Cloning and expression of a lignin peroxidase gene from Streptomyces viridosporus in Streptomyces lividans

Streptomyces spp. as biocatalyst sources in pulp and paper and textile industries: Biodegradation, bioconversion and valorization of waste

Complex polymers represent a challenge for remediating environmental pollution and an opportunity for microbial-catalysed conversion to generate valorized chemicals. Members of the genus Streptomyces are of interest because of their potential use in biotechnological applications. Their versatility makes them excellent sources of biocatalysts for environmentally responsible bioconversion, as they have a broad substrate range and are active over a wide range of pH and temperature. Most Streptomyces studies have focused on the isolation of strains, recombinant work and enzyme characterization for evaluating their potential for biotechnological application. This review discusses reports of Streptomyces-based technologies for use in the textile and pulp-milling industry and describes the challenges and recent advances aimed at achieving better biodegradation methods featuring these microbial catalysts. The principal points to be discussed are (1) Streptomyces' enzymes for use in dye decolorization and lignocellulosic biodegradation, (2) biotechnological processes for textile and pulp and paper waste treatment and (3) challenges and advances for textile and pulp and paper effluent treatment.

Streptomyces spp. in the biocatalysis toolbox

About 20,100 research publications dated 2000-2017 were recovered searching the PubMed and Web of Science databases for Streptomyces, which are the richest known source of bioactive molecules. However, these bacteria with versatile metabolism are powerful suppliers of biocatalytic tools (enzymes) for advanced biotechnological applications such as green chemical transformations and biopharmaceutical and biofuel production. The recent technological advances, especially in DNA sequencing coupled with computational tools for protein functional and structural prediction, and the improved access to microbial diversity enabled the easier access to enzymes and the ability to engineer them to suit a wider range of biotechnological processes. The major driver behind a dramatic increase in the utilization of biocatalysis is sustainable development and the shift toward bioeconomy that will, in accordance to the UN policy agenda "Bioeconomy to 2030," become a global effort in the near future. Streptomyces spp. already play a significant role among industrial microorganisms. The intention of this minireview is to highlight the presence of Streptomyces in the toolbox of biocatalysis and to give an overview of the most important advances in novel biocatalyst discovery and applications. Judging by the steady increase in a number of recent references (228 for the 2000-2017 period), it is clear that biocatalysts from Streptomyces spp. hold promises in terms of valuable properties and applicative industrial potential.

Production of chemicals and proteins using biomass-derived substrates from a Streptomyces host

Bioproduction using microbes from biomass feedstocks is of interest in regards to environmental problems and cost reduction. Streptomyces as an industrial microorganism plays an important role in the production of useful secondary metabolites for various applications. This strain also secretes a wide range of extracellular enzymes which degrade various biopolymers in nature, and it consumes these degrading substrates as nutrients. Hence, Streptomyces can be employed as a cell factory for the conversion of biomass-derived substrates into various products. This review focuses on the following two points: (1) Streptomyces as a producer of enzymes for degrading biomass-derived polysaccharides and polymers; and, (2) wild-type and engineered strains of Streptomyces as a host for chemical production from biomass-derived substrates.

Enzymes From Rare Actinobacterial Strains

Actinobacteria constitute rich sources of novel biocatalysts and novel natural products for medical and industrial utilization. Although actinobacteria are potential source of economically important enzymes, the isolation and culturing are somewhat tough because of its extreme habitats. But now-a-days, the rate of discovery of novel compounds producing actinomycetes from soil, freshwater, and marine ecosystem has increased much through the developed culturing and genetic engineering techniques. Actinobacteria are well-known source of their bioactive compounds and they are the promising source of broad range of industrially important enzymes. The bacteria have the capability to degrade a range of pesticides, hydrocarbons, aromatic, and aliphatic compounds (Sambasiva Rao, Tripathy, Mahalaxmi, & Prakasham, 2012). Most of the enzymes are mainly derived from microorganisms because of their easy of growth, minimal nutritional requirements, and low-cost for downstream processing. The focus of this review is about the new, commercially useful enzymes from rare actinobacterial strains. Industrial requirements are now fulfilled by the novel actinobacterial enzymes which assist the effective production. Oxidative enzymes, lignocellulolytic enzymes, extremozymes, and clinically useful enzymes are often utilized in many industrial processes because of their ability to catalyze numerous reactions. Novel, extremophilic, oxidative, lignocellulolytic, and industrially important enzymes from rare Actinobacterial population are discussed in this chapter.

