Characterization of a GH20 β-N-Acetylhexosaminidase from Flavobacterium algicola Suitable to Synthesize Lacto-N-triose II

β-N-Acetylhexosaminidases have attracted much attention in the enzymatic synthesis of lacto-N-triose II (LNT2) as a backbone precursor of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). In this study, a novel glycoside hydrolase (GH) 20 family β-N-acetylhexosaminidase, FlaNag2353, from Flavobacterium algicola was biochemically characterized and applied to synthesize LNT2. FlaNag2353 displayed optimal activity to p-nitrophenyl N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminide (pNP-GlcNAc) at 40 °C and pH 8.0. In addition to its excellent hydrolysis activity toward pNP-GlcNAc and chitooligosaccharides, FlaNag2353 showed trans-glycosylation activity. Under conditions of pH 9.0 and 55 °C for 2 h and utilizing 200 mM lactose and 10 mM pNP-GlcNAc, FlaNag2353 synthesized LNT2 with a conversion ratio of 4.15% calculated from pNP-GlcNAc. Moreover, when applied to LNT2 synthesis with 10 mM pNP-GlcNAc and 9.7% (w/v) industrial waste whey powder, FlaNag2353 achieved a conversion ratio of 2.39%. This study has significant implications for broadening the applications of GH20 β-N-acetylhexosaminidases and promoting the high-value utilization of whey powder.

Chimeric versus isolated proteins: Biochemical characterization of the NADP+-dependent formate dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas sp. 101 fused with the Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase from Thermobifida fusca

The expression of multifunctional proteins can facilitate the setup of a biotechnology process that requires multiple functions absolved by different proteins. Herein the functional and conformational characterization of a formate dehydrogenase-monooxygenase chimera enzyme is presented. The fused enzyme (FDH-PAMO) was prepared by linking the C-terminus of the mutant NADP+-dependent formate dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas sp. 101 (FDH) to the N-terminus of the NADPH-dependent monooxygenase from Thermobifida fusca (PAMO) through a peptide linker of 9 amino acids (ASGGGGSGT) generating a chimera protein of 107,056 Da. The catalytic properties (e.g., kinetic parameters kcat and Km), stability, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectra showed that the so-obtained chimera enzyme FDH-PAMO retains the same functional and conformational properties of the two parental enzymes. Furthermore, SEC chromatographic analysis indicated that, in solution (pH 7.4), FDH-PAMO assembles to tetramers (up to 4.2 %) due to the propensity of FDH and PAMO to form dimers, up to 96.6 % and 6.2 %, respectively. This study provides valuable insights into the structural stability of a thermostable protein (e.g., PAMO) after increasing its size through fusion with another similarly sized thermostable protein (e.g., FDH).

Structure-based mining of a chitosanase with distinctive degradation mode and product specificity

Chitosan derivates with varying degrees of polymerization (DP) have attracted great concern due to their excellent biological activities. Increasing the abundance of chitosanases with different degradation modes contributes to revealing their catalytic mechanisms and facilitating the production of chitosan derivates. However, the identification of endo-chitosanases capable of producing chitobiose and D-glucosamine (GlcN) from chitosan substrates has remained elusive. Herein, an endo-chitosanase (CsnCA) belonging to the GH46 family was identified based on structural analysis in phylogenetic evolution. Moreover, we demonstrate that CsnCA acts in a random endo-acting manner, producing chitosan derivatives with DP ≤ 2. The in-depth analysis of CsnCA revealed that (GlcN)3 serves as the minimal substrate, undergoing cleavage in the mode that occupies the subsites - 2 to + 1, resulting in the release of GlcN. This study succeeded in discovering a chitosanase with distinctive degradation modes, which could facilitate the mechanistic understanding of chitosanases, further empowering the production of chitosan derivates with specific DP. KEY POINTS: • Structural docking and evolutionary analysis guide to mining the chitosanase. • The endo-chitosanase exhibits a unique GlcN-producing cleavage pattern. • The cleavage direction of chitosanase to produce GlcN was identified.

Detection, production, modification, and application of arylsulfatases

Arylsulfatase is a subset of sulfatase which catalyzes the hydrolysis of aryl sulfate ester. Arylsulfatase is widely distributed among microorganisms, mammals and green algae, but the arylsulfatase-encoding gene has not yet been found in the genomes of higher plants so far. Arylsulfatase plays an important role in the sulfur flows between nature and organisms. In this review, we present the maturation and catalytic mechanism of arylsulfatase, and the recent literature on the expression and production of arylsulfatase in wild-type and engineered microorganisms, as well as the modification of arylsulfatase by genetic engineering are summarized. We focus on arylsulfatases from microbial origin and give an overview of different assays and substrates used to determine the arylsulfatase activity. Furthermore, the researches about arylsulfatase application on the field of agar desulfation, soil sulfur cycle and soil evaluation are also discussed. Finally, the perspectives concerning the future research on arylsulfatase are prospected.

Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of Hydantoin-Based Universal Peptidomimetics

The synthesis of a collection of enantiomerically pure, systematically substituted hydantoins as structural privileged universal mimetic scaffolds is presented. It relies on a chemoselective condensation/cyclization domino process between isocyanates of quaternary or unsubstituted α-amino esters and N-alkyl aspartic acid diesters followed by standard hydrolysis/coupling reactions with amines, using liquid-liquid acid/base extraction protocols for the purification of the intermediates. Besides the nature of the α carbon on the isocyanate moiety, either a quaternary carbon or a more flexible methylene group, conformational studies in silico (molecular modeling), in solution (NMR, circular dichroism (CD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)), and in solid state (X-ray) showed that the presented hydantoin-based peptidomimetics are able to project their substituents in positions superimposable to the side chains of common protein secondary structures such as α-helix and β-turn, being the open α-helix conformation slightly favorable according to molecular modeling, while the closed β-turn conformation preferred in solution and in solid state.

Expanding the application range of the κ‑carrageenase OUC-FaKC16A when preparing oligosaccharides from κ-carrageenan and furcellaran

Carrageenan oligosaccharides are important products that have demonstrated numerous bioactivities useful in the food, medicine, and cosmetics industries. However, the specific structure-function relationships of carrageenan oligosaccharides are not clearly described due to the deficiency of high specific carrageenases. Here, a truncated mutant OUC-FaKC16Q based on the reported κ-neocarratetrose (Nκ4)-producing κ-carrageenase OUC-FaKC16A from Flavobacterium algicola was constructed and further studied. After truncating the C-terminal Por_Secre_tail (PorS) domain (responsible for substrate binding), the catalytic efficiency and temperature stability decreased to a certain extent. Surprisingly, this truncation also enabled OUC-FaKC16Q to hydrolyze Nκ4 into κ-neocarrabiose (Nκ2). The offset of Arg265 residue in OUC-FaKC16Q may explain this change. Moreover, the high catalytic abilities, the main products, and the degradation modes of OUC-FaKC16A and OUC-FaKC16Q toward furcellaran were also demonstrated. Data suggested OUC-FaKC16A and OUC-FaKC16Q could hydrolyze furcellaran to produce mainly the desulfated oligosaccharides DA-G-(DA-G4S)2 and DA-G-DA-G4S, respectively. As a result, the spectrum of products of κ-carrageenase OUC-FaKC16A has been fully expanded in this study, indicating its promising potential for application in the biomanufacturing of carrageenan oligosaccharides with specific structures.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-023-00181-2.

Response of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to alginate oligosaccharides fermented with fecal inoculum: integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses

Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS), extracted from marine brown algae, are a common functional feed additive; however, it remains unclear whether they modulate the gut microbiota and microbial metabolites. The response of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, a common poultry pathogen, to AOS fermented with chicken fecal inocula was investigated using metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses. Single-strain cultivation tests showed that AOS did not directly inhibit the growth of S. Typhimurium. However, when AOS were fermented by chicken fecal microbiota, the supernatant of fermented AOS (F-AOS) exhibited remarkable antibacterial activity against S. Typhimurium, decreasing the abundance ratio of S. Typhimurium in the fecal microbiota from 18.94 to 2.94%. Transcriptomic analyses showed that the 855 differentially expressed genes induced by F-AOS were mainly enriched in porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and Salmonella infection-related pathways. RT-qPCR confirmed that F-AOS downregulated key genes involved in flagellar assembly and the type III secretory system of S. Typhimurium, indicating metabolites in F-AOS can influence the growth and metabolism of S. Typhimurium. Metabolomic analyses showed that 205 microbial metabolites were significantly altered in F-AOS. Among them, the increase in indolelactic acid and 3-indolepropionic acid levels were further confirmed using HPLC. This study provides a new perspective for the application of AOS as a feed additive against pathogenic intestinal bacteria.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-023-00176-z.

