Bimutation breeding of Aspergillus niger strain for enhancing β-mannanase production by solid-state fermentation

Optimized production and characterization of endo-β-mannanase by Aspergillus niger for generation of prebiotic mannooligosaccharides from guar gum

Optimized production of Aspergillus niger ATCC 26011 endo-β-mannanase (ManAn) on copra meal resulted in 2.46-fold increase (10,028 U/gds). Purified ManAn (47 kDa) showed high affinity towards guar gum (GG) as compared to konjac gum and locust bean gum with Km 2.67, 3.25 and 4.07 mg/mL, respectively. ManAn efficiently hydrolyzed GG and liberated mannooligosaccharides (MOS). Changes occurring in the rheological and compositional aspects of GG studied using Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed increased thermal stability and crystallinity of the partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG). Parametric optimization of the time and temperature dependent hydrolysis of GG (1% w/v) with 100 U/mL of ManAn at 60 °C and pH: 5.0 resulted in 12.126 mg/mL of mannotetraose (M4) in 5 min. Enhanced growth of probiotics Lactobacilli and production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) that inhibited enteropathogens, confirmed the prebiotic potential of PHGG and M4.

Research and application progress of microbial β-mannanases: a mini-review

Mannan is a predominant constituent of cork hemicellulose and is widely distributed in various plant tissues. β-Mannanase is the principal mannan-degrading enzyme, which breaks down the β-1,4-linked mannosidic bonds in mannans in an endo-acting manner. Microorganisms are a valuable source of β-mannanase, which exhibits catalytic activity in a wide range of pH and temperature, making it highly versatile and applicable in pharmaceuticals, feed, paper pulping, biorefinery, and other industries. Here, the origin, classification, enzymatic properties, molecular modification, immobilization, and practical applications of microbial β-mannanases are reviewed, the future research directions for microbial β-mannanases are also outlined.

Konjac Glucomannan (KGM), Deacetylated KGM (Da-KGM), and Degraded KGM Derivatives: A Special Focus on Colloidal Nutrition

Konjac flour, mainly obtained and purified from the tubers ofAmorphophallus konjac C. Koch, yields a high molecular weight (M_w) and viscous hydrocolloidal polysaccharide: konjac glucomannan (KGM). KGM has been widely applied in the food industry as a thickening and gelation agent as a result of its unique colloidal properties of effective viscosity enhancement and thermal-irreversible gelling. This review first narrates the typical commercial KGM source species, the industrial production, and the purification process of KGM flour. The structural information on native KGM, gelation mechanisms of alkali-induced deacetylated KGM (Da-KGM) hydrogel, progress on degraded KGM derivatives, cryoprotection effect, and colloidal nutrition are highlighted. Finally, the regulatory requirements of konjac flour and KGM among different countries are briefly introduced. The fine structure and physicochemical properties of KGM can be regulated in a great range via the deacetylation or degradation reaction. Here, the relationship between the physicochemical properties, such as viscosity, solubility, gelation, and nutritional effects, of native KGM, Da-KGM, and degraded KGM derivatives was preliminary established, which would provide theoretical guidance for designing KGM-based products with certain nutritional needs.

Biochemical and structural characterization of a novel thermophilic and acidophilic β-mannanase from Aspergillus calidoustus

β-Mannanases hydrolyze lignocellulosic biomass with the release of mannan oligosaccharides, which are considered as renewable resource in higher plants. Here, we cloned, expressed and characterized a novel endo-β-mannanase (ManAC) from Aspergillus calidoustus. Homology alignment analysis indicated that ManAC belonged to glycosyl hydrolase (GH) 5 family members. The analysis of structural homologous model revealed that five residues, Arg¹¹⁶, Asn²³¹, His³⁰⁵, Tyr³⁰⁷, and Trp³⁷⁰, constituted the active site of ManAC. Glu²³² and Glu³⁴⁰, proton donor and nucleophile, formed the catalytic residues of ManAC. The recombinant ManAC exhibited maximal activity at pH 2.5 and 70 °C, and it was acid tolerant at a pH range of 2.0-6.0 and thermostable under 60 °C. Meanwhile, the activity of ManAC was not significantly affected by various metal ions, except for Mg²⁺ and Ag²⁺. The recombinant ManAC exhibited the highest β-mannanase activity towards locust bean gum (669.7 U/mg) with the K_m and V_max values of 3.4 mg/mL and 982.4 μmol/min/mg, respectively. These thermophilic and acidophilicc characteristics is better than most extreme β-mannanase. As the first reported mannanse from Aspergillus calidoustus (ManAC), these excellent properties of ManAC strongly promote the synthesis of mannooligosaccharides which have potential for food and feed industrial applications.