Generation of New Complestatin Analogues by Heterologous Expression of the Complestatin Biosynthetic Gene Cluster from Streptomyces chartreusis AN1542

The heterologous expression of the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) of natural products enables the production of complex metabolites in a well-characterized host, and facilitates the generation of novel analogues by the manipulation of the genes. However, the BGCs of glycopeptides such as vancomycin, teicoplanin, and complestatin are usually too large to be directly cloned into a single cosmid. Here, we describe the heterologous expression of the complestatin BGC. The 54.5 kb cluster was fully reconstituted from two overlapping cosmids into one cosmid by λ-RED recombination-mediated assembly. Heterologous expression of the assembled gene cluster in Streptomyces lividans TK24 resulted in the production of complestatin. Deletion of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase genes (open reading frames 10 and 11) and heterologous expression of the modified clusters led to the production of two new monocyclic and linear derivatives, complestatins M55 and S56.

Insights into lignin degradation and its potential industrial applications

Lignocellulose is an abundant biomass that provides an alternative source for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. The depolymerization of the carbohydrate polymers in lignocellulosic biomass is hindered by lignin, which is recalcitrant to chemical and biological degradation due to its complex chemical structure and linkage heterogeneity. The role of fungi in delignification due to the production of extracellular oxidative enzymes has been studied more extensively than that of bacteria. The two major groups of enzymes that are involved in lignin degradation are heme peroxidases and laccases. Lignin-degrading peroxidases include lignin peroxidase (LiP), manganese peroxidase (MnP), versatile peroxidase (VP), and dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP). LiP, MnP, and VP are class II extracellular fungal peroxidases that belong to the plant and microbial peroxidases superfamily. LiPs are strong oxidants with high-redox potential that oxidize the major non-phenolic structures of lignin. MnP is an Mn-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of various phenolic substrates but is not capable of oxidizing the more recalcitrant non-phenolic lignin. VP enzymes combine the catalytic activities of both MnP and LiP and are able to oxidize Mn(2+) like MnP, and non-phenolic compounds like LiP. DyPs occur in both fungi and bacteria and are members of a new superfamily of heme peroxidases called DyPs. DyP enzymes oxidize high-redox potential anthraquinone dyes and were recently reported to oxidize lignin model compounds. The second major group of lignin-degrading enzymes, laccases, are found in plants, fungi, and bacteria and belong to the multicopper oxidase superfamily. They catalyze a one-electron oxidation with the concomitant four-electron reduction of molecular oxygen to water. Fungal laccases can oxidize phenolic lignin model compounds and have higher redox potential than bacterial laccases. In the presence of redox mediators, fungal laccases can oxidize non-phenolic lignin model compounds. In addition to the peroxidases and laccases, fungi produce other accessory oxidases such as aryl-alcohol oxidase and the glyoxal oxidase that generate the hydrogen peroxide required by the peroxidases. Lignin-degrading enzymes have attracted the attention for their valuable biotechnological applications especially in the pretreatment of recalcitrant lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel production. The use of lignin-degrading enzymes has been studied in various applications such as paper industry, textile industry, wastewater treatment and the degradation of herbicides.

Actinomycetes: A Source of Lignocellulolytic Enzymes

Lignocellulose is the most abundant biomass on earth. Agricultural, forest, and agroindustrial activities generate tons of lignocellulosic wastes annually, which present readily procurable, economically affordable, and renewable feedstock for various lignocelluloses based applications. Lignocelluloses are the focus of present decade researchers globally, in an attempt to develop technologies based on natural biomass for reducing dependence on expensive and exhaustible substrates. Lignocellulolytic enzymes, that is, cellulases, hemicellulases, and lignolytic enzymes, play very important role in the processing of lignocelluloses which is prerequisite for their utilization in various processes. These enzymes are obtained from microorganisms distributed in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic domains including bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes. Actinomycetes are an attractive microbial group for production of lignocellulose degrading enzymes. Various studies have evaluated the lignocellulose degrading ability of actinomycetes, which can be potentially implemented in the production of different value added products. This paper is an overview of the diversity of cellulolytic, hemicellulolytic, and lignolytic actinomycetes along with brief discussion of their hydrolytic enzyme systems involved in biomass modification.