A novel microbial-derived family 19 endochitinase with exochitinase activity and its immobilization

A novel chitinase gene of 888 bp from Streptomyces bacillaris was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The purified recombinant enzyme (SbChiAJ103) was identified as the first microbial-derived family 19 endochitinase that showed exochitinase activity. SbChiAJ103 exhibited the substrate preference for N-acetylchitooligosaccharides with even degrees of polymerization and the capability to specifically hydrolyze colloidal chitin into (GlcNAc)₂. Mono-methyl adipate was employed as a novel linker for the efficient covalent immobilization of chitinase on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The immobilized SbChiAJ103, SbChiAJ103@MNPs, exhibited superior pH tolerance, temperature stability, and storage stability than free SbChiAJ103. Even after incubation at 45 °C for 24 h, SbChiAJ103@MNPs could retain more than 60.0% initial activity. As a result, the enzymatic hydrolysis yield of SbChiAJ103@MNPs increased to 1.58 times that of free SbChiAJ103. Moreover, SbChiAJ103@MNPs could be reused by convenient magnetic separation. After 10 recycles, SbChiAJ103@MNPs could retain almost 80.0% of its initial activity. The immobilization of the novel chitinase SbChiAJ103 paves the way to the efficient and eco-friendly commercial production of (GlcNAc)₂. KEY POINTS: • The first microbial GH19 endochitinase with exochitinase activity was reported. • Mono-methyl adipate was first employed to immobilize chitinase. • SbChiAJ103@MNPs showed excellent pH stability, thermal stability, and reusability.

Recent developments in the production and utilization of photosynthetic microorganisms for food applications

The growing use of photosynthetic microorganisms for food and food-related applications is driving related biotechnology research forward. Increasing consumer acceptance, high sustainability, demand of eco-friendly sources for food, and considerable global economic concern are among the main factors to enhance the focus on the novel foods. In the cases of not toxic strains, photosynthetic microorganisms not only provide a source of sustainable nutrients but are also potentially healthy. Several published studies showed that microalgae are sources of accessible protein and fatty acids. More than 400 manuscripts were published per year in the last 4 years. Furthermore, industrial approaches utilizing these microorganisms are resulting in new jobs and services. This is in line with the global strategy for bioeconomy that aims to support sustainable development of bio-based sectors. Despite the recognized potential of the microalgal biomass value chain, significant knowledge gaps still exist especially regarding their optimized production and utilization. This review highlights the potential of microalgae and cyanobacteria for food and food-related applications as well as their market size. The chosen topics also include advanced production as mixed microbial communities, production of high-value biomolecules, photoproduction of terpenoid flavoring compounds, their utilization for sustainable agriculture, application as source of nutrients in space, and a comparison with heterotrophic microorganisms like yeast to better evaluate their advantages over existing nutrient sources. This comprehensive assessment should stimulate further interest in this highly relevant research topic.

Advances in enzyme biocatalysis for the preparation of functional lipids

Functional lipids, mainly ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA; 22:6n-3), are known to have a variety of health benefits. Lipases and phospholipases are widely used to prepare different forms of structured lipids, since biocatalytic methods can be carried out under mild conditions, preserving the quality of the products. On the other hand, many processes still are conducted at high temperatures and with organic solvents, which are conditions unfavorable for the production of nutritional products. This article gives an updated overview of enzyme biocatalysis methods for the preparation of different derivatives containing n-3 PUFAs, including specific reactions, enzyme immobilization research for high-efficiency catalysis, and enzyme engineering technologies (higher selectivity, stability, and activity). Furthermore, advanced control strategies of biocatalytic processes and reactors are presented. The future prospect and opportunities for marine functional lipids are also discussed. Therefore, the obtainment of enzymes endowed with superior properties and the development of optimized processes, still have to be pursued to achieve greener bio-catalyzed processes.

Effects of intestinal microbiota on physiological metabolism and pathogenicity of Vibrio

Vibrio species are disseminated broadly in the marine environment. Some of them can cause severe gastroenteritis by contaminating seafood and drinking water, such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio cholerae, and Vibrio vulnificus. However, their pathogenic mechanism still needs to be revealed to prevent and reduce morbidity. This review comprehensively introduces and discusses the common pathogenic process of Vibrio including adhesion, cell colonization and proliferation, and resistance to host immunity. Vibrio usually produces pathogenic factors including hemolysin, type-III secretion system, and adhesion proteins. Quorum sensing, a cell molecular communication system between the bacterial cells, plays an important role in Vibrio intestinal invasion and colonization. The human immune system can limit the virulence of Vibrio or even kill the bacteria through different responses. The intestinal microbiota is a key component of the immune system, but information on its effects on physiological metabolism and pathogenicity of Vibrio is seldom available. In this review, the effects of intestinal microorganisms and their metabolites on the invasion and colonization of common pathogenic Vibrio and VBNC status cells are discussed, which is conducive to finding the next-generation prebiotics. The strategy of dietary intervention is discussed for food safety control. Finally, future perspectives are proposed to prevent Vibrio infection in aquaculture.

