Efficient chito-oligosaccharide utilization requires two TonB-dependent transporters and one hexosaminidase in Cellvibrio japonicus

Chitin utilization by microbes plays a significant role in biosphere carbon and nitrogen cycling, and studying the microbial approaches used to degrade chitin will facilitate our understanding of bacterial strategies to degrade a broad range of recalcitrant polysaccharides. The early stages of chitin depolymerization by the bacterium Cellvibrio japonicus have been characterized and are dependent on one chitin-specific lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase and nonredundant glycoside hydrolases from the family GH18 to generate chito-oligosaccharides for entry into metabolism. Here, we describe the mechanisms for the latter stages of chitin utilization by C. japonicus with an emphasis on the fate of chito-oligosaccharides. Our systems biology approach combined transcriptomics and bacterial genetics using ecologically relevant substrates to determine the essential mechanisms for chito-oligosaccharide transport and catabolism in C. japonicus. Using RNAseq analysis we found a coordinated expression of genes that encode polysaccharide-degrading enzymes. Mutational analysis determined that the hex20B gene product, predicted to encode a hexosaminidase, was required for efficient utilization of chito-oligosaccharides. Furthermore, two gene loci (CJA_0353 and CJA_1157), which encode putative TonB-dependent transporters, were also essential for chito-oligosaccharides utilization. This study further develops our model of C. japonicus chitin metabolism and may be predictive for other environmentally or industrially important bacteria.

Systems analysis of the glycoside hydrolase family 18 enzymes from Cellvibrio japonicus characterizes essential chitin degradation functions

Understanding the strategies used by bacteria to degrade polysaccharides constitutes an invaluable tool for biotechnological applications. Bacteria are major mediators of polysaccharide degradation in nature; however, the complex mechanisms used to detect, degrade, and consume these substrates are not well-understood, especially for recalcitrant polysaccharides such as chitin. It has been previously shown that the model bacterial saprophyte Cellvibrio japonicus is able to catabolize chitin, but little is known about the enzymatic machinery underlying this capability. Previous analyses of the C. japonicus genome and proteome indicated the presence of four glycoside hydrolase family 18 (GH18) enzymes, and studies of the proteome indicated that all are involved in chitin utilization. Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches, we have studied the roles of these four chitinases in chitin bioconversion. Genetic analyses showed that only the chi18D gene product is essential for the degradation of chitin substrates. Biochemical characterization of the four enzymes showed functional differences and synergistic effects during chitin degradation, indicating non-redundant roles in the cell. Transcriptomic studies revealed complex regulation of the chitin degradation machinery of C. japonicus and confirmed the importance of CjChi18D and CjLPMO10A, a previously characterized chitin-active enzyme. With this systems biology approach, we deciphered the physiological relevance of the glycoside hydrolase family 18 enzymes for chitin degradation in C. japonicus, and the combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches provided a comprehensive understanding of the initial stages of chitin degradation by this bacterium.

Ion and pH effect on the lower critical solution temperature phase behavior in neutral and acidic poly(organophosphazene) counterparts

Ion and pH effects on the phase transition behaviors are studied with a series of thermosensitive neutral and acidic poly(organophosphazene) counterparts. Poly(organophosphazenes) are substituted by hydrophobic L-isoleucine ethyl ester (IleOEt) and hydrophilic alpha-amino-omega-methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol) 550 Da (PEG550) together with a relatively small amount of glycylglycine ally ester (GlyGlyOALL). After deprotection, GlyGlyOALL changes into glycylglycine (GlyGlyOH), and neutral GlyGlyOALL and acidic GlyGlyOH polymers with same substituent ratios are compared as counterparts. All the synthesized poly(organophosphazenes) in this work exhibit lower critical solution temperature (LCST) for which sequential phase transitions are suggested: (i) homogeneous solution, (ii) homogeneous gel, (iii) heterogeneous gel, to (iv) heterogeneous solution as hydrophobicity increases either driven by temperature or substituent composition. Ions act on the hydrophobicity modification of the polymers where the polymers with lower hydrophobic/hydrophilic ratios are more sensitively salted-out by NaCl, while those with higher ratios are more effectively salted-in by NaI. At higher concentration of the added ions, the acid group effect on the cloud point becomes deactivated. Meanwhile, because of the conflicting role of amine and carboxylic acid in pH-responsiveness, neutral and acidic polymer counterparts exhibit opposite tendencies in the cloud points. Systematically controlled responsiveness to temperature, ion, and pH changes are created in random amphiphilic graft copolymers, poly(organophosphazenes). The results highlight the importance of the cooperative function of the dominant components in the poly(organophosphazenes) and also expand the general understanding in designing stimuli-responsive smart materials especially useful for various biomedical applications.