Purification and properties of thermostable xylanase and beta-xylosidase produced by a newly isolated Bacillus stearothermophilus strain

We isolated a thermophilic bacterium that produces both xylanase and beta-xylosidase. Based on taxonomical research, this bacterium was identified as Bacillus stearothermophilus. Each extracellular enzyme was separated by hydrophobic chromatography by using a Toyopearl HW-65 column, followed by gel filtration with a Sephacryl S-200 column. Each enzyme in the culture was further purified to homogeneity (62-fold for xylanase and 72-fold for beta-xylosidase) by using a fast protein liquid chromatography system with a Mono Q HR 5/5 column. The optimum temperatures were 60 degrees C for xylanase and 70 degrees C for beta-xylosidase. The isoelectric points and molecular masses were 5.1 and 39.5 kDa for xylanase and 4.2 and 150 kDa for beta-xylosidase, respectively. Heat treatment at 60 degrees C for 1 h did not cause inhibition of the activities of these enzymes. The action of the two enzymes on xylan gave only xylose.

Purification and characterization of an extracellular beta-xylosidase from the rumen anaerobic fungus Neocallimastix frontalis

The purification of beta-xylosidase (beta-D-xyloside xylohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.37) from Neocallimastix frontalis was performed by ammonium sulphate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography, gel filtration and preparative isoelectric focusing. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 180,000 Da, an isoelectric point at pH 4.35 and catalysed the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside optimally at pH 6.5 and 35 degrees C with a Km of 0.33 mg ml-1. The enzymatic activity was strongly increased by the presence of Ca2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, Co2+ or Mg2+ and completely inhibited by Hg2+ and p-chloromercuribenzoate. The purified protein also had a low level of xylanase activity.

Purification and properties of an endo-1,4-xylanase excreted by a hydrolytic thermophilic anaerobe, Clostridium thermolacticum. A proposal for its action mechanism on larchwood 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan

An extracellular xylanase from a thermophilic anaerobe, Clostridium thermolacticum, was purified 400-fold by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The purified enzyme had a specific activity of 31,670 nkat/mg of protein at 60 degrees C, a molecular mass of 39 kDa and a pI of 4.9. The enzyme exhibited maximal activity at 80 degrees C (1 h assay) and at pH 6.0-6.5. There was little loss of activity after 4 days at 60 degrees C and the enzyme was stable in the wide pH range 3-11. Examination of the hydrolysis products of larchwood xylan indicated that it was an endoxylanase; at the early stage of the reaction, xylose (Xyl)-containing oligosaccharides of 3-12 residues were released and after a prolonged incubation time, the neutral end-products were Xyl2 and Xyl3. Kinetic studies of the hydrolysis of xylose-containing oligosaccharides of 4-7 residues showed that the tetrasaccharide was hydrolysed more slowly than the pentasaccharide, while the calculated Km and V values for pentasaccharide and hexasaccharide were similar. The primary structures of the XylnGlcA produced by long-term hydrolysis of larchwood glucuronoxylan were determined on the basis of their carbohydrate composition, by methylation analysis and by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopies. These data allowed us to propose a model for the mode of action of this endoxylanase on larchwood 4-O-methylglucuronoxylan.

Isolation and characterization of Patnopecten mid-gut gland endo-beta-xylosidase active on peptidochondroitin sulfate

An endo-beta-xylosidase acting on the linkage region of peptidochondroitin sulfate was isolated from the mid-gut gland of the mollusc Patnopecten and purified about 375-fold, using a combination of ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200, and DEAE-Sephacel chromatography. The pH optimum and the isoelectric point of this enzyme were 4.0 and 7.0, respectively. The molecular weight, estimated by gel filtration through Sephacryl S-200, was 78,000. The purified enzyme was completely free from protease, exoglycosidases, sulfatase, and phosphatase. This enzyme hydrolyzed the xylosyl serine linkage of the linkage region of various glycosaminoglycans, that is chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate, all possessing a very small peptide segment, but not proteoglycans. It was concluded that this endo-beta-xylosidase was involved in the catabolism of proteoglycans.

