A thermostable #x003B2;-ketothiolase of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) in Thermus thermophilus: Purification and biochemical properties

A review on production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolyesters by thermophilic microbes using waste feedstocks

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are produced by numerous microbes as a subcellular energy source. Despite of their diverse applications, exorbitant production cost limits their commercial synthesis. Apart from various cost determining factors such as cost-effective feedstocks or economic recovery methods, the use of appropriate bacteria holds the key to reduce the fermentation economics. Extremophiles, especially thermophilic PHA producers, could make the bioprocess economically viable by reducing the production cost in several aspects. Using variety of waste feedstocks as carbon substrates could open the way for the valorisation of industrial waste streams and cost-effective PHA production. Therefore, the article critically reviews the current knowledge of the synthesis of PHA polyesters in thermophilic conditions. Additionally, it summarises several studies on thermophilic PHA producing bacteria grown on various waste substrates. To conclude, the paper focuses on screening and recovery methods as well as technical challenges in thermophilic PHA production.

An updated overview on the regulatory circuits of polyhydroxyalkanoates synthesis

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are a promising and sustainable alternative to the petroleum‐based synthetic plastics. Regulation of PHA synthesis is receiving considerable importance as engineering the regulatory factors might help developing strains with improved PHA‐producing abilities. PHA synthesis is dedicatedly regulated by a number of regulatory networks. They tightly control the PHA content, granule size and their distribution in cells. Most PHA‐accumulating microorganisms have multiple regulatory networks that impart a combined effect on PHA metabolism. Among them, several factors ranging from global to specific regulators, have been identified and characterized till now. This review is an attempt to categorically summarize the diverse regulatory circuits that operate in some important PHA‐producing microorganisms. However, in several organisms, the detailed mechanisms involved in the regulation of PHA synthesis is not well‐explored and hence further research is needed. The information presented in this review might help researcher to identify the prevailing research gaps in PHA regulation.

Meiothermus ruber thiolase - a new process stable enzyme for improved butanol synthesis

Butanol is an important renewable building block for the chemical, textile, polymer and biofuels industry due to its increased energy density. Current biotechnological butanol production is a Clostridial based anaerobic fermentation process. Thiolase (EC 2.3.1.9/EC 2.3.1.16) is a key enzyme in this biosynthetic conversion of glucose to butanol. It catalyzes the condensation of two acetyl-CoA molecules, forming acetoacetyl-CoA, which is the first committed step in butanol biosynthesis. The well characterized clostridial thiolases are neither solvent nor thermo stable, which limits butanol yields. We have isolated and characterized a new thermo- (IT50 50 °C = 199 ± 0.1 h) and solvent stable (IS50 > 4%) thiolase derived from the thermophilic bacterium Meiothermus ruber. The observed catalytic constants were Km = 0.07 ± 0.01 mM and kcat = 0.80 ± 0.01 s(-1). In analogy to other thiolases, the enzyme was inhibited by NAD(+) (Ki = 38.7 ± 5.8 mM) and CoA (Ki = 105.1 ± 6.6 μM) but not NADH. The enzyme was stable under harsh process conditions (T = 50 °C, Butanol = 4% v/v) for prolonged time periods (τ = 7 h). The new enzyme provides for targeted in-vivo and in-vitro butanol biosynthesis under industrially relevant process conditions.

Haloarchaeal-type β-ketothiolases involved in Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) synthesis in Haloferax mediterranei

The key enzymes for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) biosynthesis in haloarchaea have been identified except the β-ketothiolase(s), which condense two acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) molecules to acetoacetyl-CoA, or one acetyl-CoA and one propionyl-CoA to 3-ketovaleryl-CoA. Whole-genome analysis has revealed eight potential β-ketothiolase genes in the haloarchaeon Haloferax mediterranei, among which the PHBV-specific BktB and PhaA were identified by gene knockout and complementation analysis. Unlike all known bacterial counterparts encoded by a single gene, the haloarchaeal PhaA that was involved in acetoacetyl-CoA generation, was composed of two different types of subunits (PhaAα and PhaAβ) and encoded by the cotranscribed HFX_1023 (phaAα) and HFX_1022 (phaAβ) genes. Similarly, the BktB that was involved in generation of acetoacetyl-CoA and 3-ketovaleryl-CoA, was also composed of two different types of subunits (BktBα and BktBβ) and encoded by cotranscribed HFX_6004 (bktBα) and HFX_6003 (bktBβ). BktBα and PhaAα were the catalytic subunits and determined substrate specificities of BktB and PhaA, respectively. Their catalytic triad "Ser-His-His" was distinct from the bacterial "Cys-His-Cys." BktBβ and PhaAβ both contained an oligosaccharide-binding fold domain, which was essential for the β-ketothiolase activity. Interestingly, BktBβ and PhaAβ were functionally interchangeable, although PhaAβ preferred functioning with PhaAα. In addition, BktB showed biotechnological potential for the production of PHBV with the desired 3-hydroxyvalerate fraction in haloarchaea. This is the first report of the haloarchaeal type of PHBV-specific β-ketothiolases, which are distinct from their bacterial counterparts in both subunit composition and catalytic residues.

