Environmental chitinous materials as adsorbents for one-step purification of protease and chitosanase

We describe the use of chitinous materials as adsorbents for purification of protease and chitosanase from bromelain solution and chitosanase from culture supernatants of three bacterial strains: Serratia marcescens TKU011, Bacillus cereus TKU022 and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus TKU024. The best adsorption results were observed when crude shrimp shell chitin (CSSC) and 750-nm chitin nanoparticles (CNP) were used. The optimum temperatures for protease adsorption from bromelain solution (22.9 mg/mL) by CSSC (0.1 g) and by 750-nm CNP (0.1 g) were 4 and 25 °C, respectively. The purification folds of bromelain by CSSC and 750-nm CNP were 5.2 and 4.5, respectively. For purification of protease from culture supernatants of TKU011, 750-nm CNP was 4.0-fold better than CSSC. However, CSSC exhibited purification folds of 2.9 and 3.3 for the chitosanases from TKU022 and TKU024, respectively. The adsorbed chitinolytic enzymes TKU015 chitinase (30 kDa) and TKU024 chitosanase (27 kDa) exhibited high purity by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Thus, CSSC and 750-nm CNP indicate potential for use as tools for one-step purification of bacterial chitinolytic enzymes from culture supernatants.     

Identification and characterisation of serine protease inhibitors from Araucaria angustifolia seeds

Araucaria angustifolia seeds are characterised by a relatively high content of starch and protein. This study aimed to verify the presence of α-amylase inhibitors in the seeds and to characterise a trypsin inhibitor found in the embryo tissues. Inhibitor purification was carried out by the saline extraction of proteins, acetone precipitation and affinity chromatography. Two protein bands of molecular weight estimated by SDS-PAGE at about 35 kDa were further examined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer and were shown to be 36.955 Da (AaTI-1) and 35.450 Da (AaTI-2). The sequence of the N-terminal region shows that AaTI-1 and AaTI-2 are structurally similar to plant inhibitors of the serpin family. A mixture of AaTI-1 and AaTI-2, identified as AaTI, shows selectivity for the inhibition of trypsin (K_iapp 85 nM) and plasmin (K_iapp 7.0 μM), but it does not interfere with the chymotrypsin, human plasma kallikrein, porcine kallikrein or other coagulation enzymes activity.     

Molybdenum Speciation in Raw Phloem Sap of Castor Bean

Abstract

Separation and quantification of molybdenum (Mo) in raw phloem sap from castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) was performed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and further purification was performed using quantitative preparative native continuous polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (QPNC-PAGE). For elemental detection, an inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometer (ICP-QMS) was applied. Two different SEC columns were utilized: column A, Sephadex G-50 SF (700 mm × 24 mm), and column B, Sephadex G-25 M (28 mm × 9 mm). The protein content of the fractions was determined by the Bradford method. Using column A, two peaks of Mo were detected consisting of a main peak (Mo_A2) in the low molecular weight area (< 1.35 kDa), and a minor peak (Mo_A1, ≥ 30 kDa) at the void volume of the column. Both Mo species were detected at the ultraviolet (UV) active absorption area of raw phloem sap. Two peaks of Mo were also detected using column B, the first peak (Mo_B1) being at the same elution volume as the protein of raw phloem sap, and the second one (Mo_B2) was eluted in the area of 1.5 to 2.4 mL of elution volume. Raw phloem sap digested by proteinase K-enzyme indicates a significant reduction of Mo_B1 peak, which suggests that the peak may contain Mo bound to protein or polypeptides. The raw phloem sap and SEC fraction containing highest Mo concentration (Mo_A2) were furthermore separated by QPNC-PAGE. The result reveals that the Mo-containing fraction from the raw phloem sap was eluted at the same retention volume as the purified sample. This implies that the Mo species were also successfully separated and purified using QPNC-PAGE.     