High-level expression of a thermophilic and acidophilic β-mannanase from Aspergillus kawachii IFO 4308 with significant potential in mannooligosaccharide preparation

An engineered thermophilic and acidophilic β-mannanase (ManAK) from Aspergillus kawachii IFO 4308 was highly expressed in Pichia pastoris. Through high cell density fermentation, the maximum yield reached 11,600 U/mL and 15.5 g/L, which is higher than most extreme β-mannanases. The recombinant ManAK was thermostable with a temperature optimum of 80 °C, and acid tolerant with a pH optimum of 2.0. ManAK could efficiently degrade locust bean gum, konjac gum, and guar gum into small molecular mannooligosaccharide (<2000 Da), even at high initial substrate concentration (10%), and displayed different Mw distributions in their end products. Docking analysis demonstrated that the catalytic pocket of ManAK could only accommodate a galactopyranosyl residue in subsite -1, which might be responsible for the distinct hydrolysis product compositions from locust bean gum and guar gum. These superior properties of ManAK strongly facilitate mannooligosaccharide preparation and application in food and feed area.

A Recombinant Highly Thermostable β-Mannanase (ReTMan26) from Thermophilic Bacillus subtilis (TBS2) Expressed in Pichia pastoris and Its pH and Temperature Stability

A gene encoding a highly thermostable β-mannanase from a thermophilic Bacillus subtilis (TBS2) was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris. The maximum activity of the recombinant thermostable β-mannanase (ReTMan26) was 5435 U/mL, which was obtained by high-density, fed-batch cultivation after 168-h induction with methanol in a 50-L bioreactor. The protein yield reached 3.29 mg/mL, and the protein had a molecular weight of ~42 kDa. After fermentation, ReTMan26 was purified using a 10-kDa cut-off membrane and Sephadex G-75 column. The pH and temperature optima of purified ReTMan26 were pH 6.0 and 60 °C, respectively, and the enzyme was stable at pH 2.0-8.0 and was active at 20-100 °C. HPLC analysis of the products of locust bean gum hydrolysis showed that the mannan-oligosaccharide content was 62.5%. ReTMan26 retained 58.6% of its maximum activity after treatment at 100 °C for 10 min, which was higher than any other β-mannanase reported up to now, suggesting its potential for industrial applications.

Genome mining and motif truncation of glycoside hydrolase family 5 endo-β-1,4-mannanase encoded by Aspergillus oryzae RIB40 for potential konjac flour hydrolysis or feed additive

Two novel glycosyl hydrolase family 5 (GH5) β-mannanases (AoMan5A and AoMan5B) were identified from Aspergillus oryzae RIB40 by genome mining. The AoMan5A contains a predicted family 1 carbohydrate binding module (CBM-1), located at its N-terminal. The AoMan5A, AoMan5B and truncated mutant AoMan5AΔCL (truncating the N-terminal CBM and linker of AoMan5A) were expressed retaining the N-terminus of the native protein in Pichia pastoris GS115 by pPIC9K^M. The specific enzyme activity of the purified reAoMan5A, reAoMan5B and reAoMan5AΔCL towards locust bean gum at pH 3.6 and 40°C for 10min, was 8.3, 104.2 and 15.8U/mg, respectively. The temperature properties of the reAoMan5AΔCL were improved by truncating CBM. They can degrade the pretreated konjac flour and produce prebiotics. In addition, they had excellent stability under simulative gastric fluid and simulative prilling process. All these properties make these recombinant β-mannanases potential additives for use in the food and feed industries.

A new acidophilic thermostable endo-1,4-β-mannanase from Penicillium oxalicum GZ-2: cloning, characterization and functional expression in Pichia pastoris

Background

Endo-1,4-β-mannanase is an enzyme that can catalyze the random hydrolysis of β-1, 4-mannosidic linkages in the main chain of mannans, glucomannans and galactomannans and has a number of applications in different biotechnology industries. Penicillium oxalicum is a powerful hemicellulase-producing fungus (Bioresour Technol 123:117-124, 2012); however, few previous studies have focused on the cloning and expression of the endo-1,4-β-mannanase gene from Penicillium oxalicum.

