Broad pH Stability Research Articles

Methylmercury in water samples at the pg/L level by online preconcentration liquid chromatography cold vapor-atomic fluorescence spectrometry

Ultra-traces of methylmercury at the sub-ppt level can be magnified in the foodweb and is of concern. In environmental monitoring a routine robust analytical method is needed to determine methylmercury in water. The development of an analytical method for ultra-trace speciation analysis of methylmercury (MeHg) in water samples is described. The approach is based on HPLC-CV-AFS with on-line preconcentration of water samples up to 200mL, resulting in a detection limit of 40pg/L (ppq) for MeHg, expressed as Hg. The unit consists of an optimized preconcentration column filled with a sulfur-based sorption material, on which mercury species are preconcentrated and subsequently eluted, separated and detected via HPLC-CV-AFS (high performance liquid chromatography–cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry). During the method development a type of adsorbate material, the pH dependence, the sample load rate and the carry-over were investigated using breakthrough experiments. The method shows broad pH stability in the range of pH0 to 7, without the need for buffer addition and shows limited matrix effects so that MeHg is quantitatively recovered from sewage, river and seawater directly in the acidified samples without sample preparation.

A thermophilic β-mannanase from Neosartorya fischeri P1 with broad pH stability and significant hydrolysis ability of various mannan polymers

A new β-mannanase gene, man5P1, was cloned from the thermophilic fungus Neosartorya fischeri P1, and successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris. The predicted amino acid sequence of man5P1 consists of a putative 19-residue signal peptide at the N-terminus and a catalytic domain of glycoside hydrolase family 5. The purified recombinant Man5P1 (rMan5P1) was optimally active at pH 4.0 and 80°C, and was acid and alkali tolerant, exhibiting >20% of the maximal activity at pH 2.0 and 9.0. rMan5P1 had better stability over a broad pH range of 2.0–12.0, and was highly thermostable at 60°C and below. The enzyme was highly active towards galactomannan and glucomannan, and exhibited classic endo-activity producing a mixture of mannooligosaccharides (MOS). Moreover, it had strong resistance to SDS and Ag+ and proteases. The superior properties make Man5P1 a potential candidate for use in various industrial applications.

Increase in stability of cellulase immobilized on functionalized magnetic nanospheres

Abstract Functionalized magnetic nanospheres were prepared by co-condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate with three different amino-silanes: 3-(2-aminoethylamino propyl)-triethoxysilane (AEAPTES), 3-(2-aminoethylamino propyl)-trimethoxysilane (AEAPTMES) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). Then three functionalized magnetic nanospheres were used as supports for immobilization of cellulase. The three functionalized magnetic nanospheres with core–shell morphologies exhibited higher capacity for cellulase immobilization than unfunctionalized magnetic nanospheres. The increasing of surface charge of functionalized magnetic nanospheres leads to an enhancement of the capacity of cellulase immobilization. Particularly, AEAPTMES with methoxy groups was favored to be hydrolyzed and grafted on unfunctionalized magnetic nanospheres than the others. AEAPTMES functionalized magnetic nanospheres with the highest zeta potential (29 mV) exhibited 87% activity recovery and the maximum amount of immobilized cellulase was 112 mg/g support at concentration of initial cellulase of 8 mg/mL. Immobilized cellulase on AEAPTMES functionalized magnetic nanospheres had higher temperature stability and broader pH stability than other immobilized cellulases and free cellulase. In particular, it can be used in about 40 °C, demonstrating the potential of biofuel production using this immobilized cellulase.

High efficacy bioconversion of starch to lactic acid using an amylolytic lactic acid bacterium isolated from Thai indigenous fermented rice noodles

Amylolytic lactic acid bacterium (ALAB) strain S21 was isolated from Thai indigenous fermented rice noodles and identified as Lactobacillus plantarum, based on 16S rDNA sequence and recA gene analysis. L. plantarum S21 exhibited a specific growth rate (μ) of 0.24 1/h in modified MRS broth containing 10 g/L of starch as the sole carbon source, and a high efficacy in producing lactic acid (9.41, 24.48, 41.84, 74.33, and 94.04 g/L from 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 g/L of cassava starch, respectively), which are higher values than previously reported for ALAB. Crude amylase from L. plantarum S21 had broad pH stability (3.5–8.0), and hydrolyzed starch to maltose and glucose as the major and minor products. L. plantarum S21 should be considered useful for industrial bioconversion of starch to lactic acid.