Evidence for lytic transglycosylase and β-N-acetylglucosaminidase activities located at the polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) granules of Thermus thermophilus HB8

The thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB8 accumulates polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) as intracellular granules used by cells as carbon and energy storage compounds. PHAs granules were isolated from cells grown in sodium gluconate (1.5 % w/v) as carbon source. Lytic activities are strongly associated and act to the PHAs granules proved with various methods. Specialized lytic trasglycosylases (LTGs) are muramidases capable of locally degrading the peptidoglycan (PG) meshwork of Gram negative bacteria. These enzymes cleave the β-1,4-glycosidic linkages between the N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc) and N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) residues of PG. Lysozyme-like activity/-ies were detected using lysoplate assay. Chitinolytic activity/-ies, were detected as N-acetyl glucosaminidases (NAG) (E.C.3.2.1.5.52) hydrolyzing the synthetic substrate p-nitrophenyl-N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminide (pNP-GlcNAc) releasing pNP and GlcNAc. Using zymogram analysis two abundant LTGs were revealed hydrolyzing cell wall of Micrococcus lysodeikticus or purified PG incorporated as natural substrates, in SDS-PAGE and then renaturation. These proteins corresponded in a SDS-PAGE and Coomassie-stained gel in molecular mass of 110 and 32 kDa respectively, were analyzed by MALDI-MS (Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-Mass Spectrometry). The 110 kDa protein was identified as an S-layer domain-containing protein [gi|336233805], while the 32 kDa similar to the hypothetical protein VDG1235_2196 (gi/254443957). Overall, the localization of PG hydrolases in PHAs granules appears to be involved to their biogenesis from membranes, and probably promoting septal PG splitting and daughter cell separation.

Simultaneous polyhydroxyalkanoates and rhamnolipids production by Thermus thermophilus HB8

The ability of Thermus thermophilus HB8 to produce simultaneously two environmentally-friendly biodegradable products, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and rhamnolipids (RLs), using either sodium gluconate or glucose as sole carbon source, was demonstrated. The utilization of sodium gluconate resulted in higher levels of PHAs and RLs production than when glucose was used as sole carbon source. The initial phosphate concentration (as PO43-) influences both PHAs and RLs productions that were increased during cultivation time. PHAs accumulation was enhanced (> 300 mg/L) after 72 h of cultivation in an initial [PO43-] of 25 mM, while RLs production (> 200 mg/L) was started after 35 h and continued until 72 h of cultivation, in a phosphate-limited medium containing initially 5 mM of [PO43-]. In addition, the combine effect of initial [PO43-] and cultivation time on biomass, PHAs and RLs production was evaluated from 2D contour plots. The results revealed that low initial phosphate concentrations (up to 5 mM) and long incubation time (72 h) promoted RLs biosynthesis while higher initial phosphate concentrations (up to 25 mM) where favorable for biomass and PHAs production. The molecular composition of the produced bio-products was identified. The accumulated PHAs were co-polymers which mainly consisted of 3-hydroxydecanoate (3HD) as resulted by gas chromatography (GC) analysis. The secreted RLs were extracted and their total mixture contained both mono- and di- RLs identified by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Moreover, the molecular composition of the produced RLs characterized in details by LC-MS analysis showed a plethora of diversity including mono-, and di-RLs, di-rhamno-monolipidic congeners differing in the length of the lipidic chain, which additionally were found to be saturated or unsaturated in some cases.

High-Cell-Density Cyclic Fed-Batch Fermentation of a Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate)-Accumulating Thermophile, Chelatococcus sp. Strain MW10

Different fermentation strategies were employed for the cultivation of a new poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)-accumulating thermophilic bacterium, Chelatococcus sp. strain MW10, with the aim of achieving high-cell-density (HCD) growth and high poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) [poly(3HB)] productivity. Enhanced cultivation was achieved by a cyclic fed-batch fermentation (CFBF) technique (42-liter scale). Maximal poly(3HB) productivity was obtained during the second cycle [16.8 ± 4.2 g poly(3HB)/liter]. At the end of CFBF (265 h), an HCD of up to 115.0 ± 4.3 g cell dry weight/liter was achieved.