Purification and characterization of a xyloglucan oligosaccharide-specific xylosidase from pea seedlings

An alpha-xylosidase that acts on oligosaccharide fragments of xyloglucan, a plant cell wall polysaccharide, was purified from pea (Pisum sativum) epicotyls that had been treated with an auxin analog. The enzyme had an apparent molecular mass of 85,000 Da according to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 79,000 Da according to gel-permeation chromatography under nondenaturing conditions. The purified xylosidase consisted of a series of closely related, enzymatically active proteins with isoelectric points ranging from about pH 7.35 to 7.7; the xylosidases were separated by chromatofocusing. The pH optimum of the mixed xylosidase was 4.9-5.1. The substrate specificity of the xylosidase mixture was determined by purification and structural characterization of the products of treating xyloglucan-oligosaccharide substrates with the enzyme. Characterization of the substrates and products included elution volume from a gel-permeation column, glycosyl residue and glycosyl linkage composition analyses, fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry, and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The enzyme specifically cleaved only one of the alpha-xylosidic linkages of xyloglucan-oligosaccharide substrates, the one attached to a 6-linked glucosyl residue, not those attached to the 4,6-linked glucosyl residues. The enzyme was unable to cleave the xylosidic linkage of p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-xylopyranoside or the alpha-xylosidic linkage to C-6 of glucose in the disaccharide isoprimeverose. The enzyme was also unable to release measurable amounts of xylose from large xyloglucan polymers.

Purification and characterization of three (1----4)-beta-D-xylan endohydrolases from germinated barley

Three (1----4)-beta-D-xylan xylanohydrolases (xylan endohydrolases, EC 3.2.1.8) have been purified 1200-2800-fold from extracts of germinated barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Clipper) by a sequence of ammonium sulphate fractionation, Procion-blue-dye chromatography, ion-exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The enzymes are likely to function in the depolymerization of cell wall arabinoxylans during mobilization of the starchy endosperm. They are classified as endohydrolases on the basis of analyses of products released during hydrolysis of a (1----4)-beta-xylan. The three xylan endohydrolases are monomeric proteins of apparent Mr 41,000 and all have isoelectric points of 5.2. The sequences of the 30 NH2-terminal amino acids of the three enzymes are the same, but it is not yet known whether they represent the products of separate genes or originate by differences in post-translational modification of a single gene product.

Purification and properties of an endo-1,4-beta-glucanase from Clostridium josui

An enzyme active against carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was purified from the stationary-phase-culture supernatant of Clostridium josui grown in a medium containing ball-milled cellulose. The purification in the presence of 6 M urea yielded homogeneous enzyme after an approximately 50-fold increase in specific activity and a 13% yield. The enzyme had a molecular mass of 45 kilodaltons. The optimal temperature and pH of the enzyme against CMC were 60 degrees C and 6.8, respectively. The enzyme hydrolyzed cellotetraose, cellopentaose, and cellohexaose to cellobiose and cellotriose but did not hydrolyze cellobiose or cellotriose. A microcrystalline cellulose, Avicel, was also hydrolyzed significantly, but the extent of hydrolysis was remarkably less than that of CMC. On the basis of these results, the enzyme purified here is one of the endo-1,4-beta-glucanases. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the enzyme is Tyr-Asp-Ala-Ser-Leu-Lys-Pro-Asn-Leu-Gln-Ile-Pro-Gln-Lys-Asn-Ile-Pro-Asn- Asn-Asp-Ala-Val-Asn-Ile-Lys.

