Recombinant Acetyl Xylan Esterase Research Articles

Homologous expression, purification, and characterization of a recombinant acetylxylan esterase from Aspergillus nidulans

Acetylxylan esterases (AXEs) are essential enzymes that break down the acetyl groups in acetylated xylan found in plant cell walls polysaccharides. They work synergistically with backbone-depolymerizing xylanolytic enzymes to accelerate the degradation of complex polysaccharides. In this study, we cloned the gene axeA, which encodes the acetylxylan esterase from Aspergillus nidulans FGSC A4 (AxeAN), into the pEXPYR expression vector and introduced it into the high protein-producing strain A. nidulans A773. The purified AxeAN, with a molecular weight of 33.5 kDa as confirmed by SDS-PAGE, was found to be active on ρ-nitrophenyl acetate (ρNPA), exhibiting a remarkably high specific activity (170 U mg−1) at pH 7.0 and 55 °C. AxeAN demonstrated stability over a wide pH range (5.5–9.0), retaining >80 % of its initial activity after 24 h. The KM and Vmax were 0.098 mmol L−1 and 320 U mg−1, respectively, using ρNPA as a substrate. We also evaluated the synergistic effect of AxeAN with an endo-1,4-β-xylanase from Malbranchea pulchella (MpXyn10) in the hydrolysis of four different xylans (Birchwood, Beechwood, Oat spelt, and Arabinoxylan) to produce xylooligosaccharides (XOS). The best results were obtained using Birchwood xylan as substrate and MpXyn10-AxeAN as biocatalysts after 24 h of reaction (50 °C), with an XOS-yield of 91 %, value 41 % higher when compared to MpXyn10 (XOS-yield of 63 %). These findings showed the potential of the application of AxeAN, together with other xylanases, to produce xylooligosaccharides with high purity and other products with high added value in the field of lignocellulosic biorefinery.

Characterization of an acetyl xylan esterase from the marine bacterium Ochrovirga pacifica and its synergism with xylanase on beechwood xylan

BackgroundAcetyl xylan esterase plays an important role in the complete enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials. It hydrolyzes the ester linkages of acetic acid in xylan and supports and enhances the activity of xylanase. This study was conducted to identify and overexpress the acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) gene revealed by the genomic sequencing of the marine bacterium Ochrovirga pacifica.ResultsThe AXE gene has an 864-bp open reading frame that encodes 287 aa and consists of an AXE domain from aa 60 to 274. Gene was cloned to pET-16b vector and expressed the recombinant AXE (rAXE) in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The predicted molecular mass was 31.75 kDa. The maximum specific activity (40.08 U/mg) was recorded at the optimal temperature and pH which were 50 °C and pH 8.0, respectively. The thermal stability assay showed that AXE maintains its residual activity almost constantly throughout and after incubation at 45 °C for 120 min. The synergism of AXE with xylanase on beechwood xylan, increased the relative activity 1.41-fold.ConclusionResulted higher relative activity of rAXE with commercially available xylanase on beechwood xylan showed its potential for the use of rAXE in industrial purposes as a de-esterification enzyme to hydrolyze xylan and hemicellulose-like complex substrates.

Optimization of acetyl xylan esterase gene expression in Trichoderma reesei and its application to improve the saccharification efficiency on different biomasses

Abstract Trichoderma reesei is an important microbe in biomass hydrolysis but is characterized by its inability to remove acetylated glucomannan. To improve the saccharification efficiency of T. reesei , an acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) gene from Aspergillus oryzae was successfully overexpressed by fusing with xynlanase 2 (Xyn2) from T. reesei as a carrier protein. The production of AXE in the selected transformant T2 was 11.04 U/ml, which was approximately 74% higher than that of the parent strain. The molecular mass of recombinant AXE (rAXE) on SDS-PAGE was about 35 kDa. The saccharification efficiency of rAXE from T. reesei Rut-C30 was better than that of the parent strain and resulted in approximately 23.2%, 22.7%, and 19.4% higher yield of reducing sugar in paddy straw, corn stover plus paddy straw mix (1:1 ratio), and corn stalk (delignified) hydrolysis, respectively. This result demonstrates that the expression of heterogenic accessory enzymes in T. reesei may be an alternative approach to improve the ability of the enzyme complex to decompose lignocellulose.

