Characterization of a new oxygen-insensitive azoreductase from Brevibacillus laterosporus TISTR1911: toward dye decolorization using a packed-bed metal affinity reactor

Evaluation of neem gum-poly(acrylic acid) based adsorbent for cationic dye removal using adsorption isotherm, kinetics and thermodynamics: Linear regression models

Cationic dye pollution is detrimental to human health as it accumulates in the cytoplasm and poses toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. Many dye adsorbents report secondary waste generation, non-biodegradability, high costs and energy. Therefore, in this work, Neem gum (Ng) is utilised as a propitious candidate for water treatment due to its tuneable chemical structure, renewability, biodegradability, sustainability, non-toxicity and low cost. The Ng-g-p(AA)-cl-MBA hydrogel is synthesised via a free-radical polymerization technique to find its efficacy towards the adsorption of cationic dyes rhodamine B(RhB) and methylene blue(MB) and systematically characterized using FT-IR, TGA, XRD, BET and FE-SEM analysis. Various parameters were optimized for achieving the maximum adsorption efficiency including the initial concentration, pH, temperature, adsorbent dosage, and contact time. Adsorption Isotherm, Kinetics and Thermodynamics were studied to understand the adsorption behaviour of Ng-g-p(AA)-cl-MBA towards the dyes. The adsorption behaviour was best simulated by Langmuir's model with a maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) of 552.49 and 421.94 mg/g towards RhB and MB respectively, it obeyed a pseudo-second-order rate of adsorption and followed an exothermic and spontaneous process. It also depicted good regeneration and reusability features making it a promising candidate for dye effluent adsorption.

Molecular structure of enzyme-synthesized amylose-like chimeric isomaltomegalosaccharides and their encapsulation of the sulfasalazine prodrug

The glucoconjugation between linear chimeric α-(1→4)- and α-(1→6)-glucosidic segments exhibits functional properties throughout their structure. In this study, we enzymatically synthesized three new series of chimeric nonreducing isomaltomegalosaccharides (N-IMS-n/m), each featuring a constant n, α-(1→4)-segment (average degree of polymerization, DP = 22-25) at the nonreducing terminal, and varying m, α-(1→6)-main chain lengths (DP = 7-53). The synthesized compounds-N-IMS-25/7, N-IMS-24/19, and N-IMS-22/53-were compared to amylose (DP = 28) and previous samples of N-IMS-15/35 and D-IMS-28.3/13/3. D-IMS refers to a sugar with double α-(1→4)-segments at both the nonreducing and reducing ends. The binding affinity to the aromatic prodrug sulfasalazine (SZ) was assessed using a phase-solubility assay, followed by freeze-thawing. Wide-angle X-ray scattering revealed B-type crystalline patterns in bulk, and the crystallinity generally reduced with the increasing α-(1→6) segment. Interestingly, the B-type crystal structure was maintained even after SZ encapsulation, in contrast to the more common transition to V-type crystals upon drug encapsulation. Multi-angle dynamic light scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering revealed an intricate solution-state morphology, both in the absence and presence of SZ. Glucoconjugation aids in maintaining structural organization and integrity, even after the incorporation of the large SZ molecule.

Sequence similarity network analysis of drug- and dye-modifying azoreductase enzymes found in the human gut microbiome

Drug metabolism by human gut microbes is often exemplified by azo bond reduction in the anticolitic prodrug sulfasalazine. Azoreductase activity is often found in incubations with cell cultures or ex vivo gut microbiome samples and contributes to the xenobiotic metabolism of drugs and food additives. Applying metagenomic studies to personalized medicine requires knowledge of the genes responsible for sulfasalazine and other drug metabolism, and candidate genes and proteins for drug modifications are understudied. A representative gut-abundant azoreductase from Anaerotignum lactatifermentan DSM 14214 efficiently reduces sulfasalazine and another drug, phenazopyridine, but could not reduce all azo-bonded drugs in this class. We used enzyme kinetics to characterize this enzyme for its NADH-dependent reduction of these drugs and food additives and performed computational docking to provide the groundwork for understanding substrate specificity in this family. We performed an analysis of the Flavodoxin-like fold InterPro family (IPR003680) by computing a sequence similarity network to classify distinct subgroups of the family and then performed chemically-guided functional profiling to identify proteins that are abundant in the NIH Human Microbiome Project dataset. This strategy aims to reduce the number of unique azoreductases needed to characterize one protein family in the diverse set of potential drug- and dye-modifying activities found in the human gut microbiome.

