Substrate specificity of yeast invertase in transglycosylation reactions

The substrate specificity of purified yeast invertase isolated fromSaccharomyces cerevisiae in transglycosylation reactions was determined. The enzyme is specific for primary alcohols. The yeast activity is a function of the alkyl length and substrate hydrophobicity (n-butyl, isobutyl, isoamyl alcohols).Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 69–70, January–February, 2000.     

Properties of the Macrophomina phaseolina endoglucanase (EGL 1) gene product in bacterial and yeast expression systems

Functional expression of a β-d-1,4 glucanase-encoding gene (egl1) from a filamentous fungus was achieved in both Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a modified version of pRS413. Optimal activity of the E. coli-expressed enzyme was found at incubation temperatures of 60°C, whereas the enzyme activity was optimal at 40°C when expressed by S. cerevisiae. Enzyme activity at different pH levels was similar for both bacteria and yeast, being highest at 5.0. Yeast expression resulted in a highly glycosylated protein of approx 60 kDa, compared to bacterial expression, which resulted in a protein of 30 kDa. The hyperglycosylated protein had reduced enzyme activity, indicating that E. coli is a preferred vehicle for production scale-up.     

Probing new approaches using atmospheric pressure photo ionization for the analysis of brominated flame retardants and their related degradation products by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Atmospheric pressure photo ionisation has been evaluated for the analysis of brominated flame retardants and their related degradation products by LC-MS. Degradation mixtures obtained from the photochemical degradation of tetrabromobisphenol A and decabromodiphenylether were used as model systems for the assessment of the developed methodology. Negative ion mode gave best results for TBBPA and its degradation compounds. [M - H]- ions were formed without the need of using a doping agent. MS and MS/MS experiments allowed the structural identification of new TBBPA "polymeric" degradation compounds formed by attachment of TBBPA moieties and/or their respective cleavage products. In the case of polybromodiphenylethers, the positive mode provided M*+ ions and gave better results for congeners ranging from mono- to pentabromodiphenylethers whereas for higher bromination degrees, the negative ion mode (providing [M - Br + O]- ions) was best suited. Under both positive and negative ionisation modes, the use of toluene as doping agent gave better results. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry by means of atmospheric pressure photo-ionisation was applied to the analysis of aromatic brominated flame retardants and their degradation products. This methodology proved to be particularly useful, for the characterisation and structural identification of some compounds which are not amenable to GC-MS, especially in the case of apolar "polymeric" degradation products of tetrabromobisphenol A investigated in this work.     

Microwave-assisted extraction followed by headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection (MAE-HSSPME-GC-MS/MS) for determination of polybrominated compounds in aquaculture samples

This paper describes the first validated method for the extraction, purification and determination of trace levels of a number of pollutants of growing concern, including polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), in aquaculture feeds and products. The new procedure comprises microwave-assisted extraction (MAE; optimized, using a central composite experimental design, to 15 min at 85 °C in 14 mL of 1:1 hexane/dichloromethane), and concentration by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HSSPME), and separation/quantification by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection (GC-MS/MS). The method was validated on the reference materials IAEA-406 and WMF-01. Limits of detection for fourteen of the fifteen analytes considered range from 10 to 600 pg g⁻¹, and limits of quantification from 50 pg g⁻¹ to 1.9 ng g⁻¹. Linear ranges, accuracies and precisions are reported.     

Absorption-based highly sensitive and reproducible biochemical oxygen demand measurement method for seawater using salt-tolerant yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae ARIF KD-003

Salt-tolerant yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae ARIF KD-003 was applied to highly sensitive and reproducible absorbance-based biochemical oxygen demand (BOD_AB-ScII) measurement for seawater. In the previous work, we have studied the BOD_AB-ScI method using normal Baker's yeast S. cerevisiae, and the excellent feature of the Baker's yeast as uniformly sustainable in solution could successfully be utilized. However, the BOD_AB-ScI responses were disappeared by the existence of chloride ion as well as seawater. In the present method, uniformity in solution was also observed with S. cerevisiae ARIF KD-003, and salt-tolerance of the yeast was observed even in saturate concentration of sodium chloride. Next, characterizations of the influences of pH and incubation temperature were investigated. After optimum conditions were obtained, two calibration curves were made between 0.33 and 22 mg O₂ L⁻¹ BOD using standard solution of glucose glutamic acid (GGA) or mixture of GGA and artificial seawater. Then, excellent reproducibility as the averages of relative standard deviation (R.S.D._av) in two calibration curves (nine points each) was successfully obtained at 1.10% at pure water or 1.03% at artificial seawater standard, respectively. In addition, the 3σ lower detection limit was calculated to be 0.07 mg O₂ L⁻¹ BOD, and 0.11 mg O₂ L⁻¹ BOD was experimentally detected by increase of the sample volume at 1.5-folds. The storage stability of the S. cerevisiae ARIF KD-003 was obtained at least 4 weeks.     

