Engineering the l-Arabinose Isomerase from Enterococcus Faecium for d-Tagatose Synthesis

Alternative Heterologous Expression of L-Arabinose Isomerase from Enterococcus faecium DBFIQ E36 By Residual Whey Lactose Induction

This study reports an alternative strategy for the expression of a recombinant L-AI from Enterococcus faecium DBFIQ E36 by auto-induction using glucose and glycerol as carbon sources and residual whey lactose as inducer agent. Commercial lactose and isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) were also evaluated as inducers for comparison of enzyme expression levels. The enzymatic extracts were purified by affinity chromatography, characterized, and applied in the bioconversion of D-galactose into D-tagatose. L-AI presented a catalytic activity of 1.67 ± 0.14, 1.52 ± 0.01, and 0.7 ± 0.04 U/mL, when expressed using commercial lactose, lactose from whey, and IPTG, respectively. Higher activities could be obtained by changing the protocol of enzyme extraction and, for instance, the enzymatic extract produced with whey presented a catalytic activity of 3.8 U/mL. The specific activity of the enzyme extracts produced using lactose (commercial or residual whey) after enzyme purification was also higher when compared to the enzyme expressed with IPTG. Best results were achieved when enzyme expression was conducted using 4 g/L of residual whey lactose for 11 h. These results proved the efficacy of an alternative and economic protocol for the effective expression of a recombinant L-AI aiming its high-scale production.

Exploring a Highly D-Galactose Specific L-Arabinose Isomerase From Bifidobacterium adolescentis for D-Tagatose Production

D-Galactose-specific L-arabinose isomerase (L-AI) would have much potential for the enzymatic conversion of D-Galactose into D-tagatose, while most of the reported L-AIs are L-arabinose specific. This study explored a highly D-Galactose-specific L-AI from Bifidobacterium adolescentis (BAAI) for the production of D-tagatose. In the comparative protein-substrate docking for D-Galactose and L-arabinose, BAAI showed higher numbers of hydrogen bonds in D-Galactose-BAAI bonding site than those found in L-arabinose-BAAI bonding site. The activity of BAAI was 24.47 U/mg, and it showed good stability at temperatures up to 65°C and a pH range 6.0–7.5. The K_m, V_max, and K_cat/K_m of BAAI were found to be 22.4 mM, 489 U/mg and 9.3 mM^–1 min^–1, respectively for D-Galactose, while the respective values for L-arabinose were 40.2 mM, 275.1 U/mg, and 8.6 mM^–1 min^–1. Enzymatic conversion of D-Galactose into D-tagatose by BAAI showed 56.7% conversion efficiency at 55°C and pH 6.5 after 10 h.

Preparation of CLEAs and magnetic CLEAs of a recombinant l-arabinose isomerase for d-tagatose synthesis

The insolubilization of a recombinant l-arabinose isomerase (l-AI) from Enterococcus faecium by cross-linked enzyme aggregates (CLEA) was investigated, aiming the biochemical production of d-tagatose from d-galactose. d-tagatose is a functional sweetener that has many health benefits, sweetening properties and lower calorific value. Different precipitants (ammonium sulfate, ethanol, acetone, polyethylene glycol 4000) were used in the first step of the protocol, in order to establish the precipitation conditions, and the best results of yield and activity were achieved with ammonium sulfate. In order to facilitate the recovery of the biocatalyst, a new strategy for immobilization of the multimeric enzyme l-arabinose isomerase was proposed. Magnetic cross-linked enzyme aggregates (m-CLEA) were obtained using ammonium sulfate as precipitant and magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) functionalized with APTES (3- Aminopropyltriethoxysilane). Another immobilization strategy was to immobilize the enzyme onto MNP-APTES, as a control. The best results were achieved when the m-CLEA was produced with 20 mg of MNP, 7.69 U. g^-1 of enzymatic activity, 7.61 % of recovered activity, 99 % of yield of immobilization. On the other hand, the enzyme immobilized onto MNP-APTES, presented only 2.12 U. g^-1 of enzymatic activity, 32.3 % of recovered activity, and 15 % of yield of immobilization.

