Poly-γ-glutamic acid: production, properties and applications

Polyglutamic acid-trimethyl chitosan-based intranasal peptide nano-vaccine induces potent immune responses against group A streptococcus

Peptide-based vaccines have the potential to overcome the limitations of classical vaccines; however, their use is hampered by a lack of carriers and adjuvants suitable for human use. In this study, an efficient self-adjuvanting peptide vaccine delivery system was developed based on the ionic interactions between cationic trimethyl chitosan (TMC) and a peptide antigen coupled with synthetically defined anionic α-poly-(l-glutamic acid) (PGA). The antigen, possessing a conserved B-cell epitope derived from the group A streptococcus (GAS) pathogen and a universal T-helper epitope, was conjugated to PGA using cycloaddition reaction. The produced anionic conjugate formed nanoparticles (NP-1) through interaction with cationic TMC. These NP-1 induced higher systemic and mucosal antibody titers compared to antigen adjuvanted with standard mucosal adjuvant cholera toxin B subunit or antigen mixed with TMC. The produced serum antibodies were also opsonic against clinically isolated GAS strains. Further, a reduction in bacterial burden was observed in nasal secretions, pharyngeal surface and nasopharyngeal-associated lymphoid tissue of mice immunized with NP-1 in GAS challenge studies. Thus, conjugation of defined-length anionic polymer to peptide antigen as a means of formulating ionic interaction-based nanoparticles with cationic polymer is a promising strategy for peptide antigen delivery. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: A self-adjuvanting delivery system is required for peptide vaccines to enhance antigen delivery to immune cells and generate systemic and mucosal immunity. Herein, we developed a novel self-adjuvanting nanoparticulate delivery system for peptide antigens by combining polymer-conjugation and complexation strategies. We conjugated peptide antigen with anionic α-poly-(l-glutamic acid) that in turn, formed nanoparticles with cationic trimethyl chitosan by ionic interactions, without using external crosslinker. On intranasal administration to mice, these nanoparticles induced systemic and mucosal immunity, at low dose. Additionally, nanoparticles provided protection to vaccinated mice against group A streptococcus infection. Thus, this concept should be particularly useful in developing nanoparticles for the delivery of peptide antigens.

Active agents, biomaterials, and technologies to improve biolubrication and strengthen soft tissues

Normal functioning of articulating tissues is required for many physiological processes occurring across length scales from the molecular to whole organism. Lubricating biopolymers are present natively on tissue surfaces at various sites of biological articulation, including eyelid, mouth, and synovial joints. The range of operating conditions at these disparate interfaces yields a variety of tribological mechanisms through which compressive and shear forces are dissipated to protect tissues from material wear and fatigue. This review focuses on recent advances in active agents and biomaterials for therapeutic augmentation of friction, lubrication, and wear in disease and injured states. Various small-molecule, biological, and gene delivery therapies are described, as are tribosupplementation with naturally-occurring and synthetic biolubricants and polymer reinforcements. While reintroduction of a diseased tissue's native lubricant received significant attention in the past, recent discoveries and pre-clinical research are capitalizing on concurrent advances in the molecular sciences and bioengineering fields, with an understanding of the underlying tissue structure and physiology, to afford a desired, and potentially patient-specific, tissue mechanical response for restoration of normal function. Small and large molecule drugs targeting recently elucidated pathways as well as synthetic and hybrid natural/synthetic biomaterials for restoring a desired tissue mechanical response are being investigated for treatment of, for example, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, xeroderma, and osteoarthritis.

Enhanced synthesis of poly gamma glutamic acid by increasing the intracellular reactive oxygen species in the Bacillus licheniformis Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase gene ycgN-deficient strain

Poly gamma glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is an anionic polyamide with numerous applications. Previous studies revealed that L-proline metabolism is implicated in a wide range of cellular processes by increasing intercellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. However, the relationship between L-proline metabolism and γ-PGA synthesis has not yet been analyzed. In this study, our results confirmed that deletion of Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate dehydrogenase gene ycgN in Bacillus licheniformis WX-02 increased γ-PGA yield to 13.91 g L^-1, 85.22% higher than that of the wild type (7.51 g L^-1). However, deletion of proline dehydrogenase gene ycgM had no effect on γ-PGA synthesis. Furthermore, a 2.92-fold higher P5C content (19.24 μmol gDCW^-1) was detected in the ycgN deficient strain WXΔycgN, while the P5C levels of WXΔycgM and the double mutant strain WXΔycgMN showed no difference, compared to WX-02. Moreover, the ROS level of WXΔycgN was increased by 1.18-fold, and addition of n-acetylcysteine (antioxidant) decreased its ROS level, which further reduced γ-PGA synthesis capability of WXΔycgN. Collectively, our results demonstrated that proline catabolism played an important role in maintaining ROS homeostasis, and deletion of ycgN-enhanced P5C accumulation, which induced a transient ROS signal to promote γ-PGA synthesis in B. licheniformis.