Importance of RNA secondary structure information for yeast donor and acceptor splice site predictions by neural networks

Previously, Patterson et al. showed that mRNA structure information aids splice site prediction in human genes [Patterson, D.J., Yasuhara, K., Ruzzo, W.L., 2002. Pre-mRNA secondary structure prediction aids splice site prediction. Pac. Symp. Biocomput. 7, 223-234]. Here, we have attempted to predict splice sites in selected genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the information obtained from the secondary structures of corresponding mRNAs. From Ares database, 154 genes were selected and their structures were predicted by Mfold. We selected a 20-nucleotide window around each site, each containing 4 nucleotides in the exon region. Based on whether the nucleotide is in a stem or not, the conventional four-letter nucleotide alphabet was translated into an eight-letter alphabet. Two different three-layer-based perceptron neural networks were devised to predict the 5' and 3' splice sites. In case of 5' site determination, a network with 3 neurons at the hidden layer was chosen, while in case of 3' site 20 neurons acted more efficiently. Both neural nets were trained applying Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation method, using half of the available genes as training inputs and the other half for testing and cross-validations. Sequences with GUs and AGs non-sites were used as negative controls. The correlation coefficients in the predictions of 5' and 3' splice sites using eight-letter alphabet were 98.0% and 69.6%, respectively, while these values were 89.3% and 57.1% when four-letter alphabet is applied. Our results suggest that considering the secondary structure of mRNA molecules positively affects both donor and acceptor site predictions by increasing the capacity of neural networks in learning the patterns.     

Developments in the use of chromatographic techniques in marine laboratories for the determination of halogenated contaminants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Chromatography has been an important tool in marine laboratories. Since the 1960s, marine laboratories have been involved in the analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Column chromatography and liquid chromatography (LC) techniques have been used, mainly in the clean-up phase, while gas chromatography (GC) has been used extensively in the final determination of these contaminants. Developments have been observed from the use of packed GC columns, via capillary columns to the use of heart-cut multi-dimensional GC and comprehensive multi-dimensional GC. The progress made in interlaboratory studies and the availability of certified reference materials are discussed.     

Characterization of an immobilized yeast cells fluidized-bed bioreactor for ethanol fermentation

The operational characterization of a fluidized-bed bioreactor for ethanol fermentation using Ca-alginate immobilized yeast cells is described. An additional air stream is supplied to the fermenter to ensure and maintain satisfactory fluidization behavior of beads and to avoid slug formation. The influence of physical properties such as bead density and liquid density on the fluidization quality and stability are discussed.     

Method development for simultaneous analysis of HBCD,TBBPA, and dimethyl-TBBPA in marine biota from Greenland and the Faroe Islands

The brominated flame retardants hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) are high-production-volume chemicals. In recent years, their presence has been reported in sediment and biota from the marine environment. In this study, an analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of HBCD, TBBPA, and the possible metabolite dimethyl-TBBPA. The method was applied in a preliminary screening of egg, liver, and adipose tissue of marine biota from Greenland and the Faroe Islands. α-HBCD was detected in 35 of 36 analysed samples from the Arctic, indicating a ubiquitous presence of α-HBCD in the environment. β- and γ-HBCD were found in 10 and 14 samples, respectively. TBBPA and dimethyl-TBBPA were not detected in any of the samples indicating limited or no transport of these compounds to remote areas.     