Molecular characterization of a novel thermal stable reductase capable of decoloration of both azo and triphenylmethane dyes.

The gene encoding a putative triphenylmethane reductase (TMR)-like protein derived from Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius C56-Y593 (named as GtAZR) was synthesized, heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, and extensively characterized for the first time. The recombinant GtAZR displayed its maximum activity at pH 5.5 and 40 °C. GtAZR was stable at temperatures below 65 °C. It also exhibited a broad pH stability and retained more than 90% of its initial activities in pH range of 4.5-10.5 after incubating in various buffers for 1 h. Moreover, GtAZR showed significant stability against metal ions and organic solvents. GtAZR displayed broad substrate spectrum toward both azo and triphenylmethane dyes. As a sequence and structural TMR-like protein, GtAZR was characterized as an azoreductase biochemically due to its high specificity for azo dye rather than triphenylmethane dye. Molecular docking and mutagenesis analysis revealed that amino acids Asp-79 and Thr-80 are responsible for its azoreductase activity, which eliminated the steric hindrance caused by His-77 and Tyr-78 at the correspond sites in other structural homologous triphenylmethane reductase. The robust stability and substrate promiscuity of GtAZR made it a promising candidate for practical removal of mixed dye wastewater.

Characterization and crystal structure of a first fungal glyoxylate reductase from Paecilomyes thermophila

A glyoxylate reductase gene (PtGR) from the fungus Paecilomyces thermophila was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. PtGR was biochemically and structurally characterized. PtGR has an open reading frame of 993bp encoding 330 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence has low similarities to the reported glyoxylate reductases. The purified PtGR forms a homodimer. PtGR displayed an optimum pH of 7.5 and broad pH stability (pH 4.5–10). It exhibited an optimal temperature of 50°C and was stable up to 50°C. PtGR was found to be highly specific for glyoxylate, but it showed no detectable activity with 4-methyl-2-oxopentanoate, phenylglyoxylate, pyruvate, oxaloacetate and α-ketoglutarate. PtGR prefered NADPH rather than NADH as an electron donor. Moreover, the crystal structure of PtGR was determined at 1.75Å resolution. The overall structure of apo-PtGR monomer adopts the typical d-2-hydroxy-acid dehydrogenase fold with a “closed” conformation unexpectedly. The coenzyme specificity is provided by a cationic cluster consisting of N184, R185, and N186 structurally. These structural observations could explain its different coenzyme and substrate specificity.

Characterization of a robust anti-Prelog short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase ChKRED20 from Chryseobacterium sp. CA49

ChKRED20 is a short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) cloned from Chryseobacterium sp. CA49 for the anti-Prelog bioreduction of 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)acetophenone to produce the chiral alcohol intermediate for aprepitant. Purified ChKRED20 showed broad pH adaptability and stability with 91% of the maximal activity retained at pH 10.0. The temperature dependence of activity reached the maxima at 50 degrees C. Its half-lives of thermal inactivation were 163 and 9.8 h at 40 degrees C and 50 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme was resistant to a variety of metal ions, additives, and organic solvents. The enzymatic activity could be enhanced by the addition of particular metal ions or detergents to up to 168%. ChKRED20 also displayed good activity and excellent an ti-Prelog stereoselectivity toward a spectrum of acetophenone derivatives, providing chiral alcohols with >99% ee for the majority of the substrates. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Discovery and characterization of endo-xylanase and β-xylosidase from a highly xylanolytic bacterium in the hindgut of Holotrichia parallela larvae