Efficient production of peracetic acid in aqueous solution with cephalosporin-deacetylating acetyl xylan esterase from Bacillus subtilis

Peracetic acid (PAA) is widely used in sterilization, bleaching textile industry, environmental engineering, chemical synthesis, and biomimetic chemistry. A previous study reported that acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) of Bacillus subtilis CICC 20034 has high activity toward cephalosporin C and 7-aminocephalosporanic acid. In this study, we found that AXE also exhibited high perhydrolysis activity toward acetate esters and endowed itself with great industrial interest on enzyme-catalyzed preparation of PAA. Recombinant AXE of B. subtilis CICC 20034 could be efficiently produced in a low-cost autoinduction medium with an activity of 6.8×103U/mL. The reaction conditions for the optimal synthesis of PAA were as follows: 0.30mg/mL AXE crude enzyme, 300mM glycerol triacetate, and 1M hydrogen peroxide, pH 8.0, and 20°C, which produced approximately 150mM of PAA within 5min. The AXE was then immobilized on an acrylate amino resin; the activity of the immobilized AXE was 383.7U/g. In the presence of 1g/mL of immobilized AXE resin, PAA titer of the initial reaction batch was approximately 142.5mM, and about 95.5mM of PAA could be produced after 10 cycles.

Immobilization of acetyl xylan esterase on modified graphite oxide and utilization to peracetic acid production

In the previous work, acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) of Aspergillus ficcum was successfully produced in Pichia pastoris as host. In this study, the recombinant AXE was immobilized on graphite oxide and used for the production of peracetic acid. Immobilization efficiency was enhanced by modifying graphite oxide via surface functionalization. The conditions for enzyme immobilization were also investigated and the optimal conditions were determined as 4℃ of temperature, 24 h of reaction time and pH 7. The activity of immobilized AXE was found to be 62.53 U/g-support. With the immobilized AXE, about 134 mM of peracetic acid was produced under 37℃ of temperature and 30 min of reaction time. Enzyme activity remained at > 50% of the original after 10 production cycles.

Optimized immobilization of peracetic acid producing recombinant acetyl xylan esterase on chitosan coated-Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles

Recombinant acetyl xylan esterase (rAXE) from Aspergillus ficcum, which mediated the production of peracetic acid (PAA), was covalently immobilized with magnetic Fe3O4–chitosan nanoparticles (Fe3O4–CSN) using glutaraldehyde. Fe3O4–CSN were prepared by co-precipitation of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions in ammonia solution followed by coating of chitosan with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP), and were characterized by FESEM, SEM, FTIR and XRD. The immobilization rAXE on Fe3O4–CSN was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) by examining immobilization cross-linking time, enzyme concentration, and glutaraldehyde (GA) concentration. Based on the experimental values the predicted variables for the maximum immobilization of rAXE in terms of specific activity (0.042U) were found to be 13.65μg of rAXE protein and 0.265% of GA concentrations, where the optimum cross-linking time was 11.33h. The immobilized rAXE onto Fe3O4–CSN nanoparticles shows better stability at thermal and pH ranges than soluble free rAXE. The immobilized rAXE was stable for around 90% of activity in the aqueous phase, whereas it retains only 60% of its activity in the semi-aqueous phase after 10 cycles of reuse.