Evaluation of gel electrophoresis techniques and laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for screening analysis of Zn and Cu-binding proteins in plankton

The determination of metal-binding proteins in plankton is important because of their involvement in photosynthesis, which is fundamental to the biogeochemical cycle of the oceans and other ecosystems. We have elaborated a new strategy for screening of Cu and Zn-containing proteins in plankton on the basis of separation of proteins by use of Blue-Native PAGE (BN-PAGE), which entails use of a non-denaturing Tris–tricine system and detection of metals in the proteins by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS). For comparison, denaturing PAGE based on Tris–glycine and Tris–tricine systems and Anodic-Native PAGE have also been investigated. A large number of protein bands with MW between 20 and 75 kDa were obtained by use of Tris–glycine PAGE but detection of metals by LA–ICP–MS was unsuccessful because of loss of metals from the proteins during the separation process. Different protein extraction, purification, and preconcentration methods were evaluated, focussing on both issues—achieving the best extraction and characterization of the proteins while maintaining the integrity of metal–protein binding in the plankton sample. Use of 25 mmol?L^?1 Tris–HCl and a protease inhibitor as extraction buffer with subsequent ultrafiltration and acetone precipitation was the most efficient means of sample preparation. Two Cu and Zn proteins were detected, a protein band corresponding to a MW of 60 kDa and another poorly resolved band with a MW between 15 and 35 kDa.     

Purification and characterisation of α-amylase produced by mutant strain of Aspergillus oryzae EMS-18

α-Amylase produced by a mutant strain of Aspergillus oryzae EMS-18 has been purified to homogeneity as judged by sodium dodecyle sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The enzyme was purified by using 70% ammonium sulphate precipitation followed by anion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex column and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. An enzyme purification factor of 9.5-fold was achieved with a final specific activity of 1987.7 U/mg protein and overall yield of 23.8%. The molecular weight of purified α-amylase was estimated to be 48 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The purified enzyme revealed an optimum assay temperature and pH 40°C and 5.0, respectively. Except Ca⁺⁺ all other metal ions such as Mg, Mn, Na, Zn, Ni, Fe, Cu, Co and Ba were found to be inhibitory to enzyme activity.     

Purification of Membrane-Bound Catechol-O-Methyltransferase by Arginine-Affinity Chromatography

Affinity chromatography strategies using amino acids as immobilize d ligands have been successfully applied for the purification of different biomolecules from complex mixtures. Therefore, in this work, several supports with immobilized amino acids were applied for the purification of membrane-bound catechol-O-methyltransferase (MBCOMT) from Pichia pastoris lysates and it was verified that l-arginine provided the required selectivity for MBCOMT isolation. The optimization of the binding and elution buffers composition allowed the recovery of purified MBCOMT in a biological and immunologically active state from the arginine support. Additional optimization experiments varying the mobile phase pH, temperature and the concentration of the injected sample were carried out and an improvement of MBCOMT adsorption and purity was observed. Indeed, the optimized conditions for MBCOMT isolation and purification consisted in: loading of 4 mg of total protein onto the column previously equilibrated at 20 °C where the target enzyme was recovered in a purified fraction using 500 mM NaCl, 10 mM DTT and 0.5 % (v/v) Triton X-100 in 10 mM Tris buffer (pH 7) with a total bioactivity recovery of 24 ± 2.2 % and a purification fold of 4.95 ± 0.23, a value that is consistent with the best values ever reported for MBCOMT. Moreover, the l-arginine support demonstrated the ability to bind the target protein in a wide range of pH values (above and below the pI of the target protein) and the MBCOMT elution occurs in a single peak pattern. Finally, the strategy here reported can aid in the implementation of crystallization studies with MBCOMT in complex with clinically relevant inhibitors since it is obtained in a purified form with biological activity. In conclusion, a novel affinity chromatography strategy was developed and implemented for recombinant MBCOMT purification in a highly immunological and biologically active state.

     

Analysis of the allergenic proteins in black tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) and characterization of the major allergen tropomyosin using mass spectrometry

Crustaceans are the third most prevalent cause of food‐induced anaphylaxis after peanuts and tree nuts. The severity of the allergenic proteins depends mainly on the amino acid sequence that induces production of IgE antibodies. In black tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon), the crude protein extract was profiled and its allergenic potency was examined against patient's sera. Proteins having strong immunoreactivity with patient's IgE were characterized using peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF). Tropomyosin (TM) (33 kDa), myosin light chain (20 kDa), and arginine kinase (40 kDa) were identified as allergenic proteins. Tropomyosin, the most abundant and potent allergen, was purified using ion‐exchange chromatography for de novo sequencing experiments. Using bottom up tandem mass spectrometry, the full amino acid sequence was achieved by a combination of matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) tandem mass spectrometry (QqToF). Myosin light chain and arginine kinase were also characterized, and their related peptides were de novo sequenced using the same approach. The immunological reactivity of the crude prawn extracts and purified TM samples were analyzed using a large number of patients' sera. A signature peptide was assigned for the TM protein for future quantification work of black tiger prawn TM levels in different matrices (i.e. water, air, food) in the seafood industry. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Purification and Characterization of Calreticulin: a Ca2+-Binding Chaperone from Sheep Kidney