Chiral Fibers Formation Upon Assembly of Tetraphenylalanine Peptide Conjugated to a PNA Dimer

Self‐assembly of biomolecules such as peptides, nucleic acids or their analogues affords supramolecular objects, exhibiting structures and physical properties dependent on the amino‐acid or nucleobase composition. Conjugation of the peptide diphenylalanine (FF) to peptide nucleic acids triggers formation of self‐assembled structures, mainly stabilized by interactions between FF. In this work we report formation of homogeneous chiral fibers upon self‐assembly of the hybrid composed of the tetraphenylalanine peptide (4F) conjugated to the PNA dimer adenine‐thymine (at). In this case nucleobases seem to play a key role in determining the morphology and chirality of the fibers. When the PNA “at” is replaced by guanine‐cytosine dimer “gc”, disordered structures are observed. Spectroscopic characterization of the self‐assembled hybrids, along with AFM and SEM studies is reported. Finally, a structural model consistent with the experimental evidence has also been obtained, showing how the building blocks of 4Fat arrange to give helical fibers.

Application of enzymes as a feed additive in aquaculture

Modern aquaculture must be sustainable in terms of energy consumption, raw materials used, and environmental impact, so alternatives are needed to replace fish feed with other raw materials. Enzyme use in the agri-food industry is based on their efficiency, safety, and protection of the environment, which aligns with the requirements of a resource-saving production system. Enzyme supplementation in fish feed can improve digestibility and absorption of both plant- and animal-derived ingredients, increasing the growth parameters of aquacultural animals. Herein we summarized the recent literature that reported the use of digestive enzymes (amylases, lipases, proteases, cellulases, and hemicellulases) and non-digestive enzymes (phytases, glucose oxidase, and lysozyme) in fish feed. In addition, we analyzed how critical steps of the pelleting process, including microencapsulation and immobilization, can interfere with enzyme activity in the final fish feed product.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-022-00128-z.

Construction of a Super-Folder Fluorescent Protein-Guided Secretory Expression System for the Production of Phospholipase D in Bacillus subtilis

Phospholipids (PLs) are one of the main ingredients in food and nutraceutical, cosmetics, agriculture, and pharmaceutical products. Phospholipase D (PLD) is a crucial enzyme for the biocatalytic synthesis or modification of PLs. Here, to prepare PLD more efficiently, we constructed a PLD expression and secretion system in Bacillus subtilis and developed an environmentally friendly reaction system. A nonclassical secretory pathway where a super-folder green fluorescent protein plays as an N-terminal guide protein was introduced. This expression system can not only achieve rapid screening of high-level expression strains but can also achieve the secretion of the target proteins. Under optimal fermentation conditions, the enzyme activity of the culture medium was 0.35 U/mL, which was 2.05-fold that of the Sec secretion pathway strains. Meanwhile, the effects of several organic solvents in the biphasic reaction media were compared. The results showed that when using cyclopentyl methyl ether as the organic phase, the final conversion rate reached 96.9%. It has shown good application potential in the synthesis of phosphatidylserine, laid the foundation for the synthesis and application of other rare and high-value PLs, and provided a reference for the production of other biocatalysts.

Biochemical characterization of two β-N-acetylglucosaminidases from Streptomyces violascens for efficient production of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine

Chitin, one of the most abundant renewable biopolymers on Earth, is commercially available from crustacean wastes. One critical step in converting chitin to high-value products is its degradation by chitinolytic enzymes to N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc), which plays a significant role in functional food and pharmaceutical industries. Here, we cloned and biochemically characterized two novel β-N-acetylglucosaminidases named SvNag2557 (family-84) and SvNag4755 (family-3) from Streptomyces violascens ATCC 27968. Both SvNag2557 and SvNag4755 exhibited strict substrate specificity toward N-acetyl chitooligosaccharides with GlcNAc as the sole product. Thus, a one-pot production for pure GlcNAc from chitin by an enzyme cocktail reaction was further developed. Under the co-action of an endo-type chitinase SaChiA4 and SvNag2557 (mass ratio 1:2), the final conversion rates of colloidal chitin and ionic liquid pretreated chitin to GlcNAc were 80.2% and 73.8% with GlcNAc purities of 99.7% and 96.8%, respectively.

Biochemical and molecular changes of the zosteric acid-treated Escherichia coli biofilm on a mineral surface

Purpose

The main goal of the present work was to assess the effectiveness of zosteric acid (ZA) in hindering Escherichia coli biofilm formation on a mineral surface.

