Alkaliphilic Bacillus Research Articles

The respiratory chains of four strains of the alkaliphilic Bacillus clausii

A comparative analysis of terminal respiratory enzymes has been performed on four strains of Bacillus clausii used for preparation of a European probiotic. These four strains originated most probably from a common ancestor through early selection of stable clones for industrial propagation. They exhibit a low level of intra-specific diversity and a high degree of genomic conservation, making them an attractive model to study the different bioenergetics behaviors of alkaliphilic bacilli. The analysis of the different bioenergetics responses has been carried out revealing striking differences among the strains. Two out of the four strains have shown a functional redundancy of the terminal part of the respiratory chain. The biochemical data correlate with the expression level of the mRNA of cytochrome c oxidase and quinol oxidase genes (heme-copper type). The consequences of these different bioenergetics behaviors are also discussed.

Biodegradation of phenol by alkaliphiic Bacillus badius D1

Phenols have been recognized as mutagenic and carcinogenic. Industrial effluents possessing phenols causes’ environmental pollution. Present study was planned to investigate the % degradation of phenol using alkaliphilic Bacillus badius D1 with various concentration ranging from 0.42 to 1.68 g/L in alkaline broth of pH-9, in shaking incubator at110 rpm, 37 0 C. The % degradation at lowest concentration was about 98%. Even at higher concentration the rate of degradation was found higher than 70 %. The % degradation and spectroscopic profile was monitored from 0 to 48 hr. by 6 hr. interval. The metabolic pathway was constructed by isolating and characterizing the metabolites by 1 HNMR, FTIR, and GCMS. It was concluded that the Bacillus badius follows ortho and meta catechol pathway for degradation. The biodegradation study was extended for varying parameters like temperature, pH, salinity, additional carbon and nitrogen sources.

Purification and Functional Reconstitution of a Seven-Subunit Mrp-Type Na+/H+ Antiporter

Mrp antiporters and their homologues in the cation/proton antiporter 3 family of the Membrane Transporter Database are widely distributed in bacteria. They have major roles in supporting cation and cytoplasmic pH homeostasis in many environmental, extremophilic, and pathogenic bacteria. These antiporters require six or seven hydrophobic proteins that form hetero-oligomeric complexes, while most other cation/proton antiporters require only one membrane protein for their activity. The resemblance of three Mrp subunits to membrane-embedded subunits of the NADH:quinone oxidoreductase of respiratory chains and to subunits of several hydrogenases has raised interest in the evolutionary path and commonalities of their proton-translocating domains. In order to move toward a greater mechanistic understanding of these unusual antiporters and to rigorously demonstrate that they function as secondary antiporters, powered by an imposed proton motive force, we established a method for purification and functional reconstitution of the seven-subunit Mrp antiporter from alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4. Na(+)/H(+) antiporter activity was demonstrated by a fluorescence-based assay with proteoliposomes in which the Mrp complex was coreconstituted with a bacterial FoF1-ATPase. Proton pumping by the ATPase upon addition of ATP generated a proton motive force across the membranes that powered antiporter activity upon subsequent addition of Na(+).

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray study of alanine dehydrogenase fromBacillus pseudofirmusOF4

Alanine dehydrogenase (OF4Ald) from the alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4 was expressed and purified with a His6 tag in a form suitable for X-ray crystallographic analysis. Crystals were grown by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method at 289 K using a solution consisting of 0.1 M Tris-HCl pH 8.0, 0.2 M LiSO4, 22%(w/v) PEG 3350. X-ray diffraction data were collected to 2.8 Å resolution. The crystal belonged to the triclinic space group P1, with unit-cell parameters a = 88.04, b = 105.59, c = 120.53 Å, α = 88.37, β = 78.77, γ = 82.65°.

Modulation of xylanase production from alkaliphilic Bacillus pumilus VLK-1 through process optimization and temperature shift operation.