Selection of anion exchangers for detoxification of dilute-acid hydrolysates from spruce

Six anion-exchange resins with different properties were compared with respect to detoxification of a dilute-acid hydrolysate of spruce prior to ethanolic fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The six resins encompassed strong and weak functional groups as well as styrene-, phenol-, and acrylic-based matrices. In an analytical experimental series, fractions from columns packed with the different resins were analyzed regarding pH, glucose, furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural, phenolic compounds, levulinic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, and sulfate. An initial adsorption of glucose occurred in the strong alkaline environment and led to glucose accumulation at a later stage. Acetic and levulinic acid passed through the column before formic acid, whereas sulfate had the strongest affinity. In a preparative experimental series, one fraction from each of six columns packed with the different resins was collected for assay of the fermentability and analysis of glucose, mannose, and fermentation inhibitors. The fractions collected from strong anion-exchange resins with styrene-based matrices displayed the best fermentability: a sevenfold enhancement of ethanol productivity compared with untreated hydrolysate. Fractions from a strong anion exchanger with acrylic-based matrix and a weak exchanger with phenol-based resin displayed an intermediate improvement in fermentability, a four- to fivefold increase in ethanol productivity. The fractions from two weak exchangers with styrene- and acrylic-based matrices displayed a twofold increase in ethanol productivity. Phenolic compounds were more efficiently removed by resins with styrene-and phenol-based matrices than by resins with acrylic-based matrices.     

Real-time detection of cofactor availability in genetically modified living Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells — Simultaneous probing of different geno- and phenotypes

This work describes a mediated amperometric method for simultaneous real-time probing of the NAD(P)H availability in two different phenotypes, fermentative and respiratory, of the phosphoglucose isomerase deletion mutant strain of S. cerevisiae, EBY44 [ENY.WA-1A pgi1-1D::URA3], and its parental strain, ENY.WA-1A. The developed method is based on multichannel detection using microelectrode arrays. Its versatility was demonstrated by using four microelectrode arrays for simultaneously monitoring the NAD(P)H availability of both geno- and phenotypes under the influence of two different carbon sources, glucose and fructose, as well as the cytosolic and mitochondrial inhibitor and uncoupler, dicoumarol. The obtained results indicate that the method is capable of accurately and reproducibly (overall relative standard error of mean 3.2%) mapping the real-time responses of the cells with different genotype–phenotype combinations. The ENY.WA cells showed the same response to glucose and fructose when dicoumarol was used; fermentative cells indicated the presence of cytosolic inhibition and respiratory cells a net effect of mitochondrial uncoupling. EBY44 cells showed cytosolic inhibition with the exception of respiratory cells when fructose was used as carbon source.     

A specific micromethod for the determination of phytic acid in biological material

A method for the quantitative determination of phytic acid in biological material is described. The method permits a determination of phytic acid in quantities below 0.1 mg even if the material contains closely related compounds includingmyo-inositol pentakisphosphate.

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Eine spezifische Mikromethode für die Bestimmung von Phytinsäure in biologischem Material

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine Methode zur quantitativen Bestimmung von Phytinsäure in biologischem Material beschrieben. Die Methode erlaubt die Bestimmung von Phytinsäure in Mengen von weniger als 0.1 mg, selbst wenn das Untersuchungsmaterial nahe verwandte Substanzen wie z. B.myo-Inositpentakisphosphat enthält.

     

Scale-up of microbubble dispersion generator for aerobic fermentation

A laboratory-scale microbubble dispersion (MBD) generator was shown to improve oxygen transfer to aerobic microorganisms when coupled to the conventional air-sparger. However, the process was not demonstrated on a large scale to prove its practical application. We investigated the scale-up of a spinning-disk MBD generator for the aerobic fermentation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast). A 1-L spinning-disk MBD generator was used to supply air for 1- and 50-L working volume fermentation of baker’s yeast. For the two levels investigated, the MBD generator maintained an adequate supply of surfactant-stabilized air microbubbles to the microorganisms at a relatively low agitation rate (150 rpm). There was a significant improvement in oxygen transfer to the microorganism relative to the conventional sparger. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient, k _L a, for the MBD system at 150 rpm was 765 h⁻¹ compared to 937 h⁻¹ for the conventional sparger at 500 rpm. It is plausible to surmise that fermentation using larger working volumes may further improve the k _L a values and the dissolved oxygen (DO) levels because of longer hold-up times and, consequently, improve cell growth. There was no statistically significant difference between the cell mass yield on substrate (0.43 g/g) under the MBD regime at an agitation rate of 150 rpm and that achieved for the conventional air-sparged system (0.53 g/g) at an agitation rate of 500 rpm. The total power consumption per unit volume of broth in the 50-L conventional air-sparged system was threefold that for the MBD unit for a similar product yield. Practical application of the MBD technology can be expected to reduce power consumption and therefore operating costs for aerobic fermentation.     