Calreticulin (CRT) is a molecular chaperone with a molecular mass of 46 kDa present in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This protein is primarily involved in the regulation of intracellular Ca²⁺ homeostasis and Ca²⁺ storage in the ER. CRT also plays a significant role in autoimmunity and cancer. This protein contains three distinct structural domains with specialized functions. Here, we are reporting a simple procedure for the purification of CRT from mammalian kidney. To isolate CRT,  sheep kidney was crushed and kept for 12 h in the extraction buffer. The lysate was centrifuged, and supernatant was precipitated by ammonium sulphate. The precipitate of 90 % ammonium sulphate was extensively dialyzed and loaded on DEAE-Hi-Trap FF and Mono Q chromatography columns. The purity of CRT was confirmed by SDS-PAGE. Finally, the protein was identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight. The purified protein was further characterized for secondary structural elements using the far-UV circular dichroism measurements. Our purification procedure is fast and simple with high yield.     

Single-Step Partial Purification of Intracellular <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-Galactosidase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kluyveromyces lactis</Emphasis> Using Microemulsion Droplets

Partial purification of β-galactosidase from the crude extract of Kluyveromyces lactis was carried out using water-in-isooctane microemulsions formed by the anionic surfactant, sodium di-ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate (Aerosol OT). In order to obtain the crude extract, yeast cells of K. lactis were disrupted by a cell disrupter and separated. The purification of β-galactosidase from the extract by a recently developed one-step reversed micellar (i.e., microemulsion-based) extraction method was then tested, by measuring total protein mass and enzyme activity in the product stream and by analyzing its composition using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and gel filtration chromatography. Effects of salt concentration, protein concentration, and pH on the extraction were investigated. Using this approach, a 5.4-fold purification of β-galactosidase was achieved with 96 % total activity recovery, using a feed containing crude extract and 50 mM K-phosphate buffer (pH 7.5) and 50 mM KCl. Gel filtration chromatography showed that the single extraction was successful at removing low molecular weight impurity proteins (molecular weight (MW)?<?42 kDa) from the crude extract.     

Three-Phase Partitioning as a Rapid and Easy Method for the Purification and Recovery of Catalase from Sweet Potato Tubers (Solanum tuberosum)

Three-phase partitioning (TPP) was used to purify and recover catalase from potato crude extract. The method consists of ammonium sulfate saturation, t-butanol addition, and adjustment of pH, respectively. The best catalase recovery (262 %) and 14.1-fold purification were seen in the interfacial phase in the presence of 40 % (w/v) ammonium sulfate saturation with 1.0:1.0 crude extract/t-butanol ratio (v/v) at pH 7 in a single step. The sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis of the enzyme showed comparatively purification and protein molecular weight was nearly found to be 56 kDa. This study shows that TPP is a simple, economical, and quick method for the recovering of catalase and can be used for the purification process.     

Fullerene–Interfaced Porphyrin Ligand in Affinity Chromatography of Membrane Proteins

To purify the mammalian cell membrane porphyrin binding proteins (PBP), an original affinity chromatographic technique is proposed. The method is based on the application of an agarose attached fullerene-porphyrin ligand connected to a polysaccharide gel matrix through the epoxy-cyclohexyl residue interface. A selective PBP-stationary phase coupling has been managed in a single column chromatographic run leading to a complete purification of the 17.6 kDa monomer protein from the rat myocardium mitochondria membranes. A synchronous pH and ionic strength linear gradients were used to separate this protein with a high specific affinity to the porphyrin K related structures from all non-specific sorption retained membrane proteins.     

The effect of NaCl on the adsorption of human IgG onto CM-Asp–PEVA hollow fiber membrane-immobilized nickel and cobalt metal ions