Methods

Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) flow system was used to probe in situ the biochemical changes induced by ZA on E. coli sessile cells growing on the zinc selenide ATR plate. Comparative proteome analysis was conducted on the sessile cells to better understand the principal molecular changes that occur on ZA-treated biofilms.

Results

The ZA treatment modified the kinetics of the biofilm development. After the ZA exposure, dramatic changes in the carbohydrates, proteins, and DNA profiles were observed over time in the ATR-FTIR spectra. These results were translated into the physiological effects such as the reduction of both the biomass and the EPS contents, the inhibition of the biofilm growth, and the promotion of the detachment. In E. coli sessile cells, the comparative proteome analysis revealed that, while the stress responses were upregulated, the pathways belonging to the DNA replication and repair were downregulated in the ZA-treated biofilms.

Conclusions

The ZA reduced the binding capability of E. coli cells onto the ZnSe crystal, hindering the firm adhesion and the subsequent biofilm development on a mineral surface. The variation of the protein patterns indicated that the ZA acted as a stress factor on the sessile cells that seemed to discourage biomass proliferation, consequently decreasing the surface colonization.

Visible-light-driven CO2 reduction to formate with a system of water-soluble zinc porphyrin and formate dehydrogenase in ionic liquid/aqueous media

Visible-light-driven CO₂ reduction to formate with a system consisting of water-soluble zinc tetraphenylporphyrin tetrasulfonate (ZnTPPS), formate dehydrogenase from Candida boidinii (CbFDH) and methylviologen (MV) in the presence of triethanolamine (TEOA) as an electron donor in an ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethyl phosphate ([EMlm][Me₂PO₄])/aqueous media was investigated. The catalytic activity of CbFDH for formate oxidation to CO₂ and CO₂ reduction to formate did not decrease significantly even in [EMlm][Me₂PO₄]/aqueous media, compared with that in aqueous media. The visible-light-driven MV reduction by the photosensitization of ZnTPPS in [EMlm][Me₂PO₄]/aqueous media proceeds more efficiently than in the aqueous media system. In the visible-light-driven CO₂ reduction to formate system of ZnTPPS, MV and CbFDH with [EMlm][Me₂PO₄]/aqueous media, moreover, the formate production concentration after 180 min decreased by only 20% as compared with the system in aqueous media.

Functional Lipids in Autoimmune Inflammatory Diseases

Lipids are apolar small molecules known not only as components of cell membranes but also, in recent literature, as modulators of different biological functions. Herein, we focused on the bioactive lipids that can influence the immune responses and inflammatory processes regulating vascular hyperreactivity, pain, leukocyte trafficking, and clearance. In the case of excessive pro-inflammatory lipid activity, these lipids also contribute to the transition from acute to chronic inflammation. Based on their biochemical function, these lipids can be divided into different families, including eicosanoids, specialized pro-resolving mediators, lysoglycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and endocannabinoids. These bioactive lipids are involved in all phases of the inflammatory process and the pathophysiology of different chronic autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type-1 diabetes, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Cargo-Compatible Encapsulation in Virus-Based Nanoparticles

Molecule encapsulation in virus-based nanoparticles (VNPs) is an emerging bioinspired way to design novel functional nanostructures and devices. Here, we report a general cargo-compatible approach to encapsulate guest materials based on the apparent critical assembly concentration (CAC_app) of VNPs. Different from the conventional buffer-exchange method, the new method drives the reassembly of VNPs to encapsulate cargoes by simply concentrating an adequately diluted mixture of VNP building blocks and cargoes to a concentration above the CAC_app. This method has been proved to work well on different types of cargoes (including inorganic nanoparticles and proteins) and VNPs. The major advantage of this method is that it can maximally preserve cargo stability and activity by providing the freedom to choose cargo-friendly buffer conditions throughout the encapsulation process. This method would benefit the realization of the potentials of VNPs and other protein nanocages as nanomaterials in diverse fields of nanotechnology.