This study was aimed at enhancing the production of xylanase from an alkaliphilic Bacillus pumilus VLK-1 in submerged fermentation using wheat bran, a cheap and abundantly available agro-residue, through process optimization and to monitor the effect of temperature shift operation on it. The potential of xylanase in saccharification of wheat straw was also investigated. The results showed that optimization of the fermentation process by one variable approach increased the enzyme yield from 402 to 4,986 IU/ml. Subsequently, optimization of nitrogen and carbon sources through response surface methodology led to high level xylanase production (7,295 IU/ml) which was 1.46-fold greater than one variable approach after 56 h of cultivation at 30 °C. Temperature shift operation during fermentation resulted in maximum xylanase production in lesser duration (48 h instead of 56 h). Enzymatic hydrolysis of the alkali pre-treated wheat straw with 500 IU xylanase alone released 173 ± 8 mg sugars/g whereas in combination with cellulase and β-glucosidase released 553 ± 12 mg sugars/g dry substrate in 6 h, indicating its potential in saccharification of the lignocellulosic substrate. Temperature shift operation is likely to be attractive for large scale industrial fermentation due to significant reduction in the operating cost. To our knowledge, this is the first report which showed the effect of temperature shift operation on xylanase production from bacteria. The xylanase production from Bacillus sp. in the present study is close to the highest titre reported in the literature. An enhanced xylanase production using wheat bran, a cheap and abundantly available agro-residue, will apparently reduce the enzyme cost, which would be beneficial for industry.

Production of Extremely Alkaliphilic, Halotolerent, Detergent, and Thermostable Mannanase by the Free and Immobilized Cells of Bacillus halodurans PPKS-2. Purification and Characterization

The alkaliphilic Bacillus halodurans strain PPKS-2 was shown to produce extracellular extreme alkaliphilic, halotolerent, detergent, and thermostable mannanase activity. The cultural conditions for the maximum enzyme production were optimized with respect to pH, temperature, NaCl, and inexpensive agro wastes as substrates. Mannanase production was enhanced more than 4-fold in the presence of 1% defatted copra meal and 0.5% peptone or feather hydrolysate at pH11 and 40°C. Mannanase was purified to 10.3-fold with 34.6% yield by ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography methods. Its molecular mass was estimated to be 22kDa by SDS-PAGE. The mannanase had maximal activity at pH11 and 70°C. This enzyme was active over a broad range of NaCl (0-16%) and thermostable retaining 100% of the original activity at 70°C for 3h. Immobilization of whole cells proved to be effective for continuous production of mannanase. Since the strain PPKS-2 grows on cheaper agro wastes such as defatted copra meal, corn husk, jowar bagasse, and wheat bran, these can be exploited for mannanase production on an industrial scale.

Cloning and Sequence Analysis of Three Variants of the Gene Encoding Alkaline Xylanase C from the Alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. (NCL 87-6-10)

Alkaline xylanase C from the alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. (NCL 87-6-10) has a low molecular weight and alkaline pI and is cellulase-free, properties compatible with its use in the prebleaching of pulp. We report here the cloning and sequence analysis of three variants of the gene encoding xylanase C; xyl C1, xyl C2, and xyl C3. In phylogenetic analysis, the three xylanase C variants clustered into a single group along with other reported alkaline xylanases. Residues contributing to the alkaline pH were present in all three variants. DNA and protein sequence comparison of these variants with other reported alkaline xylanases revealed silent mutations, some of which are due to codon preference in the respective organisms. The recombinant Xyl C1 that was successfully expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) had properties similar to the native enzyme.

Characterization of an industrially important alkalophilic bacterium, Bacillus agaradhaerens strain nandiniphanse5

AimThe phenotypic and phylogenetic characterization of an alkalophilic bacterium producing two industrially important enzymes – alkaline protease and alkaline amylase, was performed. A Gram-positive, rod-shaped, spore-forming alkalophilic bacterium (2b) isolated from alkaline dairy soil of Indore region of Madhya Pradesh, was selected in this work. MethodsThe alkalophile was subjected to a taxonomic investigation, including standard bacteriological characterization and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by different treeing algorithms: neighbour joining, maximum parsimony tree, maximum-likelihood and UPGMA method using MEGA5 software. The secondary structures of 16S rRNA gene sequence were predicted using GeneBee package and UNAFOLD, a Linux based software. ResultsIts overall biochemical, physiological and phylogenetic characteristics indicated that strain 2b is an alkaliphilic Bacillus belonging to the species agaradhaerens. The free energy of the secondary structure of rRNA was −171.7 and −265.13 kcal/mol respectively. The structure obtained with a Gibb's free energy, ΔG −265.13 kcal/mol by UNAFOLD seems to be more stable in the present study. ConclusionThe taxonomic investigation identifies 2b as Bacillus agaradhaerens.