Results

A gene encoding an acidophilic thermostable endo-1,4-β-mannanase (E.C. 3.2.1.78) from Penicillium oxalicum GZ-2, which belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 5, was cloned and successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. A high enzyme activity (84.4 U mL⁻¹) was detected in the culture supernatant. The recombinant endo-1,4-β-mannanase (rPoMan5A) was tagged with 6 × His at its C-terminus and purified using a Ni-NTA Sepharose column to apparent homogeneity. The purified rPoMan5A showed a single band on SDS-PAGE with a molecular mass of approximately 61.6 kDa. The specific activity of the purified rPoMan5A was 420.9 U mg⁻¹ using locust bean gum as substrate. The optimal catalytic temperature (10 min assay) and pH value for rPoMan5A are 80°C and pH 4.0, respectively. The rPoMan5A is highly thermostable with a half-life of approximately 58 h at 60°C at pH 4.0. The K_m and V_max values for locust bean gum, konjac mannan, and guar gum are 7.6 mg mL⁻¹ and 1425.5 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹, 2.1 mg mL⁻¹ and 154.8 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹, and 2.3 mg mL⁻¹ and 18.9 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹, respectively. The enzymatic activity of rPoMan5A was not significantly affected by an array of metal ions, but was inhibited by Fe³⁺ and Hg²⁺. Analytical results of hydrolytic products showed that rPoMan5A could hydrolyze various types of mannan polymers and released various mannose and manno-oligosaccharides, with the main products being mannobiose, mannotriose, and mannopentaose.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrated that the high-efficient expression and secretion of acid stable and thermostable recombinant endo-1, 4-β-mannanase in Pichia pastoris is suitable for various biotechnology applications.

A unique mono- and diacylglycerol lipase from Penicillium cyclopium: heterologous expression, biochemical characterization and molecular basis for its substrate selectivity

A cDNA gene encoding a mature peptide of the mono- and diacylglycerol lipase (abbreviated to PcMdl) from Penicillium cyclopium PG37 was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. The recombinant PcMdl (rePcMdl) with an apparent molecular weight of 39 kDa showed the highest activity (40.5 U/mL of culture supernatant) on 1,2-dibutyrin substrate at temperature 35°C and pH 7.5. The rePcMdl was stable at a pH range of 6.5–9.5 and temperatures below 35°C. The activity of rePcMdl was inhibited by Hg²⁺ and Fe³⁺, but not significantly affected by EDTA or the other metal ions such as Na⁺, K⁺, Li⁺, Mg²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Fe²⁺. PcMdl was identified to be strictly specific to mono- and diacylglycerol, but not triacylglycerol. Stereographic view of PcMdl docked with substrate (tri- or diacylglycerol) analogue indicated that the residue Phe²⁵⁶ plays an important role in conferring the substrate selectivity. Phe²⁵⁶ projects its side chain towards the substrate binding groove and makes the sn-1 moiety difficult to insert in. Furthermore, sn-1 moiety prevents the phosphorus atom (substitution of carboxyl carbon) from getting to the O_γ of Ser¹⁴⁵, which results in the failure of triacylglycerol hydrolysis. These results should provide a basis for molecular engineering of PcMdl and expand its applications in industries.

Directed modification of the Aspergillus usamii β-mannanase to improve its substrate affinity by in silico design and site-directed mutagenesis

β-Mannanases (EC 3.2.1.78) can catalyze the cleavage of internal β-1,4-d-mannosidic linkages of mannan backbones, and they have found applications in food, feed, pulp and paper, oil, pharmaceutical and textile industries. Suitable amino acid substitution can promote access to the substrate-binding groove and maintain the substrate therein, which probably improves the substrate affinity and, thus, increases catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. In this study, to improve the substrate affinity of AuMan5A, a glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 5 β-mannanase from Aspergillus usamii, had its directed modification conducted by in silico design, and followed by site-directed mutagenesis. The mutant genes, Auman5AY111F and Auman5AY115F, were constructed by megaprimer PCR, respectively. Then, Auman5A and its mutant genes were expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 successfully. The specific activities of purified recombinant β-mannanases (reAuMan5A, reAuMan5AY111F and reAuMan5AY115F) towards locust bean gum were 152.5, 199.6 and 218.9 U mg−1, respectively. The two mutants were found to be similar to reAuMan5A regarding temperature and pH characteristics. Nevertheless, the K  m values of reAuMan5AY111F and reAuMan5AY115F, towards guar gum, decreased to 2.95 ± 0.22 and 2.39 ± 0.33 mg ml−1 from 4.49 ± 0.07 mg ml−1 of reAuMan5A, which would make reAuMan5AY111F and reAuMan5AY115F promising candidates for industrial processes. Structural analysis showed that the two mutants increased their affinity by decreasing the steric conflicts with those more complicated substrates. The results suggested that subtle conformational modification in the substrate-binding groove could substantially alter the substrate affinity of AuMan5A. This study laid a solid foundation for the directed modification of substrate affinities of β-mannanases and other enzymes.

Optimized expression, purification and characterization of a family 11 xylanase (AuXyn11A) from Aspergillus usamii E001 in Pichia pastoris

BACKGROUND

Xylanases have attracted much attention because of their potential applications. Unfortunately, the commercialization of xylanases is limited by their low catalytic activities. The aim of this study was to improve the activity of a xylanase by optimization of the expression conditions and to investigate its characterization.