A highly xylanolytic bacterium, Sphingobacterium sp. HP455, was isolated from the hindgut of soil-dwelling Holotrichia parallela larvae. The endo-xylanase (Xyn455) gene of the glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 10 and β-xylosidase (Xyl455) gene of the GH43 family were cloned and expressed in vitro from this highly xylanolytic bacterium. Both the Xyn455 and Xyl455 enzymes acted on a broad range of hemicelluloses. Xyn455 cleaved xylan to liberate xylooligosaccharides (XOS), and the XOS were subsequently cleaved into xylose through the action of Xyl455. This synergistic action significantly increased the xylan hydrolysis to 62.8%, which is higher than the sum of hydrolysis achieved by the enzymes individually (26.65%). Furthermore, Xyl455 is a bifunctional enzyme with both β-d-xylosidase and α-l-arabinofuranosidase activities. Xyl455 also exhibits high xylose tolerance and a broad pH stability. The pH-dependent half-lives of Xyl455 range from 8.77 h to 43.52 h after pre-incubation for 1 h at 4 °C in buffers ranging from pH 3.0 to 9.0. These results suggest that both recombinant Xyn455 and Xyl455 and the bacterium are potential candidates to be used in commercial biomass conversion.

Recombinant expression and characterization of a novel endoglucanase from Bacillus subtilis in Escherichia coli

The goal of this work was to produce high levels of endoglucanase in Escherichia coli for its potential usage in different industrial applications. Endoglucanase gene was amplified from genomic DNA of Bacillus subtilis JS2004 by PCR. The isolated putative endoglucanase gene consisted of an open reading frame of 1,701 nucleotides and encoded a protein of 567 amino acids with a molecular mass of 63-kDa. The gene was cloned into pET-28a(+) and expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3). Optimum temperature and pH of the recombinant endoglucanase were 50 °C and 9, respectively which makes it very attractive for using in bio-bleaching and pulp industry. It had a K M of 1.76 μmol and V max 0.20 μmol/min with carboxymethylcellulose as substrate. The activity of recombinant endoglucanse was enhanced by Mg2+, Ca2+, isopropanol and Tween 20 and inhibited by Hg2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and SDS. The activity of this recombinant endoglucanase was significantly higher than wild type. Therefore, this recombinant enzyme has potential for many industrial applications involving biomass conversions, due to characteristic of broad pH and higher temperature stability.

Novel Highly Active Recombinant Glutaredoxin from Chlorella sorokiniana T-89

Glutaredoxin (Grx) is a thiol/disulfide oxidoreductase that maintains the cellular thiol/disulfide ratio. A 321 bp cDNA fragment encoding a putative Grx (named CsT-89Grx) was cloned from heat-tolerant Chlorella sorokiniana T-89 and expressed in an Escherichia coli system. The sequence analysis of CsT-89Grx and site-directed mutations showed that the putative active site within the CPYC motif belonged to the dithiol superfamily. The biochemical property analyses showed that the optimal pH and temperature of CsT-89Grx are pH 8.5 and 50 °C, respectively. The activity of CsT-89Grx showed high thermal stability (retained 70% activity at 80 °C for 30 min) and broad pH stability (retained over 70% activity for 1 h) ranging from pH 3 to 11. The kinetic parameter kcat/Km was 20,982 min(-1) mM(-1), which suggested that CsT-89Grx exhibited the highest catalytic efficiency in reducing the disulfide bond among all the Grx reported in the related literature and is therefore potentially useful for industrial applications.