Molecular characterization of azoreductase and its potential for the decolorization of Remazol Red R and Acid Blue 29

Azoreductase is a reductive enzyme that efficiently biotransformed textile azo dyes. This study demonstrated the heterologous overexpression of the azoreductase gene in Escherichia coli for the effective degradation of Remazol Red-R and Acid-Blue 29 dyes. The AzK gene of Klebsiella pneumoniae encoding a ≈22 kDa azoreductase enzyme was cloned into the pET21+C expression vector. The inoculum size of 1.5%, IPTG concentration of 0.5 mM, and incubation time of 6 h were optimized by response surface methodology a statistical tool. The crude extract showed 76% and 74%, while the purified enzyme achieved 94% and 93% decolorization of RRR and AB-29, respectively in 0.3 h. The reaction kinetics showed that RRR had a Km and Vmax value of 0.058 mM and 1416 U mg-1, respectively at an NADH concentration of 10 mM. HPLC and GC-MS analyses showed that RRR was effectively bio-transformed by azoreductase to 2-[3-(hydroxy-amino) benzene-1-sulfonyl and AB-29 to aniline and 3-nitrosoaniline. This study explored the potential of recombinant azoreductase isolated from K. pneumoniae in the degradation of toxic textile azo dyes into less toxic metabolites.

Heterogeneous biocatalytic system for effective decolorization of textile dye effluent

The current physicochemical methods for decolorizing toxic synthetic dyes are not sustainable to halt the environmental damage as they are expensive and often produce concentrated sludge, which may lead to secondary disposal problems. Biocatalysis (microbes and/or their enzymes) is a cost-effective, versatile, energy-saving and clean alternative. The most common enzymes involved in dye degradation are laccases, azoreductases and peroxidases. Toxic dyes could be converted into less harmful byproducts through the combined action of many enzymes or the utilization of whole cells. The action of whole cells to treat dye effluents is either by biosorption or degradation (aerobic or anaerobic). Using immobilized cells or enzymes will offer advantages such as superior stability, persistence against harsh environmental conditions, reusability and longer half-lives. This review envisages the recent strategies of immobilization and bioreactor considerations with the immobilized system as the effective treatment of textile dye effluents. Packed bed reactors are the most popular heterogeneous biocatalytic reactors for dye decolorization due to their efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Nonreducing terminal chimeric isomaltomegalosaccharide and its integration with azoreductase for the remediation of soil-contaminated lipophilic azo dyes

Lipophilic azo dyes are practically water-insoluble, and their dissolution by organic solvents and surfactants is harmful to biological treatment with living cells and enzymes. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a newly synthesized nonreducing terminal chimeric isomaltomegalosaccharide (N-IMS) as a nontoxic solubilizer of four simulated lipophilic azo dye wastes for enzymatic degradation. N-IMS bearing a helical α-(1 → 4)-glucosidic segment derived from a donor substrate α-cyclodextrin was produced by a coupling reaction of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase. Inclusion complexing by N-IMS overcame the solubility issue with equilibrium constants of 1786-242 M^-1 (methyl yellow > ethyl red > methyl red > azo violet). Circular dichroism spectra revealed the axial alignment of the aromatic rings in the N-IMS cavity, while UV-visible absorption quenching revealed that the azo bond of methyl yellow was particularly induced. Desorption of the dyes from acidic and neutral soils was specific to aqueous organic over alkali extraction. The dissolution kinetics of the incorporated dyes followed a sigmoid pattern facilitating the subsequent decolorization process with azoreductase. It was demonstrated that after soil extraction, the solid dyes dissolved with N-IMS assistance and spontaneously digested by coupled azoreductase/glucose dehydrogenase (for a cofactor regeneration system) with the liberation of the corresponding aromatic amine.