Identification of the Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens xylosidase gene (xylB) coding region and its expression in Escherichia coli

The gene encoding the principal Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens xylosidase (xylB) has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli under the control of the lac promoter. The coding region for this gene was localized within a 3.2-kilobase B. fibrisolvens DNA fragment in pUC18. A new protein band was observed in recombinant E. coli containing xylB. This protein (approximately 60,000 molecular weight) was presumed to be the xylosidase monomer. The optimal pH (5.5) and substrate range for the recombinant and native xylosidases appeared identical. Both enzymes hydrolyzed xylo-oligosaccharides with chain lengths of 2 to 5 and both were inactive on xylan.

Purification of Clostridium thermocellum xylanase Z expressed in Escherichia coli and identification of the corresponding product in the culture medium of C. thermocellum

An endoxylanase encoded by the xynZ gene of Clostridium thermocellum was purified from Escherichia coli harbouring a fragment of the gene cloned in pUC8. The purified enzyme showed two active bands of Mr 41,000 and 39,000, the latter one presumably derived from the former through proteolysis. The enzyme was highly active on xylan and para-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylobioside. The major end product of xylan hydrolysis was xylobiose. With an antiserum raised against the enzyme purified from E. coli, an immunoreactive polypeptide of Mr 90,000, corresponding to the entire xynZ gene product, was detected in a culture supernatant from C. thermocellum grown on cellulose. By immunological detection, xylanase Z was shown to be associated with a cellulose-binding, high-molecular-weight fraction whose properties coincided with those described previously for the cellulose-degrading complex of C. thermocellum known as the cellulosome.

The copurification of beta-glucosidase, beta-xylosidase, and 1,3-beta-glucanase in two separate enzyme complexes isolated from Trichoderma harzianum E58

Two enzyme complexes, each with beta-glucosidase (beta-D-glucoside glucohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.21), beta-xylosidase (beta-D-xylan xylohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.37), and 1,3-beta-glucanase (laminarinase, EC 3.2.1.39) activity, were purified to near homogeneity from the cellulolytic fungus Trichoderma harzianum E58. The two complexes had the same isoelectric point of pH 8.3 and identical subunit molecular masses of 75,400 daltons. The two complexes were also similar in that all activities were sensitive to inhibition by mercuric chloride (2 mM) and D-glucono-1,5-lactone (0.2% w/v). The activity ratios of the major and minor complexes were 1:1.7:4.3 and 1:1.6:3.1 for the beta-xylosidase, beta-glucosidase, and 1,3-beta-glucanase, respectively. Both complexes had approximately the same Km values for p-nitrophenyl beta-D-glucopyranoside and salicin. The pH optima of corresponding activities of the two complexes were also similar. The major and minor complexes differed in that the Km of the former for laminarin was almost threefold lower than that of the latter. Whereas all three activities of the minor complexes were inhibited by D-glucono-1,5-lactone with the same inhibition constant, the beta-glucosidase and 1,3-beta-glucanase of the major complex had inhibition constants which differed by more than 80,000 times. In addition, the inhibition on the 1,3-beta-glucanase in the major and minor complexes using D-glucono-1,5-lactone were noncompetitive and competitive, respectively. From the inhibition studies, the beta-glucosidase, beta-xylosidase, and 1,3-beta-glucanase activities in the minor complex were deduced to be more interdependent than the same activities in the major complex.

Catalytic versatility of Bacillus pumilus beta-xylosidase: glycosyl transfer and hydrolysis promoted with alpha- and beta-D-xylosyl fluoride