Bioavailability of Isoflavone Metabolites After Korean Fermented Soybean Paste (Doenjang) Ingestion in Estrogen-Deficient Rats

Doenjang (DJ), a fermented soybean product used in soups, stews, and sauces, contains high quality proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and other functional ingredients, including isoflavones and saponins. This study investigated whether DJ improves the bioavailability of isoflavones compared to boiled soybean (BS) in sham-operated or ovariectomized (OVX) rats. We also examined the effects of ovariectomy on the differences in bioavailability of isoflavones. BS and DJ were administered in sham-operated and OVX rats, and blood samples were collected. Twenty-six isoflavone-derived metabolites were identified. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that T1/2 values of the individual isoflavone metabolites were most different in sham and OVX rats, even after the same sample treatment; however, Tmax values were significant different in a few metabolites such as daidzein 4'-glucuronide, daidzein 4'-sulfate, 2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionic acid, and benzoic acid. For most of the individual metabolites, Cmax was higher in both sham and OVX rats administered BS than those administered DJ. The AUC was generally lower in OVX rats than in sham rats. The AUC of daidzein and genistein in BS-fed sham rats was approximately 1.7-fold higher than those administered DJ, whereas glycitein was detected only in the DJ group. No significant differences in AUC of daidzein and genistein were observed between BS and DJ administration in OVX rats, although the total isoflavone content of DJ was lower; thus, DJ-mediated isoflavone bioavailability was more effective in OVX rats. Similar tendencies were observed for phase II and gut-mediated metabolites. These results suggested that DJ enhanced isoflavone bioavailability under estrogen deficiency, even when the total isoflavone content was decreased by fermentation.

Enhanced production of poly-γ-glutamic acid by improving ATP supply in metabolically engineered Bacillus licheniformis

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is an important multifunctional biopolymer with various applications, for which adenosine triphosphate (ATP) supply plays a vital role in biosynthesis. In this study, the enhancement of γ-PGA production was attempted through various approaches of improving ATP supply in the engineered strains of Bacillus licheniformis. The first approach is to engineer respiration chain branches of B. licheniformis, elimination of cytochrome bd oxidase branch reduced the maintenance coefficient, leading to a 19.27% increase of γ-PGA yield. The second approach is to introduce Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHB) into recombinant B. licheniformis, led to a 13.32% increase of γ-PGA yield. In the third approach, the genes purB and adK in ATP-biosynthetic pathway were respectively overexpressed, with the AdK overexpressed strain increased γ-PGA yield by 14.69%. Our study also confirmed that the respiratory nitrate reductase, NarGHIJ, is responsible for the conversion of nitrate to nitrite, and assimilatory nitrate reductase NasBC is for conversion of nitrite to ammonia. Both NarGHIJ and NasBC were positively regulated by the two-component system ResD-ResE, and overexpression of NarG, NasC, and ResD also improved the ATP supply and the consequent γ-PGA yield. Based on the above individual methods, a method of combining the deletion of cydBC gene and overexpression of genes vgB, adK, and resD were used to enhance ATP content of the cells to 3.53 μmol/g of DCW, the mutant WX-BCVAR with this enhancement produced 43.81 g/L of γ-PGA, a 38.64% improvement compared to wild-type strain WX-02. Collectively, our results demonstrate that improving ATP content in B. licheniformis is an efficient strategy to improve γ-PGA production.

The poly-gamma-glutamate of Bacillus subtilis interacts specifically with silver nanoparticles

For many years, silver nanoparticles, as with other antibacterial nanoparticles, have been extensively used in manufactured products. However, their fate in the environment is unclear and raises questions. We studied the fate of silver nanoparticles in the presence of bacteria under growth conditions that are similar to those found naturally in the environment (that is, bacteria in a stationary phase with low nutrient concentrations). We demonstrated that the viability and the metabolism of a gram-positive bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, exposed during the stationary phase is unaffected by 1 mg/L of silver nanoparticles. These results can be partly explained by a physical interaction of the poly-gamma-glutamate (PGA) secreted by Bacillus subtilis with the silver nanoparticles. The coating of the silver nanoparticles by the secreted PGA likely results in a loss of the bioavailability of nanoparticles and, consequently, a decrease of their biocidal effect.