Heterologous expression and biochemical characterization of acetyl xylan esterase from Coprinopsis cinerea

Acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) from basidiomycete Coprinopsis cinerea Okayama 7 (#130) was functionally expressed in Pichia pastoris with a C-terminal tag under the alcohol oxidase 1 (AOX1) promoter and secreted into the medium at 1.5 mg l(-1). Its molecular mass was estimated to be 65.5 kDa based on the SDS-PAGE analysis, which is higher than the calculated molecular mass of 40 kDa based on amino acid composition. In-silico analysis of the amino acid sequence predicted two potential N-glycosylation sites. Results from PNGase F deglycosylation and mass spectrum confirmed the presence of N-glycosylation on the recombinant AXE with predominant N-glycans HexNAc2Hex9-16. The recombinant AXE showed best activity at 40 °C and pH 8. It showed not only acetyl esterase activity with a Km of 4.3 mM and a Vmax of 2.15 U mg(-1) for hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl acetate but also a butyl esterase activity for hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenyl butyrate with a Km of 0.11 mM and Vmax of 0.78 U mg(-1). The presence of two additional amino acid residues at its native N-terminus was found to help stabilize the enzyme against the protease cleavages without affecting its activity.

Acetyl xylan esterase of Aspergillus ficcum catalyzed the synthesis of peracetic acid from ethyl acetate and hydrogen peroxide

Recombinant acetyl xylan esterase (rAXE) of Aspergillus ficcum catalyzed the synthesis of peracetic acid (PAA) from ethyl acetate and hydrogen peroxide. Ten micrograms of rAXE catalyzed the synthesis of 1.34 mM of PAA, which can be used for the pretreatment of cellulosic biomass in situ.

Improved cross-linked enzyme aggregates for the production of desacetyl β-lactam antibiotics intermediates

Cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEAs) are reported for the first time for a recombinant acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) from Bacillus pumilus. With this enzyme, CLEAs production was most effective using 3.2 M (80%-saturation) ammonium sulfate, followed by cross-linking for 3 h with 1% (v/v) glutaraldehyde. Particle size was a key determinant of the CLEAs activity. The usual method for generating particles, by short-time vortexing was highly inefficient in terms of enzyme activity yields. In contrast, the use of long-time vortexing increased activity recovery, and a novel approach consisting in the utilization of a commercial mechanical cell disruptor which is based on a reciprocating movement recovered all the enzyme activity in few seconds. In the CLEAs thus produced, the enzyme was much more resistant to shear, heat and extreme pH values than the soluble enzyme. The CLEAs were highly effective in transforming fully 7-amino cephalosporanic acid and cephalosporin C into their corresponding desacetyl derivatives, which are important advanced intermediates in the production of semisynthetic β-lactam antibiotics. The operational stability of such CLEAs was remarkable, with a half life of 45 cycles. Therefore, the new methodology used here should decrease the industrial cost of the CLEAs, both in terms of biocatalyst production and reusability.

Molecular cloning, and characterization of a modular acetyl xylan esterase from the edible straw mushroomVolvariella volvacea

A new Volvariella volvacea gene encoding an acetyl xylan esterase (designated as Vvaxe1) was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris. The cDNA contained an ORF of 1047 bp encoding 349 amino acids with a calculated mass of 39 990 Da. VvAXE1 is a modular enzyme consisting of an N-terminal signal peptide, a catalytic domain, and a cellulose-binding domain. The amino acid sequence of the enzyme exhibited a high degree of similarity to cinnamoyl esterase B from Penicillium funiculosum, and acetyl xylan esterases from Aspergillus oryzae, Penicillium purpurogenum, and Aspergillus ficuum. Recombinant acetyl xylan esterase released acetate from several acetylated substrates including beta-d-xylose tetraacetate and acetylated xylan. No activity was detectable on p-nitrophenyl acetate. Enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl acetate was maximal at pH 8.0 and 60 degrees C, and reciprocal plots revealed an apparent K(m) value of 307.7 microM and a V(max) value of 24 733 IU micromol(-1) protein. ReAXE1 also exhibited a capacity to bind to Avicel and H(3)PO(4) acid-swollen cellulose.