Bacillus pumilus beta-xylosidase, an enzyme considered restricted to hydrolyzing a narrow range of beta-D-xylosidic substrates with inversion of configuration, was found to catalyze different stereochemical, essentially irreversible, glycosylation reactions with alpha- and beta-D-xylopyranosyl fluoride. The enzyme promoted the hydrolysis of beta-D-xylopyranosyl fluoride at a high rate, V = 6.25 mumol min-1 mg-1 at 0 degrees C, in a reaction that obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. In contrast, its action upon alpha-D-xylopyranosyl fluoride was slow and characterized by an unusual relation between the rate of fluoride release and the substrate concentration, suggesting the possible need for two substrate molecules to be bound at the active center in order for reaction to occur. Moreover, 1H NMR spectra of a digest of alpha-D-xylosyl fluoride showed the substrate to be specifically converted to alpha-D-xylose by the enzyme. The observed retention of configuration is not consistent with direct hydrolysis by this "inverting" enzyme but is strongly indicative of the occurrence of two successive inverting reactions: xylosyl transfer from alpha-D-xylosyl fluoride to form a beta-D-xylosidic product, followed by hydrolysis of the latter to produce alpha-D-xylose. The transient intermediate product formed enzymically from alpha-D-xylosyl fluoride in the presence of [14C]xylose was isolated and shown by its specific radioactivity and 1H NMR spectrum as well as by methylation and enzymic analyses to be 4-O-beta-D-xylopyranosyl-D-xylopyranose containing one [14C]xylose residue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Purification and properties of an alpha-D-xylosidase from Aspergillus niger

Two components of alpha-D-xylosidase (alpha-D-xylosidase I and II) were detected in the culture filtrate of Aspergillus nigher grown in a medium containing Sanzyme 1000-treated Glyloid 2A. The major component (alpha-D-xylosidase I) was purified to an electrophoretically pure state. The purified enzyme showed approximately 540-fold increase in specific activity over the original culture filtrate. The purified enzyme was shown to be an oligomeric protein consisting of four subunits, each of which had a molecular weight of 123,000. The enzyme showed the highest activity at pH 2.5-3.0 and 45 degrees C, and was stable in the pH range from 3.0 to 7.0 and at the temperatures up to 60 degrees C. The isoelectric point of this enzyme was pH 5.6. The purified enzyme was highly specific for p-nitrophenyl alpha-D-xylopyranoside and isoprimeverose (6-O-alpha-D-xylopyranosyl-D-glucopyranose). The apparent Km and Vmax values of the enzyme for p-nitrophenyl alpha-D-xylopyranoside and isoprimeverose were 10.5 mM and 40.8 mumol/min/mg protein, and 2.2 mM and 30 mumol/min/mg protein, respectively. The purified enzyme could also split off the alpha-D-xylopyranosyl residue on the non-reducing terminal of the backbone of oligoxyloglucans such as alpha-D-xylopyranosyl-(1----6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl- (1----4)-[(alpha-D-xylopyranosyl-(1----6)-]-beta-D-glucopyranosyl- (1----4)-] 2-D-glucopyranose.

beta-Xylosidase from Aspergillus niger 15: purification and properties

Homogeneous (as judged by data from gel filtration, ultracentrifugation, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with and without sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and isoelectric focusing) beta-xylosidase showing beta-D-xylosidase, beta-D-glucosidase, beta-D-galactosidase, and alpha-L-arabinosidase activities has been isolated from the hemicellulase preparation of the microscopic fungus Aspergillus niger 15 by ethanol fractionation and chromatography on Sephadex G-50, cellulose DE-52, and Sephadexes SP C-50 and G-200. The specific activity of the enzyme toward p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside (p-NPX) increased 199-fold and was equal to 35.2 units/mg of protein; the activity yield was 43%. The sedimentation coefficient was equal to 10.6 S, and the molecular weight was 253,000 according to the gel filtration data and 122,000 according to the data from SDS electrophoresis. The isoelectric point was at pH 4.9. An amino acid analysis has shown that dicarboxylic and hydrophobic amino acids prevail in the enzyme. beta-Xylosidase had no carbohydrate component, and p-chloromercuribenzoate inhibited its activity. The temperature optimum of beta-xylosidase activity toward p-NPX was at 70 degrees C, and the pH optimum was 3.8-4.0. The enzyme was stable at pH 3 to 8 and did not lose its activity for 1 h at temperatures up to 50 degrees C. D-Xylose was found to be a competitive inhibitor of the beta-D-xylosidase activity of the enzyme with Ki = 2.9 mM. beta-Xylosidase showed transglycosylase activity.