Genetic and metabolic engineering for microbial production of poly-γ-glutamic acid

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a natural biopolymer of glutamic acid. The repeating units of γ-PGA may be derived exclusively from d-glutamic acid, or l-glutamic acid, or both. The monomer units are linked by amide bonds between the α-amino group and the γ-carboxylic acid group. γ-PGA is biodegradable, edible and water-soluble. It has numerous existing and emerging applications in processing of foods, medicines and cosmetics. This review focuses on microbial production of γ-PGA via genetically and metabolically engineered recombinant bacteria. Strategies for improving production of γ-PGA include modification of its biosynthesis pathway, enhancing the production of its precursor (glutamic acid), and preventing loss of the precursor to competing byproducts. These and other strategies are discussed. Heterologous synthesis of γ-PGA in industrial bacterial hosts that do not naturally produce γ-PGA is discussed. Emerging trends and the challenges affecting the production of γ-PGA are reviewed.

Multicomponent peptide assemblies

Self-assembled peptide nanostructures have been increasingly exploited as functional materials for applications in biomedicine and energy. The emergent properties of these nanomaterials determine the applications for which they can be exploited. It has recently been appreciated that nanomaterials composed of multicomponent coassembled peptides often display unique emergent properties that have the potential to dramatically expand the functional utility of peptide-based materials. This review presents recent efforts in the development of multicomponent peptide assemblies. The discussion includes multicomponent assemblies derived from short low molecular weight peptides, peptide amphiphiles, coiled coil peptides, collagen, and β-sheet peptides. The design, structure, emergent properties, and applications for these multicomponent assemblies are presented in order to illustrate the potential of these formulations as sophisticated next-generation bio-inspired materials.

Complete Nucleotide Sequence Analysis of a Novel Bacillus subtilis-Infecting Bacteriophage BSP10 and Its Effect on Poly-Gamma-Glutamic Acid Degradation

While the harmful effects of lactic acid bacterial bacteriophages in the dairy industry are well-established, the importance of Bacillus subtilis-infecting bacteriophages on soybean fermentation is poorly-studied. In this study, we isolated a B. subtilis-infecting bacteriophage BSP10 from Meju (a brick of dried fermented soybean) and further characterized it. This Myoviridae family bacteriophage exhibited a narrow host range against B. subtilis strains (17/52, 32.7%). The genome of bacteriophage BSP10 is 153,767 bp long with 236 open reading frames and 5 tRNAs. Comparative genomics (using dot plot, progressiveMauve alignment, heat-plot, and BLASTN) and phylogenetic analysis strongly suggest its incorporation as a new species in the Nit1virus genus. Furthermore, bacteriophage BSP10 was efficient in the growth inhibition of B. subtilis ATCC 15245 in liquid culture and in Cheonggukjang (a soybean fermented food) fermentation. Artificial contamination of as low as 10² PFU/g of bacteriophage BSP10 during Cheonggukjang fermentation significantly reduced bacterial numbers by up to 112 fold in comparison to the control (no bacteriophage). Moreover, for the first time, we experimentally proved that B. subtilis-infecting bacteriophage greatly enhanced poly-γ-glutamic acid degradation during soybean fermentation, which is likely to negatively affect the functionalities of Cheonggukjang.

Complete Genome Sequence of the Poly-γ-Glutamate-Synthesizing Bacterium Bacillus subtilis Bs-115

Bacillus subtilis Bs-115 was isolated from the soil of a corn field in Yutai County, Jinan City, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China, and is characterized by the efficient synthesis of poly-γ-glutamate (γ-PGA), with corn saccharification liquid as the sole energy and carbon source during the process of γ-PGA formation. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of Bacillus subtilis Bs-115 and the genes associated with poly-γ-glutamate synthesis.

Regulatory phosphorylation of poly-γ-glutamic acid with phosphate salts in the culture of Bacillus subtilis (natto)

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (PGA) was easily phosphorylated by direct addition of phosphorylating agents into the culture medium of Bacillus subtilis (natto). Tetrapolyphosphate salt was the most incorporated into PGA molecules of all used reagents. Phosphorylation occurred at the α-carboxyl side chains of PGA molecule. The amounts of bound phosphate to PGA were dependent on the amounts of added phosphorylating agent. In low molecular weight regions of less than 100 kDa, a cross-linked peak was observed in the phosphorylated PGAs, whereas their peaks at approximately 1000 kDa shifted to a higher molecular weight due to the bound phosphate. The PGA derivatives had a wide range in viscosity up to 15/1000 to 15 times when compared to the native PGA, depending on the degree of phosphorylation (DP) in the PGA derivatives. The PGA with low DP had a high viscosity due to the unfolding conformation whereas highly phosphorylated PGA had aggregation with low viscosity. Heat treatment at 80 °C after the addition of phosphate salt elicited a novel collagen-like helix structure. These observations show that phosphorylation is an effective way to diversify the physicochemical properties of PGA.