Separation optimization for the recovery of phenyl ethyl alcohol

Phenyl ethyl alcohol is a compound that occurs naturally in flower petals and in many common beverages, such as beer. Desire for the floral, rose-like notes imparted by phenyl ethyl alcohol has created a unique niche for this chemical in flavor and fragrance industries. Phenyl ethyl alcohol can be produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae via bioconversion. Often this method of production results in extremely low yields, thus placing a great deal of importance on recovery and purification of the valuable metabolite. To determine the best method for recovering the chemical, a primary recovery step and a secondary recovery step were developed. The primary recovery step consisted of comparing dead-end filtration with crossflow ultrafiltration. Crossflow ultrafiltration was ultimately selected to filter the fermentation broth because of its high flow rates and low affinity for the product. The secondary recovery step consisted of a comparison of liquid-liquid extraction and hydrophobic resin recovery. The hydrophobic resin was selected because of its higher rate of recovery and a higher purity than the liquid-liquid extraction, the current practice of Brown-Forman.     

Evaluation of Cashew Apple Juice for the Production of Fuel Ethanol

A commercial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was used for the production of ethanol by fermentation of cashew apple juice. Growth kinetics and ethanol productivity were calculated for batch fermentation with different initial sugar (glucose + fructose) concentrations. Maximal ethanol, cell, and glycerol concentrations were obtained when 103.1 g L⁻¹ of initial sugar concentration was used. Cell yield (Y _X/S) was calculated as 0.24 (g microorganism)/(g glucose + fructose) using cashew apple juice medium with 41.3 g L⁻¹ of initial sugar concentration. Glucose was exhausted first, followed by fructose. Furthermore, the initial concentration of sugars did not influence ethanol selectivity. These results indicate that cashew apple juice is a suitable substrate for yeast growth and ethanol production.     

Behavior of yeast cells in aqueous suspension affected by pulsed electric field

This work discusses pulsed electric fields (PEF) induced effects in treatment of aqueous suspensions of concentrated yeast cells (S. cerevisiae). The PEF treatment was done using pulses of near-rectangular shape, electric field strength was within E=2-5 kV/cm and the total time of treatment was t(PEF)=10(-4)-0.1 s. The concentration of aqueous yeast suspensions was in the interval of C(Y)=0-22 (wt%), where 1% concentration corresponds to the cellular density of 2x10(8) cells/mL. Triton X-100 was used for studying non-ionic surfactant additive effects. The electric current peak value I was measured during each pulse application, and from these data the electrical conductivity sigma was estimated. The PEF-induced damage results in increase of sigma with t(PEF) increasing and attains its saturation level sigma approximately sigma(max) at long time of PEF treatment. The value of sigma(max) reflects the efficiency of damage. The reduced efficiency of damage at suspension volume concentration higher than phi(Y) approximately 32 vol% is explained by the percolation phenomenon in the randomly packed suspension of near-spherical cells. The higher cytoplasmic ions leakage was observed in presence of surfactant. Experiments were carried out in the static and continuous flow treatment chambers in order to reveal the effects of mixing in PEF-treatment efficiency. A noticeable aggregation of the yeast cells was observed in the static flow chamber during the PEF treatment, while aggregation was not so pronounced in the continuous flow chamber. The nature of the enhanced aggregation under the PEF treatment was revealed by the zeta-potential measurements: these data demonstrate different zeta-potential signs for alive and dead cells. The effect of the electric field strength on the PEF-induced extraction of the intracellular components of S. cerevisiae is discussed.     

Critical conditions for improved fermentability during overliming of acid hydrolysates from spruce

Bioethanol can be produced from wood via acid hydrolysis, but detoxification is needed to achieve good fermentability. Overliming was investigated in a factorial designed experiment, in which pH and temperature were varied. Degradation of inhibitory furan aldehydes was more extensive compared to monosaccharides. Too harsh conditions led to massive degradation of sugars and formation of inhibiting acids and phenols. The ethanol productivity and yield after optimal overliming reached levels exceeding reference fermentations of pure glucose. A novel metric, the balanced ethanol yield, which takes both ethanol production and losses of fermentable sugars into account, was introduced and showed the optimal conditions within the investigated range. The findings allow process technical and economical considerations to govern the choice of conditions for overliming.     

