Role of N-terminal 28-amino-acid region of Rhizopus oryzae lipase in directing proteins to secretory pathway of Aspergillus oryzae

Constitutive Expression in Komagataella phaffii of Mature Rhizopus oryzae Lipase Jointly with Its Truncated Prosequence Improves Production and the Biocatalyst Operational Stability

Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL) containing 28 C-terminal amino acids of the prosequence fused to the N-terminal mature sequence in ROL (proROL) was successfully expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris) under the constitutive glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter (PGAP). Although the sequence encoding the mature lipase (rROL) was also transformed, no clones were obtained after three transformation cycles, which highlights the importance of the truncated prosequence to obtain viable transformed clones. Batch cultures of the K. phaffii strain constitutively expressing proROL scarcely influenced growth rate and exhibited a final activity and volumetric productivity more than six times higher than those obtained with proROL from K. phaffii under the methanol-inducible alcohol oxidase 1 promoter (PAOX1). The previous differences were less marked in fed-batch cultures. N-terminal analysis confirmed the presence of the 28 amino acids in proROL. In addition, immobilized proROL exhibited increased tolerance of organic solvents and an operational stability 0.25 and 3 times higher than that of immobilized rROL in biodiesel and ethyl butyrate production, respectively. Therefore, the truncated prosequence enables constitutive proROL production, boosts bioprocess performance and provides a more stable biocatalyst in two reactions in which lipases are mostly used at industrial level, esterification (ethyl butyrate) and transesterification (biodiesel).

Rhizopus oryzae Lipase, a Promising Industrial Enzyme: Biochemical Characteristics, Production and Biocatalytic Applications

Lipases are biocatalysts with a significant potential to enable a shift from current pollutant manufacturing processes to environmentally sustainable approaches. The main reason of this prospect is their catalytic versatility as they carry out several industrially relevant reactions as hydrolysis of fats in water/lipid interface and synthesis reactions in solvent-free or non-aqueous media such as transesterification, interesterification and esterification. Because of the outstanding traits of Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL), 1,3-specificity, high enantioselectivity and stability in organic media, its application in energy, food and pharmaceutical industrial sector has been widely studied. Significant advances have been made in the biochemical characterisation of ROL particularly in how its activity and stability are affected by the presence of its prosequence. In addition, native and heterologous production of ROL, the latter in cell factories like Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Komagataella phaffii (Pichia pastoris), have been thoroughly described. Therefore, in this review, we summarise the current knowledge about R. oryzae lipase (i) biochemical characteristics, (ii) production strategies and (iii) potential industrial applications.

Truncated Prosequence of Rhizopus oryzae Lipase: Key Factor for Production Improvement and Biocatalyst Stability

Recombinant Rhizopus oryzae lipase (mature sequence, rROL) was modified by adding to its N-terminal 28 additional amino acids from the C-terminal of the prosequence (proROL) to obtain a biocatalyst more suitable for the biodiesel industry. Both enzymes were expressed in Pichia pastoris and compared in terms of production bioprocess parameters, biochemical properties, and stability. Growth kinetics, production, and yields were better for proROL harboring strain than rROL one in batch cultures. When different fed-batch strategies were applied, lipase production and volumetric productivity of proROL-strain were always higher (5.4 and 4.4-fold, respectively) in the best case. rROL and proROL enzymatic activity was dependent on ionic strength and peaked in 200 mM Tris-HCl buffer. The optimum temperature and pH for rROL were influenced by ionic strength, but those for proROL were not. The presence of these amino acids altered lipase substrate specificity and increased proROL stability when different temperature, pH, and methanol/ethanol concentrations were employed. The 28 amino acids were found to be preferably removed by proteases, leading to the transformation of proROL into rROL. Nevertheless, the truncated prosequence enhanced Rhizopus oryzae lipase heterologous production and stability, making it more appropriate as industrial biocatalyst.

Future insights in fungal metabolic engineering

Filamentous fungi exhibit versatile abilities, including organic acid fermentation, protein production, and secondary metabolism, amongst others, and thus have applications in the medical and food industries. Previous genomic analyses of several filamentous fungi revealed their further potential as host microorganisms for bioproduction. Recent advancements in molecular genetics, marker recycling, and genome editing could be used to alter transformation and metabolism, based on optimized design carbolated with computer science. In this review, we detail the current applications of filamentous fungi and describe modern molecular genetic tools that could be used to expand the role of these microorganisms in bioproduction. The present review shed light on the possibility of filamentous fungi as host microorganisms in the field of bioproduction in the future.

Efficient heterologous expression and secretion in Aspergillus oryzae of a llama variable heavy-chain antibody fragment V(HH) against EGFR

We have constructed a filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae that secretes a llama variable heavy-chain antibody fragment (V(HH)) that binds specifically to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in a culture medium. A major improvement in yield was achieved by fusing the V(HH) with a Taka-amylase A signal sequence (sTAA) and a segment of 28 amino acids from the N-terminal region of Rhizopus oryzae lipase (N28). The yields of secreted, immunologically active anti-EGFR V(HH) reached 73.8 mg/1 in a Sakaguchi flask. The V(HH) fragments were released from the sTAA or N28 proteins by an indigenous A. oryzae protease during cultivation. The purified recombinant V(HH) fragment was specifically recognized and could bind to the EGFR with a high affinity.