α-Chymotrypsin Immobilized on a Low-Density Polyethylene Surface Successfully Weakens Escherichia coli Biofilm Formation

The protease α-chymotrypsin (α-CT) was covalently immobilized on a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) surface, providing a new non-leaching material (LDPE-α-CT) able to preserve surfaces from biofilm growth over a long working timescale. The immobilized enzyme showed a transesterification activity of 1.24 nmol/h, confirming that the immobilization protocol did not negatively affect α-CT activity. Plate count viability assays, as well as confocal laser scanner microscopy (CLSM) analysis, showed that LDPE-α-CT significantly impacts Escherichia coli biofilm formation by (i) reducing the number of adhered cells (-70.7 ± 5.0%); (ii) significantly affecting biofilm thickness (-81.8 ± 16.7%), roughness (-13.8 ± 2.8%), substratum coverage (-63.1 ± 1.8%), and surface to bio-volume ratio (+7.1 ± 0.2-fold); and (iii) decreasing the matrix polysaccharide bio-volume (80.2 ± 23.2%). Additionally, CLSM images showed a destabilized biofilm with many cells dispersing from it. Notably, biofilm stained for live and dead cells confirmed that the reduction in the biomass was achieved by a mechanism that did not affect bacterial viability, reducing the chances for the evolution of resistant strains.

Identification of a Novel Esterase from Marine Environmental Genomic DNA Libraries and Its Application in Production of Free All- trans-Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin is a pigment with various functions. Free astaxanthin is obtained mainly through saponification methods, which could result in many byproducts. Enzymatic methods using lipases have been used in a few cases, while there are no reports on the use of esterases for the production of free astaxanthin. Herein we present the screening and identification of a novel esterase (Est3-14) from a marine mud metagenomic library. Est3-14 is pH-sensitive and keeps good stability in alkaline buffers (residual activity 94%, pH 8.0, 4 °C, and 36 h). Meanwhile, Est3-14 keeps a good stability in the medium temperature condition (residual activity 56.7%, pH 8.0, 40 °C, and 84 h). Est3-14 displayed high hydrolysis activity to prepare free all- trans-astaxanthin in biphasic systems. Furthermore, under optimal conditions (0.5 mL ethanol, 6 mL 0.1 M Tris-HCl buffer, pH 8.0, 0.5% (w/v) H. pluvialis oil, 40 °C), the hydrolytic conversion ratio was 99.3% after 36 h.

Improvement of Aspergillus flavus saponin hydrolase thermal stability and productivity via immobilization on a novel carrier based on sugarcane bagasse

Soyasapogenol B (SB) is known to have many biological activities such as hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, antiviral and anticancer activities. Enzymatic conversion of soyasaponins to SB was carried out using saponin hydrolase (SH) extracted from Aspergillus flavus. The partially purified enzyme was immobilized on different carriers by physical adsorption, covalent binding or entrapment. Among the investigated carriers, Eupergit C and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) activated by DIC and NHS were the most suitable two carriers for immobilization (the immobilized forms recovered 46.5 and 37.1% of the loaded enzyme activity, respectively). Under optimized immobilization conditions, immobilized SH on Eupergit C and on activated SBC recovered 87.7 and 83.3% of its original activity, respectively. Compared to free SH, immobilized SH on Eupergit C and on activated SCB showed higher optimum pH, activation energy, half-lives and lower deactivation constant rate. Also, their SB productivities were improved by 2.3- and 2.2-folds compared to free SH (87.7 and 83.3 vs. 37.5%, respectively). Hence, being SCB more sustainable and an inexpensive material, it can be considered a good alternative to Eupergit C as a support for SH immobilization. SH immobilization on industrially applicable and inexpensive carrier is necessary to improve SB yield and reduce its production cost. The chemical structure of SCB and the resulting cellulose derivatives were studied by ATR-IR spectroscopy. The thermal analysis technique was used to study the chemical treatment of SCB and coupling with the enzyme. This technique confirmed the removal of lignin and hemicellulose by chemical treatment of SCB.

Whole-Cell Biocatalytic Synthesis of Cinnamyl Acetate with a Novel Esterase from the DNA Library of Acinetobacter hemolyticus

Cinnamyl acetate has a wide application in the flavor and fragrance industry because of its sweet, balsamic, and floral odor. Up to now, lipases have been mainly used in enzyme-mediated synthesis of cinnamyl acetate, whereas esterases are used in only a few cases. Moreover, the use of purified enzymes is often a disadvantage, which leads to increases of the production costs. In this paper, a genomic DNA library of Acinetobacter hemolyticus was constructed, and a novel esterase (EstK1) was identified. After expression in Escherichia coli, the whole-cell catalyst of EstK1 displayed high transesterification activity to produce cinnamyl acetate in nonaqueous systems. Furthermore, under optimal conditions (vinyl acetate as acyl donor, isooctane as solvent, molar ratio 1:4, temperature 40 °C), the conversion ratio of cinnamyl alcohol could be up to 94.1% at 1 h, and it reached an even higher level (97.1%) at 2 h.

Coating polypropylene surfaces with protease weakens the adhesion and increases the dispersion of Candida albicans cells

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the ability of the proteases, subtilisin and α-chymotrypsin (aCT), to inhibit the adhesion of Candida albicans biofilm to a polypropylene surface.