Performance Evaluation of Gum Gellan-Based Hydrogel as a Novel Adsorbent for the Removal of Cationic Dyes: Linear Regression Models

In this work, the suitability and efficacy of the previously reported biodegradable gellan gum (GG)-based hydrogel have been thoroughly investigated with respect to the adsorption mechanisms of malachite green (MG) and methylene blue (MB) dyes. The dyes' removal from aqueous solutions using GG-cl-poly(AA) as an adsorbent material has been studied in a discontinuous system with respect to contact time, dose, pH, and temperature. The synthesized hydrogel was characterized by FT-IR, TGA, XRD, ¹H NMR, and FE-SEM. The adsorption capacity of GG-cl-poly(AA) hydrogel was investigated at different pH solutions (3, 7, and 10), and it was found that neutralized charge plays a crucial role in the enhancement of dye removal. To better understand the behavior of the GG-cl-poly(AA) hydrogel in adsorbing model dyes, adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics were also investigated. The values of qmax for MG and MB were obtained to be 552.48 and 531.9 mg g^-1. In addition, the influence of NaCl concentration on adsorption efficiency was investigated, and it was found that as the ion concentration increased, the effectiveness of the adsorption process dropped. Moreover, the synthesized hydrogel's potential application in the adsorption and separation of dyes from wastewater is enhanced by the reusability investigations conducted in convenient conditions. As a result, it is possible to conclude that reusing GG-cl-poly(AA) hydrogel as a low-cost, easy-to-handle, nontoxic material in an industrial wastewater treatment plant's adsorption process can provide a number of advantages, including high efficiency for MG and MB removal and cost savings on overall treatment plant operations.

Gut Microbiome-Wide Search for Bacterial Azoreductases Reveals Potentially Uncharacterized Azoreductases Encoded in the Human Gut Microbiome

The human gut is home to trillions of microorganisms that are responsible for the modification of many orally administered drugs, leading to a wide range of therapeutic outcomes. Prodrugs bearing an azo bond are designed to treat inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer via microbial azo reduction, allowing for topical application of therapeutic moieties to the diseased tissue in the intestines. Despite the inextricable link between microbial azo reduction and the efficacy of azo prodrugs, the prevalence, abundance, and distribution of azoreductases have not been systematically examined across the gut microbiome. Here, we curated and clustered amino acid sequences of experimentally confirmed bacterial azoreductases and conducted a hidden Markov model-driven homolog search for these enzymes across 4644 genome sequences present in the representative Unified Human Gastrointestinal Genomes collection. We identified 1958 putative azo-reducing species, corroborating previous findings that azo reduction appears to be a ubiquitous function of the gut microbiome. However, through a systematic comparison of predicted and confirmed azo-reducing strains, we hypothesize the presence of uncharacterized azoreductases in 25 prominent strains of the human gut microbiome. Finally, we confirmed the azo reduction of Acid Orange 7 by multiple strains of Fusobacterium nucleatum, Bacteroides fragilis, and Clostridium clostridioforme Together, these results suggest the presence and activity of many uncharacterized azoreductases in the human gut microbiome and motivate future studies aimed at characterizing azoreductase genes in prominent members of the human gut microbiome. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This work systematically examined the prevalence, abundance, and distribution of azoreductases across the healthy and inflammatory bowel disease human gut microbiome, revealing potentially uncharacterized azoreductase genes. It also confirmed the reduction of Acid Orange 7 by strains of Fusobacterium nucleatum, Bacteroides fragilis, and Clostridium clostridioforme.

An Integrative Approach to Study Bacterial Enzymatic Degradation of Toxic Dyes

Synthetic dyes pose a large threat to the environment and consequently to human health. Various dyes are used in textile, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries, and are released into the environment without any treatment, thus adversely affecting both the environment and neighboring human populations. Several existing physical and chemical methods for dye degradation are effective but have many drawbacks. Biological methods over the years have gained importance in the decolorization and degradation of dye and have also overcome the disadvantages of physiochemical methods. Furthermore, biological methods are eco-friendly and lead to complete decolorization. The mechanism of decolorization and degradation by several bacterial enzymes are discussed in detail. For the identification of ecologically sustainable strains and their application at the field level, we have focused on bioaugmentation aspects. Furthermore, in silico studies such as molecular docking of bacterial enzymes with dyes can give a new insight into biological studies and provide an easy way to understand the interaction at the molecular level. This review mainly focuses on an integrative approach and its importance for the effective treatment and decolorization of dyes.