Vibrio vulnificus Bacteriophage SSP002 as a Possible Biocontrol Agent

A novel Vibrio vulnificus-infecting bacteriophage, SSP002, belonging to the Siphoviridae family, was isolated from the coastal area of the Yellow Sea of South Korea. Host range analysis revealed that the growth inhibition of phage SSP002 is relatively specific to V. vulnificus strains from both clinical and environmental samples. In addition, a one-step growth curve analysis and a bacteriophage stability test revealed a latent period of 65 min, a burst size of 23 ± 2 PFU, as well as broad temperature (20°C to 60°C) and pH stability (pH 3 to 12) ranges. A Tn5 random transposon mutation of V. vulnificus and partial DNA sequencing of the inserted Tn5 regions revealed that the flhA, flhB, fliF, and fleQ mutants are resistant to SSP002 phage infection, suggesting that the flagellum may be the host receptor for infection. The subsequent construction of specific gene-inactivated mutants (flhA, flhB, fliF, and fleQ) and complementation experiments substantiated this. Previously, the genome of phage SSP002 was completely sequenced and analyzed. Comparative genomic analysis of phage SSP002 and Vibrio parahaemolyticus phage vB_VpaS_MAR10 showed differences among their tail-related genes, supporting different host ranges at the species level, even though their genome sequences are highly similar. An additional mouse survival test showed that the administration of phage SSP002 at a multiplicity of infection of 1,000 significantly protects mice from infection by V. vulnificus for up to 2 months, suggesting that this phage may be a good candidate for the development of biocontrol agents against V. vulnificus infection.

Biochemical characterization of a recombinant pullulanase from Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1

In this report, a glycoside hydrolase 13 family pullulanase gene (Tk0977) was cloned from a thermophilic anaerobic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1 (Pul-Tk). Pul-Tk encodes a protein of 765 amino acids including a putative 22-residue signal peptide. The protein has four consensus motives and a catalytic triad of glycoside hydrolase 13 family in the deduced amino acid sequence. The recombinant enzyme was expressed in Escherichiacoli and purified to homogeneity. Pul-Tk can hydrolyse both pullulan and soluble starch. The purified enzyme was optimal at pH5·5-6·0 and 100°C and exhibited good stability over a broad pH range (4-8). The Vmax and Km values were 118·39±1·76μmolmg(-1) min(-1) and 0·37±0·02mgml(-1) for pullulan and 53·19±11·66μmolmg(-1) min(-1) and 0·36±0·05mgml(-1) for starch. All these favourable enzymatic properties make it valuable in various industries. Pullulanases have a great potential in industrial applications including the starch industry, the production of maltose syrups and high-purity glucose and fructose. In this study, a pullulanase from hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis KOD1 was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli and the recombinant enzyme can be purified and characterized. The high activity, broad pH range and stability implicate it as a potential enzyme for industrial applications.

Purification and Characterization of a Temperature- and pH-Stable Laccase from the Spores of Bacillus vallismortis fmb-103 and Its Application in the Degradation of Malachite Green

Malachite green residue can affect aquaculture food safety. Bioremediation of contaminated water by enzyme treatment is an environmentally friendly and economical way to remove contaminating substances. In the present study, a temperature- and pH-stable laccase was purified from the spores of Bacillus ballismortis fmb-103 and was used to degrade malachite green. The laccase from fmb-103 (fmb-L103) was purified 15.2-fold to homogeneity (389.9 mU/mg protein with respect to ABTS as a substrate) by precipitation with 30-80% (NH4)2SO4, DEAE-Sephadex A-50 ion exchange chromatography, and Sephadex G-100 chromatography. fmb-L103 is a nonblue laccase with a molecular weight of 55.0 kDa and Cu content of 2.5 (mol:mol). fmb-L103 retained more than 50% activity after 10 h at 70 °C and demonstrated broad pH stability in both acidic and alkaline conditions. The effects of inhibitors and metal ions on fmb-L103 activity were also examined. A kinetic study revealed that ABTS was a suitable substrate with a Km of 22.7 μmol and a Vmax of 3.32 μmol/mL/min. fmb-L103 can efficiently degrade malachite green after a 48 h treatment period in combination with a mediator, without the appearance of leucomalachite green.