Evaluation of methods for detecting ecological effects from genetically engineered microorganisms and microbial pest control agents in terrestrial systems

This report summarizes and evaluates research from several laboratories that deals with the detection of ecological effects induced through exposure of microbes or plants to genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMs) and microbial pest control agents (MPCAs). Some 27 potential endpoints for measuring effects have been studied. Perturbations induced by GEMs have been detected in about one-half of these endpoints. Detectable effects have been recorded for over half of the 16 species of bacteria and fungi studied. The effects caused by GEMs and MPCAs include inhibition of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi growing on Douglas fir seedling roots, depression in plant root and shoot growth, inhibition of predatory soil protozoa, accumulation of a toxic metabolite during biodegradation that inhibits soil fungi, increased microbial community respiration due to rapid lignin breakdown in soil, and the displacement of a broad group of gram-negative bacteria that inhabit the root surface of cereal crops. These effects were usually, but not always, of short duration. However, some of the changes were irreversible during the observation time of days, weeks, or in one case, months.

Cloning of clustered Streptomyces viridosporus T7A lignocellulose catabolism genes encoding peroxidase and endoglucanase and their extracellular expression in Pichia pastoris

A 4.1-kb fragment of chromosomal DNA from the lignocellulose-decomposing actinomycete Streptomyces viridosporus T7A was previously found to encode a lignin peroxidase gene. However, when cloned into Escherichia coli in pBSKS+, peroxidase activity was not expressed. When cloned in pIJ702 in Streptomyces lividans, the gene was expressed in a peroxidase positive background, owing to the production by S. lividans of its own extracellular peroxidase. To circumvent these problems, the DNA was cloned into the commercial expression vector pIC9 for extracellular expression in the yeast Pichia pastoris. Yeast transformants, however, expressed two activities, extracellular peroxidase and an extracellular endoglucanase. The enzymes were not expressed by the yeast cells alone or by yeast cells with pIC9 without the insert. Expression of the enzymes by only those transformants expressing the 4.1-kb DNA was confirmed by Western blot analyses, by nondenaturing activity gel staining, and by spectrophotometric enzyme assays of extracellular culture filtrates. Activity gel staining showed that the two activities resided in different proteins and the peroxidase expressed was similar to ALip-P3, one of the isoenzymes of lignin peroxidase of the S. viridosporus T7A wildtype. Other evidence indicated that in the transformants, the peroxidase and endoglucanase genes in the 4.1-kb insert were controlled by the methanol-inducible AOX1 yeast promoter in pIC9, since their expression was induced by methanol. In the best transformants, extracellular production of peroxidase by recombinant P. pastoris cultures was significantly higher than typically observed in S. viridosporus. The results also indicate that lignocellulose catabolism genes may be clustered on the S. viridosporus chromosome.

Biological conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol

The important key technologies required for the successful biological conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol have been extensively reviewed. The biological process of ethanol fuel production utilizing lignocellulose as substrate requires: (1) delignification to liberate cellulose and hemicellulose from their complex with lignin, (2) depolymerization of the carbohydrate polymers (cellulose and hemicellulose) to produce free sugars, and (3) fermentation of mixed hexose and pentose sugars to produce ethanol. The development of the feasible biological delignification process should be possible if lignin-degrading microorganisms, their echophysiological requirements, and optimal bioreactor design are effectively coordinated. Some thermophilic anaerobes and recently-developed recombinant bacteria have advantageous features for direct microbial conversion of cellulose to ethanol, i.e. the simultaneous depolymerization of cellulosic carbohydrate polymers with ethanol production. The new fermentation technology converting xylose to ethanol needs also to be developed to make the overall conversion process more cost-effective. The bioconversion process of lignocellulosics to ethanol could be successfully developed and optimized by aggressively applying the related novel science and technologies to solve the known key problems of conversion process.

Production and secretion of proteins by streptomycetes

Streptomycetes produce a large number of extracellular enzymes as part of their saprophytic mode of life. Their ability to synthesize enzymes as products of their primary metabolism could lead to the production of many proteins of industrial importance. The development of high-yielding expression systems for both homologous and heterologous gene products is of considerable interest. In this article, we review the current knowledge on the various factors that affect the production and secretion of proteins by streptomycetes and try to evaluate the suitability of these bacteria for the large-scale production of proteins of industrial importance.