RESULTS

The proteases were immobilized on plasma-treated polypropylene by covalently linking them with either glutaraldehyde (GA) or N'-diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The immobilization did not negatively affect the enzyme activity and in the case of subtilisin, the activity was up to 640% higher than that of the free enzyme when using N-acetyl phenylalanine ethyl ester as the substrate. The efficacies against biofilm dispersal for the GA-linked SubC and aCT coatings were 41 and 55% higher than the control (polypropylene coated with only GA), respectively, whereas no effect was observed with enzymes immobilized with DIC and NHS. The higher dispersion efficacy observed for the proteases immobilized with GA could be both steric (proper orientation of the active site) and dynamic (higher protein mobility/flexibility).

CONCLUSIONS

Proteases immobilized on a polypropylene surface reduced the adhesion of C. albicans biofilms and therefore may be useful in developing anti-biofilm surfaces based on non-toxic molecules and sustainable strategies.

Structural and Enzymatic Characterization of ABgp46, a Novel Phage Endolysin with Broad Anti-Gram-Negative Bacterial Activity

The present study demonstrates the antibacterial potential of a phage endolysin against Gram-negative pathogens, particularly against multidrug resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii. We have cloned, heterologously expressed and characterized a novel endolysin (ABgp46) from Acinetobacter phage vb_AbaP_CEB1 and tested its antibacterial activity against several multidrug-resistant A. baumannii strains. LC-MS revealed that ABgp46 is an N-acetylmuramidase, that is also active over a broad pH range (4.0-10.0) and temperatures up to 50°C. Interestingly, ABgp46 has intrinsic and specific anti-A. baumannii activity, reducing multidrug resistant strains by up to 2 logs within 2 h. By combining ABgp46 with several organic acids that act as outer membrane permeabilizing agents, it is possible to increase and broaden antibacterial activity to include other Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. In the presence of citric and malic acid, ABgp46 reduces A. baumannii below the detection limit (>5 log) and more than 4 logs Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium strains. Overall, this globular endolysin exhibits a broad and high activity against Gram-negative pathogens, that can be enhanced in presence of citric and malic acid, and be used in human and veterinary medicine.

Immobilized Hydrolytic Enzymes Exhibit Antibiofilm Activity Against Escherichia coli at Sub-Lethal Concentrations

The effects of two commercially available immobilized enzymes (namely the glycosidase pectinase and the protease subtilisin A) at sub-lethal concentrations were investigated in terms of their influence on biofilm genesis, on the composition of the biofilm matrix, and their antibiotic synergy against Escherichia coli biofilm, used as a model system of bacterial biofilms. The best antibiofilm performance of solid-supported hydrolases was obtained at the surface concentration of 0.022 and 0.095 U/cm(2) with a reduction of 1.2 and 2.3 log CFU/biofilm for pectinase and subtilisin, respectively. At these enzyme surface concentrations, the biocatalysts affected the structural composition of the biofilm matrix, impacting biofilm thickness. Finally, the immobilized hydrolases enhanced biofilm sensitivity to a clinically relevant concentration of the antibiotic ampicillin. At the final antibiotic concentration of 0.1 mg/ml, a reduction of 2 and 3.5 log10 units in presence of 0.022 Upectinase/cm(2) and 0.095 Usubtilisin/cm(2) was obtained, respectively, in comparison the antibiotic alone. Immobilized pectinase and subtilisin at sub-lethal concentrations demonstrated a great potential for antibiofilm applications.

Conformational changes of enzymes upon immobilisation

Protein conformation plays a crucial role in determining both the catalytic efficiency and the chemo-, regio- and enantioselectivity of enzymes, thus eventually influencing their exploitability in biotechnological applications. Inevitably, immobilisation processes alter the natural molecular environment of enzymes, and quite often affect their catalytic activity through different mechanisms such as reduced accessibility of the substrate to the catalytic active centre, loss of the enzyme dynamic properties and alteration of the conformational integrity of the enzyme. This tutorial review outlines first the most common spectroscopic techniques used for investigating the conformation of immobilized proteins, and then examines how protein loading and polar and hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions with the carrier affect the structural and dynamic features of enzymes. The nanoscale-level studies in which protein conformational changes, determined either by experimental approaches or by homology modelling, are correlated with the size and shape of the support are also discussed. Altogether, these results should provide useful information on how supports and/or enzymes have to be tailored to improve biocatalyst performance.