Production, partial purification and characterization of protease from a phytopathogenic fungi Alternaria solani (Ell. and Mart.) Sorauer

An alkaline serine protease producing strain Alternaria solani was optimized for its enzyme production under submerged conditions. The maximum production of protease by A. solani was achieved by using sodium nitrate at the optimum concentration of 0.2% w/v. A. solani produced higher quantities (3.75 [unit/mg of protein]) of an inducible extracellular proteases on day 9 after incubation in czapek's dox broth medium amended with 1% casein as an inducer at pH 8.5, temperature 27 °C and 3% sucrose as carbon source. Extracellular proteases were precipitated by ammonium sulphate saturation (80%) method and purified on Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The molecular mass of SDS-PAGE and Sephadex G-100 Column Gel permeation chromatography purified protease was estimated to 42 kDa. In addition, trypsin digestion of 42 kDa protein band was carried out and analyzed by MALDI-TOF for the identification of protease. The sequence IKELATNGVVTNVK (378-391) segment of the alkaline serine protease was found by using MS/MS spectrum at 1485 m/z from the purified fraction. It showed optimal activity at 50 °C and pH 9-10 and broad pH stability between pH 6-12. The protease activity was inhibited by phenyl methyl sulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), all the results indicated that the presence of a serine residue in the active site and is thus most likely a member of the serine protease family. This may function as a virulence protein during pathogenesis by A. solani. The results suggested that the presence of appreciable extracellular proteolytic activity in filamentous fungi may serve as a marker of their phytopathogenicity.

Identification and Functional Characterization of an α-Amylase with Broad Temperature and pH Stability from Paenibacillus sp.

Amylases are important industrial enzymes that have been applied widely in the food, detergent, and pulp industries and fermentation processes. In the present study, a gene encoding an alpha-amylase from the genomic DNA library of Paenibacillus sp. was identified and characterized. The amylase gene designated amy1 was shown to consist of 1,980bp and shared sequence identity towards α-amylase genes from other Bacillus sp. The deduced amino acid sequence for Amy1 indicated 80% sequence identity with other Bacillus strains. Heterologous expression of recombinant Amy1 in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) facilitated the recovery of this protein in soluble form. Enzyme kinetic data revealed Amy1 to have a K m of 23.83mg/mL and K cat of 48.74min(-1) and K cat /K m of 2min(-1)mg(-1)mL(-1) for starch. The activity of this protein was found to be enhanced by Mn(2+), and furthermore, Amy1 remained active at a broad pH range (4-10) and temperature (30-90°C). The ability of Amy1 to act on food waste under broad temperature and pH conditions, together with its ability to produce simple sugars, shows many advantages for further application in the food industry.

Characterization of cellulase, hemicellulase and lipase and its use in deinking of laser printed paper

Aims: It is recognized that laser printed paper are difficult to deink using conventional method. This had lead to the suggestion of enzymatic approach to overcome the problem encountered by commonly employed deinking techniques. The present study aimed to investigate 7 commercially available enzymes for their suitability use in deinking of laser printed paper. Methodology and results: 3 cellulases, hemicellulases, xylanase and 2 lipases were used in enzymatic deinking of laser-printed wastepaper. Cellulase A “Amano”3 (C), Hemicellulase (H) and lipase (L) were selected for used in deinking because they possess either highest activity or broad pH stability compared to others enzymes. Different combination of enzymes was carried out to evaluate their effectiveness in deinking process. CH enzymes sequence was determined to be the most effective sequence in toner removal with 1.90% of brightness increment. However, only 0.95% of brightness increment was gained by enzyme sequence L. Highest deinking efficiency obtained was not proportional to the highest total reducing sugar produced. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Enzyme (cellulase and hemicellulase) can be used to de-ink laserprinted wastepaper, which are difficult to be deinked by conventional chemical deinking process. Thus, enzyme deinking has high possibility as alternative method to current chemical deinking process which is not environmental friendly.

Purification and characterisation of a novel chitinase from persimmon (Diospyros kaki) with antifungal activity

A novel chitinase from the persimmon fruit was isolated, purified and characterised in this report. The Diospyros kaki chitinase (DKC) was found to be a monomer with a molecular mass of 29kDa. It exhibited optimal activity at pH 4.5 with broad pH stability from pH 4.0–9.0. It has an optimal temperature of 60°C and thermostable up to 60°C when incubated for 30min. The internal peptide sequences of DKC showed similarity with other reported plant chitinases. It has the ability to hydrolyse colloidal chitin into chito-oligomers such as chitotriose, chitobiose and into its monomer N-acetylglucosamine. It can be used to degrade chitin waste into useful products such as chito-oligosacchaarides. DKC exhibited antifungal activity towards pathogenic fungus Trichoderma viride. Chitinases with antifungal property can be used as biocontrol agents replacing chemical fungicides.

