A simple enzymatic synthesis of 4-nitrophenyl β-1,4-d-xylobioside, a chromogenic substrate for assay and differentiation of endoxylanases

High level expression of a novel family 3 neutral β-xylosidase from Humicola insolens Y1 with high tolerance to D-xylose

A novel β-xylosidase gene of glycosyl hydrolase (GH) family 3, xyl3A, was identified from the thermophilic fungus Humicola insolens Y1, which is an innocuous and non-toxic fungus that produces a wide variety of GHs. The cDNA of xyl3A, 2334 bp in length, encodes a 777-residue polypeptide containing a putative signal peptide of 19 residues. The gene fragment without the signal peptide-coding sequence was cloned and overexpressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 at a high level of 100 mg/L in 1-L Erlenmeyer flasks without fermentation optimization. Recombinant Xyl3A showed both β-xylosidase and α-arabinfuranosidase activities, but had no hydrolysis capacity towards polysaccharides. It was optimally active at pH 6.0 and 60°C with a specific activity of 11.6 U/mg. It exhibited good stability over pH 4.0-9.0 (incubated at 37°C for 1 h) and at temperatures of 60°C and below, retaining over 80% maximum activity. The enzyme had stronger tolerance to xylose than most fungal GH3 β-xylosidases with a high Ki value of 29 mM, which makes Xyl3A more efficient to produce xylose in fermentation process. Sequential combination of Xyl3A following endoxylanase Xyn11A of the same microbial source showed significant synergistic effects on the degradation of various xylans and deconstructed xylo-oligosaccharides to xylose with high efficiency. Moreover, using pNPX as both the donor and acceptor, Xyl3A exhibited a transxylosylation activity to synthesize pNPX2. All these favorable properties suggest that Xyl3A has good potential applications in the bioconversion of hemicelluloses to biofuels.

Trichoderma reesei XYN VI--a novel appendage-dependent eukaryotic glucuronoxylan hydrolase

Expression of a Trichoderma reesei gene coding for a putative GH30 xylanase in Aspergillus oryzae led to isolation and purification of a novel xylanase exhibiting catalytic properties different from those of the previously characterized GH30 xylanase XYN IV of T. reesei. The novel enzyme, named XYN VI, exhibited catalytic properties similar to appendage-dependent GH30 glucuronoxylanases previously recognized only in bacteria. XYN VI showed high specific activity only on xylans or xylooligosaccharides containing 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid or D-glucuronic acid side substituents. The cleavage of the main chain takes place primarily at the second glycosidic linkage from the branch towards the reducing end of the polysaccharides or aldouronic acids. These catalytic properties resemble bacterial GH30 glucuronoxylanases, although the recognition of the uronic acid side chains by XYN VI is apparently based on interaction of the substrate with other amino acids. Moreover, in contrast to bacterial enzymes, XYN VI is also capable of slower but significant cleavage of unsubstituted parts of xylan and acidic xylooligosaccharides. The data point to a great catalytic diversity of xylanases produced by the most extensively studied cellulolytic fungus.