Characterization of a D-lyxose isomerase from Bacillus velezensis and its application for the production of D-mannose and L-ribose

D-Mannose and L-ribose are two important monosaccharides, which have attracted public attention recently because of their great application potentials in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Sugar isomerases catalyze the sugar isomerization and therefore can be used as the biocatalysts for production of the high-value sugars from inexpensive sugars. L-arabinose isomerase catalyzes the conversion of L-arabinose to L-ribulose, while D-lyxose isomerase catalyzes L-ribulose and D-fructose to L-ribose and D-mannose, respectively. In this paper, a putative D-LI from Bacillus velezensis (BvLI) was identified, characterized and used to produce D-mannose and L-ribose from D-fructose and L-arabinose, respectively. The recombinant BvLI exhibited a maximum activity at 55 °C and pH 6.5, in the presence of 0.1 mM Co²⁺. Approximately 110.75 g/L D-mannose was obtained from 500 g/L D-fructose in 6 h by the recombinant BvLI, and approximately 105 g/L L-ribose was obtained from 500 g/L L-arabinose in 8 h by the successive biocatalysis of L-arabinose isomerase from Bacillus licheniformis (BlAI) and BvLI.

Biochemical Characterization of Heat-Tolerant Recombinant L-Arabinose Isomerase from Enterococcus faecium DBFIQ E36 Strain with Feasible Applications in D-Tagatose Production

D-Tagatose is a ketohexose, which presents unique properties as a low-calorie functional sweetener possessing a sweet flavor profile similar to D-sucrose and having no aftertaste. Considered a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substance by FAO/WHO, D-tagatose can be used as an intermediate for the synthesis of other optically active compounds as well as an additive in detergent, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical formulations. This study reports important features for L-arabinose isomerase (EC 5.3.1.4) (L-AI) use in industry. We describe arabinose (araA) gene virulence analysis, gene isolation, sequencing, cloning, and heterologous overexpression of L-AI from the food-grade GRAS bacterium Enterococcus faecium DBFIQ E36 in Escherichia coli and assess biochemical properties of this recombinant enzyme. Recombinant L-AI (rL-AI) was one-step purified to homogeneity by Ni²⁺-agarose resin affinity chromatography and biochemical characterization revealed low identity with both thermophilic and mesophilic L-AIs but high degree of conservation in residues involved in substrate recognition. Optimal conditions for rL-AI activity were 50 °C, pH 5.5, and 0.3 mM Mn²⁺, exhibiting a low cofactor concentration requirement and an acidic optimum pH. Half-life at 45 °C and 50 °C were 1427 h and 11 h, respectively, and 21.5 h and 39.5 h at pH 4.5 and 5.6, respectively, showing the high stability of the enzyme in the presence of a metallic cofactor. Bioconversion yield for D-tagatose biosynthesis was 45% at 50 °C after 48 h. These properties highlight the technological potential of E. faecium rL-AI as biocatalyst for D-tagatose production.

One-Step Immobilization and Stabilization of a Recombinant Enterococcus faecium DBFIQ E36 L-Arabinose Isomerase for D-Tagatose Synthesis

A recombinant L-arabinose isomerase from Enterococcus faecium DBFIQ E36 was immobilized onto multifunctional epoxide supports by chemical adsorption and onto a chelate-activated support via polyhistidine-tag, located on the N-terminal (N-His-L-AI) or on the C-terminal (C-His-L-AI) sequence, followed by covalent bonding between the enzyme and the support. The results were compared to reversible L-AI immobilization by adsorption onto charged agarose supports with improved stability. All the derivatives presented immobilization yields of above 75%. The ionic interaction established between agarose gels containing monoaminoethyl-N-aminoethyl structures (MANAE) and the enzyme was the most suitable strategy for L-AI immobilization in comparison to the chelate-activated agarose. In addition, the immobilized biocatalysts by ionic interaction in MANAE showed to be the most stable, retaining up to 100% of enzyme activity for 60 min at 60 °C and with K_m values of 28 and 218 mM for MANAE-N-His-L-AI and MANAE-C-His-L-AI, respectively.