Industrial polluted soil borne fungi decolorize the recalcitrant azo dyes Synozol red HF-6BN and Synozol black B

Today's world needs to control the industrial pollution through smarter ways. Presently, we observed the capacity of soil borne fungi to digest Synozol Red HF-6BN and Synozol Black B. Initially, 86 fungal strains were isolated from soil samples randomly collected from industrial sites. Among these, 31 isolates were capable of dye decolorization on solid media, with SN12f and SN13a isolates showed the highest decolorization capacity. The dye decolorization by both strains was higher (80-95%), when incubated for 120 h under optimized conditions of pH, concentration, nutrient source and temperature. The dye (Synozol red HF-6BN and Synozol black B) decolorization by SN12f isolate was maximum (˃90%) at pH7, whereas the SN13a decolorized 90% of Synozol red HF-6BN and 89% of Synozol black B at pH3. The SN13a and SN12f isolates at 40 mg/L showed de-colorization of 94.71%, 81.4% (for Synozol red HF-6BN) and 90.5%, 84.4% (Synozol black B), respectively. Our isolates also mitigated the toxic effect of azo dyes on the growth of phosphate solubilizing soil bacteria. In fact, the untreated effluent showed toxic effects on the growth of beneficial bacterial by developing zone of inhibition (16.5 mm around Aeromonas spp., 14.5 mm around Sallmonella while 14.25 mm around Citrobacter spp). However, the fungal treated dye was unable to develop zone of inhibition. Laccase activity was positive for both of fungal isolates after incubation on Bassnell Hass Medium (0.0733 U/mL for SN12f and 0.0439 U/mL SN13a). Using molecular approaches (ITS region), SN12f was identified as Aspergillus nidulans, while SN13a as Aspergillus fumigatus. The current study showed that local fungal flora can reclaim the contaminated soils and support the agro-friendly micro-flora.

Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell, a potential plant species for degradation of textile azo dyes

The current study highlighted the phytoremediation potential of Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell for most commonly used azo dyes which are resistant to degradation. Fourteen azo dyes (reactive: 09; direct: 05) upon treatments up to 40 mg/L were decolorized in the range of 90 to 100% after incubation of 2 weeks in in vitro and hydroponic cultures. No significant alteration in growth of B. monnieri was observed in the presence of dyes R. Magenta MB, R. Navy Blue M2R, Dt. Orange RS, Dt. T Blue GLL, Dt. Sky Blue FF alone, and together in the medium. However, at increasing concentrations (60-100 mg/L), the percent dye decolorization was declined and showed a toxic effect on plant growth. The chlorophyll content declined while membrane damage and osmolyte accumulation were increased in dye treated samples. The biological conversion of produced metabolites was analyzed using FTIR and GC-MS. Our results suggest that the intermediates of Dt. Blue GLL degradation consist L-Proline, N-valeryldecyl ester, 3,5 Di-tert-butyl-4-trimethylsiloxytoulene, and 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, diisooctyl ester. The antioxidative and oxidative enzyme activities in roots and leaves were significantly higher in the presence of dyes over control indicate that these enzymes are involved in degradation of dyes. Percentage seed germination, shoot and root length of seedlings of legume, cereal, and oilseed crop was not affected, suggesting the compatible nature of the produced metabolites. Our results revealed the remarkable ability of Bacopa monnieri for long-term operations that lead to the practical application of phytoremediation in textile industries.

Application of Beauveria bassiana spore waste as adsorbent to uptake acid red 97 dye from aqueous medium

The adsorption of acid red 97 dye (RED 97) by the waste of the filamentous fungus Beauveria bassiana was analyzed. The adsorbent was obtained as a waste of a fermentative process, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD), and specific surface area (BET). After the characterization, adsorption tests were carried out to determine the ideal conditions of pH, adsorbent mass, and contact time for the process. Adsorption isotherms, thermodynamic studies, and the treatment of textile effluent were also investigated. The adsorbent characterization allowed the visualization of its amorphous structure, with irregular and heterogeneous particles. The pore diameter was 51.9 nm and the surface area was 0.247 m² g^-1. 1.2 g L^-1 of the adsorbent and pH of 2.0 were the ideal conditions for RED 97 adsorption. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was the most appropriate to represent the experimental data, being the equilibrium reached in about 110 min. The Langmuir model was the most suitable to represent the equilibrium data, with maximum adsorption capacity of 194.1 mg g^-1 at 45 °C. The adsorption processes was thermodynamically spontaneous, favorable, and exothermic. In the treatment of a real textile effluent, 5 g L^-1 of the spores was capable to decolorize 70% of the solution. Therefore, spore wastes of Beauveria bassiana were promising for RED 97 adsorption.

