Purification, biochemical characterization and performance evaluation of an alkaline serine protease from Aspergillus flavus MTCC 9952 mutant

Valorization of agro-industrial residues using Aspergillus heteromorphus URM0269 for protease production: Characterization and purification

This study aimed to produce, characterize and purify a protease from Aspergillus heteromorphus URM0269. After production by solid fermentation of wheat bran performed according to a central composite design, protease was characterized in terms of biochemical, kinetic, and thermodynamic parameters for further purification by chromatography. Proteolytic activity achieved a maximum value of 57.43 U/mL using 7.8 g of wheat bran with 40 % moisture. Protease displayed high stability in the pH and temperature ranges of 5.0-10.0 and 20-30 °C, respectively, and acted optimally at pH 7.0 and 50 °C. The enzyme, characterized as a serine protease, followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a maximum reaction rate of 140.0 U/mL and Michaelis constant of 11.6 mg/mL. Thermodynamic activation parameters, namely activation Gibbs free energy (69.79 kJ/mol), enthalpy (5.86 kJ/mol), and entropy (-214.39 J/mol.K) of the hydrolysis reaction, corroborated with kinetic modeling showing high affinity for azocasein. However, thermodynamic parameters suggested a reversible mechanism of unfolding. Purification by chromatography yielded a protease purification factor of 7.2, and SDS-PAGE revealed one protein band with a molecular mass of 14.7 kDa. Circular dichroism demonstrated a secondary structure made up of 45.6 % α-helices. These results show the great potential of this protease for future use in the industrial area.

Microbial proteases and their applications

Proteases (proteinases or peptidases) are a class of hydrolases that cleave peptide chains in proteins. Endopeptidases are a type of protease that hydrolyze the internal peptide bonds of proteins, forming shorter peptides; exopeptidases hydrolyze the terminal peptide bonds from the C-terminal or N-terminal, forming free amino acids. Microbial proteases are a popular instrument in many industrial applications. In this review, the classification, detection, identification, and sources of microbial proteases are systematically introduced, as well as their applications in food, detergents, waste treatment, and biotechnology processes in the industry fields. In addition, recent studies on techniques used to express heterologous microbial proteases are summarized to describe the process of studying proteases. Finally, future developmental trends for microbial proteases are discussed.

Three-Step Purification and Characterization of Organic Solvent-Tolerant and Alkali-Thermo-Tolerant Xylanase from Bacillus paramycoides T4 [MN370035]

In the present study, an extracellular alkali-thermo-tolerant xylanase from Bacillus paramycoides was produced in the presence of an organic solvent. The enzyme was purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation, gel filtration, and ion exchange chromatography, with an overall recovery of 25.9%. The purified enzyme hada 70 kDa molecular weight (MW) confirmed by SDS-PAGE gel analysis. The maximum enzyme activity was reported at 55 °C and pH 7.0. Xylanase activity and stability were improved in the presence of 30% (v/v) n-dodecane, iso-octane, n-decane, and cyclohexane (7 days). The enzyme activity was improved by Co2+, EDTA, and Triton-X-100 while vigorously repressed by Hg2+ and Cu2+. The purified enzyme showed 1.473 mg/mL Km and 654.017 µg/mL/min Vmax values. The distinctive assets of the isolate verified the potential application in the field of biomass conversion into fuel and other industrial processes. Organic solvent-tolerant xylanases can be used for concurrent saccharification and bioethanol production, the amplification of intoxicating beverages, and the fermenting industry.

Pharmaceutical biotechnological potential of filamentous fungi isolated from textile industry

The need for more effective drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases as well as for general applications including wound healing and burn surgery, has guided efforts for the discovery of new compounds of medical interest. Microorganisms found in textile industrial waste have the ability to produce a variety of enzymes and/or secondary metabolites including molecules of pharmaceutical interest. The present work investigated the biotechnological potential of filamentous fungi isolated from textile industry wastewater for the production of collagenase and antimicrobial metabolites. From 28 isolates assayed, Sarocladium sp. ITF33 showed specific collagenolytic activity with values of 7.62 and 9.04 U mg^-1 for the intracellular and extracellular fractions, respectively. The isolate Penicillium sp. ITF28 showed the best antimicrobial activity, reaching MIC ranging from 1.0 to 0.0625 mg mL^-1 against five pathogenic bacteria. Molecular analyzes suggest that the isolate Sarocladium sp. ITF 33 can be considered a species not yet described. The results of the present work encourage studies of characterization and purification of the enzymes and secondary metabolites produced by the isolates found aiming future applications in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.

Biochemical and thermodynamic characteristics of a new serine protease from Mucor subtilissimus URM 4133

A protease from the fungus Mucor subtilissimus URM 4133, capable of producing bioactive peptides from goat casein, was purified. SDS-PAGE and zymography showed a molecular mass of 30 kDa. The enzyme was active and stable in a wide pH range (6.0–10.5) and (5.0–10.5), respectively. Optimum temperature was at 45–50 °C and stability was above 80 % (40 °C/2 h). Activity was not influenced by ions or organic substances (Triton, Tween, SDS and DMSO), but was completely inhibited by PMSF, suggesting that it belongs to the serine protease family. The Km and Vmax were 2.35 mg azocasein.mL-1 and 333.33 U.mg protein-1, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters of irreversible denaturation (40–60 °C) were enthalpy 123.63 – 123.46 kJ.mol-1, entropy 120.24–122.28 kJ.mol-1 and Gibbs free energy 85.97 – 82.45 kJ.mol-1. Any peptide sequences compatible with this protease were found after analysis by MALDI-TOF, which suggests that it is a new serine protease.

