A novel Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase from the fungal strain Humicola lutea 110: isolation and physico-chemical characterization

The fungal strain Humicola lutea 110 produces a mangan- and a copper zinc-containing superoxide dismutases (SOD). In this study, the purification, N-terminal sequence and spectroscopic properties of the new Cu,Zn SOD are described. The preparation of the pure metalloenzyme was achieved via treatment of the strain with acetone followed by gel and ion exchange chromatography. The protein consists of 302 amino acid residues and has a molecular mass of approximately 32 kDa, as determined by PAG electrophoresis and 3100 U mg-1 protein-specific activity. It is a dimeric enzyme with two identical subunits of 15,950 Da, as indicated by SDS-PAGE, mass spectroscopic and amino acid analysis. The N-terminal sequence analysis of the Cu,Zn SOD from the fungal strain revealed a high degree of structural homology with enzymes from other eukaryotic sources. Conformational stability and reversibility of unfolding of the dimeric enzyme were determined by fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The critical temperature of deviation from linearity (Tc) of the Arrhenius plot ln (Q-1(-1)) vs. 1/T was calculated to be 68 degrees C and the respective activation energy for the thermal deactivation of the excited indole chromophores is 42 kcal mol-1. The melting temperatures (Tm) were determined by CD measurements to be 69 degrees C for the holo- and 61 degrees C for the apo-enzyme. The fluorescence emission of the Cu,Zn SOD is dominated by 'buried' tryptophyl chromophores. Removal of the copper-dioxygen system from the active site caused a 4-fold increase of the fluorescence quantum yield and a 10 nm shift of the emission maximum position towards higher wavelength.     

Purification and properties of three cellobiases from Aspergillus niger A20

Three cellobiases, here called cellobiase A, B, and C, from the culture filtrate of Aspergillus niger A20, were purified by precipitation with ammonium sulphate, gel filtration through Sephadex G-75, and column chromatography of DEAE-cellulose. The purified enzymes were homogeneous on polyacrylamide disk electrophoresis. The mol wt of the purified enzymes were estimated by SDS-gelelectrophoresis to be 88,000, 80,000, and 71,000 for cellobiases A, B, and C, respectively. The enzymes were active at pH 4.5 and 55–60°C. The pattern of their aminoacid compositions showed high contents of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, threonine, serine, and glycine. The apparent K_m values for cellobiose were 0.9, 1.63, and 1.0 mM for cellobiases A, B, and C, respectively. Calcium ions stimulated cellobiases B and C, and Co²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions stimulated cell obiase A. The purified enzymes hydrolyzed cellobiose and aryl-β-d-glucosides, but they had no action on sucrose, maltose, and cellulose. The three cellobiases catalyzed transglycosylate reaction, and the major product formed from cellobiose was tetramer of glucose.     

Purification and some properties of three serine carboxypeptidases from Aspergillus niger

Three enzymes exhibiting peptidyl-L-amino acid hydrolase and esterase activities have been purified by immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. The three enzymes were entirely free of the acid protease activity that normally exists along with them in the crude culture filtrates of Aspergillus niger. Although all three exo-peptidases possessed nearly identical molecular weights (ca. 140,000), isoelectric points (ca. 5.0) and other properties, their affinities for the two substrates tested, carbobenzoxy-L-Glu-L-Tyr and benzoyl L-arginine ethyl ester, differed. All three peptidases were inhibited by phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride, indicating that they are serine carboxypeptidases. They were also inhibited by tosyl phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone, suggesting the presence of a histidyl residue in their active sites. The differences in the number of accessible histidyl residues on the enzyme surfaces could explain the differences in their retentions on Cu2+-iminodiacetate-Sepharose 6B.     