Cigarette smoke induces alterations in the drug-binding properties of human serum albumin

Albumin is the most abundant plasma protein and serves as a transport and depot protein for numerous endogenous and exogenous compounds. Earlier we had shown that cigarette smoke induces carbonylation of human serum albumin (HSA) and alters its redox state. Here, the effect of whole-phase cigarette smoke on HSA ligand-binding properties was evaluated by equilibrium dialysis and size-exclusion HPLC or tryptophan fluorescence. The binding of salicylic acid and naproxen to cigarette smoke-oxidized HSA resulted to be impaired, unlike that of curcumin and genistein, chosen as representative ligands. Binding of the hydrophobic fluorescent probe 4,4'-bis(1-anilino-8-naphtalenesulfonic acid) (bis-ANS), intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence, and susceptibility to enzymatic proteolysis revealed slight changes in albumin conformation. These findings suggest that cigarette smoke-induced modifications of HSA may affect the binding, transport and bioavailability of specific ligands in smokers.

Molecular mechanism of deactivation of C. antarctica lipase B by methanol

The catalytic activity of Candida antarctica lipase B upon alcoholysis of a constant concentration of 15.2% vinyl acetate (vol/vol) and varying concentrations of methanol (0.7-60%) in toluene was determined experimentally by measuring the initial reaction velocity. The molecular mechanism of the deactivation of the enzyme by methanol was investigated by fitting the experimental data to a kinetic model and by molecular dynamics simulations of C. antarctica lipase B in toluene-methanol-water mixtures. The highest catalytic activity (280 U/mg) was observed at methanol concentrations as low as 0.7% methanol (vol/vol), followed by a sharp decrease at higher methanol concentrations. For methanol concentrations above 10% (vol/vol), catalytic activity was at 30% of the maximum activity. A variation of water activity in the range 0.02-0.09 had only minor effects. These experimental observations are described by a simple kinetic model using three assumptions: (1) a ping-pong bi-bi mechanism of the enzyme, (2) competitive inhibition by the substrate methanol, and (3) by describing enzyme kinetics by the thermodynamic activities of the substrates rather than by their concentrations. Two equilibrium constants of methanol (KM,MeOH=0.05 and Ki,MeOH=0.23) were derived by modeling methanol binding to the substrate binding site of the lipase in molecular dynamics simulations of protein-solvent systems at atomic resolution. Thus, the sharp maximum of catalytic activity of C. antarctica lipase B at 0.7% methanol is a direct consequence of the fact that methanol-toluene mixtures are far from ideal. Understanding the thermodynamics of solvent mixtures is prerequisite to a quantitative model of enzymatic activity in organic solvents.

Enzymatic transesterification monitored by an easy-to-use Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy method

Transesterification of triglycerides with short chain alcohols is the key reaction in biodiesel production, in addition to other applications in chemical synthesis. However, it is crucial to optimize reaction conditions to make enzymatic transesterification a cost-effective and competitive process. In this work, a new, easy Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic approach for monitoring the transesterification reaction is reported and compared with a gas-chromatographic method. The concentration of the total methyl esters in the reaction mixture is determined from the peak intensity at ∼1435 cm(-1) in the second derivatives of the FTIR absorption spectra using a linear regression calibration. Interestingly, we found that the use of second derivatives allows an accurate determination of the methyl esters without the interference of free fatty acids. Moreover, information on substrate hydrolysis can be obtained within the same measurement by the infrared absorption at ∼1709 cm(-1) . We applied this approach to monitor methanolysis and hydrolysis reactions catalyzed by different commercial lipases, which displayed different sensitivities to methanol inhibition. Therefore, the FTIR approach reported in this work represents a rapid, inexpensive, and accurate method to monitor enzymatic transesterification, requiring very limited sample preparation and a simple statistical analysis of the spectroscopic data.

Immobilization and Photocurrent Activity of a Light-Harvesting Antenna Complex II, LHCII, Isolated from a Plant on Electrodes

A light-harvesting (LH) antenna complex II, LHCII, isolated from spinach was immobilized onto an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode with dot patterning of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) by utilizing electrostatic interactions between the cationic surface of the electrode and the anionic surface of stromal side of the LHCII polypeptide. Interestingly, the illumination of LHCII assembled onto the ITO electrode produced a photocurrent response that depends on the wavelength of the excitation light. Further, LHCII was immobilized onto a TiO₂ nanostructured film to extend for the development of a dye-sensitized biosolar cell system. The photocurrent measured in the iodide/tri-iodide redox system of an ionic liquid based electrolyte on the TiO₂ system showed remarkable enhancement of the conversion efficiency, as compared to that on the ITO electrode.