Biochemical characterization of recombinant acetyl xylan esterase from Aspergillus awamori expressed in Pichia pastoris: Mutational analysis of catalytic residues

We engineered an acetyl xylan esterase ( AwaxeA) gene from Aspergillus awamori into a heterologous expression system in Pichia pastoris. Purified recombinant AwAXEA (rAwAXEA) displayed the greatest hydrolytic activity toward α-naphthylacetate (C2), lower activity toward α-naphthylpropionate (C3) and no detectable activity toward acyl-chain substrates containing four or more carbon atoms. Putative catalytic residues, Ser 119, Ser 146, Asp 168 and Asp 202, were substituted for alanine by site-directed mutagenesis. The biochemical properties and kinetic parameters of the four mutant enzymes were examined. The S119A and D202A mutant enzymes were catalytically inactive, whereas S146A and D168A mutants displayed significant hydrolytic activity. These observations indicate that Ser 119 and Asp 202 are important for catalysis. The S146A mutant enzyme showed lower specific activity toward the C2 substrate and higher thermal stability than wild-type enzyme. The lower activity of S146A was due to a combination of increased K m and decreased k cat. The catalytic efficiency of S146A was 41% lower than that of wild-type enzyme. The synthesis of ethyl acetate was >10-fold than that of ethyl n-hexanoate synthesis for the wild-type, S146A and D168A mutant enzymes. However, the D202A showed greater synthetic activity of ethyl n-hexanoate as compared with the wild-type and other mutants.

Xylanase and acetyl xylan esterase activities of XynA, a key subunit of the Clostridium cellulovorans cellulosome for xylan degradation.

The Clostridium cellulovorans xynA gene encodes the cellulosomal endo-1,4-beta-xylanase XynA, which consists of a family 11 glycoside hydrolase catalytic domain (CD), a dockerin domain, and a NodB domain. The recombinant acetyl xylan esterase (rNodB) encoded by the NodB domain exhibited broad substrate specificity and released acetate not only from acetylated xylan but also from other acetylated substrates. rNodB acted synergistically with the xylanase CD of XynA for hydrolysis of acetylated xylan. Immunological analyses revealed that XynA corresponds to a major xylanase in the cellulosomal fraction. These results indicate that XynA is a key enzymatic subunit for xylan degradation in C. cellulovorans.

The acetyl xylan esterase of Bacillus pumilus belongs to a family of esterases with broad substrate specificity.

The Bacillus pumilus gene encoding acetyl xylan esterase (axe) was identified and characterized. The axe gene was expressed and the recombinant enzyme produced in Escherichia coli was purified and characterized. The recombinant enzyme displayed similar properties to the acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) purified from B. pumilus. The AXE primary structure was 76% identical to the cephalosporin C deacetylase of B. subtilis, and 40% to two recently identified AXEs from Thermoanaerobacterium and Thermotoga maritima. These four proteins are of similar size and represent a new family of esterases having a broad substrate specificity. The recombinant AXE was demonstrated to have activity on several acetylated substrates, including on cephalosporin C.

Isolation, analysis, and expression of two genes from Thermoanaerobacterium sp. strain JW/SL YS485: a beta-xylosidase and a novel acetyl xylan esterase with cephalosporin C deacetylase activity.

The genes encoding acetyl xylan esterase 1 (axe1) and a beta-xylosidase (xylB) have been cloned and sequenced from Thermoanaerobacterium sp. strain JW/SL YS485. axe1 is located 22 nucleotides 3' of the xylB sequence. The identity of axe1 was confirmed by comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence to peptide sequence analysis data from purified acetyl xylan esterase 1. The xylB gene was identified by expression cloning and by sequence homology to known beta-xylosidases. Plasmids which independently expressed either acetyl xylan esterase 1 (pAct1BK) or beta-xylosidase (pXylo-1.1) were constructed in Escherichia coli. Plasmid pXylAct-1 contained both genes joined at a unique EcoRI site and expressed both activities. Substrate specificity, pH, and temperature optima were determined for partially purified recombinant acetyl xylan esterase 1 and for crude recombinant beta-xylosidase. Similarity searches showed that the axe1 and xylB genes were homologs of the ORF-1 and xynB genes, respectively, isolated from Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum. Although the deduced sequence of the axe1 product had no significant amino acid sequence similarity to any reported acetyl xylan esterase sequence, it did have strong similarity to cephalosporin C deacetylase from Bacillus subtilis. Recombinant acetyl xylan esterase 1 was found to have thermostable deacetylase activity towards a number of acetylated substrates, including cephalosporin C and 7-aminocephalosporanic acid.