Production, Purification, Immobilization, and Characterization of a Thermostable β-Galactosidase from Aspergillus alliaceus

A fungal strain isolated from rotten banana and identified as Aspergillus alliaceus was found capable of producing thermostable extracellular ??-galactosidase enzyme. Optimum cultural conditions for ??-galactosidase production by A. alliaceus were as follows: pH?4.5; temperature, 30?°C; inoculum age, 25?h; and fermentation time, 144?h. Optimum temperature, time, and pH for enzyme substrate reaction were found to be 45?°C, 20?min, and 7.2, respectively, for crude and partially purified enzyme. For immobilized enzyme?Csubstrate reaction, these three variable, temperature, time, and pH were optimized at 50?°C, 40?min, and 7.2, respectively. Glucose was found to inhibit the enzyme activity. The K _m values of partially purified and immobilized enzymes were 170 and 210?mM, respectively. Immobilized enzyme retained 43?% of the ??-galactosidase activity of partially purified enzyme. There was no significant loss of activity on storage of immobilized beads at 4?°C for 28?days. Immobilized enzyme retained 90?% of the initial activity after being used four times.     

Maximization of β-Galactosidase Production: A Simultaneous Investigation of Agitation and Aeration Effects

In this work, the agitation and aeration effects in the maximization of the β-galactosidase production from Kluyveromyces marxianus CCT 7082 were investigated simultaneously, in relation to the volumetric enzyme activity and the productivity, as well as the analysis of the lactose consumption and production of glucose, and galactose of this process. Agitation and aeration effects were studied in a 2 L batch stirred reactor. A central composite design (2² trials plus three central points) was carried out. Agitation speed varied from 200 to 500 rpm and aeration rate from 0.5 to 1.5 vvm. It has been shown in this study that the volumetric enzyme production was strongly influenced by mixing conditions, while aeration was shown to be less significant. Linear models for activity and productivity due to agitation and aeration were obtained. The favorable condition was 500 rpm and 1.5 vvm, which lead to the best production of 17 U mL⁻¹ for enzymatic activity, 1.2 U mL⁻¹ h⁻¹ for productivity in 14 h of process, a cellular concentration of 11 mg mL⁻¹, and a 167.2 h⁻¹ volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient.     

High Level Production of β-Galactosidase Exhibiting Excellent Milk-Lactose Degradation Ability from Aspergillus oryzae by Codon and Fermentation Optimization

A β-galactosidase gene from Aspergillus oryzae was engineered utilizing codon usage optimization to be constitutively and highly expressed in the Pichia pastoris SMD1168H strain in a high-cell-density fermentation. After fermentation for 96 h in a 50-L fermentor using glucose and glycerol as combined carbon sources, the recombinant enzyme in the culture supernatant had an activity of 4,239.07 U mL^?1 with o-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactopyranoside as the substrate, and produced a total of extracellular protein content of 7.267 g L^?1 in which the target protein (6.24 g L^?1) occupied approximately 86 %. The recombinant β-galactosidase exhibited an excellent lactose hydrolysis ability. With 1,000 U of the enzyme in 100 mL milk, 92.44 % lactose was degraded within 24 h at 60 °C, and the enzyme could also accomplish the hydrolysis at low temperatures of 37, 25, and 10 °C. Thus, this engineered strain had significantly higher fermentation level of A. oryzae lactase than that before optimization and the β-galactosidase may have a good application potential in whey and milk industries.     

Preparation and Characterization of Branched β-Cyclodextrins Having Manno-Oligosaccharide Side Chains Derived from Yeast Mannan and Study of Their Functions

Branched -cyclodextrins (-CDs) having manno-oligosaccharide side chains were investigated. Three kinds of monobranched -CDs and five kinds of dibranched -CDs were chemically synthesized using the trichloroacetimidate method. Their structures were analyzed by HPLC, MS, and NMR spectroscopies. The specific interaction between those compounds and mannose-binding lectins (Concanavalin A and Pisum sativum agglutinin) was investigated by inhibition tests of hemagglutinating activity and by using an optical biosensor of the IAsys apparatus with a resonant mirror detector. The results showed that all branched -CDs interactedwith lectins. The binding affinity was 6¹,6⁴-(Man₃)₂- 6¹,6⁴-(Man₂)₂- > 6¹,6⁴-(Man₄)₂--CD when the derivatives were compared on the basis of side chain length and 6¹,6³- 6¹,6⁴- > 6¹,6²-(Man₂)₂--CD when compared on the basis of side chain position.     