A novel thiol-dependent serine protease from Neocosmospora sp. N1

Alkaline proteases have several industrial applications. In the present study, newly isolated Neocosmospora sp. N1 was screened as hyper producer of serine protease. A multimeric protease of the fungus was purified to homogeneity till 96.78 fold purification with 22.51% recovery. The homogeneity of purified enzyme was checked by native PAGE and its molecular weight was found to be 198.03 kDa by MALDI-TOF. On SDS-PAGE analysis, enzyme was found to be a hetero oligomer of 17.66 kDa and 20.89 kDa subunits. The purified enzyme showed maximum activity with casein as substrate at 60 °C and pH 8.5. The K_m and V_max values were found to be 0.015 mg/ml and 454.45 U/ml, respectively. The enzyme was completely inhibited by PMSF, while the activity was 40% enhanced using β-mercaptoethanol, suggesting that it is a thiol-dependent serine protease. The purified protease was active over an alkaline pH range from 7 to 12 and temperatures from 20 °C to 60 °C. The enzyme exhibited excellent stability, almost 100% towards organic solvents such as toluene, benzene and hexane, surfactants such as Triton X-100, Tween-20, Tween-80 and SDS, as well as commercial detergents. The significant properties of purified enzyme assure that it could be a potential candidate for commercial purposes.

Microbial Proteases Applications

The use of chemicals around the globe in different industries has increased tremendously, affecting the health of people. The modern world intends to replace these noxious chemicals with environmental friendly products for the betterment of life on the planet. Establishing enzymatic processes in spite of chemical processes has been a prime objective of scientists. Various enzymes, specifically microbial proteases, are the most essentially used in different corporate sectors, such as textile, detergent, leather, feed, waste, and others. Proteases with respect to physiological and commercial roles hold a pivotal position. As they are performing synthetic and degradative functions, proteases are found ubiquitously, such as in plants, animals, and microbes. Among different producers of proteases, Bacillus sp. are mostly commercially exploited microbes for proteases. Proteases are successfully considered as an alternative to chemicals and an eco-friendly indicator for nature or the surroundings. The evolutionary relationship among acidic, neutral, and alkaline proteases has been analyzed based on their protein sequences, but there remains a lack of information that regulates the diversity in their specificity. Researchers are looking for microbial proteases as they can tolerate harsh conditions, ways to prevent autoproteolytic activity, stability in optimum pH, and substrate specificity. The current review focuses on the comparison among different proteases and the current problems faced during production and application at the industrial level. Deciphering these issues would enable us to promote microbial proteases economically and commercially around the world.

Purification and characterization of neutral protease from Aspergillus oryzae Y1 isolated from naturally fermented broad beans

The strain Y1, with a notably high production of neutral protease, was isolated from naturally fermented broad beans and subsequently identified as Aspergillus oryzae, through the analysis of its morphology characteristics and 18S rDNA sequence. Naturally fermented broad beans are the main raw material in Sichuan broad-bean sauce. The neutral protease from Aspergillus oryzae Y1 was purified using ammonium sulphate precipitation and DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow chromatography, which resulted in a 10.0-fold increase in the specific activity (2264.3 U/mg) and a recovery rate of 21%. The estimated molecular mass of the purified protease was approximately 45 kDa. The optimal pH and temperature of the purified protease were 7.0 and 55 °C, respectively. The heat resistance of the purified protease was significantly higher than the commercial protease. The effect of metal ions on the activity of the purified protease approximated that of commercial neutral protease. Furthermore, the maximum hydrolysis rate (Vmax) and apparent Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) values of the purified protease were 256.4103 μg/mL min and 20.0769 mg/mL, respectively. The purified protease had a higher affinity for the substrate than the commercial neutral protease. All the results suggest that this neutral protease exhibits the potential for application in industry due to its good resistance to high temperatures and wide range of acids and bases.

A novel serine protease from strawberry (Fragaria ananassa): Purification and biochemical characterization

In this study, a protease enzyme was purified from strawberry by using Sepharose-4B-l-tyrosine-p-amino benzoic acid affinity chromatography. The molecular weight of pure protease was determined 65.8 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The single band observed on the gel showed that the enzyme had a single polypeptide chain and was successfully purified. Purification of the protease by the chromatographic method resulted in a 395.6-fold increase in specific activity (3600 U/mg). Optimum pH and temperature for the enzyme were 6 and 40 °C, respectively. The protease was stable at a wide temperature range of 40 to 70 °C and a pH range of 3.0 to 9.0. Co²⁺ ions stimulated protease activity very strongly. Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Mn²⁺ ions significantly inhibited protease activity. While 2-propanol completely inhibited the enzyme, the enzyme maintained its activity better in the presence of ethanol and methanol. The strawberry protease showed the highest specificity towards hemoglobin among all the natural substrates tested. The specificity of the enzyme towards synthetic substrates was also investigated and it was concluded that it has broad substrate specificity. The obtained results indicated that this purified protease was highly-likely a serine protease and its activity was significantly affected by the presence of metal ions.