Degradation of triphenylmethane dyes using a temperature and pH stable spore laccase from a novel strain of Bacillus vallismortis

The characterization of a spore laccase from Bacillus vallismortis fmb-103, isolated from textile industry disposal sites, is described. The activity was 6.5U/g of dry spore with ABTS as the substrate. The enzyme was quite stable at high temperature. It retained more than 90% of its initial activity after 10h at 70°C. The enzyme demonstrated broad pH stability in both acidic and alkaline conditions. There was almost no activity loss at pH 3 over an extended period of time, and the relative activity remained at 82% and 38% at pH 7 and pH 9 after 10days. NaN3, SDS, l-cysterine, Dithiothreitol, EDTA and NaCl inhibit the enzyme activity. Triphenylmethane dyes, including malachite green, brilliant green and aniline blue were efficiently degraded by the enzyme after 24h in combination with a mediator with efficiencies of 76.84%, 96.56% and 81.17%, respectively. The reusability of spore laccase for decolorization dyes was also examined.

Insights into Glycogen Metabolism in Chemolithoautotrophic Bacteria from Distinctive Kinetic and Regulatory Properties of ADP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase from Nitrosomonas europaea

Nitrosomonas europaea is a chemolithoautotroph that obtains energy by oxidizing ammonia in the presence of oxygen and fixes CO(2) via the Benson-Calvin cycle. Despite its environmental and evolutionary importance, very little is known about the regulation and metabolism of glycogen, a source of carbon and energy storage. Here, we cloned and heterologously expressed the genes coding for two major putative enzymes of the glycogen synthetic pathway in N. europaea, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and glycogen synthase. In other bacteria, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase catalyzes the regulatory step of the synthetic pathway and glycogen synthase elongates the polymer. In starch synthesis in plants, homologous enzymes play similar roles. We purified to homogeneity the recombinant ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from N. europaea and characterized its kinetic, regulatory, and oligomeric properties. The enzyme was allosterically activated by pyruvate, oxaloacetate, and phosphoenolpyruvate and inhibited by AMP. It had a broad thermal and pH stability and used different divalent metal ions as cofactors. Depending on the cofactor, the enzyme was able to accept different nucleotides and sugar phosphates as alternative substrates. However, characterization of the recombinant glycogen synthase showed that only ADP-Glc elongates the polysaccharide, indicating that ATP and glucose-1-phosphate are the physiological substrates of the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. The distinctive properties with respect to selectivity for substrates and activators of the ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase were in good agreement with the metabolic routes operating in N. europaea, indicating an evolutionary adaptation. These unique properties place the enzyme in a category of its own within the family, highlighting the unique regulation in these organisms.

Enhanced expression of an endoglucanase in Bacillus subtilis by using the sucrose-inducible sacB promoter and improved properties of the recombinant enzyme

An endoglucanase from Bacillus akibai I-1 was successfully overexpressed in Bacillus subtilis 168 and the expression level of the recombinant enzyme was greatly enhanced by using the sucrose-inducible sacB promoter. The endoglucanase activity in the culture supernatant of recombinant B. subtilis by using itself promoter (HpaII) in plasmid pMA5 was 3U/ml. Interestingly, with the addition of sacB promoter at downstream from the HpaII promoter or the replacement of HpaII promoter by the sacB promoter, the endoglucanase activities reached 62 and 60U/ml, respectively, under the optimal culture conditions. These results demonstrated that the sacB promoter might be more efficient for the expression of the endoglucanase than the HpaII promoter. More interestingly, the purified native enzyme had broad pH stability, good thermostability and resistibility to various metal ions and chelating agents examined, while the recombinant enzyme had improved resistibility to SDS, which was stable in 0.2% (w/v) laundry detergent and thus showed great potential in detergents industry.