Microencapsulated mycelium-bound tannase from Aspergillus niger

Microencapsulated Aspergillus niger with mycelium-bound tannase activity was employed to investigate the esterification of propyl gallate from gallic acid and propanol in organic solvents. The effects of various organic solvents (log P:−1.0 to 6.6) on the enzymatic reactions showed that benzene (log P:2.0) was the suitable solvent, for which the conversion reached 26.8%. The optimum catalyst concentration and water concentration was found at 25 capsules in 10 mL of benzene and 0.04 g of water/capsule. The external mass transfer effect could be eliminated at stirring speeds of 180 rpm or higher. Both substrates 1-propanol and gallic acid had significant inhibition effects on the tannase activity. Maximum molar conversion (36.2%) was achieved with 9.1% (v/v) 1-propanol and 8 mM gallic acid and decreased with increasing amounts of substrates.     

Structural analysis and molecular modelling of the Cu/Zn-SOD from fungal strain Humicola lutea 103

The native form of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase, isolated from fungal strain Humicola lutea 103 is a homodimer that coordinates one Cu(2+) and one Zn(2+) per monomer. Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) ions play crucial roles in enzyme activity and structural stability, respectively. It was established that HLSOD shows high pH and temperature stability. Thermostability of the glycosylated enzyme Cu/Zn-SOD, isolated from fungal strain H. lutea 103, was determined by CD spectroscopy. Determination of reversibility toward thermal denaturation for HLSOD allowed several thermodynamic parameters to be calculated. In this communication we report the conditions under which reversible denaturation of HLSOD exists. The narrow range over which the system is reversible has been determined using the strongest test of two important thermodynamic independent variables (T and pH). Combining both these variables, the "phase diagram" was determined, as a result of which the real thermodynamic parameters (ΔC(p), ΔH(exp)°, and ΔG(exp)°) was established. Because very narrow pH-interval of transitions we assume they are as result of overlapping of two simple transitions. It was found that ΔH(o) is independent from pH with a value of 1.3 kcal/mol and 2.8 kcal/mol for the first and the second transition, respectively. ΔG(o) was pH-dependent in all studied pH-interval. This means that the transitions are entropically driven, these. Based on this, these processes can be described as hydrophobic rearrangement of the quaternary structure. It was also found that glycosylation does not influence the stability of the enzyme because the carbohydrate chain is exposed on the surface of the molecule.     

Characterization and sorption properties of Aspergillus niger waste biomass

The structure and the biosorption properties of fungal biomass of Aspergillus niger originated from citric acid fermentation industry was investigated. This waste biomass, produced in high quantity in carefully controlled industrial processes, has certain favourable characteristics that may be improved for its usefulness. In environmental chemistry, it is known for the removal of heavy metals cations. In this work, different alkaline treatments (1M NaOH/20°C/24 h and 10M NaOH/107°C/6 h) were used to evaluate the dependence of sorption properties of biomass on the cell wall composition. The biosorption was studied by the batch method, with the biomass concentration of 1 g/l, at pH 6. The adsorption of lead was more effective than that of cadmium. The biosorption capacity was evaluated using the biosorption isotherm derived from the equilibrium data. At pH 6, the maximmum lead biosorption capacity estimated with the Langmuir model was 93 mg/g dry biomass.     

A novel butenoate derivative from Aspergillus niger

A novel butenoate derivative, methyl (Z)-4-{[(Z)-1-(hydroxymethyl)-2-phenyl-1-ethenyl] amino}-4-oxo-2-butenoate (1), was isolated from the fermentation broth of an Aspergillus niger strain Ta1. The structure (1) was elucidated by spectral analysis. Bioassays showed that compound 1 had a weak antioxidant activity.     

Influence of Tween 80 on lipid metabolism of an Aspergillus niger strain

Addition of 0.1% of nonionic surface-active Tween 80 to a medium optimized for pectolytic enzyme production of Aspergillus niger increased the amount of enzymes excreted by 70%. In the presence of Tween 80 the amount of sterol esters and triacylglycerols was increased. During the course of cultivation the amounts of precursors for ergosterol biosynthesis diminished with an increase of ergosterol. A. niger incorporated cholesterol from the medium, partly converting it to cholesterol esters. Sterol esters were formed only with selected fatty acids. Oleic acid, the hydrophobic part of Tween 80, was mainly incorporated in phospholipids and glycolipids.     