Enzymatic preparation of functional polysaccharide hydrogels by phosphorylase catalysis

This article reviews enzymatic preparation of functional polysaccharide hydrogels by means of phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization. A first topic of this review deals with the synthesis of amylose-grafted polymeric materials and their formation of hydrogels, composed of abundant natural polymeric main-chains, such as chitosan, cellulose, xantham gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, and poly(γ-glutamic acid). Such synthesis was achieved by combining the phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization forming amylose with the appropriate chemical reaction (chemoenzymatic method). An amylose-grafted chitin nanofiber hyrogel was also prepared by the chemoenzymatic approach. As a second topic, the preparation of glycogen hydrogels by the phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic reactions was described. When the phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization from glycogen as a polymeric primer was carried out, followed by standing the reaction mixture at room temperature, a hydrogel was obtained. pH-Responsive amphoteric glycogen hydrogels were also fabricated by means of the successive phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic reactions.

Enhanced Production of Poly-γ-glutamic acid by Overexpression of the Global Anaerobic Regulator Fnr in Bacillus licheniformis WX-02

Poly-γ-glutamic acid is a multi-functional biopolymer with various applications. ATP supply plays an important role in poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) synthesis. Global anaerobic regulator Fnr plays a key role in anaerobic adaptation and nitrate respiration, which might affect ATP generation during γ-PGA synthesis. In this study, we have improved γ-PGA production by overexpression of Fnr in Bacillus licheniformis WX-02. First, the gene fnr was knocked out in WX-02, and the γ-PGA yields have no significant differences between WX-02 and the fnr-deficient strain WXΔfnr in the medium without nitrate (BFC medium). However, the γ-PGA yield of 8.95 g/L, which was produced by WXΔfnr in the medium with nitrate addition (BFCN medium), decreased by 74% compared to WX-02 (34.53 g/L). Then, the fnr complementation strain WXΔfnr/pHY-fnr restored the γ-PGA synthesis capability, and γ-PGA yield was increased by 13% in the Fnr overexpression strain WX/pHY-fnr (39.96 g/L) in BFCN medium, compared to WX/pHY300 (35.41 g/L). Furthermore, the transcriptional levels of narK, narG, and hmp were increased by 5.41-, 4.93-, and 3.93-fold in WX/pHY-fnr, respectively, which led to the increases of nitrate consumption rate and ATP supply for γ-PGA synthesis. Collectively, Fnr affects γ-PGA synthesis mainly through manipulating the expression level of nitrate metabolism, and this study provides a novel strategy to improve γ-PGA production by overexpression of Fnr.

Using poly-glutamic acid as soil-washing agent to remediate heavy metal-contaminated soils

The extraction efficiency of heavy metals from soils using three forms of gamma poly-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) as the washing agents was investigated. Controlling factors including agent concentrations, extraction time, pH, and liquid to soil ratio were evaluated to determine the optimum operational conditions. The distribution of heavy metal species in soils before and after extraction processes was analyzed. Up to 46 and 74% of heavy metal removal efficiencies were achieved with one round and a sequential extraction process using H-bonding form of γ-PGA (200 mM) with washing time of 40 min, liquid to solid ratio of 10 to 1, and pH of 6. Major heavy metal removal mechanisms were (1) γ-PGA-promoted dissolution and (2) complexation of heavy metal with free carboxyl groups in γ-PGA, which resulted in heavy metal desorption from soils. Metal species on soils were redistributed after washing, and soils were remediated without destruction of soil structures and productivity.

Poly-gamma-glutamic acid from Bacillus subtilis upregulates pro-inflammatory cytokines while inhibiting NLRP3, NLRC4 and AIM2 inflammasome activation

Poly-gamma-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a natural, edible and non-toxic polymer synthesized by Bacillus subtilis and is suggested as a safe biomaterial for the use in hydrogels and vaccine adjuvants. However, the effect of γ-PGA on inflammasome activation has not yet been studied in macrophages. Inflammasomes, which are intracellular multi-protein complexes, promote acute and chronic inflammation via interleukin-1β or interleukin-18 maturation, and they are known targets for metabolic syndromes and cancer. In this study, we observed that γ-PGA attenuated NLRP3, NLRC4 and AIM2 inflammasome activation, whereas it upregulated pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in human and murine macrophages. Although γ-PGA had conflicting effects on cytokine production and maturation, it clearly alleviated the severity of lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxin shock in an animal model. Thus, we suggest γ-PGA as a candidate to control inflammasome-mediated disorders.