Remarkable diversification of bacterial azoreductases: primary sequences, structures, substrates, physiological roles, and biotechnological applications

Azoreductases reductively cleave azo linkages by using NAD(P)H as an electron donor. The enzymes are widely found in bacteria and act on numerous azo dyes, which allow various unique applications. This review describes primary amino acid sequences, structures, substrates, physiological roles, and biotechnological applications of bacterial azoreductases to discuss their remarkable diversification. According to primary sequences, azoreductases were classified phylogenetically into four main clades. Most members of clades I-III are flavoproteins, whereas clade IV members include flavin-free azoreductases. Clades I and II prefer NADPH and NADH, respectively, as electron donors, whereas other members generally use both. Several enzymes formed no clades; moreover, some bacteria produce azoreductases with longer primary structures than those hitherto identified, which implies further diversification of bacterial azoreductases. The crystal structures commonly reveal the Rossmann folds; however, ternary structures are moderately varied with different quaternary conformation. Although physiological roles are obscure, several azoreductases have been shown to act on metabolites such as flavins, quinones, and metal ions more efficiently than on azo dyes. Considering that many homologs exclusively act on these metabolites, it is possible that azoreductases are actually side activities of versatile reductases that act on various substrates with different specificities. In parallel, this idea raises the possibility that homologous enzymes, even if these are already defined as other types of reductases, widely harbor azoreductase activities. Although azoreductases for which their genes have been identified are not abundant, it may be simple to identify azoreductases of biotechnological importance that have novel substrate specificities.

Azoreductase from alkaliphilic Bacillus sp. AO1 catalyzes indigo reduction

Indigo is an insoluble blue dye historically used for dyeing textiles. A traditional approach for indigo dyeing involves microbial reduction of polygonum indigo to solubilize it under alkaline conditions; however, the mechanism by which microorganisms reduce indigo remains poorly understood. Here, we aimed to identify an enzyme that catalyzes indigo reduction; for this purpose, from alkaline liquor that performed microbial reduction of polygonum indigo, we isolated indigo carmine-reducing microorganisms. All isolates were facultative anaerobic and alkali-tolerant Bacillus spp. An isolate termed AO1 was found to be an alkaliphile that preferentially grows at pH 9.0-11.0 and at 30-35 °C. We focused on flavin-dependent azoreductase as a possible enzyme for indigo carmine reduction and identified its gene (azoA) in Bacillus sp. AO1 using homology-based strategies. azoA was monocistronic but clustered with ABC transporter genes. Primary sequence identities were < 50% between the azoA product (AzoA) and previously characterized flavin-dependent azoreductases. AzoA was heterologously produced as a flavoprotein tolerant to alkaline and organic solvents. The enzyme efficiently reduced indigo carmine in an NADH-dependent manner and showed strict specificity for electron acceptors. Notably, AzoA oxidized NADH in the presence, but not the absence, of indigo. The reaction rate was enhanced by adding organic solvents to solubilize indigo. Absorption spectrum analysis showed that indigo absorption decreased during the reaction. These observations suggest that AzoA can reduce indigo in vitro and potentially in Bacillus sp. AO1. This is the first study that identified an indigo reductase, providing a new insight into a traditional approach for indigo dyeing.

Biodegradation and detoxification of Direct Black G textile dye by a newly isolated thermophilic microflora

The biodegradation and detoxification of azo dye - Direct Black G (DBG) with a newly isolated thermophilic microflora was investigated in the present study. It was found this microflora can decolorize DBG at a wide range of pH from 5 to 10, and grow well under high concentration of dye (600 mg·L^-1) and salinity (50 g·L^-1). Its decolorization ratio could reach 97% with 8 h of incubation at optimal conditions. The induction of laccase, manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase and azoreductase suggests their synergetic involvements in the degradation process of DBG. In addition, the phytotoxicity analysis indicated the thermophilic microflora converted toxic dye DBG into low toxicity metabolites. PCR-DGGE analysis revealed that there are nine different bacteria presented in this microflora. Furthermore, a new degradation pathway of DBG degradation by this microflora was proposed based on the intermediates identified by LC-ESI-MS/MS.

Mineralization of a sulfonated textile dye Reactive Red 31 from simulated wastewater using pellets of Aspergillus bombycis

BACKGROUND

Reactive Red 31, applied extensively in the commercial textile industry, is a hazardous and persistent azo dye compound often present in dye manufacturing and textile industrial effluents. Aspergillus bombycis strain was isolated from dye contaminated zones of Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation, Vatva, Ahmedabad, India. The decolorization potential was monitored by the decrease in maximum absorption of the dye using UV-visible spectroscopy. Optimization of physicochemical conditions was carried out to achieve maximum decolorization of Reactive Red 31 by fungal pellets.