Bacterial dehalogenases: biochemistry, genetics, and biotechnological applications

This review is a survey of bacterial dehalogenases that catalyze the cleavage of halogen substituents from haloaromatics, haloalkanes, haloalcohols, and haloalkanoic acids. Concerning the enzymatic cleavage of the carbon-halogen bond, seven mechanisms of dehalogenation are known, namely, reductive, oxygenolytic, hydrolytic, and thiolytic dehalogenation; intramolecular nucleophilic displacement; dehydrohalogenation; and hydration. Spontaneous dehalogenation reactions may occur as a result of chemical decomposition of unstable primary products of an unassociated enzyme reaction, and fortuitous dehalogenation can result from the action of broad-specificity enzymes converting halogenated analogs of their natural substrate. Reductive dehalogenation either is catalyzed by a specific dehalogenase or may be mediated by free or enzyme-bound transition metal cofactors (porphyrins, corrins). Desulfomonile tiedjei DCB-1 couples energy conservation to a reductive dechlorination reaction. The biochemistry and genetics of oxygenolytic and hydrolytic haloaromatic dehalogenases are discussed. Concerning the haloalkanes, oxygenases, glutathione S-transferases, halidohydrolases, and dehydrohalogenases are involved in the dehalogenation of different haloalkane compounds. The epoxide-forming halohydrin hydrogen halide lyases form a distinct class of dehalogenases. The dehalogenation of alpha-halosubstituted alkanoic acids is catalyzed by halidohydrolases, which, according to their substrate and inhibitor specificity and mode of product formation, are placed into distinct mechanistic groups. beta-Halosubstituted alkanoic acids are dehalogenated by halidohydrolases acting on the coenzyme A ester of the beta-haloalkanoic acid. Microbial systems offer a versatile potential for biotechnological applications. Because of their enantiomer selectivity, some dehalogenases are used as industrial biocatalysts for the synthesis of chiral compounds. The application of dehalogenases or bacterial strains in environmental protection technologies is discussed in detail.

Ubiquity of lignin-degrading peroxidases among various wood-degrading fungi

Phanerochaete chrysosporium is rapidly becoming a model system for the study of lignin biodegradation. Numerous studies on the physiology, biochemistry, chemistry, and genetics of this system have been performed. However, P. chrysosporium is not the only fungus to have a lignin-degrading enzyme system. Many other ligninolytic species of fungi, as well as other distantly related organisms which are known to produce lignin peroxidases, are described in this paper. In this study, we demonstrated the presence of the peroxidative enzymes in nine species not previously investigated. The fungi studied produced significant manganese peroxidase activity when they were grown on an oak sawdust substrate supplemented with wheat bran, millet, and sucrose. Many of the fungi also exhibited laccase and/or glyoxal oxidase activity. Inhibitors present in the medium prevented measurement of lignin peroxidase activity. However, Western blots (immunoblots) revealed that several of the fungi produced lignin peroxidase proteins. We concluded from this work that lignin-degrading peroxidases are present in nearly all ligninolytic fungi, but may be expressed differentially in different species. Substantial variability exists in the levels and types of ligninolytic enzymes produced by different white not fungi.

Effects of a lignin peroxidase-expressing recombinant, Streptomyces lividans TK23.1, on biogeochemical cycling and the numbers and activities of microorganisms in soil

A recombinant actinomycete, Streptomyces lividans TK23.1, expressing a pIJ702-encoded extracellular lignin peroxidase gene cloned from the chromosome of Streptomyces viridosporus T7A, was released into soil in flask- and microcosm-scale studies to determine its effects on humification and elemental cycling and on the numbers, types, and activities of microorganisms native to the soil. Strain TK23.1 had been shown previously to transiently increase the rate of organic carbon mineralization in soil via an effect that was recombinant specific and particularly significant in nonsterile soils already possessing an active microflora. The results of this study confirmed the previous findings and showed that additional effects were measurable upon release of the recombinant strain TK23.1 into unamended soil and into soil amended with lignocellulose. In addition to a transient enhancement of carbon mineralization, the recombinant affected soil pH, the rate of incorporation of carbon into soil humus fractions, nitrogen cycling, the relative populations of some microbial groups, and also certain soil enzyme activities. Whereas the survival or persistence in soil of the recombinant TK23.1 strain and that of its parent, TK23, were similar, the observed effects on microbial numbers, types, and activities were recombinant specific and did not occur when the parental strain was released into soil. All of the measured effects were transient, generally lasting for only a few days. While the effects were statistically significant, their ecological significance appears to be minimal. This is the first report showing that a recombinant actinomycete can affect the microbial ecology of soil in ways that can be readily monitored by using a battery of microbiological, enzymological, and chemical assays.

