Cyclodextrin glucanotransferase production by cell biocatalysts of alkaliphilic bacilli

Maltose binding site 2 mutations affect product inhibition of Bacillus circulans STB01 cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase

The efficiency of enzymatic cyclodextrin production using cyclodextrin glycosyltransferases (CGTases) is limited by product inhibition. In this study, maltose binding site 2 (MBS2) of the β-CGTase from Bacillus circulans STB01 was modified to decrease product inhibition. First, two point mutants were prepared at position 599 (A599V and A599N). Then, two double mutants incorporating alanine at position 633 (A599N/Y633A and A599V/Y633A) were prepared. Finally, the entire MBS2 region was replaced by that of the α-CGTase from Paenibacillus macerans JFB05-01 to form multipoint mutant MBS2 β → α. All five mutants exhibited mixed-type product inhibition, although both the competitive and uncompetitive components of this inhibition were decreased. The total cyclization activities of A599N, A599V and A599V/Y633A were 15.6%, 76.8% and 70.9% lower than that of the wild-type, respectively, while that of A599N/Y633A was 22.4% higher. Among the mutants, only MBS2 β → α showed catalytic efficiency (k_cat/K_m) comparable with that of the wild-type. Moreover, A599N, A599N/Y633A and MBS2 β → α produced cyclodextrin yields 13.1%, 15.8% and 19.7% greater than that of the wild-type, respectively. These results suggest that A599N, A599N/Y633A and MBS2 β → α may be more suitable than the wild-type for cyclodextrin production.

Improved production of cyclodextrins by alkalophilic bacilli immobilized on synthetic or loofa sponges

This study aimed to improve the production of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) by microbial cells immobilized on synthetic or loofa sponges both with and without the use of alginate or chitosan. The most suitable matrix for the immobilization of Bacillus firmus strain 7B was synthetic sponge and for Bacillus sphaericus strain 41 was loofa sponge. After 330 days of storage, the β-CD production by Bacillus firmus and Bacillus sphaericus remained at around 41% and 49%, respectively, of initial levels. After 24 days of immobilization on loofa sponge, Bacillus sphaericus strain 41 achieved an improved operational stability, reaching 86.6 mM β-CD after 20 days of production, compared to only 32.8 mM of β-CD produced by free Bacillus sphaericus strain 41 cells. The expected increase in β-CD production by immobilized cells of Bacillus firmus strain 7B on synthetic sponge for 4 days was not statistically different to that for cells immobilized for 24 days. The application of this process on an industrial scale using loofa sponge, an inexpensive and renewable matrix, will allow the stable production of β-CD.

A novel cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase from Alkaliphilic Amphibacillus sp. NPST-10: purification and properties

Screening for cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase)-producing alkaliphilic bacteria from samples collected from hyper saline soda lakes (Wadi Natrun Valley, Egypt), resulted in isolation of potent CGTase producing alkaliphilic bacterium, termed NPST-10. 16S rDNA sequence analysis identified the isolate as Amphibacillus sp. CGTase was purified to homogeneity up to 22.1 fold by starch adsorption and anion exchange chromatography with a yield of 44.7%. The purified enzyme was a monomeric protein with an estimated molecular weight of 92 kDa using SDS-PAGE. Catalytic activities of the enzyme were found to be 88.8 U mg⁻¹ protein, 20.0 U mg⁻¹ protein and 11.0 U mg⁻¹ protein for cyclization, coupling and hydrolytic activities, respectively. The enzyme was stable over a wide pH range from pH 5.0 to 11.0, with a maximal activity at pH 8.0. CGTase exhibited activity over a wide temperature range from 45 °C to 70 °C, with maximal activity at 50 °C and was stable at 30 °C to 55 °C for at least 1 h. Thermal stability of the purified enzyme could be significantly improved in the presence of CaCl₂. K_m and V_max values were estimated using soluble starch as a substrate to be 1.7 ± 0.15 mg/mL and 100 ± 2.0 μmol/min, respectively. CGTase was significantly inhibited in the presence of Co²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, Ba²⁺, Cd²⁺, and 2-mercaptoethanol. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of CGTase production by Amphibacillus sp. The achieved high conversion of insoluble raw corn starch into cyclodextrins (67.2%) with production of mainly β-CD (86.4%), makes Amphibacillus sp. NPST-10 desirable for the cyclodextrin production industry.