Over the past decade, immobilized metal-affinity adsorbents have attracted increasing interest for purification of natural and recombinant immunoglobulin G (IgG). In this work, nickel and cobalt metal ions complexed with CM-Asp (carboxymethylaspartate) immobilized on poly(ethylenevinyl alcohol) (PEVA) hollow fiber membranes were evaluated for purification of human IgG from serum. The buffer system and NaCl had important effects on human serum protein adsorption in both adsorbents. Efficient purification of IgG was accomplished in sodium phosphate buffer without NaCl at pH 7.0. Under this condition, the electrostatic interactions are important for adsorption. The Ni(II)-CM-Asp–PEVA had a protein adsorption capacity of 17.5 mg of IgG mL^?1 fiber when human serum diluted was loaded in crossflow filtration mode and the eluted IgG had a purity of 82.6 % (based on total protein and IgG, IgM, HSA, and Trf nephelometric analysis). Fitting the experimental IgG adsorption data to the Langmuir and Langmuir–Freundlich models showed that Ni(II)-CM-Asp and Co(II)-CM-Asp had Langmuirean and non-Langmuirean behavior, respectively, with positive cooperativity for IgG-Co(II)-CM-Asp binding, probably due to multipoint interactions (n = 2.12 ± 0.31). Thus, these membranes can be considered as alternative adsorbents for the purification or depletion of IgG from human serum.     

Serum Protein Profiling of Cervical Cancer Patients Using Surface-Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) technology, serum protein profiling was screened for the discovery of differentially expressed proteins between cervical cancer patients and control samples. Proteins and peptides in serum were captured by a CM10 proteinchip, and then detected by a proteinchip reader. The resulting profiling of all collected samples was analyzed with proteinchip software. Seven protein peaks were significantly regulated between the cancer group and the control group (p < 0.05). Fifty-three peaks in the m/z range from 2 kDa to 20 kDa were selected for partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The diagnostic model can distinguish cervical cancer in the blind test set from health controls with an accuracy of 90%. The combination of SELDI-TOF-MS and PLS-DA model can be used to screen significant proteins of differential expression in the serum of cervical cancer and may play a potential role in the diagnostics of cervical cancer.     

Determination of Anti-Tumor Agent TM208, 4-Methyl-piperazine-1-carbodithioc Acid 3-Cyano-3,3-diphenylpropyl Ester Hydrochloride,in Rats by LC

A new, specific and sensitive high performance liquid chromatography analytical procedure was developed and validated for the determination of TM208 in rat primary solid organs/tissues and plasma. TM208 was extracted from the appropriate matrix using methanol followed by centrifugation at 11,255×g for 20 min and injection of a 30 μL aliquot. Separation was carried out under gradient conditions using an ODS C18 column equipped with a guard column. The mobile phase consisted of methanol and water and retention times of TM208 and plunarizine (IS) were 17.658 and 26.175 min, respectively. The analytical procedure provided acceptable precision, accuracy, recoveries and linearity. Stability studies showed that TM208 was stable in organs/tissues homogenates for three freeze–thaw cycles, at room temperature for at least 24 h 3 weeks at −20 °C. The validated method was successfully applied to the determination of TM208 in SD rats following oral administration at a dose of 250 mg kg⁻¹.

     

Assessment of Synthetic Protein-A MAbsorbents in Antibody Purification from Tobacco Plant Extract

Several plant-derived antibody (plantibody) purification approaches have been assessed demonstrating high purification capacities, but low recoveries (<30%) and poor sorbent stability. Thus, application of sorbents with high recovery, low ligand leakage and stable under harsh sanitization conditions could improve the efficiency antibody purification from this source. This paper reports for the first time MAbsorbents assessments in plantibody purification from tobacco plants. In conclusion MAbsorbent A1P is not suitable for plantibody HB-01 purification, while MAbsorbent A2P demonstrated high recovery (37.54 ± 15.15%) in 25 purification cycles. As recommendation, we consider that other elution conditions should be assessed before restudy the stability of this sorbent.     

Computational prediction of kink properties of helices in membrane proteins

We have combined molecular dynamics simulations and fold identification procedures to investigate the structure of 696 kinked and 120 unkinked transmembrane (TM) helices in the PDBTM database. Our main aim of this study is to understand the formation of helical kinks by simulating their quasi-equilibrium heating processes, which might be relevant to the prediction of their structural features. The simulated structural features of these TM helices, including the position and the angle of helical kinks, were analyzed and compared with statistical data from PDBTM. From quasi-equilibrium heating processes of TM helices with four very different relaxation time constants, we found that these processes gave comparable predictions of the structural features of TM helices. Overall, 95 % of our best kink position predictions have an error of no more than two residues and 75 % of our best angle predictions have an error of less than 15°. Various structure assessments have been carried out to assess our predicted models of TM helices in PDBTM. Our results show that, in 696 predicted kinked helices, 70 % have a RMSD less than 2 Å, 71 % have a TM-score greater than 0.5, 69 % have a MaxSub score greater than 0.8, 60 % have a GDT-TS score greater than 85, and 58 % have a GDT-HA score greater than 70. For unkinked helices, our predicted models are also highly consistent with their crystal structure. These results provide strong supports for our assumption that kink formation of TM helices in quasi-equilibrium heating processes is relevant to predicting the structure of TM helices.     