A Novel Alkaliphilic Bacillus Esterase Belongs to the 13th Bacterial Lipolytic Enzyme Family

BackgroundMicrobial derived lipolytic hydrolysts are an important class of biocatalysts because of their huge abundance and ability to display bioactivities under extreme conditions. In spite of recent advances, our understanding of these enzymes remains rudimentary. The aim of our research is to advance our understanding by seeking for more unusual lipid hydrolysts and revealing their molecular structure and bioactivities.Methodology/Principal FindingsBacillus. pseudofirmus OF4 is an extreme alkaliphile with tolerance of pH up to 11. In this work we successfully undertook a heterologous expression of a gene estof4 from the alkaliphilic B. pseudofirmus sp OF4. The recombinant protein called EstOF4 was purified into a homologous product by Ni-NTA affinity and gel filtration. The purified EstOF4 was active as dimer with the molecular weight of 64 KDa. It hydrolyzed a wide range of substrates including p-nitrophenyl esters (C2–C12) and triglycerides (C2–C6). Its optimal performance occurred at pH 8.5 and 50°C towards p-nitrophenyl caproate and triacetin. Sequence alignment revealed that EstOF4 shared 71% identity to esterase Est30 from Geobacillus stearothermophilus with a typical lipase pentapeptide motif G91LS93LG95. A structural model developed from homology modeling revealed that EstOF4 possessed a typical esterase 6α/7β hydrolase fold and a cap domain. Site-directed mutagenesis and inhibition studies confirmed the putative catalytic triad Ser93, Asp190 and His220.ConclusionEstOF4 is a new bacterial esterase with a preference to short chain ester substrates. With a high sequence identity towards esterase Est30 and several others, EstOF4 was classified into the same bacterial lipolytic family, Family XIII. All the members in this family originate from the same bacterial genus, bacillus and display optimal activities from neutral pH to alkaline conditions with short and middle chain length substrates. However, with roughly 70% sequence identity, these enzymes showed hugely different thermal stabilities, indicating their diverse thermal adaptations via just changing a few amino acid residues.

Genomic and Enzymatic Results Show Bacillus cellulosilyticus Uses a Novel Set of LPXTA Carbohydrases to Hydrolyze Polysaccharides

BackgroundAlkaliphilic Bacillus species are intrinsically interesting due to the bioenergetic problems posed by growth at high pH and high salt. Three alkaline cellulases have been cloned, sequenced and expressed from Bacillus cellulosilyticus N-4 (Bcell) making it an excellent target for genomic sequencing and mining of biomass-degrading enzymes.Methodology/Principal FindingsThe genome of Bcell is a single chromosome of 4.7 Mb with no plasmids present and three large phage insertions. The most unusual feature of the genome is the presence of 23 LPXTA membrane anchor proteins; 17 of these are annotated as involved in polysaccharide degradation. These two values are significantly higher than seen in any other Bacillus species. This high number of membrane anchor proteins is seen only in pathogenic Gram-positive organisms such as Listeria monocytogenes or Staphylococcus aureus. Bcell also possesses four sortase D subfamily 4 enzymes that incorporate LPXTA-bearing proteins into the cell wall; three of these are closely related to each other and unique to Bcell. Cell fractionation and enzymatic assay of Bcell cultures show that the majority of polysaccharide degradation is associated with the cell wall LPXTA-enzymes, an unusual feature in Gram-positive aerobes. Genomic analysis and growth studies both strongly argue against Bcell being a truly cellulolytic organism, in spite of its name. Preliminary results suggest that fungal mycelia may be the natural substrate for this organism.Conclusions/Significance Bacillus cellulosilyticus N-4, in spite of its name, does not possess any of the genes necessary for crystalline cellulose degradation, demonstrating the risk of classifying microorganisms without the benefit of genomic analysis. Bcell is the first Gram-positive aerobic organism shown to use predominantly cell-bound, non-cellulosomal enzymes for polysaccharide degradation. The LPXTA-sortase system utilized by Bcell may have applications both in anchoring cellulases and other biomass-degrading enzymes to Bcell itself and in anchoring proteins other Gram-positive organisms.