RESULTS

Pellets of A. bombycis strain were found to decolorize this dye (20 mg/L) under aerobic conditions within 12 h. The activity of azoreductase, laccase, phenol oxidase and Manganese peroxidase in fungal culture after decolorization was about 8, 7.5, 19 and 23.7 fold more than before decolorization suggesting that these enzymes might be induced by the addition of Reactive Red 31 dye, and thus results in a higher decolorization. The lab-scale reactor was developed and mineralization of Reactive Red 31 dye by fungal pellets was studied at 6, 12 and 24 h of HRT (hydraulic retention time). At 12 h of HRT, decolorization potential, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon reduction (TOC) was 99.02, 94.19, and 83.97%, respectively, for 20 mg/L of dye concentration.

CONCLUSIONS

Dye decolorization potential of A. bombycis culture was influenced by several factors such as initial dye concentration, biomass concentration, pH, temperature, and required aerated conditions. Induction of azoreductase, laccase, phenol oxidase, and Mn-peroxidase enzymes was observed during dye decolorization phase. A. bombycis pellets showed potential in mineralization of dye in the aerobic reactor system. Isolated fungal strain A. bombycis showed better dye decolorization performance in short duration of time (12 h) as compared to other reported fungal cultures.Graphical abstractDegradation of RR31 dye in developed aerobic fungal pelleted reactor.

Changing the electron donor improves azoreductase dye degrading activity at neutral pH

The oxygen-insensitive azoreductase AzoRo originating from Rhodococcus opacus 1CP was found to be most active at low pH (ca. 4) and high temperature (ca. 50°C). AzoRo is not an efficient biocatalyst when used at low pH due to stability problems. To overcome this issue, we discovered that AzoRo accepts an alternative electron donor, 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide (BNAH), which allows fast turnover at neutral pH. In order to screen this nicotinamide coenzyme mimic as a source of electrons, AzoRo-catalysed reactions were run under neutral conditions, under which typically slow rates are observed with NADH. For the reduction of 1 azo bond by azoreductases 2mol nicotinamide coenzyme are needed. AzoRo displayed Methyl Red (MR) reduction activities with NADH and NADPH of 5.49±0.14Umg^-1 and 4.96±0.25Umg^-1, respectively, whereas with BNAH it displayed 17.01±0.74Umg^-1 (following BNAH oxidation) and 7.16±0.06Umg^-1 (following MR reduction). Binding of BNAH to AzoRo was determined with a K_m of 18.75±2.45μM (BNAH oxidation) and 12.45±0.47μM (MR reduction). In order to show applicability of this system an upscaled reaction was performed using 78.6μg of purified AzoRo to convert 2.96μmol of MR (total reaction volume: 40ml) within a 1h reaction.

Degradation of Reactive Black 5 dye by a newly isolated bacterium Pseudomonas entomophila BS1

The textile and dye industries are considered as one of the major sources of environmental pollution. The present study was conducted to investigate the degradation of the azo dye Reactive Black 5 (RB 5) using a bacterium isolated from soil samples collected around a textile industry. The bacterial strain BS1 capable of degrading RB 5 was isolated and identified as Pseudomonas entomophila on the basis of 16S rDNA sequencing. The effects of different parameters on the degradation of RB 5 were studied to find out the optimal conditions required for maximum degradation, which was 93% after 120 h of incubation. Static conditions with pH in the range of 5–9 and a temperature of 37 °C were found to be optimum for degrading RB 5. Enzyme assays demonstrated that P. entomophila possessed azoreductase, which played an important role in degradation. The enzyme was dependent on flavin mononucleotide and NADH for its activity. Furthermore, a possible degradation pathway of the dye was proposed through gas chromatography – mass spectrometry analysis, which revealed that the metabolic products were naphthalene-1,2-diamine and 4-(methylsulfonyl) aniline. Thus the ability of this indigenous bacterial isolate for simultaneous decolorization and degradation of the azo dye signifies its potential application for treatment of industrial wastewaters containing azo dyes.

