processing in the S. lividans host ? Development of an efficient expression system for production of labyrinthopeptin variants ? Identification of variable regions in labyrinthopeptins and generation of analogs     

Synthesis,Antibacterial and Pharmacokinetic Evaluation of Novel Derivatives of Harmine N9-Cinnamic Acid

A series of 16 new derivatives of harmine N⁹-Cinnamic acid were synthesized and fully characterized using NMR and MS. The in vitro antibacterial evaluation revealed that most of the synthesized harmine derivatives displayed better antibacterial activities against Gram-positive strains (S. aureus, S. albus and MRSA) than Gram-negative strains (E. coli and PA). In particular, compound 3c showed the strongest bactericidal activity with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 13.67 μg/mL. MTT assay showed that compound 3c displayed weaker cytotoxicity than harmine with IC₅₀ of 340.30, 94.86 and 161.67 μmol/L against WI-38, MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines, respectively. The pharmacokinetic study revealed that the distribution and elimination of 3c in vivo were rapid in rats with an oral bioavailability of 6.9%.     

Biomineralization of Nickel Struvite Linked to Metal Resistance in Streptomyces mirabilis

Biomineral formation is a common trait and prominent for soil Actinobacteria, including the genus Streptomyces. We investigated the formation of nickel-containing biominerals in the presence of a heavy-metal-resistant Streptomyces mirabilis P16B-1. Biomineralization was found to occur both in solid and liquid media. Minerals were identified with Raman spectroscopy and TEM-EDX to be either Mg-containing struvite produced in media containing no nickel, or Ni-struvite where Ni replaces the Mg when nickel was present in sufficient concentrations in the media. The precipitation of Ni-struvite reduced the concentration of nickel available in the medium. Therefore, Ni-struvite precipitation is an efficient mechanism for tolerance to nickel. We discuss the contribution of a plasmid-encoded nickel efflux transporter in aiding biomineralization. In the elevated local concentrations of Ni surrounding the cells carrying this plasmid, more biominerals occurred supporting this point of view. The biominerals formed have been quantified, showing that the conditions of growth do influence mineralization. This control is also visible in differences observed to biosynthetically synthesized Ni-struvites, including the use of sterile-filtered culture supernatant. The use of the wildtype S. mirabilis P16B-1 and its plasmid-free derivative, as well as a metal-sensitive recipient, S. lividans, and the same transformed with the plasmid, allowed us to access genetic factors involved in this partial control of biomineral formation.     

Activity of Compounds from Temperate Propolis against Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania mexicana

Ethanolic extracts of samples of temperate zone propolis, four from the UK and one from Poland, were tested against three Trypanosoma brucei strains and displayed EC₅₀ values < 20 µg/mL. The extracts were fractionated, from which 12 compounds and one two-component mixture were isolated, and characterized by NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry, as 3-acetoxypinobanksin, tectochrysin, kaempferol, pinocembrin, 4′-methoxykaempferol, galangin, chrysin, apigenin, pinostrobin, cinnamic acid, coumaric acid, cinnamyl ester/coumaric acid benzyl ester (mixture), 4′,7-dimethoxykaempferol, and naringenin 4′,7-dimethyl ether. The isolated compounds were tested against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strains of T. brucei and Leishmania mexicana, with the highest activities ≤ 15 µM. The most active compounds against T. brucei were naringenin 4′,7 dimethyl ether and 4′methoxy kaempferol with activity of 15–20 µM against the three T. brucei strains. The most active compounds against L. mexicana were 4′,7-dimethoxykaempferol and the coumaric acid ester mixture, with EC₅₀ values of 12.9 ± 3.7 µM and 13.1 ± 1.0 µM. No loss of activity was found with the diamidine- and arsenical-resistant or phenanthridine-resistant T. brucei strains, or the miltefosine-resistant L. mexicana strain; no clear structure activity relationship was observed for the isolated compounds. Temperate propolis yields multiple compounds with anti-kinetoplastid activity.