Halotolerant, alkaliphilic urease-producing bacteria from different climate zones and their application for biocementation of sand

Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a phenomenon based on urease activity of halotolerant and alkaliphilic microorganisms that can be used for the soil bioclogging and biocementation in geotechnical engineering. However, enrichment cultures produced from indigenous soil bacteria cannot be used for large-scale MICP because their urease activity decreased with the rate about 5 % per one generation. To ensure stability of urease activity in biocement, halotolerant and alkaliphilic strains of urease-producing bacteria for soil biocementation were isolated from either sandy soil or high salinity water in different climate zones. The strain Bacillus sp. VUK5, isolated from soil in Ukraine (continental climate), was phylogenetically close in identity (99 % of 16S rRNA gene sequence) to the strain of Bacillus sp. VS1 isolated from beach sand in Singapore (tropical rainforest climate), as well as to the strains of Bacillus sp. isolated by other researchers in Ghent, Belgium (maritime temperate climate) and Yogyakarta, Indonesia (tropical rainforest climate). Both strains Bacillus sp. VS1 and VUK5 had maximum specific growth rate of 0.09/h and maximum urease activities of 6.2 and 8.8 mM of hydrolysed urea/min, respectively. The halotolerant and alkaliphilic strain of urease-producing bacteria isolated from water of the saline lake Dead Sea in Jordan was presented by Gram-positive cocci close to the species Staphylococcus succinus. However, the strains of this species could be hemolytic and toxigenic, therefore only representatives of alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. were used for the biocementation studies. Unconfined compressive strengths for dry biocemented sand samples after six batch treatments with strains VS1and VUK5 were 765 and 845 kPa, respectively. The content of precipitated calcium and the strength of dry biocemented sand at permeability equals to 1 % of initial value were 12.4 g Ca/kg of dry sand and 454 kPa, respectively, in case of biocementation by the strain VS1. So, halotolerant, alkaliphilic, urease-producing bacteria isolated from different climate zones have similar properties and can be used for biocementation of soil.

Comparative secretome analysis of four isogenic Bacillus clausii probiotic strains

BackgroundThe spore-bearing alkaliphilic Bacillus species constitute a large, heterogeneous group of microorganisms, important for their ability to produce enzymes, antibodies and metabolites of potential medical use. Some Bacillus species are currently being used for manufacturing probiotic products consisting of bacterial spores, exhibiting specific features (colonization, immune-stimulation and antimicrobial activity) that can account for their claimed probiotic properties. In the present work a comparative proteomic study was performed aimed at characterizing the secretome of four closely related isogenic O/C, SIN, N/R and T B. clausii strains, already marketed in a pharmaceutical mixture as probiotics.ResultsProteomic analyses revealed a high degree of concordance among the four secretomes, although some proteins exhibited considerable variations in their expression level in the four strains. Among these, some proteins with documented activity in the interaction with host cells were identified, such as the glycolytic enzyme enolase, with a putative plasminogen-binding activity, GroEL, a molecular chaperone shown to be able to bind to mucin, and flagellin protein, a structural flagella protein and a putative immunomodulation agent.ConclusionThis study shows, for the first time, differences in the secretome of the OC, SIN, NR and T B. clausii strains. These differences indicate that specific secretome features characterize each of the four strains despite their genotypic similarity. This could confer to the B. clausii strains specific probiotic functions associated with the differentially expressed proteins and indicate that they can cooperate as probiotics as the secretome components of each strain could contribute to the overall activity of a mixed probiotic preparation.