Identification of novel members of the bacterial azoreductase family in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Azoreductases are a family of diverse enzymes found in many pathogenic bacteria as well as distant homologues being present in eukarya. In addition to having azoreductase activity, these enzymes are also suggested to have NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO) activity which leads to a proposed role in plant pathogenesis. Azoreductases have also been suggested to play a role in the mammalian pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In view of the importance of P. aeruginosa as a pathogen, we therefore characterized recombinant enzymes following expression of a group of putative azoreductase genes from P. aeruginosa expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzymes include members of the arsenic-resistance protein H (ArsH), tryptophan repressor-binding protein A (WrbA), modulator of drug activity B (MdaB) and YieF families. The ArsH, MdaB and YieF family members all show azoreductase and NQO activities. In contrast, WrbA is the first enzyme to show NQO activity but does not reduce any of the 11 azo compounds tested under a wide range of conditions. These studies will allow further investigation of the possible role of these enzymes in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa.

Decolorization characteristics of a newly isolated salt-tolerant Bacillus sp. strain and its application for azo dye-containing wastewater in immobilized form

Strain CICC 23870 capable of decolorization of various azo dyes under high saline conditions was isolated from saline-alkali soil. The oxygen-insensitive azoreductase in crude extracts exhibited a wide substrate adaptively in the presence of NADH as a cofactor. The decolorization process by free cells followed first-order kinetics, with a high Methyl Orange (MO) tolerance concentration up to 100 mg l(-1) estimated by Haldane model. The average decolorization rate of free cell system was 26.30 mg g(-1) h(-1) at initial MO concentration of 32.7 mg l(-1). However, the values for the systems of immobilized cells (4 mm) in alginate, alginate and nano-TiO2, and alginate and powered activated carbon (PAC) were 6.83, 4.64, and 11.34 mg g(-1) h(-1), respectively. The effective diffusion factors in the tree different matrices were calculated by diffusion-based mathematic model. The diffusion step controls the overall decolorization rate, and the effective diffusion coefficients varied with internal structure of the bead matrices. The diffusion coefficients were increased from 4.98 × 10(-9) to 2.25 × 10(-8) cm(2) s(-1) when PAC was added, but decreased to 6.62 × 10(-10) cm(2) s(-1) when nano-TiO2 was added. The immobilized matrices could be reused for at least three cycles but with a decreased decolorization rate, possibly due to the breakage of beads at the end of each cycle, which led to the loss of immobilized bacteria.

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.

Different molecular complexity of linear-isomaltomegalosaccharides and β-cyclodextrin on enhancing solubility of azo dye ethyl red: towards dye biodegradation

Intermolecular interaction of linear-type α-(1 → 6)-glucosyl megalosaccharide rich (L-IMS) and water-insoluble anionic ethyl red was firstly characterized in a comparison with inclusion complexation by cyclodextrins (CDs) to overcome the problem of poor solubility and bioavailability. Phase solubility studies indicated an enhancement of 3- and 9-fold over the solubility in water upon the presence of L-IMS and β-CD, respectively. (1)H NMR and circular dichrosim spectra revealed the dye forms consisted of 1:1 stoichiometric inclusion complex within the β-CD cavity, whereas they exhibited non-specific hydrophobic interaction, identified by solvent polarity changes, with L-IMS. The inclusion complex delivered by β-CD showed an uncompetitive inhibitory-type effect to azoreductase, particularly with high water content that did not promote dye liberation. Addition of the solid dye dispersed into coupled-enzyme reaction system supplied by L-IMS as the dye solubilizer provided usual degradation rate. The dye intermission in series exhibited successful removal with at least 5 cycles was economically feasible.

Aerobic decolorization and degradation of azo dyes by suspended growing cells and immobilized cells of a newly isolated yeast Magnusiomyces ingens LH-F1

Aerobic decolorization and degradation of azo dyes by both of suspended growing cells and immobilized cells of a newly isolated yeast strain LH-F1 were investigated in this study. A yeast strain LH-F1 capable of aerobically decolorizing various azo dyes (20mg/L) was identified as Magnusiomyces ingens basing on 26S rDNA analysis. Meanwhile, effects of different parameters on decolorization of Acid Red B by both of suspended growing cells and immobilized cells of strain LH-F1 were investigated. Furthermore, possible degradation pathway of the dye was proposed through analyzing metabolic intermediates using UV-Vis and HPLC-MS methods. As far as it is known, it is the first systematic research on a M. ingens strain which is capable of efficiently decolorizing azo dyes under aerobic condition. Additionally, this work would also provide a potentially useful microbial strain LH-F1 for treatment of industrial wastewaters containing azo dyes.