Preparation of two glycoside hydrolases for use in micro-aqueous media

A review of the principles and biotechnological applications of glycoside hydrolases from extreme environments

It is apparent that Biocatalysts are shaping the future by providing a more sustainable approach to established chemical processes. Industrial processes rely heavily on the use of toxic compounds and high energy or pH reactions, factors that both contributes to the worsening climate crisis. Enzymes found in bacterial systems and other microorganisms, from the glaciers of the Arctic to the sandy deserts of Abu Dhabi, provide key tools and understanding as to how we can progress in the biotechnology sector. These extremophilic bacteria harness the adaptive enzymes capable of withstanding harsh reaction conditions in terms of stability and reactivity. Carbohydrate-active enzymes, including glycoside hydrolases or carbohydrate esterases, are extremely beneficial for the presence and future of biocatalysis. Their involvement in the industry spans from laundry detergents to paper and pulp treatment by degrading oligo/polysaccharides into their monomeric products in almost all detrimental environments. This includes exceedingly high temperatures, pHs or even in the absence of water. In this review, we discuss the structure and function of different glycoside hydrolases from extremophiles, and how they can be applied to industrial-scale reactions to replace the use of harsh chemicals, reduce waste, or decrease energy consumption.

Mechanism of oxytetracycline removal by aerobic granular sludge in SBR

In this study, oxytetracycline (OTC) as a target pollutant in swine wastewater was removed by aerobic granular sludge (AGS). The removal rate of 300 μg/L OTC in aerobic granular sludge sequencing batch reactor (AGSBR) increased to 88.00% in 33 days and maintained stable. The chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) and total phosphorus (TP) in wastewater were also efficiently removed. The removal of OTC mainly depended on the adsorption and biodegradation of AGS, and the biodegradation was increased obviously after AGS adaptation to OTC. The degradation products of OTC were analyzed by mass spectrometry. The analysis of metagenome sequencing revealed that the enzymes, such as glycosyl transferases (GTs), polysaccharide lyases (PLs) and auxiliary activities (AAs), may play an important role in the removal of OTC. The Lefse analysis showed that the Flavobacteriia, Flavobacteriales, Cryomorphaceae and Fluviicola were four kinds of microbes with significant difference in OTC feed reactor, which are considered to be drug-resistant bacteria in AGSBR. Furthermore, the dynamics of microbial community changed significantly at three levels, including the enrichment of drug-resistant microorganisms and the microorganisms that gradually reduced or even disappeared under the pressure of OTC.

β-Mannanase-catalyzed synthesis of alkyl mannooligosides

β-Mannanases catalyze the conversion and modification of β-mannans and may, in addition to hydrolysis, also be capable of transglycosylation which can result in enzymatic synthesis of novel glycoconjugates. Using alcohols as glycosyl acceptors (alcoholysis), β-mannanases can potentially be used to synthesize alkyl glycosides, biodegradable surfactants, from renewable β-mannans. In this paper, we investigate the synthesis of alkyl mannooligosides using glycoside hydrolase family 5 β-mannanases from the fungi Trichoderma reesei (TrMan5A and TrMan5A-R171K) and Aspergillus nidulans (AnMan5C). To evaluate β-mannanase alcoholysis capacity, a novel mass spectrometry-based method was developed that allows for relative comparison of the formation of alcoholysis products using different enzymes or reaction conditions. Differences in alcoholysis capacity and potential secondary hydrolysis of alkyl mannooligosides were observed when comparing alcoholysis catalyzed by the three β-mannanases using methanol or 1-hexanol as acceptor. Among the three β-mannanases studied, TrMan5A was the most efficient in producing hexyl mannooligosides with 1-hexanol as acceptor. Hexyl mannooligosides were synthesized using TrMan5A and purified using high-performance liquid chromatography. The data suggests a high selectivity of TrMan5A for 1-hexanol as acceptor over water. The synthesized hexyl mannooligosides were structurally characterized using nuclear magnetic resonance, with results in agreement with their predicted β-conformation. The surfactant properties of the synthesized hexyl mannooligosides were evaluated using tensiometry, showing that they have similar micelle-forming properties as commercially available hexyl glucosides. The present paper demonstrates the possibility of using β-mannanases for alkyl glycoside synthesis and increases the potential utilization of renewable β-mannans.

Comparison of lipases and glycoside hydrolases as catalysts in synthesis reactions

Lipases and glycoside hydrolases have large similarities concerning reaction mechanisms. Acyl-enzyme intermediates are formed during lipase-catalyzed reactions and in an analogous way, retaining glycoside hydrolases form glycosyl-enzyme intermediates during catalysis. In both cases, the covalent enzyme intermediates can react with water or other nucleophiles containing hydroxyl groups. Simple alcohols are accepted as nucleophiles by both types of enzymes. Lipases are used very successfully in synthesis applications due to their efficiency in catalyzing reversed hydrolysis and transesterification reactions. On the other hand, synthesis applications of glycoside hydrolases are much less developed. Here, important similarities and differences between the enzyme groups are reviewed and approaches to reach high synthesis yields are discussed. Useful strategies include the use of low-water media, high nucleophile concentrations, as well as protein engineering to modify the selectivity of the enzymes. The transglycosylases, hydrolases which naturally catalyze mainly transfer reactions, are of special interest and might be useful guides for engineering of other hydrolases.

Eliminating hydrolytic activity without affecting the transglycosylation of a GH1 β-glucosidase

Unveiling the determinants for transferase and hydrolase activity in glycoside hydrolases would allow using their vast diversity for creating novel transglycosylases, thereby unlocking an extensive toolbox for carbohydrate chemists. Three different amino acid substitutions at position 220 of a GH1 β-glucosidase from Thermotoga neapolitana caused an increase of the ratio of transglycosylation to hydrolysis (r_s/r_h) from 0.33 to 1.45–2.71. Further increase in r_s/r_h was achieved by modulation of pH of the reaction medium. The wild-type enzyme had a pH optimum for both hydrolysis and transglycosylation around 6 and reduced activity at higher pH. Interestingly, the mutants had constant transglycosylation activity over a broad pH range (5–10), while the hydrolytic activity was largely eliminated at pH 10. The results demonstrate that a combination of protein engineering and medium engineering can be used to eliminate the hydrolytic activity without affecting the transglycosylation activity of a glycoside hydrolase. The underlying factors for this success are pursued, and perturbations of the catalytic acid/base in combination with flexibility are shown to be important factors.