Cloning, Expression, and Characterization of β-mannanase from Bacillus subtilis MAFIC-S11 in Pichia pastoris

The β-mannanase gene (1,029 nucleotide) from Bacillus subtilis MAFIC-S11, encoding a polypeptide of 342 amino acids, was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris. To increase its expression, the β-mannanase gene was optimized for codon usage (mannS) and fused downstream to a sequence-encoding modified α-factor signal peptide. The expression level was improved by 2-fold. This recombinant enzyme (mannS) showed its highest activity of 24,600 U/mL after 144-h fermentation. The optimal temperature and pH of mannS were 50 °C and 6.0, respectively, and its specific activity was 3,706 U/mg. The kinetic parameters V _max and K _m were determined as 20,000 U/mg and 8 mg/mL, respectively, representing the highest ever expression level of β-mannanase reported in P. pastoris. In addition, the enzyme exhibited much higher binding activity to chitin, chitosan, Avicel, and mannan. The superior catalytic properties of mannS suggested great potential as an effective additive in animal feed industry.     

Production and Characterization of β-Glucanase Secreted by the Yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus

An extracellular β-glucanase secreted by Kluyveromyces marxianus was identified for the first time. The optimal conditions for the production of this enzyme were evaluated by response surface methodology. The optimal conditions to produce β-glucanase were a glucose concentration of 4 % (w/v), a pH of 5.5, and an incubation temperature of 35 °C. Response surface methodology was also used to determine the pH and temperature required for the optimal enzymatic activity. The highest enzyme activity was obtained at a pH of 5.5 and a temperature of 55 °C. Furthermore, the enzyme was partially purified and sequenced, and its specificity for different substrates was evaluated. The results suggest that the enzyme is an endo-β-1,3(4)-glucanase. After optimizing the conditions for β-glucanase production, the culture supernatant was found to be effective in digesting the cell wall of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, showing the great potential of β-glucanase in the biotechnological production of soluble β-glucan.     

Characterization of Asx Turn Types and Their Connate Relationship with β-Turns

Models of asparagine-containing dipeptides specifically designed to favor intrinsic folding into an Asx turn were characterized both theoretically, by using quantum chemistry, and experimentally, by using laser spectroscopy in the gas phase. Both approaches provided evidence for the spontaneous folding of both the Asn-Ala and Asn-Gly dipeptide models into the most stable Asx turn, a conformation stabilized by a C10 H-bond that was very similar to a type II’ β-turn. In parallel, analysis of Asx turns implicating asparagine in crystallized protein structures in the Protein Data Bank revealed a sequence-dependent behavior. In Asn-Ala sequences, the Asx turn was found in conjunction with a type I β-turn for which the first of the four defining residues was Asn. The observation that the Asx turn in these structures is mostly of type II’ (i. e., its most stable innate structure) suggests that this motif might foster the formation and/or enhance the stability of the backbone β-turn. In contrast, the Asx turns observed in Asn-Gly sequences extensively adopted a type II Asx-turn structure, thus suggesting that their formation should be ascribed to other factors, such as hydration. The fact that the Asx turn in a Asn-Gly sequence is also often found in combination with a hydrated β-bulge supports the premise that a Asn-Gly sequence might efficiently promote the formation of the β-bulge secondary structure.     

Immobilization of α-amylase from Bacillus circulans GRS 313 on coconut fiber

A simple and inexpensive method for immobilizing alpha-amylase from Bacillus circulans GRS 313 on coconut fiber was developed. The immobilization conditions for highest efficiency were optimized with respect to immobilization pH of 5.5, 30 degrees C, contact time of 4 h, and enzyme to support a ratio of 1:1 containing 0.12 mg/mL of protein. The catalytic properties of the immobilized enzyme were compared with that of the free enzyme. The activity of amylase adsorbed on coconut fiber was 38.7 U/g of fiber at its optimum pH of 5.7 and 48 degrees C, compared with the maximum activity of 40.2 U/mL of free enzyme at the optimum pH of 4.9 and 48 degrees C. The reutilization capacity of the immobilized enzyme was up to three cycles.     

Production, Purification, and Characterization of a β-Glucosidase of Penicillium funiculosum NCL1

Penicillium funiculosum NCL1, a filamentous fungus, produced significantly higher levels of ??-glucosidase. The effect of initial pH, incubation temperature, and different carbon sources on extracellular ??-glucosidase production was studied in submerged fermentation. At 30?°C with initial pH 5.0, enzyme production was increased by 48-fold upon induction with paper mill waste, as compared to commercial cellulose powder. In zymogram analysis, four isoforms of ??-glucosidases were observed with wheat bran whereas a minimum of one isoform was observed with other carbon sources. A major ??-glucosidase (Bgl3A) with the apparent molecular weight of ~120?kDa, induced by paper mill waste, was purified 19-fold to homogeneity, with a specific activity of 1,796 U/mg. Bgl3A was a monomeric glycoprotein with 29% of neutral carbohydrate content. It showed optimum activity at pH 4.0 and 5.0, optimum temperature at 60?°C, and exhibited a half-life of 1?h at 60?°C. K _m of Bgl3A was found to be 0.057?mM with p-nitrophenyl ??-d-glucoside and V _max was 1,920 U/mg. The purified enzyme exhibited glucose tolerance with a K _i of 1.5?mM. Bgl3A readily hydrolyzed glucosides with ??-linkage. Bgl3A activity was enhanced (156%) by Zn²⁺ and was not affected by other metal cations and reagents. The supplementation of Bgl3A (5 U/mg) with Trichoderma reesei cellulase complex (5 FPU/mg) resulted in about 70% of enhanced glucose production, which emphasizes the industrial importance of Bgl3A.     