Production of poly-γ-glutamic acid by a thermotolerant glutamate-independent strain and comparative analysis of the glutamate dependent difference

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a promising microbial polymer with wide applications in industry, agriculture and medicine. In this study, a novel glutamate-independent γ-PGA producing strain with thermotolerant characteristics was isolated and identified as Bacillus subtilis GXG-5, then its product was also characterized. The fermentation process was optimized by single-factor tests, and results showed that high temperature (50 °C) was especially suitable for the γ-PGA production by GXG-5. The γ-PGA yield reached 19.50 ± 0.75 g/L with substrate conversion efficiency of 78% at 50 °C in 10 L fermentor. Comparison of GXG-5 and GXA-28 (glutamate-dependent strain) under respective optimal fermentation conditions, the γ-PGA yield of GXG-5 was 19.0% higher than that of GXA-28, and GXG-5 was also superior to GXA-28 in the availability of carbon sources and substrates. Furthermore, the glutamate dependent difference between GXA-28 and GXG-5 was analyzed by genomic sequencing, results indicated that genes related to the glutamate dependent difference mainly involved in carbohydrate transport and metabolism and amino acid metabolism, and 13 genes related to γ-PGA synthesis were mutated in GXG-5. This study provided a potential glutamate-independent strain to replace glutamate-dependent strain for γ-PGA production, and shared novel information for understanding the glutamate dependent difference at the genomic level.

Preparation of Chitosan/Poly‐γ‐Glutamic Acid Polyelectrolyte Multilayers on Biomedical Metals for Local Antibiotic Delivery

Polyelectrolyte multilayer assembly is one of the most widely applied biomaterial coatings for applications from surface modification, drug delivery, tissue engineering to biomimetic extracellular environment. In this research, we propose a simple layer-wise spin coating technique to prepare chitosan/poly-γ-glutamic acid (C/PGA) polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) on two different biomedical metals, 316L stainless steel (316LSS) and titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V). The multilayer coating was fabricated using oppositely charged chitosan and poly--glutamic acid to deposit a total of 10, 20, or 30 multilayered films. Afterward, tetracycline was loaded by soaking the coated metals for 12 hours. The microstructure, mechanical properties, biocompatibility and drug release rate were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, contact angle measurement, MG63 cell viability and inhibition of Escherichia coli (E. coli) growth. Lastly, MG63 cell attachment was detected by fluorescence microscopy after staining with Hoechst 33258. This coating technique can prepare a layer of 2.2–6.9 m C/PGA PEMs favoring cell attachment and growth. Moreover, tetracycline was released from C/PGA PEMs and inhibited the growth of E. coli. The results suggest that C/PGA PEMs provide a useful platform for modulating the micro-environment for better cell adhesion and antibiotic delivery, which hold great potential for surface modification and drug loading for biomimetic materials.

Conformations and molecular interactions of poly-γ-glutamic acid as a soluble microbial product in aqueous solutions

Soluble microbial products (SMPs) are of significant concern in the natural environment and in engineered systems. In this work, poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA), which is predominantly produced by Bacillus sp., was investigated in terms of pH-induced conformational changes and molecular interactions in aqueous solutions; accordingly, its sedimentation coefficient distribution and viscosity were also elucidated. Experimental results indicate that pH has a significant impact on the structure and molecular interactions of γ-PGA. The conformation of the γ-PGA acid form (γ-PGA-H) is rod-like while that of the γ-PGA sodium form (γ-PGA-Na) is sphere-like. The transformation from α-helix to random coil in the γ-PGA secondary structure is primarily responsible for this shape variation. The intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the γ-PGA-H structure decrease and intramolecular electrostatic repulsion increases as pH increases; however, the sedimentation coefficient distributions of γ-PGA are dependent on intermolecular interactions rather than intramolecular interactions. Concentration has a more substantial effect on intermolecular electrostatic repulsion and chain entanglement at higher pH values. Consequently, the sedimentation coefficient distributions of γ-PGA shift significantly at pH 8.9 from 0.1 to 1.0 g/L, and the viscosity of γ-PGA (5% w/v) significantly increases as pH increases from 2.3 to 6.0.

The Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Graft Copolymers Composed of γ-PGA Backbone and Oligoesters Pendant Chains

The novel copolymers composed of poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) and oligoesters have been developed. The structures of the obtained copolymers including variety of end groups were determined at the molecular level with the aid of electrospray ionization multistage mass spectrometry (ESI-MSⁿ). The fragmentation experiment performed for the selected sodium adducts of the copolymers confirmed that the developed methods lead to the formation of graft copolymers composed of poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) backbone and oligoesters pendant chains. Moreover, it was established that fragmentation of selected sodium adducts of graft copolymers proceeded via random breakage of amide bonds along the backbone and ester bonds of the oligoesters pendant chains. Considering potential applications of the synthesized copolymers in the area of biomaterials, the hydrolytic degradation under laboratory conditions and in vitro cytotoxicity tests were performed. The ESI-MSⁿ technique applied in this study has been proven to be a useful tool in structural studies of novel graft copolymers as well as their degradation products. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Improvement of glycerol catabolism in Bacillus licheniformis for production of poly-γ-glutamic acid

Bacillus licheniformis WX-02 is a well-studied strain to produce poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) with numerous applications. This study is to improve WX-02 strain's capability of assimilating glycerol, a major byproduct of biofuels industries, through metabolic manipulation. Through gene knockout, the GlpK pathway was identified as the sole functional glycerol catabolism pathway, while the DhaK pathway was inactive for this strain under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The enhancement of glycerol utilization was attempted by substituting the native glpFK promoter with the constitutive promoter (P43), ytzE promoter (PytzE), and bacABC operon promoter (PbacA), respectively. The glycerol consumptions of the corresponding mutant strains WX02-P43glpFK, WX02-PytzEglpFK, and WX02-PbacAglpFK were 30.9, 26.42, and 18.8% higher than that of the WX-02 strain, respectively. The γ-PGA concentrations produced by the three mutant strains were 33.71, 23.39, and 30.05% higher than that of WX-02 strain, respectively. When biodiesel-derived crude glycerol was used as the carbon source, the mutant WX02-P43glpFK produced 16.63 g L^-1 of γ-PGA, with a productivity of 0.35 g L^-1 h^-1. Collectively, this study demonstrated that glycerol can be used as an effective substrate for producing γ-PGA by metabolic engineering B. licheniformis strains.

Bacteriomimetic poly-γ-glutamic acid surface coating for hemocompatibility and safety of nanomaterials

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (PGA), a major component of the bacterial capsule, is known to confer hydrophilicity to bacterial surfaces and protect bacteria from interactions with blood cells. We tested whether applying a bacteriomimetic surface coating of PGA modulates interactions of nanomaterials with blood cells or affects their safety and photothermal antitumor efficacy. Amphiphilic PGA (APGA), prepared by grafting phenylalanine residues to PGA, was used to anchor PGA to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets, a model of hydrophobic nanomaterials. Surface coating of rGO with bacterial capsule-like APGA yielded APGA-tethered rGO nanosheets (ArGO). ArGO nanosheets remained stable in serum over 4 weeks, whereas rGO in plain form precipitated in serum within 5 minutes. Moreover, ArGO did not interact with blood cells, whereas rGO in plain form or as a physical mixture with PGA formed aggregates with blood cells. Mice administered ArGO at a dose of 50 mg/kg showed 100% survival and no hepatic or renal toxicity. No mice survived exposure at the same dose of rGO or a PGA/rGO mixture. Following intravenous administration, ArGO showed a greater distribution to tumors and prolonged tumor retention compared with other nanosheet formulations. Irradiation with near-infrared light completely ablated tumors in mice treated with ArGO. Our results indicate that a bacteriomimetic surface modification of nanomaterials with bacterial capsule-like APGA improves the stability in blood, biocompatibility, tumor distribution, and photothermal antitumor efficacy of rGO. Although APGA was used here to coat the surfaces of rGO, it could be applicable to coat surfaces of other hydrophobic nanomaterials.