Purification and Characterization of Bowman‐Birk Protease Inhibitor from Rice Coleoptiles

A 15 kDa rice Bowman‐Birk inhibitor from fast elongating coleoptiles has been purified and identified using partial N‐terminal sequence, LC‐MS, and MALDI‐TOF MS as a 133 amino acid polypeptide (BBIrc 1). The kinetic study shows this protease inhibitor displays competitive inhibition toward trypsin with Ki of 4.0 × 10^?7 M and non‐competitive inhibition toward α‐chymotrypsin with Ki of 9.3 × 10^?6 M. The Western blotting results of the anti‐sera raised against this 15 kDa protein showed that this anti‐serum recognized two BBI proteins with molecular size around 15 kDa (BBIrc 1) and 25 kDa (BBIrc2) and the quantity of the expression of 15 kDa was nearly constant under both aerobic and hypoxia conditions; however, the 25 kDa expression was greatly up‐regulated when the fast elongating coleoptiles were transferred from hypoxia conditions to the aerobic conditions. The results indicate that the expression pattern of BBIs proteins correlated to the developmental stage in terms of morphological changes. The partial N‐terminal sequence of the first 9 amino acids of 25 kDa was AEAPPRPPK, which is the same as the amino acid sequence of 37th to 45th of RBBI3‐1 and LC‐MS study shows that several mass fragments fit to RBBI3‐1. The 25 kDa protein also shows specific binding to bovine trypsin. This expression pattern demonstrates for the first time that environmental factor, oxygen, can select and enhance specific BBI gene expression. The results of this study suggest BBI proteins might play multiple biological functions inside rice coleoptiles.     

A Novel Dextran Dextrinase from Gluconobacter oxydans DSM-2003: Purification and Properties

Dextran has already been widely applied in food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. In this study, a novel intracellular dextran dextrinase (DDase, EC 2.4.1.2) from Gluconobacter oxydans DSM-2003 exhibiting catalytic activity to synthesize dextran from maltodextrin was purified to homogeneity by ultrasonic cell disruption, ion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration. This procedure showed 187.5-fold purification from the cell-free extract with 41.9 % yield. And the apparent molecular weight was estimated to be 62 kDa by SDS-PAGE. It was different from the reported literatures, which found that the molecular weight of intracellular and extracellular DDase of G. oxydans ATCC-11894 was 300 and 152 kDa, respectively. Otherwise, it showed different physicochemical characteristics (optimal temperature and pH, thermal, pH stability, effect of metal ions) from the DDase of G. oxydans ATCC-11894. This indicated that DDase of G. oxydans DSM-2003 was a novel one compared to the reported literatures.     

Assessment of a Plantibody HB-01 Purification Strategy at Different Scales

Transgenic plant investigations focus on fine-regulation of the recombinant protein expression and purification strategies. In this article, preliminary experiments were done at analytical-scale to decide the best plantibody HB-01 purification strategy. Once it was assumed, the purification efficiency was assessed at different scales (10–600 kg of biomass). The plantibody purity measured by SDS-PAGE and LC-GF was over 90%, yielding 9.9 ± 6.2–18.6 ± 0.9 mg plantibody kg⁻¹ of biomass and 39.9 ± 7.9–48.7 ± 2.1% of recovery. Significant differences were not observed among these parameters at these scales. Plant DNA contents were <3.3 ng mg⁻¹ of plantibody, which is considered very low for the plantibody HB-01 application in the hepatitis B vaccine production.

     

Assessment of a Plantibody HB-01 Purification Strategy at Different Scales

Transgenic plant investigations focus on fine-regulation of the recombinant protein expression and purification strategies. In this article, preliminary experiments were done at analytical-scale to decide the best plantibody HB-01 purification strategy. Once it was assumed, the purification efficiency was assessed at different scales (10–600 kg of biomass). The plantibody purity measured by SDS-PAGE and LC-GF was over 90%, yielding 9.9 ± 6.2–18.6 ± 0.9 mg plantibody kg^?1 of biomass and 39.9 ± 7.9–48.7 ± 2.1% of recovery. Significant differences were not observed among these parameters at these scales. Plant DNA contents were <3.3 ng mg^?1 of plantibody, which is considered very low for the plantibody HB-01 application in the hepatitis B vaccine production.