Capillary zone electrophoresis for the analysis of glycoforms of cellobiohydrolase

A novel accessory protein ArCel5 from cellulose-gelatinizing fungus Arthrobotrys sp. CX1

Improved understanding of cellulose swelling mechanism is beneficial for increasing the hydrolysis efficiency of cellulosic substrates. Here, we report a family 5 glycoside hydrolase ArCel5 isolated from the cellulose-gelatinizing fungus Arthrobotrys sp. CX1. ArCel5 exhibited low specific hydrolysis activity and high cellulose swelling capability, which suggested that this protein might function as an accessory protein. Homology modeling glycosylation detection revealed that ArCel5 is a multi-domain protein including a family 1 carbohydrate-binding module, a glycosylation linker, and a catalytic domain. The adsorption capacity, structural changes and hydrature index of filter paper treated by different ArCel5 mutants demonstrated that CBM1 and linker played an essential role in recognizing, binding and decrystallizing cellulosic substrates, which further encouraged the synergistic action between ArCel5 and cellulases. Notably, glycosylation modification further strengthened the function of the linker region. Overall, our study provides insight into the cellulose decrystallization mechanism by a novel accessory protein ArCel5 that will benefit future applications.

Tailoring in fungi for next generation cellulase production with special reference to CRISPR/CAS system

Cellulose is the utmost plenteous source of biopolymer in our earth, and fungi are the most efficient and ubiquitous organism in degrading the cellulosic biomass by synthesizing cellulases. Tailoring through genetic manipulation has played a substantial role in constructing novel fungal strains towards improved cellulase production of desired traits. However, the traditional methods of genetic manipulation of fungi are time-consuming and tedious. With the availability of the full-genome sequences of several industrially relevant filamentous fungi, CRISPR-CAS (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein) technology has come into the focus for the proficient development of manipulated strains of filamentous fungi. This review summarizes the mode of action of cellulases, transcription level regulation for cellulase expression, various traditional strategies of genetic manipulation with CRISPR-CAS technology to develop modified fungal strains for a preferred level of cellulase production, and the futuristic trend in this arena of research.

Progress in Ameliorating Beneficial Characteristics of Microbial Cellulases by Genetic Engineering Approaches for Cellulose Saccharification

Lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable and sustainable energy source. Cellulases are the enzymes that cleave β-1, 4-glycosidic linkages in cellulose to liberate sugars that can be fermented to ethanol, butanol, and other products. Low enzyme activity and yield, and thermostability are, however, some of the limitations posing hurdles in saccharification of lignocellulosic residues. Recent advancements in synthetic and systems biology have generated immense interest in metabolic and genetic engineering that has led to the development of sustainable technology for saccharification of lignocellulosics in the last couple of decades. There have been several attempts in applying genetic engineering in the production of a repertoire of cellulases at a low cost with a high biomass saccharification. A diverse range of cellulases are produced by different microbes, some of which are being engineered to evolve robust cellulases. This review summarizes various successful genetic engineering strategies employed for improving cellulase kinetics and cellulolytic efficiency.

Mapping N-linked glycosylation of carbohydrate-active enzymes in the secretome of Aspergillus nidulans grown on lignocellulose

BACKGROUND

The genus Aspergillus includes microorganisms that naturally degrade lignocellulosic biomass, secreting large amounts of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) that characterize their saprophyte lifestyle. Aspergillus has the capacity to perform post-translational modifications (PTM), which provides an additional advantage for the use of these organisms as a host for the production of heterologous proteins. In this study, the N-linked glycosylation of CAZymes identified in the secretome of Aspergillus nidulans grown on lignocellulose was mapped.

RESULTS

Aspergillus nidulans was grown in glucose, xylan and pretreated sugarcane bagasse (SCB) for 96 h, after which glycoproteomics and glycomics were carried out on the extracellular proteins (secretome). A total of 265 proteins were identified, with 153, 210 and 182 proteins in the glucose, xylan and SCB substrates, respectively. CAZymes corresponded to more than 50 % of the total secretome in xylan and SCB. A total of 182 N-glycosylation sites were identified, of which 121 were detected in 67 CAZymes. A prevalence of the N-glyc sequon N-X-T (72.2 %) was observed in N-glyc sites compared with N-X-S (27.8 %). The amino acids flanking the validated N-glyc sites were mainly composed of hydrophobic and polar uncharged amino acids. Selected proteins were evaluated for conservation of the N-glyc sites in Aspergilli homologous proteins, but a pattern of conservation was not observed. A global analysis of N-glycans released from the proteins secreted by A. nidulans was also performed. While the proportion of N-glycans with Hex5 to Hex9 was similar in the xylan condition, a prevalence of Hex5 was observed in the SCB and glucose conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

The most common and frequent N-glycosylated motifs, an overview of the N-glycosylation of the CAZymes and the number of mannoses found in N-glycans were analyzed. There are many bottlenecks in protein production by filamentous fungi, such as folding, transport by vesicles and secretion, but N-glycosylation in the correct context is a fundamental event for defining the high levels of secretion of target proteins. A comprehensive analysis of the protein glycosylation processes in A. nidulans will assist with a better understanding of glycoprotein structures, profiles, activities and functions. This knowledge can help in the optimization of heterologous expression and protein secretion in the fungal host.

Mechanism of lignin inhibition of enzymatic biomass deconstruction

BACKGROUND

The conversion of plant biomass to ethanol via enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis offers a potentially sustainable route to biofuel production. However, the inhibition of enzymatic activity in pretreated biomass by lignin severely limits the efficiency of this process.

RESULTS

By performing atomic-detail molecular dynamics simulation of a biomass model containing cellulose, lignin, and cellulases (TrCel7A), we elucidate detailed lignin inhibition mechanisms. We find that lignin binds preferentially both to the elements of cellulose to which the cellulases also preferentially bind (the hydrophobic faces) and also to the specific residues on the cellulose-binding module of the cellulase that are critical for cellulose binding of TrCel7A (Y466, Y492, and Y493).

CONCLUSIONS

Lignin thus binds exactly where for industrial purposes it is least desired, providing a simple explanation of why hydrolysis yields increase with lignin removal.