A novel polymeric ionic liquid-coated magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes for the solid-phase extraction of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase

A novel magnetic adsorbent, benzyl groups functionalized imidazolium-based polymeric ionic liquid (PIL)-coated magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) (m-MWCNTs@PIL), has been successfully synthesized and applied for the extraction of Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD). The m-MWCNTs@PIL were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and zeta-potential nanoparticles. In this method, the m-MWCNTs@PIL could interact with Cu, Zn-SOD through hydrogen bonding, π-π and electrostatic interactions. The extraction performance of the m-MWCNTs@PIL in the magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) procedure was investigated, coupled with the determination by UV–vis spectrophotometer. Compared with m-MWCNTs@IL and m-MWCNTs, the m-MWCNTs@PIL exhibited the highest extraction capacity of 29.1 mg/g for Cu, Zn-SOD. The adsorbed Cu, Zn-SOD remained high specific activity after being eluted from m-MWCNTs@PIL by 1 moL/L NaCl solution. Besides, the m-MWCNTs@PIL could be easily recycled and successfully employed in the extraction of Cu, Zn-SOD from real samples. Under the optimal conditions, the precision, repeatability and stability of the proposed method were investigated and the RSDs were 0.29%, 1.68% and 0.54%, respectively. Recoveries were in the range of 82.7–102.3%, with the RSD between 3.47% and 5.35%. On the basis of these results, the developed method has great potential in the extraction of Cu, Zn-SOD or other analytes from biological samples.     

Properties of a new alkaline proteinase from Aspergillus niger

A. niger LCF 9 synthesizes a new aspergillopeptidase of potential interest in therapeutics. The properties and operating range of the enzyme were determined. It is a semi-alkaline aspergillopeptidase (EC 3.4.23.4) with one endopeptidase activity. Its pI is 4.10, its molecular weight is 21000 Da and its A1%(1 cm) at 280 nm is 9.75. It rapidly hydrolyzes casein and hemoglobin. Its optimal pH is 7.8 and optimal temperature is 45 degrees C. It is thermally labile above 40 degrees C but can be stabilized by adding calcium ions. It is inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and by certain metals ions, e.g. copper, manganese and cobalt ions. It has no dipeptidase or tripeptidase activity and its esterase activity is weak. It has a high collagenase activity and is to our knowledge the only aspergillopeptidase that is active towards benzoyl-arginine p-nitroanilide (BAPNA).     

Henry reaction catalyzed by Lipase A from Aspergillus niger

The Henry reaction of aromatic aldehydes and nitroalkanes could be performed by catalyst of Lipase A from Aspergillus niger in organic/water medium, and the corresponding Henry products were obtained in yields up to 94%.     

Differential properties of Aspergillus niger tannase produced under solid-state and submerged fermentations

Significant differences on structure, stability, and catalytic properties of tannase were found when this enzyme was produced under solid-state and submerged fermentations (SSF and SmF) by Aspergillus niger. The specific activity was 5.5 times higher on SSF than in SmF. Significant differences in isoelectric points of tannases were found. The pH optima for both types of enzyme was found at 6 and the pH stability of SSF and SmF tannase were at 6 and 5–8, respectively. The optimal temperature range was from 50 to 60 °C for SmF tannase and 60 °C for SSF tannase, and both enzyme types showed tolerance to high temperatures (60–70 °C). The SSF tannase showed a major specificity for methyl gallate substrate while SmF tannase for tannic acid. All metal ions tested, had an activity inhibition from 30–46% on SSF tannase. SDS-PAGE analysis as well as gel localization studies of both SSF and SmF purified tannases showed a single band with a molecular weight of 102 and 105 kDa, respectively. Different levels of glycosylation were found among SSF and SmF purified tannases. This is the first report about structural differences among tannase produced under SSF and SmF and this study provides basis for explanation of the stability and catalytic differences observed previously for this two tannase types.     