Synthesis of Terpenoid-Like Bischalcones from α- and β-Ionones and Their Biological Activities

Ionone-based terpenoid-like bischalcones (3a–h and 4a–h) were synthesized from the reaction of α- and/or β-ionones with aldehyde derivatives in excellent yields. The antibacterial activities of synthesized compounds were screened against human pathogenic micro-organisms by employing the disk-diffusion technique.     

Ring-closure Reaction to Novel Quinoline Derivatives and Their Structural Characterization

In the condensation of arylaldehydes with arylethylidenemalononitriles, it was found that, besides the normal product dienes a, the ring-closure product quinoline derivatives b can be also obtained in 26%--50% yields. The substituent effects were also examined and a possible reaction mechanism was proposed for the formation of b. The X-ray crystal structure of lb confirms the structure of the ring-closure product.     

Purification, Characterization, and Heterologous Expression of a Thermostable β-1,3-1,4-Glucanase from Bacillus altitudinis YC-9

Purification, characterization, gene cloning, and heterologous expression in Escherichia coli of a thermostable β-1,3-1,4-glucanase from Bacillus altitudinis YC-9 have been investigated in this paper. The donor strain B. altitudinis YC-9 was isolated from spring silt. The native enzyme was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, diethylaminoethyl-cellulose anion exchange chromatography, and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. The purified β-1,3-1,4-glucanase was observed to be stable at 60 °C and retain more than 90 % activity when incubated for 2 h at 60 °C and remain about 75 % and 44 % activity after incubating at 70 °C and 80 °C for 10 min, respectively. Acidity and temperature optimal for this enzyme was pH 6 and 65 °C. The open reading frame of the enzyme gene was measured to be 732 bp encoding 243 amino acids, with a predicted molecular weight of 27.47 kDa. The gene sequence of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase showed a homology of 98 % with that of Bacillus licheniformis. After being expressed in E. coli BL21, active recombinant enzyme was detected both in the supernatants of the culture and the cell lysate, with the activity of 102.7 and 216.7 U/mL, respectively. The supernatants of the culture were used to purify the recombinant enzyme. The purified recombinant enzyme was characterized to show almost the same properties to the wild enzyme, except that the specific activity of the recombinant enzyme reached 5392.7 U/mg, which was higher than those ever reported β-1,3-1,4-glucanase from Bacillus strains. The thermal stability and high activity make this enzyme broad prospect for industry application. This is the first report on β-1,3-1,4-glucanase produced by B. altitudinis.     

Galacto-oligosaccharides Synthesis from Lactose and Whey by β-Galactosidase Immobilized in PVA

The synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) by ??-galactosidase immobilized in both polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) lenses and sol?Cgel carriers was studied and compared with the performance of the free enzyme. PVA-immobilized ??-galactosidase retained 95?% of the initial activity after seven repeated uses and retained 51?% of the initial activity after 3?months of storage, while sol?Cgel-immobilized ??-galactosidase only retained 39?% of the initial activity under storage. Lactose conversion takes place at a higher rate in the PVA-immobilized ??-galactosidase, while the lowest rate of lactose conversion was noticed with immobilized ??-galactosidase in sol?Cgel. Continuous production of GOS from either lactose or whey, with PVA-immobilized ??-galactosidase, was performed in a packed-bed reactor. A maximum GOS production of 30?% of total sugars was attained for a 40-% lactose feed solution with a feed rate of 10.8?ml/h, at pH 4.5 and 40?°C, corresponding to a productivity of 117?g/l?h. The maximum GOS productivity of 344?g/l?h was obtained at a flow rate of 28.7?ml/h. 3-OS and 4-OS were the major types of GOS formed. Conversion of whey in continuous mode resulted in GOS production of 15?% of total sugars and formation of 45?% 3-OS, 40?% 4-OS, and 15?% 5-OS.     