Poly-γ-glutamic acid productivity of Bacillus subtilis BsE1 has positive function in motility and biocontrol against Fusarium graminearum

In this study, we investigate the relationship between γ-PGA productivity and biocontrol capacity of Bacillus subtilis BsE1; one bacterial isolate displayed 62.14% biocontrol efficacy against Fusarium root rot. The γ-PGA yield assay, motility assay, wheat root colonization assay, and biological control assay were analysed in different γ-PGA yield mutants of BsE1. The pgsB (PGA-synthase-CapB gene) deleted mutant of BsE1 reduced γ-PGA yield and exhibited apparent decline of in vitro motile ability. Deletion of pgsB impaired colonizing capacity of BsE1 on wheat root in 30 days, also lowered biocontrol efficacies from 62.08% (wild type BsE1) to 14.22% in greenhouse experiment against Fusarium root rot. The knockout of pgdS and ggt (genes relate to two γ-PGA degrading enzymes) on BsE1, leads to a considerable improvement in polymer yield and biocontrol efficacy, which attains higher level compared with wild type BsE1. Compared with ΔpgsB mutant, defense genes related to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phytoalexin expressed changes by notable levels on wheat roots treated with BsE1, demonstrating the functional role γ-PGA plays in biocontrol against Fusarium root rot. γ-PGA is not only important to the motile and plant root colonization ability of BsE1, but also essential to the biological control performed by BsE1 against Fusarium root rot. Our goal in this study is to reveals a new perspective of BCAs screening on bacterial isolates, without good performance during pre-assays of antagonism ability.

Feasible protein aggregation of phosphorylated poly-γ-glutamic acid derivative from Bacillus subtilis (natto)

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (PGA) was modified with phosphorylating agents such as sodium metaphosphate and potassium metaphosphate in the culture medium of Bacillus subtilis (natto). The highly phosphorylated PGA derivatives were prepared and investigated for their chemical and physicochemical properties. The PGA derivatives had approximately 7% (W/W) inorganic phosphorus and characteristic absorbance PO₂^- bands at 1082cm^-1 and 1260cm^-1 by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The derivative modified by sodium metaphosphate (J-5) was easily hydrated in water and had extremely low viscosity. The shear rate-induced transition leading to the decrease of viscosity was not observed in J-5 whereas the derivative modified by potassium metaphosphate (J-6) as well as unmodified PGA (J-1) showed the typical decrease of viscosity. In circular dichroism (CD) measurement of J-5, there was a significant loss of the negative chirality CD signal, implying that protein aggregation occured at decreasing pH from 6.2 to 4.4. The thioflavin T fluorescence intensity of the aqueous solution in the J-5 was extremely high despite the absence of heat-treatment. The results indicate that the J-5 is the likeliest type of aggregation by β-sheet cross-linking which is relevant to protein diseases like Alzheimer's disease.

Increased humoral antibody response of foot-and-mouth disease virus vaccine in growing pigs pre-treated with poly-γ-glutamic acid

This study was conducted to determine if humoral antibody response of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine improved in 8-week-old growing pigs born to well-vaccinated sows pre-treated with 60 mg of poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) three days before vaccination. Antibody against FMD virus serotype O was measured 0, 2, 4 and 6 weeks post-vaccination, using a PrioCHECK FMDV type O ELISA kit. The results showed that positive antibody reactions against FMDV serotype O antigen among a component of the vaccine significantly increased in response to pre-injection with γ-PGA.

Covalent nano delivery systems for selective imaging and treatment of brain tumors

Nanomedicine is a rapidly evolving form of therapy that holds a great promise for superior drug delivery efficiency and therapeutic efficacy than conventional cancer treatment. In this review, we attempt to cover the benefits and the limitations of current nanomedicines with special attention to covalent nano conjugates for imaging and drug delivery in the brain. The improvement in brain tumor treatment remains dismal despite decades of efforts in drug development and patient care. One of the major obstacles in brain cancer treatment is the poor drug delivery efficiency owing to the unique blood-brain barrier (BBB) in the CNS. Although various anti-cancer agents are available to treat tumors outside of the CNS, the majority fails to cross the BBB. In this regard, nanomedicines have increasingly drawn attention due to their multi-functionality and versatility. Nano drugs can penetrate BBB and other biological barriers, and selectively accumulate in tumor cells, while concurrently decreasing systemic toxicity.

A novel approach to improve poly-γ-glutamic acid production by NADPH Regeneration in Bacillus licheniformis WX-02

Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is an important biochemical product with a variety of applications. This work reports a novel approach to improve γ-PGA through over expression of key enzymes in cofactor NADPH generating process for NADPH pool. Six genes encoding the key enzymes in NADPH generation were over-expressed in the γ-PGA producing strain B. licheniformis WX-02. Among various recombinants, the strain over-expressing zwf gene (coding for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), WX-zwf, produced the highest γ-PGA concentration (9.13 g/L), 35% improvement compared to the control strain WX-pHY300. However, the growth rates and glucose uptake rates of the mutant WX-zwf were decreased. The transcriptional levels of the genes pgsB and pgsC responsible for γ-PGA biosynthesis were increased by 8.21- and 5.26-fold, respectively. The Zwf activity of the zwf over expression strain increased by 9.28-fold, which led to the improvement of the NADPH generation, and decrease of accumulation of by-products acetoin and 2,3-butanediol. Collectively, these results demonstrated that NADPH generation via over-expression of Zwf is as an effective strategy to improve the γ-PGA production in B. licheniformis.