Heterologous expression systems for lipases: a review

The production of heterologous lipases is one of the most promising strategies to increase the productivity of the bioprocesses and to reduce costs, with the final objective that more industrial lipase applications could be implemented. In this chapter, an overview of the most common microbial expression systems for the overproduction of microbial lipases is presented. Prokaryotic system as Escherichia coli and eukaryotic systems as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris are analyzed and compared in terms of productivity, operational, and downstream processing facilities. Finally, an overview of heterologous Candida rugosa and Rhizopus oryzae lipases, two of the most common lipases used in biocatalysis, is presented. In both cases, P. pastoris has been shown as the most promising host system.

Surface display of Gaussia princeps luciferase allows sensitive fungal pathogen detection during cutaneous aspergillosis

Non-invasive imaging techniques in microbial disease models have delivered valuable insights in the intimate pathogen-host interplay during infection. Here we describe evaluation and validation of a transgenic bioluminescence reporter strain of the human-pathogenic mold Aspergillus fumigatus, one of the main fungal pathogens affecting immunocompromised individuals. Expression and surface display of the Gaussia princeps luciferase allowed sensitive and rapid detection of luminescence emitted from this strain after substrate addition, with photon fluxes strongly correlating to the amounts of fungal conidia or germlings. The reporter strain allowed spatio-temporal monitoring of infection in a cutaneous model of aspergillosis, where neutropenic mice maintained the fungal burden while immunocompetent ones were able to clear it entirely. Most importantly, antifungal therapy could be followed in this type of disease model making use of the bioluminescent A. fumigatus strain. In conclusion, combining sensitivity of the Gaussia luciferase with a surface display expression system in the fungal host allows longitudinal infection studies on cutaneous forms of aspergillosis, providing perspective on drug screening approaches at high-throughput.

Production of recombinant Rhizopus oryzae lipase by the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica results in increased enzymatic thermostability

The gene encoding Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL) was expressed in the non-conventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica under the control of the strong inducible XPR2 gene promoter. The effects of three different preprosequence variants were examined: a preprosequence of the Y. lipolytica alkaline extracellular protease (AEP) encoded by XPR2, the native preprosequence of ROL, and a hybrid variant of the presequence of AEP and the prosequence of ROL. Lipase production was highest (7.6 U/mL) with the hybrid prepropeptide. The recombinant protein was purified by ion-exchange chromatography. The ROL included 28 amino acids of the C-terminal region of the prosequence, indicating that proteolytic cleavage occurred below the KR site through the activity of the Kex2-like endoprotease. The optimum temperature for recombinant lipase activity was between 30 and 40 °C, and the optimum pH was 7.5. The enzyme was shown not to be glycosylated. Furthermore, recombinant ROL exhibited greater thermostability than previously reported, with the enzyme retaining 64% of its hydrolytic activity after 30 min of incubation at 55 °C.

Display of both N- and C-terminal target fusion proteins on the Aspergillus oryzae cell surface using a chitin-binding module

A novel cell surface display system in Aspergillus oryzae was established by using a chitin-binding module (CBM) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an anchor protein. CBM was fused to the N or C terminus of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the fusion proteins (GFP-CBM and CBM-GFP) were expressed using A. oryzae as a host. Western blotting and fluorescence microscopy analysis showed that both GFP-CBM and CBM-GFP were successfully expressed on the cell surface. In addition, cell surface display of triacylglycerol lipase from A. oryzae (tglA), while retaining its activity, was also successfully demonstrated using CBM as an anchor protein. The activity of tglA was significantly higher when tglA was fused to the C terminus than N terminus of CBM. Together, these results show that CBM used as a first anchor protein enables the fusion of both the N and/or C terminus of a target protein.

Surfactant-modified yeast whole-cell biocatalyst displaying lipase on cell surface for enzymatic production of structured lipids in organic media

The cell surface engineering system, in which functional proteins are genetically displayed on microbial cell surfaces, has recently become a powerful tool for applied biotechnology. Here, we report on the surfactant modification of surface-displayed lipase to improve its performance for enzymatic synthesis reactions. The lipase activities of the surfactant-modified yeast displaying Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL) were evaluated in both aqueous and nonaqueous systems. Despite the similar lipase activities of control and surfactant-modified cells in aqueous media, the treatment with nonionic surfactants increased the specific lipase activity of the ROL-displaying yeast in n-hexane. In particular, the Tween 20-modified cells increased the cell surface hydrophobicity significantly among a series of Tween surfactants tested, resulting in 8-30 times higher specific activity in organic solvents with relatively high log P values. The developed cells were successfully used for the enzymatic synthesis of phospholipids and fatty acid methyl esters in n-hexane, whereas the nontreated cells produced a significantly low yield. Our results thus indicate that surfactant modification of the cell surface can enhance the potential of the surface-displayed lipase for bioconversion.

Whole-cell biocatalysts for biodiesel fuel production

Biodiesel fuel (BDF), which refers to fatty acid alkyl esters, has attracted considerable attention as an environmentally friendly alternative fuel for diesel engines. Alkali catalysis is widely applied for the commercial production of BDF. However, enzymatic transesterification offers considerable advantages, including reducing process operations in biodiesel fuel production and an easy separation of the glycerol byproduct. The high cost of the lipase enzyme is the main obstacle for a commercially feasible enzymatic production of biodiesel fuels. To reduce enzyme associated process costs, the immobilization of fungal mycelium within biomass support particles (BSPs) as well as expression of the lipase enzyme on the surface of yeast cells has been developed to generate whole-cell biocatalysts for industrial applications.