RESULTS

The activity of recombinant AuXyn11A (reAuXyn11A), a family 11 xylanase from Aspergillus usamii E001 expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115, reached 912.6 U mL⁻¹ under the optimized conditions, which was 2.14 times as high as that expressed using the standard protocol. After the endogenous 18-aa propeptide had been processed in P. pastoris, reAuXyn11A (188-aa mature peptide) was secreted and purified with a specific activity of 22 714 U mg⁻¹. It displayed maximum activity at pH 5 and 50 °C and was stable in the pH range 4-8 and at a temperature of 45 °C or below. Its activity was not significantly affected by most metal ions and EDTA. Xylooligosaccharides ranging from xylobiose (X2) to xylohexaose (X6) were produced from insoluble corncob xylan by reAuXyn11A.

CONCLUSION

Its high specific activity and good enzymatic properties suggest that reAuXyn11A is a potential candidate for applications in industrial processes.

Mutant breeding of Serratia marcescens strain for enhancing prodigiosin production and application to textiles

Microwaves have been used as a mutant agent to select mutant strains with high-yield and high-purity pigment. Mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic techniques were used to elucidate the structures of the pigment. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to measure pigment purity. The analysis of the mutant strain showed that pigment yield increased by 109% and was 98% pure. Prodigiosin in ethanol solution had good stability under ambient temperature and natural indoor light. However, prodigiosin rapidly decomposed under intense sunlight. Prodigiosin is an ecological colorant to dye fabrics, including synthetic and natural fibers. Synthetic fabrics dyed with prodigiosin, such as polyamide and acrylic, have high colorfastness to washing (≥4th grade) and antimicrobial properties (>90%) against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrobial properties were significantly different between synthetic and natural fabrics. The mutant strain Serratia marcescens jx1-1, with high prodigiosin yield and purity, has promising prospects in food, cosmetic, and textile industries.

Fusing a carbohydrate-binding module into the Aspergillus usamii β-mannanase to improve its thermostability and cellulose-binding capacity by in silico design

The AuMan5A, an acidophilic glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 5 β-mannanase derived from Aspergillus usamii YL-01-78, consists of an only catalytic domain (CD). To perfect enzymatic properties of the AuMan5A, a family 1 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM) of the Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase I (TrCBH I), having the lowest binding free energy with cellobiose, was selected by in silico design, and fused into its C-terminus forming a fusion β-mannanase, designated as AuMan5A-CBM. Then, its encoding gene, Auman5A-cbm, was constructed as it was designed theoretically, and expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. SDS-PAGE analysis displayed that both recombinant AuMan5A-CBM (reAuMan5A-CBM) and AuMan5A (reAuMan5A) were secreted into the cultured media with apparent molecular masses of 57.3 and 49.8 kDa, respectively. The temperature optimum of the reAuMan5A-CBM was 75°C, being 5°C higher than that of the reAuMan5A. They were stable at temperatures of 68 and 60°C, respectively. Compared with reAuMan5A, the reAuMan5A-CBM showed an obvious decrease in K_m and a slight alteration in V_max. In addition, the fusion of a CBM of the TrCBH I into the AuMan5A contributed to its cellulose-binding capacity.

Locust bean gum: Exploring its potential for biopharmaceutical applications

Polysaccharides have been finding, in the last decades, very interesting and useful applications in the biomedical and, specifically, in the biopharmaceutical field. Locust bean gum is a polysaccharide belonging to the group of galactomannans, being extracted from the seeds of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua). This polymer displays a number of appealing characteristics for biopharmaceutical applications, among which its high gelling capacity should be highlighted. In this review, we describe critical aspects of locust bean gum, contributing for its role in biopharmaceutical applications. Physicochemical properties, as well as strong and effective synergies with other biomaterials are described. The potential for in vivo biodegradation is explored and the specific biopharmaceutical applications are discussed.

Cloning and functional expression of an acidophilic β-mannanase gene (Anman5A) from Aspergillus niger LW-1 in Pichia pastoris

A cDNA fragment of the Anman5A, a gene that encodes an acidophilic β-mannanase of Aspergillus niger LW-1 (abbreviated as AnMan5A), was cloned and functionally expressed in Pichia pastoris . Homology alignment of amino acid sequences verified that the AnMan5A belongs to the glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 5. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) assay demonstrated that the recombinant AnMan5A (reAnMan5A), a N-glycosylated protein with an apparent molecular weight of 52.0 kDa, was secreted into the medium. The highest reAnMan5A activity expressed by one P. pastoris transformant, labeled as GSAnMan4-12, reached 29.0 units/mL. The purified reAnMan5A displayed the highest activity at pH 3.5 and 70 °C. It was stable at a pH range of 3.0-7.0 and at a temperature of 60 °C or below. Its activity was not significantly affected by an array of metal ions and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The K(m) and V(max) of the reAnMan5A, toward locust bean gum, were 1.10 mg/mL and 266.7 units/mg, respectively.