Functional Stabilization of Cellulase from Aspergillus niger by Conjugation with Dextran-aldehyde

The covalent conjugates of cellulase from Aspergillus niger were prepared with various molar ratios by using dextran. The conjugate (n_E/n_D: 1/5) showed higher activity than purified enzyme at all temperatures after 1 h of incubation and its activity could also be measured at higher temperature. Also, this conjugate lost only 60% activity in 2 h at 70°C in comparison to the purified enzyme, which lost all its activity. In addition, conjugation protected cellulase against denaturation in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate (residual activity of about 80%) and inactivation by air bubbles (residual activity of about 50% for 4 h).     

Selective inhibition of Fe- versus Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutases by 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid derivatives

A series of catechol derivatives were synthesised and tested for their ability to inactivate the iron-containing superoxide dismutase (Fe-SOD) from Escherichia coli and the bovine erythrocytes Cu/Zn-SOD. Incubation of catechols with Fe- or Cu/Zn SODs resulted in a time-dependent loss of enzyme activity with highly selective inhibition for the iron-dependent enzyme. Catechol-induced inactivation of SODs was correlated with the auto-oxidation of the catechol compounds to their corresponding ortho-quinone derivatives, which was found to be non-dependent on the presence of enzymes. Mass electrospray experiments on catechol-incubated Fe-SOD provided evidence for the irreversible nature of the inhibition process, yielding to a complex mixture of modified proteins.     

Antifungal activity of Bignoniaceae plants on Aspergillus carbonarius and Aspergillus niger

Abstract

Twenty four extracts from Bignoniaceae plants of northwest Argentina were tested for antifungal activity against Aspergillus species responsible of the grape black rot. Stems and leaves of Amphilophium cynanchoides, Macfadyena cynanchoides, Tecoma stans and Jacaranda mimosifolia were separately extracted with solvents of increasing polarity to obtain the dichloromethane (fCH₂Cl₂), ethyl acetate (fEtOAc) and methanol extracts (fMeOH). The fCH₂Cl₂ from stem of M. cynanchoides had the lowest IC₅₀ (1.0–1.2?mg/mL) and MID values (0.6–1.2?mg) and the highest ID values (5.0–6.8?mm) on A. niger and A. carbonarius. The main contributors of the antifungal activity of fCH₂Cl₂ were identified as lapachol (MIC?=?0.25–1.00?mg/ml) and 1-hydroxy-4-methylanthraquinone (MIC?=?0.0625–0.125?mg/mL). These compounds synergized the antifungal activity of sodium metabisulfite and showed an additive effect in mixtures with propiconazol. They might be used as additives of commercial antifungals to protect grapes against A. niger and A. carbonarius.     

Biotransformation of hinesol isolated from the crude drug Atractylodes lancea by Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus cellulosae.

Biotransformation of the sesquiterpene alcohol hinesol (1) with spasmolytic activity, which was prepared from the rhizome of Atractylodes lancea, was carried out by Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus cellulosae IFO 4040. Compound 1 was easily converted to compounds 2-9 by A. niger, and compounds 10 and 11 by A. cellulosae, respectively. Their stereostructures were established by a combination of high-resolution NMR spectral analysis, X-ray crystallographic analysis, and chemical reactions such as epoxydation.     

Protoplast Fusion of β-Glucosidase-Producing Aspergillus niger Strains

Protoplast fusion, induced by polyethylene glycol and Ca²⁺, was carried out between two auxotrophic strains ofAspergillus niger. The fusion frequency ranged from 6.2 × 10^-2-9.1 × 10^-2. After induced haploidization of a diploid, various segregants showing combinations of the parental genetic markers were isolated. Unlike diploids, haploid segregants exhibited greater variations in their morphology and β-glucosidase activities. One segregant showed a 2.5-fold increase in β-glucosidase activity over those of the parents. Thus, this method appears promising for creating new recombinant strains ofA. niger with improved β-glucosidase activities.     

Enantioselective reduction of substituted acetophenones by Aspergillus niger

Fourteen strains of Aspergillus niger were isolated from soil samples. These isolates were evaluated for the reduction of acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol. Among the tested isolates, whole cells of the A. niger EBK-9 isolate were found to be an effective biocatalyst for the enantioselective reduction of acetophenone. Under optimized conditions substituted acetophenones were converted to the corresponding optically active alcohol in up to 99% ee.