Cow dung: a potential biomass substrate for the production of detergent-stable dehairing protease by alkaliphilic Bacillus subtilis strain VV

Cow dung, a cheap and easily available source of energy, was used as the substrate for the production of alkaline protease by solid-state fermentation using the Bacillus subtilis strain VV. In order to achieve the maximum yield of this enzyme, the following optimum process parameters are needed: fermentation period (72 h), pH (10.0), moisture content (140%), inoculum (25%), temperature (30–40°C), carbon source (2% (w/w) maltose) and nitrogen source (1% (w/w) urea). The protease was stable over a broad temperature range (30–50°C) and pH (8.0-10.0), with maximum activity at 50°C and pH 10.0. Among the divalent ions tested, Ca2+ (0.01 M) increased enzyme activity. The purified protease, after being subjected to sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was found to have a molecular mass of 38.5 kDa. The enzyme was solvent-and surfactant-stable and showed activity even after 24 h incubation along with various commercially available detergents. This enzyme possessed dehairing properties for animal hide after 16 h of incubation at room temperature. From these results it is evident that cow dung is a potential substrate for the production of a detergent-stable, dehairing protease by B. subtilis. This enzyme has a lot of potential applications in the detergent and leather-processing industries.

Roles of AtpI and Two YidC-Type Proteins from Alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4 in ATP Synthase Assembly and Nonfermentative Growth

AtpI, a membrane protein encoded by many bacterial atp operons, is reported to be necessary for c-ring oligomer formation during assembly of some ATP synthase complexes. We investigated chaperone functions of AtpI and compared them to those of AtpZ, a protein encoded by a gene upstream of atpI that has a role in magnesium acquisition at near-neutral pH, and of SpoIIIJ and YqjG, two YidC/OxaI/Alb3 family proteins, in alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4. A strain with a chromosomal deletion of atpI grew nonfermentatively, and its purified ATP synthase had a c-ring of normal size, indicating that AtpI is not absolutely required for ATP synthase function. However, deletion of atpI, but not atpZ, led to reduced stability of the ATP synthase rotor, reduced membrane association of the F(1) domain, reduced ATPase activity, and modestly reduced nonfermentative growth on malate at both pH 7.5 and 10.5. Both spoIIIJ and yqjG, but not atpI or atpZ, complemented a YidC-depleted Escherichia coli strain. Consistent with such overlapping functions, single deletions of spoIIIJ or yqjG in the alkaliphile did not affect membrane ATP synthase levels or activities, but functional specialization was indicated by YqjG and SpoIIIJ showing respectively greater roles in malate growth at pH 7.5 and 10.5. Expression of yqjG was elevated at pH 7.5 relative to that at pH 10.5 and in ΔspoIIIJ strains, but it was lower than constitutive spoIIIJ expression. Deletion of atpZ caused the largest increase among the mutants in magnesium concentrations needed for pH 7.5 growth. The basis for this phenotype is not yet resolved.

Characterization of Thermostable Serine Alkaline Protease from an Alkaliphilic Strain Bacillus pumilus MCAS8 and Its Applications

This study describes the characterization and optimization of medium components for an extracellular detergent, surfactant, organic solvent and thermostable serine alkaline protease produced by alkaliphilic Bacillus pumilus MCAS8 strain isolated from Pulicat lake sediments, Tamil Nadu, India. The strain yielded maximum protease (2,214 U/ml) under optimized conditions: carbon source, citric acid-1.5 % (w/w); inducer, soyabean meal-2 % (w/w); pH 11.0; shaking condition 37 °C for 48 h. The enzyme had pH and temperature optima of 9.0 and 60 °C, respectively. The enzyme displayed the molecular mass of 36 kDa in sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis study and exhibited activity at a wide range of pH (6.0-11.0) and thermostability (20-70 °C). More than 70 % residual activity was observed when the enzyme was incubated with dithiothreitol, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid and H(2)O(2) for 30 min. The protease activity was also enhanced by divalent cations such as Ba(2+), Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) and was strongly inhibited by Fe(2+), Zn(2+), Sr(2+), Hg(2+) and urea. The enzyme retained more than 50 % of its initial activity after pre-incubation for 1 h in the presence of 5 % (v/v) organic solvents such as dimethyl sulphoxide and acetone. The protease could hydrolyse various native proteinaceous substrates (1 % w/v) such as bovine serum albumin, casein, skim milk, gelatine, azocasein and haemoglobin. Wash performance analysis of enzyme revealed that it could effectively remove blood stains from the cotton fabric, thus making it suitable to use as an effective detergent additive. The protease enzyme also exhibited promising result in the dehairing of goat skin. The potency of the eco-friendly enzyme without using any chemicals against washing and dehairing showed that the enzyme could be used for various industrial applications.