The role of physicochemical interactions and FLO genes expression in the immobilization of industrially important yeasts by adhesion

One of the industrially important qualities of yeast is their ability to provide the cell-cell and cell-support interactions. This feature of yeast is responsible for technologically significant phenomena such as flocculation (brewing) and yeast biofilm formation (immobilization to supports), whereas these phenomena are time, environment, and strain dependent. Therefore, the goal of this work was to verify the possibility to predict and subsequently select yeast strains capable to colonize solid supports by using physicochemical adhesion models. Three different industrial yeast strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were tested for their adhesion onto spent grain particles in the continuous gas-lift reactor. The cell adhesion energies were calculated, based on physicochemical characteristics of surfaces involved, according to three adhesion models (DLVO theory, thermodynamic approach, and extended DLVO theory). The role of physicochemical surface properties in the cell-cell and cell-support interactions was evaluated by comparing the computed predictions with experimental results. The best agreement between forecast and observation of the yeast adhesion to spent grains was achieved with the extended DLVO (XDLVO) theory, the most complex adhesion model applied in this study. Despite its relative comprehensiveness, the XDLVO theory does not take into account specific biochemical interactions. Consequently, additional understanding of the yeast adhesion mechanism was obtained by means of quantifying the expression of selected FLO genes. The presented approach provides tools to select the appropriately adhesive yeast strains and match them with solid supports of convenient surface properties in order to design immobilized biocatalysts exploitable in biotechnological processes.     

Speciation analysis of Sn(II) and Sn(IV) using baker’s yeast and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

The use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a substrate to selectively retain Sn(II) and Sn(IV) has been investigated. Several factors affecting the retention of the analytes by yeast, such as pH, amount of biomass, temperature and time of contact were evaluated. Based on this study, a method for determination of Sn(II) and Sn(IV) combining inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) and solid phase extraction using Saccharomyces cerevisiae is proposed. The procedure consists of the selective retention of Sn(IV) by yeast at pH = 2.0 while Sn(II) remains in solution. Determination of tin in the solid phase was easily carried out by submitting a slurry of the yeast (0.5 g/40 mL) directly to ICP OES. The precision of the extraction procedure was characterized by an RSD lower than 4%. The detection limits of tin (3σ) in the solid phase and the liquid phase were 1.1 and 0.7 μg L⁻¹, respectively. The proposed approach was evaluated for determination of Sn(II) and Sn(IV) in spiked river water and real samples of industrial waste water (untreated and treated). For all samples, recoveries of spiked Sn(II) and Sn(IV) were between 85 and 112%.     

A new BOD estimation method employing a double-mediator system by ferricyanide and menadione using the eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A new biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) sensing method employing a double-mediator (DM) system coupled with ferricyanide and a lipophilic mediator, menadione and the eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been developed. In this study, a stirred micro-batch-type microbial sensor with a 560 μL volume and a two-electrode system was used. The chronamperometric response of this sensor had a linear response between 1 μM and 10 mM hexacyanoferrate(II) (r² = 0.9995, 14 points, n = 3, average of relative standard deviation and R.S.D._av = 1.3%). Next, the optimum conditions for BOD estimation by the DM system (BOD_DM) were investigated and the findings revealed that the concentration of ethanol, used to dissolve menadione, influenced the sensor response and a relationship between the sensor output and glucose glutamic acid concentration was obtained over a range of 6.6-220 mg O₂ L⁻¹ (five points, n = 3, R.S.D._av 6.6%) when using a reaction mixture incubated for 15 min. Subsequently, the characterization of this sensor was studied. The sensor responses to 14 pure organic substances were compared with the conventional BOD₅ method and other biosensor methods. Similar results with the BOD biosensor system using Trichosporon cutaneum were obtained. In addition, the influence of chloride ion, artificial seawater and heavy metal ions on the sensor response was investigated. A slight influence of 20.0 g L⁻¹ chloride ion and artificial seawater (18.4 g L⁻¹ Cl⁻) was observed. Thus, the possibility of BOD determination for seawater was suggested in this study. In addition, no influence of the heavy metal ions (1.0 mg L⁻¹ Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Mn²⁺, Cr³⁺ and Zn²⁺) was observed. Real sample measurements using both river water and seawater were performed and compared with those obtained from the BOD₅ method. Finally, stable responses were obtained for 14 days when the yeast suspension was stored at 4 °C (response reduction, 93%; R.S.D. for 6 testing days, 9.1%).