[Properties of the exo-1,4-beta-xylosidase of Aspergillus niger 15]

Properties of exo-1,4-beta-xylosidase from the fungus Aspergillus niger 15 were investigated. The enzyme was homogeneous during gel filtration, electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel in the presence and absence of Na dodecyl sulfate, ultracentrifugation and isoelectric focusing. The enzyme had a temperature optimum at 70 degrees, pH optimum 3.8-4.0 for p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside (p-NPX), was stable at pH 3-8, retained its 100% activity for 1 hour at 50 degrees and 42% activity at 60 degrees. Km was 0.23 mM for p-NPX and 0.67 mM for xylobiose. Xylose was a competitive inhibitor of exo-1,4-beta-xylodidase with Ki = 2.9 mM. The enzyme showed a transglycosilase activity. The aminoacid analysis of exo-1,4-beta-xylosidase showed that the enzyme molecule contained predominantly dicarboxylic and hydrophobic amino acids as well as serine. The enzyme contained no carbohydrates. Its activity was inhibited by p-chloromercury benzoate.

[Purification of exo-1,4-beta-xylosidase from Aspergillus niger 15]

From the preparation of xylanase of the fungus Aspergillus niger 15 exo-1,4-beta-xylosidase was isolated by means of ethanol fractionation and chromatography on columns of Sephadex G-50, cellulose DE-52, Sephadex SP C-50, Sephadex G-200. The isolated enzyme (with the purification degree as calculated per protein 199, and yield with respect to activity 42.5%) was homogeneous during gel filtration, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence and absence of Na dodecyl sulfate, ultracentrifugation and isoelectric focusing. Exo-1,4-beta-xylosidase had a molecular mass of 253,000 as shown by gel filtration and 122,000 as shown by Na dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; its sedimentation coefficient was 10.6 S and isoelectric point was pI 4.9. The specific activity of the homogeneous enzyme was 35.2 u./mg protein with respect to p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside and 30.2 u./mg protein with respect to xylobiose.

Beta-Xylosidases and a nonspecific wall-bound beta-glucosidase of the yeast Cryptococcus albidus

Cryptococcus albidus grown on wood xylans possesses a soluble intracellular beta-xylosidase (EC 3.2.1.37) as an additional constituent of the xylan-degrading enzyme system of this yeast. The enzyme attacks linear 1,4-beta-xylooligosaccharides in an exo-fashion, liberating xylose from the non-reducing ends. The activity of the enzyme increases in the cells during growth on xylan and incubation with xylobiose or methyl beta-D-xylopyranoside which are the best inducers of extracellular beta-xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8). Various alkyl-,alkyl-1-thio- and aryl beta-D-xylopyranosides were excellent inducers of a different beta-xylosidase of Cryptococcus albidus. This enzyme is localized outside the plasma membrane and is principally associated with cell walls. Unlike the soluble intracellular beta-xylosidase, the wall-bound enzyme does not hydrolyze xylooligosaccharides. Evidence has been obtained that beta-xylosidase activity in the cell walls is not due to the presence of a specific aryl beta-xylosidase, but is exhibited by a nonspecific beta-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21) inducible by beta-D-xylopyranosides. The ratio of beta-glucosidase and beta-xylosidase activity in the cells and isolated cell walls from yeast induced by various beta-xylopyranosides and beta-glucopyranosides was very similar. Both wall-bound activities were inhibited in a similar pattern by inhibitors of beta-glucosidases, 1,5-gluconolactone and nojirimycin. This bifunctional enzyme does not bear any relationship to the utilization of xylans in Cryptococcus albidus.

