Optimization of chitosanase production by Bacillus mojavensis EGE-B-5.2i

Evaluation of Bacillus isolates as a biological control agents against soilborne phytopathogenic fungi

Pesticides, used in agriculture to control plant diseases, pose risks to the environment and human health. To address this, there's a growing focus on biocontrol, using microorganisms instead of chemicals. In this study, we aimed to identify Bacillus isolates as potential biological control agents. We tested 1574 Bacillus isolates for antifungal effects against pathogens like Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium solani, and Rhizoctonia solani. Out of these, 77 isolates formed inhibition zones against all three pathogens. We then investigated their lytic enzyme activities (protease, chitinase, and chitosanase) and the production of antifungal metabolites (siderophore and hydrogen cyanide). Coagulase activity was also examined to estimate potential pathogenicity in humans and animals. After evaluating all mechanisms, 19 non-pathogenic Bacillus isolates with significant antifungal effects were chosen. Molecular identification revealed they belonged to B. subtilis (n = 19) strains. The 19 native Bacillus strains, demonstrating strong antifungal effects in vitro, have the potential to form the basis for biocontrol product development. This could address challenges in agricultural production, marking a crucial stride toward sustainable agriculture.

Production, statistical evaluation and characterization of chitosanase from Fusarium oxysporum D18

Purpose

The present research work focuses on the extraction of chitosanase enzyme from soil fungi. Chitosan hydrolysis by chitosanase is one of the most effective methods to produce chitosan oligosaccharides which are new biomaterials that have many biological activities such as antitumour, antioxidant, antidiabetic and antimicrobial.

Method

A strain producing chitosanase was screened and identified as Fusarium oxysporum D18 with an accession number OL343607. Various physiological parameters (incubation type, carbon source, additive nitrogen source, statistical evaluation, solid state fermentation) were assessed to increase chitosanase production.

Results

Fusarium oxysporum D18 produced a considerable value of chitosanase (1.220 U/ml). After 7 days of incubation, the best carbon source was lactose, and the best nitrogen source was ammonium chloride. Statistical evaluation was carried out by using Plackett–Burman and Box-Behnken designs. The highest chitosanase production (1.994 U/ml) was induced by the medium composition g/l: KH2PO4 (1.5), MgSO4 (0.269), lactose (18), NH4Cl (1.26), pH (6.68), using a 5-day-old inoculum and chitosanase activity was 1.63 folds that of the original medium. The production of chitosanase by Fusarium oxysporum D18 in solid state cultures using different solid substrates was studied and the best solid substrate for higher chitosanase activity (2.246 U/ml) was raw shrimp heads and shells and chitosanase activity was 1.13 folds that of the optimized liquid cultures. An extracellular chitosanase was isolated and partially purified by using 75% saturation of ammonium sulphate. The highest chitosanase activity (3.667 U/ml) with a specific activity of 0.390 U/mg protein was obtained at enzyme protein concentration of 9.391 mg/ml, substrate concentration of 1.2 % (w/v), Vmax of the enzyme of approximately 0.430 U/mg protein, and KM of 0.26 % (w/v), at pH 5.6 and reaction temperature of 50 °C. The activity of the purified and characterized chitosanase increased by 3 times than that the original isolate activity. The enzyme was thermostable and retained about 55% of its original activity after heating at 70 °C for 15 min. The enzyme preparations were activated by Ca2+ ions and inactivated by Zn+2, Cu+2 ions, and EDTA.

Conclusion

An antitumour activity of chitooligosaccharides produced by the chitosanase was applied to the MCF-7 (breast carcinoma cells) and they had a cytotoxicity inhibitory effect against them about IC50 = 448 μg/ml.

Characterization of different chitosanases of Bacillus strains and their application in chitooligosaccharides production

Chitosanases are potential candidates for chitooligosaccharides (COS) production-based industries, therefore, the discovery of chitosanases having commercial potential will remain a priority worldwide. This study aims to characterize different chitosanases of Bacillus strains for COS production. Six different indigenous Bacillus strains (B. cereus EGE-B-6.1m, B. cereus EGE-B-2.5m, B. cereus EGE-B-5.5m, B. cereus EGE-B-10.4i, B. thuringiensis EGE-B-3.5m, and B. mojavensis EGE-B-5.2i) were used to purify and characterize chitosanases. All purified chitosanases have a similar molecular weight (37 kDa) as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. However, other characteristics such as optimum temperature and pH, kinetic parameters (K_m and V_max ), temperature, and pH stabilities were dissimilar among the strains of different Bacillus species and within the same species. Furthermore, chitosanases of all strains were able to successfully hydrolyze chitosan to COS and oligomers of the degree of polymerization 2-6 were detected with chitobiose and chitotriose as major hydrolysis products. The relative yields of COS were in a range of 19%-31% and chitosanase of B. thuringiensis EGE-B-3.5m turned out to be the best enzyme in terms of its characteristics and COS production potential with maximum relative yield (31%). Results revealed that Bacillus chitosanases could be used directly for efficient bioconversion of chitosan into COS and will be valuable for large-scale production of biologically active COS.

Conversion of Chitin to Defined Chitosan Oligomers: Current Status and Future Prospects

Chitin is an abundant polysaccharide primarily produced as an industrial waste stream during the processing of crustaceans. Despite the limited applications of chitin, there is interest from the medical, agrochemical, food and cosmetic industries because it can be converted into chitosan and partially acetylated chitosan oligomers (COS). These molecules have various useful properties, including antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. The chemical production of COS is environmentally hazardous and it is difficult to control the degree of polymerization and acetylation. These issues can be addressed by using specific enzymes, particularly chitinases, chitosanases and chitin deacetylases, which yield better-defined chitosan and COS mixtures. In this review, we summarize recent chemical and enzymatic approaches for the production of chitosan and COS. We also discuss a design-of-experiments approach for process optimization that could help to enhance enzymatic processes in terms of product yield and product characteristics. This may allow the production of novel COS structures with unique functional properties to further expand the applications of these diverse bioactive molecules.

Optimization of conditions for the production of lignocellulolytic enzymes by Sphingobacterium sp. ksn-11 utilizing agro-wastes under submerged condition

The present work was aimed at studying the production of lignocellulolytic enzymes, namely cellulase, xylanase, pectinase, mannanase, and laccase by a newly isolated bacterium Sphingobacterium sp. ksn-11, utilizing various agro-residues as a substrate under submerged conditions. The production of lignocellulolytic enzymes was found to be maximum at the loading of 10%(w/v) agro-residues. The enzyme secretion was enhanced by two-fold at 2 mM CaCO_3, optimum pH 7, and temperature 40°. The Field Emission Gun-Scanning Electron Microscope (FEG-SEM) results have shown the degradative effect of lignocellulases; cellulase, xylanase, mannanase, pectinase, and laccase on corn husk with 3.55 U/ml, 79.22 U/ml, 12.43 U/ml, 64.66 U/ml, and 21.12 U/ml of activity, respectively. The hydrolyzed corn husk found to be good adsorbent for polyphenols released during hydrolysis of corn husk providing suitable conditions for stability of lignocellulases. Sphingobacterium sp. ksn is proved to be a promising candidate for lignocellulolytic enzymes in view of demand for enzymes in the biofuel industry.