Bacterial-Derived Polymer Poly-y-Glutamic Acid (y-PGA)-Based Micro/Nanoparticles as a Delivery System for Antimicrobials and Other Biomedical Applications

In the past decade, poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA)-based micro/nanoparticles have garnered remarkable attention as antimicrobial agents and for drug delivery, owing to their controlled and sustained-release properties, low toxicity, as well as biocompatibility with tissue and cells. γ-PGA is a naturally occurring biopolymer produced by several gram-positive bacteria that, due to its biodegradable, non-toxic and non-immunogenic properties, has been used successfully in the medical, food and wastewater industries. Moreover, its carboxylic group on the side chains can offer an attachment point to conjugate antimicrobial and various therapeutic agents, or to chemically modify the solubility of the biopolymer. The unique characteristics of γ-PGA have a promising future for medical and pharmaceutical applications. In the present review, the structure, properties and micro/nanoparticle preparation methods of γ-PGA and its derivatives are covered. Also, we have highlighted the impact of micro/nanoencapsulation or immobilisation of antimicrobial agents and various disease-related drugs on biodegradable γ-PGA micro/nanoparticles.

Poly-γ-glutamic acid coupled Pseudomonas putida cells surface-displaying metallothioneins: composited copper(ii) biosorption and inducible flocculation in aqueous solution

Schematic illustration of the preparation, biosorption, and induced flocculation of the biocomposite MB546-PGA.

Adsorption capacities of poly-γ-glutamic acid and its sodium salt for cesium removal from radioactive wastewaters

Cesium removal from radioactive wastewaters was examined using water-insoluble poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) and water-soluble sodium salt form poly-γ-L-glutamic acid (γ-PGANa) as biosorbents. The maximum adsorption capacities at equilibrium of γ-PGA and γ-PGANa for Cs were 345 mg-Cs(g-γ-PGA)^-1 at pH 6.0 and 290 mg-Cs(g-γ-PGANa)^-1 at pH 9.0, respectively. At lower pH < pK_a, the carboxyl groups of γ-PGA primarily remained in the protonated form and adsorption of Cs only slightly occurred. At higher pH > pK_a, the adsorption of Cs was significantly facilitated due to ionization of carboxyl groups to carboxylate ion. Adsorption of Cs at pH > 9.0 was inhibited due to the hydrolysis of Cs. The Langmuir model could successfully describe the isotherm data. For γ-PGA and γ-PGANa, the maximum adsorption capacities at equilibrium in the Langmuir model were 446 and 333 mg-Cs(g-adsorbent)^-1, respectively. The high adsorption capacities confirmed a potential utilization of γ-PGA and γ-PGANa for Cs removal. The adsorption of Cs by both γ-PGA and γ-PGANa attained the equilibrium within 0.5 min. The very quick equilibration is a benefit from the viewpoint of practical application. The spectra of FT-IR and XPS before and after adsorption confirmed the adsorption of Cs onto γ-PGA and γ-PGANa via electrostatic interaction with carboxylate anions.

Poly-γ-Glutamic Acids Contribute to Biofilm Formation and Plant Root Colonization in Selected Environmental Isolates of Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus subtilis is long known to produce poly-γ-glutamic acids (γ-PGA) as one of the major secreted polymeric substances. In B. subtilis, the regulation of γ-PGA production and its physiological role are still unclear. B. subtilis is also capable of forming structurally complex multicellular communities, or biofilms, in which an extracellular matrix consisting of secreted proteins and polysaccharides holds individual cells together. Biofilms were shown to facilitate B. subtilis-plant interactions. In this study, we show that different environmental isolates of B. subtilis, all capable of forming biofilms, vary significantly in γ-PGA production. This is possibly due to differential regulation of γ-PGA biosynthesis genes. In many of those environmental isolates, γ-PGA seems to contribute to robustness and complex morphology of the colony biofilms, suggesting a role of γ-PGA in biofilm formation. Our evidence further shows that in selected B. subtilis strains, γ-PGA also plays a role in root colonization by the bacteria, pinpointing a possible function of γ-PGA in B. subtilis-plant interactions. Finally, we found that several pathways co-regulate both γ-PGA biosynthesis genes and genes for the biofilm matrix in B. subtilis, but in an opposing fashion. We discussed potential biological significance of that.