Purification and properties of extracellular xylan hydrolases of Streptomyces exfoliatus

Fractionation of extracellular xylan hydrolases of a strain of Streptomyces exfoliatus MC1 (by salting out, molecular sieving and ion exchange chromatography) revealed the presence of five species of the enzyme. Three major fractions could be purified to homogeneity; two were apparently endohydrolases and the third an exo-xylan hydrolase. The three fractions showed different degrees of affinity to the substrate and differed considerably in their substrate specificities. One of the endo-enzymes was specific to xylan while the other could also attack cellulose, inulin and pectin. The exo-enzyme showed xylanolytic and cellulolytic functions only. The three fractions further differed in their response to the presence of metal ions, mercapto reagents and compounds. Although the pH and temperature optima were different, the three fractions functioned synergistically in the hydrolysis of xylan.

Purification and some properties of five endo-1,4-beta-D-xylanases and a beta-D-xylosidase produced by a strain of Aspergillus niger

Five different xylanases and a beta-D-xylosidase in the culture medium of Aspergillus niger have been purified to homogeneity from 13- to 52-fold by a procedure of gel and hydroxylapatite chromatography. The strain was isolated from soil of the African equatorial forest. Gel chromatography of the purified enzymes indicated that three of the xylanases have molecular weights of 31,000 and the other two xylanases have molecular weights of 50,000. beta-D-Xylosidase has a molecular weight of 78,000. The pH curves of the xylanases were quite diverse and showed pH optima ranging from 4.0 to 6.5. Characteristic action patterns were obtained for each of the purified xylanases by gel chromatography of the xylan digests on Bio-Gel P-2. The enzymes degraded arabinoxylan by an endomechanism, producing L-arabinose, D-xylose, xylobiose, and a mixture of branched arabinose-xylose and D-xylose oligosaccharides. All xylanases seemed to be capable of liberating L-arabinose from either arabinoxylan or the arabinose-xylose oligosaccharides. Branched arabinose-containing D-xylose oligosaccharides were slowly hydrolyzed, so that these sugars accumulate in the digest. Two xylanases showed relatively broad substrate specificity and were able to degrade also crystalline cellulose. beta-D-Xylosidase showed optimal activity at pH 6.7 to 7.0 and at 42 degrees C. The Km for o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside was 0.22 mM and xylotriose was hydrolyzed more rapidly than xylobiose.

Enzyme preparations from Aspergillus flavus for structural studies of the peach gum polysaccharide

Extra- and intracellular glycanohydrolases were isolated from Aspergillus flavus and partially characterized. Both preparations exhibited beta-galactosidase activity. Gel chromatography of the extracellular enzyme preparation on Sephadex revealed one protein fraction containing beta-galactosidase activity and a second one exhibiting mainly beta-xylosidase activity. Electrophoresis in starch gel and disc electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel showed that the preparation obtained from the cultivation broth contained five protein fractions, whereas two protein fractions could be detected in the intracellular preparation. Hydrolysis of a partially degraded polysaccharide of peach gum by the above preparations yielded D-galactose as the main product and traces of D-mannose, L-arabinose, D-xylose and a number of oligosaccharides.

Purification and properties of beta-xylosidase from Penicillium wortmanni

A purification method for an extracellular beta-D-xyloside xylohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.37) induced in Penicillium wortmanni is described. It includes diafiltration, acetone precipitation, and hydroxylapatite chromatography. The enzyme has a molecular weight of about 100,000. Its pH optimum is at pH 3.3--4.0 and it is most stable at pH 5.0-6.0. Its isoelectric point is at pH 5.0. Sulfhydryl and histidine reagents are not inhibitory. The influence of added cations and anions is negligible. N-Bromosuccinimide oxidation of two to three tryptophan residues per molecule entails rapid inactivation. Glycon-specificity studies indicate strict requirements at C-2, C-3, C-4, and C-5, although alpha-L-arabinopyranosides are substrates. As the enzyme seems to hydrolyse xylooligosaccharides endwise, with retention of configuration in the reaction product, the enzyme is a true glycosidase, probably operating by a double-inversion mechanism.