Comparison of extracellular peroxidase- and esterase-deficient mutants of Streptomyces viridosporus T7A

Peroxidase-deficient mutants of the lignin-degrading bacterium Streptomyces viridosporus T7A were screened for their production of acid-precipitable polymeric lignin, extracellular peroxidases and esterases, and immunoreactivities against a polyclonal antibody produced against electrophoretically purified peroxidase isoform P3 of wild-type S. viridosporus. The mutants showed diminished abilities to solubilize lignin and produce acid-precipitable polymeric lignin. Their peroxidase activities were decreased, and their esterase production patterns were altered. Western immunoblots demonstrated that the mutants produced proteins immunologically reactive with the antibody, but with different mobilities from those of wild-type proteins. These findings confirm a direct role for peroxidases in lignin solubilization. They also indicate a possible role for esterases.

Immunologic relatedness of extracellular ligninases from the actinomycetes Streptomyces viridosporus T7A and Streptomyces badius 252

Four isoforms of the extracellular lignin peroxidase of the ligninolytic actinomycete Streptomyces viridosporus T7A (ALip-P1, P2, P3, and P4) were individually purified by ultrafiltration and ammonium sulfate precipitation, followed by electro-elution using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Three of the purified peroxidases were compared for their immunologic relatedness by Western blot analysis using a polyclonal antibody preparation produced in rabbits against pure isoform P3. The anti-P3 antibody was also tested for its reactivity towards a lignin peroxidase from the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium and another ligninolytic actinomycete Streptomyces badius 252. Results showed that peroxidases ALip-P1 through ALip-P3 are immunologically related to one another. The peroxidases of S. badius, but not the peroxidase of P. chrysosporium, also reacted with the antibody, thus indicating that the lignin peroxidases of S. viridosporus and S. badius are immunologically related. Based upon its specific affinity, lignin peroxidase isoform ALip-P3 of S. viridosporus was readily purified using an anti-P3 antibody affinity column.

Synthesis and properties of lignin peroxidase from Streptomyces viridosporus T7A

The production of lignin peroxidase by Streptomyces viridosporus T7A was studied in shake flasks and under aerobic conditions in a 7.5-L batch fermentor. Lignin peroxidase synthesis was found to be strongly affected by catabolite repression. Lignin peroxidase was a non-growth-associated, secondary metabolite. The maximum lignin peroxidase activity was 0.064 U/mL at 36 h. In order to maximize lignin peroxidase activity, optimal conditions were determined. The optimal incubation temperature, pH, and substrate (2,4-dichlorophenol) concentration for the enzyme assays were 45 degrees C, 6, and 3 mM, respectively. Stability of lignin peroxidase was determined at 37, 45, and 60 degrees C, and over the pH range 4-9.

Lignin-solubilizing ability of actinomycetes isolated from termite (Termitidae) gut

The lignocellulose-degrading abilities of 11 novel actinomycete strains isolated from termite gut were determined and compared with that of the well-characterized actinomycete, Streptomyces viridosporus T7A. Lignocellulose bioconversion was followed by (i) monitoring the degradation of [14C]lignin- and [14C]cellulose-labeled phloem of Abies concolor to 14CO2 and 14C-labeled water-soluble products, (ii) determining lignocellulose, lignin, and carbohydrate losses resulting from growth on a lignocellulose substrate prepared from corn stalks (Zea mays), and (iii) quantifying production of a water-soluble lignin degradation intermediate (acid-precipitable polymeric lignin). The actinomycetes were all Streptomyces strains and could be placed into three groups, including a group of five strains that appear superior to S. viridosporus T7A in lignocellulose-degrading ability, three strains of approximately equal ability, and three strains of lesser ability. Strain A2 was clearly the superior and most effective lignocellulose decomposer of those tested. Of the assays used, total lignocellulose weight loss was most useful in determining overall bioconversion ability but not in identifying the best lignin-solubilizing strains. A screening procedure based on 14CO2 evolution from [14C-lignin]lignocellulose combined with measurement of acid-precipitable polymeric lignin yield was the most effective in identifying lignin-solubilizing strains. For the termite gut strains, the pH of the medium showed no increase after 3 weeks of growth on lignocellulose. This is markedly different from the pattern observed with S. viridosporus T7A, which raises the medium pH considerably. Production of extracellular peroxidases by the 11 strains and S. viridosporus T7A was followed for 5 days in liquid cultures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)