A cellulase-free, thermostable, alkaline-stable, inhibitor resistant and halotolerant xylanase produced by an alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. X6 and its applications in various industries

A cellulase-free, thermostable, alkaline-stable, inhibitor resistant and halotolerant xylanase produced by an alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. X6 and its applications in various industries

Isolation and characterization of heavy metal tolerant Gram-positive bacteria with bioremedial properties from municipal waste rich soil of Kestopur canal (Kolkata), West Bengal, India

The present study was conducted to determine the culturable bacterial profile from Kestopur canal (Kolkata, India) and analyze their heavy metal tolerance. In addition to daily sewage including solid and soluble wastes, a considerable load of toxic metals are released into this water body from industries, tanneries and agriculture, household as well as health sectors. Screening out microbes from such an environment was done keeping in mind their multifunctional application especially for bioremediation. Heavy metals are major environmental pollutants when present in high concentration in soil and show potential toxic effects on growth and development in plants and animals. Some edible herbs growing in the canal vicinity, and consumed by people, were found to harbour these heavy metals at sub-toxic levels. The bioconcentration factor of these plants being <1 indicates that they probably only absorb but not accumulate heavy metals. All the thirteen Grampositive bacteria isolated from these plants rhizosphere were found to tolerate high concentration of heavy metals like Co, Ni, Pb, Cr, Fe. Phylogenetic analysis of their 16S rDNA genes revealed that they belonged to one main taxonomic group — the Firmicutes. Seven of them were found to be novel with 92–95% sequence homology with known bacterial strains. Further microbiological analyses show that the alkaliphilic Bacillus weihenstephanensis strain IA1 and Exiguobacterium aestuarii strain CE1, with selective antibiotic sensitivity along with high Ni2+ and Cr6+ removal capabilities, respectively, can be prospective candidates for bioremediation.

Characterization and purification of the multi subunit type Na+/H+ antiporter from alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4

Characterization and purification of the multi subunit type Na+/H+ antiporter from alkaliphilic Bacillus pseudofirmus OF4

Efficient production of l-lactic acid with high optical purity by alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. WL-S20

Highly efficient polymer-grade l-lactic acid production was achieved by an alkaliphilic strain Bacillus sp. WL-S20 using inexpensive peanut meal as nitrogen source and sodium hydroxide as neutralizing agent. In multi-pulse fed-batch fermentation of Bacillus sp. WL-S20, a l-lactic acid concentration of 225g/l with a yield of 99.3% was obtained. In single-pulse fed-batch fermentation, a concentration of 180g/l was obtained with a yield of 98.6%. No d-isomers of lactic acid were detected. The production of a high concentration of optically pure l-lactic acid by alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. WL-S20, combined with a low-cost nutrient and environment-friendly NaOH-based process, represent a potentially novel way for l-lactic acid production at an industrial scale.

Mutational Analysis of a CBM Family 5 Chitin-Binding Domain of an Alkaline Chitinase fromBacillussp. J813

Chitinase J from alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. J813 comprises a glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 18 catalytic domain (CatD), a fibronectin type III like domain, and a carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) family 5 chitin-binding domain (ChBD). It has been suggested that the ChBD binds to insoluble chitin and enhances its degradation by the CatD. To investigate the roles of two aromatic residues (Trp541 and Trp542), which are exposed on the surface of the ChBD, mutational analysis was performed. Single and double mutations of the two aromatic residues decreased binding and hydrolyzing abilities toward insoluble chitin. This result suggests that the ChBD binds to chitin by hydrophobic interactions via two surface-exposed aromatic residues. However, the double mutant, which has no such aromatic residue, bound to chitin at pH 5.2, probably by electrostatic interactions. Moreover, the ChBD bound to insoluble chitosan by electrostatic interactions.