Cloning and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of a Trichoderma reesei beta-mannanase gene containing a cellulose binding domain

Cloning of genes encoding alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase and beta-xylosidase from Trichoderma reesei by expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A cDNA expression library of Trichoderma reesei RutC-30 was constructed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two genes, abf1 and bxl1, were isolated by screening the yeast library for extracellular alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase activity with the substrate p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-arabinofuranoside. The genes abf1 and bxl1 encode 500 and 758 amino acids, respectively, including the signal sequences. The deduced amino acid sequence of ABFI displays high-level similarity to the alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase B of Aspergillus niger, and the two can form a new family of glycosyl hydrolases. The deduced amino acid sequence of BXLI shows similarities to the beta-glucosidases grouped in family 3. The yeast-produced enzymes were tested for enzymatic activities against different substrates. ABFI released L-arabinose from p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-arabinofuranoside and arabinoxylans and showed some beta-xylosidase activity toward p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside. BXLI did not release L-arabinose from arabinoxylan. It showed alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase, alpha-L-arabinopyranosidase, and beta-xylosidase activities against p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase, p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside, and p-nitrophenyl-beta-D- xylopyranoside, respectively, with the last activity being the highest. It was also able to hydrolyze xylobiose and slowly release xylose from polymeric xylan. ABFI and BXLI correspond to a previously purified alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase and a beta-xylosidase from T. reesei, respectively, as confirmed by partial amino acid sequencing of the Trichoderma-produced enzymes. Both enzymes produced in yeasts displayed hydrolytic properties similar to those of the corresponding enzymes purified from T. reesei.

Evidence that the Piromyces gene family encoding endo-1,4-mannanases arose through gene duplication

The sequences of two Piromyces cDNAs (manB and manC) encoding functional mannanases, defined as mannanase B (MANB) and mannanase C (MANC), revealed that both the cDNAs, and the encoded enzymes, exhibited extensive sequence identity with each other and with a previously described Piromyces mannanase. MANB and MANC, which belong to glycosyl hydrolase family 26, hydrolyse several forms of mannan but do not attack the other major plant structural polysaccharides. The data presented in this paper indicate that the Piromyces gene family encoding mannanases arose through gene duplication.

The glucose repressor gene cre1 of Trichoderma: isolation and expression of a full-length and a truncated mutant form

The cre1 genes of the filamentous fungi Trichoderma reesei and T. harzianum were isolated and characterized. The deduced CREI proteins are 46% identical to the product of the glucose repressor gene creA of Aspergillus nidulans, encoding a DNA-binding protein with zinc fingers of the C2H2 type. The cre1 promoters contain several sequence elements that are identical to the previously identified binding sites for A. nidulans CREA. Steady-state mRNA levels for cre1 of the T. reesei strain QM9414 varied depending on the carbon source, being low on glucose-containing media. These observations suggest that cre1 expression may be autoregulated. The T. reesei strain Rut-C30, a hyper-producer of cellulolytic enzymes, was found to express a truncated form of the cre1 gene (cre1-1) with an ORF corresponding to a protein of 95 amino acids with only one zinc finger. Unlike QM9414 the strain Rut-C30 produced cellulase mRNAs on glucose-containing medium and transformation of the full-length cre1 gene into this strain caused glucose repression of cbh1 expression, demonstrating that cre1 regulates cellulase expression.

The alpha-glucuronidase-encoding gene of Trichoderma reesei

The Trichoderma reesei cDNA coding for alpha-glucuronidase (GLRI), which releases glucuronic acid attached to xylose units of xylan, was cloned and sequenced. The deduced N-terminal amino acid (aa) sequence of the protein was verified by sequencing of the purified GLRI. The aa sequence of the GLRI displayed no similarity with any aa sequence available in the data bases.

Molecular cloning and expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae of two Aspergillus nidulans xylanase genes

Two Aspergillus nidulans genes, xlnA and xlnB, encoding the X22 and X24 xylanases from this fungus, respectively, have been cloned and sequenced. Their cDNAs have been expressed in a laboratory Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain under the control of a constitutive yeast promoter, resulting in the construction of recombinant xylanolytic yeast strains.

Acetyl xylan esterase from Trichoderma reesei contains an active-site serine residue and a cellulose-binding domain

The axe1 gene encoding acetyl xylan esterase was isolated from an expression library of the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei using antibodies raised against the purified enzyme. Apparently axe1 codes for the two forms, pI 7 and pI 6.8, of acetyl xylan esterase previously characterized. The axe1 encodes 302 amino acids including a signal sequence and a putative propeptide. The catalytic domain has no amino acid similarity with the reported acetyl xylan esterases but has a clear similarity, especially in the active site, with fungal cutinases which are serine esterases. Similarly to serine esterases, the axe1 product was inactivated with phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. At its C-terminus it carries a cellulose binding domain of fungal type, which is separated from the catalytic domain by a region rich in serine, glycine, threonine and proline. The binding domain can be separated from the catalytic domain by limited proteolysis without affecting the activity of the enzyme towards acetylated xylan, but abolishing its capability to bind cellulose.

Kinetic and stereochemical studies of manno-oligosaccharide hydrolysis catalysed by beta-mannanases from Trichoderma reesei

The two beta-mannanases from Trichoderma reesei with pI of 4.6 and 5.4, respectively, have been characterised by NMR spectroscopy. Following the kinetics of manno-oligosaccharide degradation with complete progress-curve analysis the stereospecificity and degradation pattern have been delineated. It was found that degradation of mannotriose and mannopentaose proceeds with retention of the anomeric configuration. Mannotriose degradation proceeds by almost random release of mannose. For mannopentaose there is initially no mannose formed showing that only the two middle mannosidic linkages are attacked. Progress-curve analysis shows that there is preference (70%) for cleavage of mannopentaose in such a way that mannobiose is released from the reducing end. The final product composition from the mannotriose degradation showed that transglycosylation has to be taken into account. Model calculation and progress-curve analysis showed that the transglycosylation rate is the fastest of all the rates in this system, 15 s-1 compared with mannohexaose and mannotetraose hydrolysis rates of 2 s-1 and mannotriose hydrolysis rate of 0.03 s-1 at 50 degrees C.