Expression and Characterization of a GH39 β-Xylosidase II from Caulobacter crescentus

In the present work, the gene xynB2, encoding a ??-xylosidase II of the Glycoside Hydrolase 39 (GH39) family, of Caulobacter crescentus was cloned and successfully overexpressed in Escherichia coli DH10B. The recombinant protein (CcXynB2) was purified using nickel-Sepharose affinity chromatography, with a recovery yield of 75.5?%. CcXynB2 appeared as a single band of 60?kDa on a sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel and was recognized by a specific polyclonal antiserum. The predicted CcXynB2 protein showed a high homology with GH39 ??-xylosidases of the genus Xanthomonas. CcXynB2 exhibited an optimal activity at 55?°C and a pH of 6. CcXynB2 displayed stability at pH values of 4.5?C7.5 for 24?h and thermotolerance up to 50?°C. The K _M and V _Max values were 9.3?±?0.45?mM and 402?±?19???mol?min^?1 for ??-nitrophenyl-??-d-xylopyranoside, respectively. The purified recombinant enzyme efficiently produced reducing sugars from birchwood xylan and sugarcane bagasse fibers pre-treated with a purified xylanase. As few bacterial GH39 family ??-xylosidases have been characterized, this work provides a good contribution to this group of enzymes.     

Reverse Micellar Extraction of β-Galactosidase from Barley (Hordeum vulgare)

The reverse micellar system of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT)/isooctane was used for the extraction and primary purification of beta-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) from the aqueous extract of barley (Hordeum vulgare) for the first time. The process parameters such as the concentration of the surfactant, the volume of the sample injected, and its protein concentration, pH, and ionic strength of the initial aqueous phase for forward extraction, buffer pH, and salt concentration for back extraction are varied to optimize the extraction efficiency. Studies carried out with both phase transfer and injection mode of reverse micellar extraction confirmed the injection mode to be more suitable for beta-galactosidase extraction. The extent of reverse micellar solubilization of proteins increased with an increase in protein concentration of the feed sample. However, back extraction efficiency remained almost constant (13-14.4%), which indicates the selectivity of AOT reverse micelles for a particular protein under given experimental conditions. beta-Galactosidase was extracted with an activity recovery of 98.74% and a degree of purification of 7.2-fold.     

Selective Reduction of ortho-Acylated β-Enaminones of Homoveratryamine and Their Cyclization to 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroisoquinolines with β-Enaminone Moiety

Enaminones are very stable compounds and can be prepared from cheap and easily available starting materials. Therefore they are excellent starting materials in organic synthesis. The selective reduction of ortho-acylated β-enaminones under mild conditions, keeping the enaminone moiety intact, is reported. The appropriated conditions for cyclization of newly obtained hydroxienamides were found. Novel 1-substituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines with potential anticonvulsic activity were synthesized.     

Preparation and Characterization of 2,2′-Dipicolyl Diselenide and Their Derivatives

Lithium 2-picolylselenolate/tellurolate is obtained by reacting lithiated 2-picoline with elemental selenium/tellurium which upon aerial oxidation gives 2,2'-dipicolyl diselenide in case of selenium while 1,2-bis(2-pyridyl)ethane in case of tellurium. Condensation of 2-picolylselenolate anion with a variety of electrophiles provides a facile synthesis of 2-picolylalkyl selenides in good to excellent yields. Quenching of lithiated 2-picoline with 2,2'-dipyridyl diselenide gives mixed 2-picolylseleno pyridine in low yield. All the compounds prepared are new and have been characterized by elemental analysis, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and mass spectral studies.     

Synthesis and Physical Characterization of β-Alkyl Oligoselenophenes

Russian Journal of General Chemistry - α-Conjugated oligoselenophenes are characterized by very low solubility in organic solvents. Their higher solubility may be achieved by introducing alkyl...     

Production of Ultra-high Molecular Weight Poly-γ-Glutamic Acid with Bacillus licheniformis P-104 and Characterization of its Flocculation Properties

A novel strain of Bacillus licheniformis P-104 was isolated from Chinese soybean paste to produce a bioflocculant. The bioflocculant was confirmed as ultra-high molecular weight poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) using Fourier transform infrared spectrum, high-performance liquid chromatography, and gel permeation chromatography with multi-angle laser light scattering. The production technology and flocculation properties of γ-PGA were investigated. By fed-batch fermentation in a 7-L bioreactor, the maximum γ-PGA yield reached 41.6 g L^?1 with a productivity rate of 1.07 g L^?1 h^?1. The flocculating activity of γ-PGA for kaolin suspension was 33.5?±?1.6 1/OD under the optimized flocculation conditions (6 mM Ca²⁺, 1.5 mg L^?1 γ-PGA, and pH 6.0). The optimized dosage of γ-PGA for flocculation was just about 30 % of that of reported γ-PGA produced by other strains. Moreover, the flocculation activity of γ-PGA produced by strain P-104 was much higher than commercial γ-PGA with the molecular weight ranging 200–500 kDa and 1,500–2,500 kDa. This study provided a promising strain and an efficient method for production of ultra-high molecular weight γ-PGA which could be used as a potential green bioflocculant.