A substrate for the detection of broad specificity α-l-arabinofuranosidases with indirect release of a chromogenic group

Microbial α-L-arabinofuranosidases: diversity, properties, and biotechnological applications

Arabinoxylans (AXs) are hemicellulosic polysaccharides consisting of a linear backbone of β-1,4-linked xylose residues branched by high content of α-L-arabinofuranosyl (Araf) residues along with other side-chain substituents, and are abundantly found in various agricultural crops especially cereals. The efficient bioconversion of AXs into monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and/or other chemicals depends on the synergism of main-chain enzymes and de-branching enzymes. Exo-α-L-arabinofuranosidases (ABFs) catalyze the hydrolysis of terminal non-reducing α-1,2-, α-1,3- or α-1,5- linked α-L-Araf residues from arabinose-substituted polysaccharides or oligosaccharides. ABFs are critically de-branching enzymes in bioconversion of agricultural biomass, and have received special attention due to their application potentials in biotechnological industries. In recent years, the researches on microbial ABFs have developed quickly in the aspects of the gene mining, properties of novel members, catalytic mechanisms, methodologies, and application technologies. In this review, we systematically summarize the latest advances in microbial ABFs, and discuss the future perspectives of the enzyme research.

Interaction between dietary fiber and bifidobacteria in promoting intestinal health

Bifidobacteria are considered as probiotics due to their role in promoting intestinal health, including regulating intestinal flora, controlling glycolipid metabolism, anti-colitis effects. Dietary fiber is considered as prebiotic favoring gut health. It also can be used as carbon source to support the growth and colonization of probiotics like bifidobacteria. However, because of genetic diversity, different bifidobacterial species differ in their ability to utilize dietary fiber. Meanwhile, dietary fiber with different structural properties has different effects on the bifidobacteria proliferation. The interaction between dietary fiber and bifidobacteria will consequently lead to a synergistic or antagonistic function in promoting intestinal health, therefore affecting the application of combined use of dietary fiber and bifidobacteria. In this case, we summarize the biological function of bifidobacteria, and their interaction with different dietary fiber in promoting gut health, and finally provide several strategies about their combined use.

Regioselective chemoenzymatic syntheses of ferulate conjugates as chromogenic substrates for feruloyl esterases

Generally, carbohydrate-active enzymes are studied using chromogenic substrates that provide quick and easy color-based detection of enzyme-mediated hydrolysis. For feruloyl esterases, commercially available chromogenic ferulate derivatives are both costly and limited in terms of their experimental application. In this study, we describe solutions for these two issues, using a chemoenzymatic approach to synthesize different ferulate compounds. The overall synthetic routes towards commercially available 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl and 4-nitrophenyl 5-O-feruloyl-α-ʟ-arabinofuranosides were significantly shortened (from 7 or 8 to 4–6 steps), and the transesterification yields were enhanced (from 46 to 73% and from 47 to 86%, respectively). This was achieved using enzymatic (immobilized Lipozyme^® TL IM from Thermomyces lanuginosus) transesterification of unprotected vinyl ferulate to the primary hydroxy group of α‐ʟ‐arabinofuranosides. Moreover, a novel feruloylated 4-nitrocatechol-1-yl-substituted butanetriol analog, containing a cleavable hydroxylated linker, was also synthesized in 32% overall yield in 3 steps (convergent synthesis). The latter route combined the regioselective functionalization of 4-nitrocatechol and enzymatic transferuloylation. The use of this strategy to characterize type A feruloyl esterase from Aspergillus niger reveals the advantages of this substrate for the characterizations of feruloyl esterases.

Synthesis of substrates for periodate-coupled assay of phospholipases C and sphingomyelinases

A series of 4-nitrophenyl (pNP) and 4-methylumbelliferyl (4MU) substrate analogues of phosphatidyl choline (PC) and phosphatidic acid (PA) were synthesized from 4-bromo-1-butene by ether formation, olefin epoxidation and ring opening with the phosphate head group. The pNP PC analogue, 4-(4-nitrophenoxy)-2-hydroxy-butyl-1-phosphoryl choline (1) was evaluated in assays of fungal sphingomyelinases, also displaying phospholipase C activity. Reactions were terminated with a periodate-containing stop solution, leading to liberation of pNP, quantified spectrophotometrically in an end-point measurement. A kinetic evaluation of sphingomyelinases from Kionochaeta sp. and Penicillium emersonii showed relatively high KM and low kcat values for this substrate, limiting its practical applicability in assays with low sphingomyelinase concentrations.

An improved preparation of some aryl α-l-arabinofuranosides for use as chromogenic substrates for α-l-arabinofuranosidases

A short, robust, and expedient synthesis of various aryl α-l-arabinofuranosides using a trichloroacetimidate precursor is described. The procedure is compatible with a range of phenols with varying pKa values and may be amenable for preparing a wide range of other glycosides.

White biotechnology: State of the art strategies for the development of biocatalysts for biorefining

White biotechnology is a term that is now often used to describe the implementation of biotechnology in the industrial sphere. Biocatalysts (enzymes and microorganisms) are the key tools of white biotechnology, which is considered to be one of the key technological drivers for the growing bioeconomy. Biocatalysts are already present in sectors such as the chemical and agro-food industries, and are used to manufacture products as diverse as antibiotics, paper pulp, bread or advanced polymers. This review proposes an original and global overview of highly complementary fields of biotechnology at both enzyme and microorganism level. A certain number of state of the art approaches that are now being used to improve the industrial fitness of biocatalysts particularly focused on the biorefinery sector are presented. The first part deals with the technologies that underpin the development of industrial biocatalysts, notably the discovery of new enzymes and enzyme improvement using directed evolution techniques. The second part describes the toolbox available by the cell engineer to shape the metabolism of microorganisms. And finally the last part focuses on the 'omic' technologies that are vital for understanding and guide microbial engineering toward more efficient microbial biocatalysts. Altogether, these techniques and strategies will undoubtedly help to achieve the challenging task of developing consolidated bioprocessing (i.e. CBP) readily available for industrial purpose.