Partial purification and characterisation of two actinomycete tyrosinases and their application in cross-linking reactions

Development of a novel ultrasound- and biocrosslinking-enhanced immobilization strategy with application to food enzymes

The increasing demand for greener food production makes biocatalysts more desirable than traditional production approaches. One limiting factor for biocatalyst efficiency is the immobilization strategy. In this work, a novel immobilization method was developed with the tyrosine-tag crosslinking mechanism. The immobilization efficiency was further enhanced with ultrasound treatment. Such a strategy was proven to be efficient with food enzyme lipase, d-amino acid oxidase and glucose dehydrogenase when they were immobilized on macroporous resins, amino resins, epoxy resins, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. For lipase, glucose dehydrogenase and d-amino acid oxidase, the immobilization yield on macroporous resins increased by 20.4%, 21.1% and 24.1%, respectively. In addition, the immobilized enzymes had enhanced reusability, with a high degree of activity (more than 85%) detected after six cycles. Furthermore, the enzyme electrochemical sensors constructed by enzyme crosslinking have higher sensitivity, with peak currents 4-8 times those of sensors with uncrosslinked enzymes. The enzyme immobilization strategy developed in this study paves the way for better application of biocatalysts in the food industry.

Application of bacterial tyrosinases in organic synthesis

Bacterial tyrosinases, as in the case of other bacterial oxidative enzymes, have been found to possess biochemical characteristics that typically make them more suited to applications requiring special operational conditions such as alkaline pH, high or low temperature, the presence of organic solvents, and the presence of inhibitors. Even though a great deal is known about fungal tyrosinases, bacterial tyrosinases still vastly remain underexplored for their potential application in organic synthesis. A literature survey in particular highlights the gaps in our knowledge pertaining to their biochemical properties. Bacterial tyrosinases have not only shown promise in the synthesis of medically important compounds such as L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) and melanin but have also seen application in cross-linking reactions of proteins and the polymerization of environmental pollutants. Their ability to catalyse o-hydroxylation reactions have shown some degree of promise in the biocatalytic conversion of resveratrol to piceatannol, tyrosol to hydroxytyrosol, and many more. In this review, we will explore the world of bacterial tyrosinases, their current applications, and future perspectives for the application of these enzymes in organic synthesis.

A Novel Tyrosinase from Armillaria ostoyae with Comparable Monophenolase and Diphenolase Activities Suffers Substrate Inhibition

Tyrosinase is a bifunctional enzyme mediating the o-hydroxylation and two-electron oxidation of monophenols to o-quinones. The monophenolase activity of tyrosinase is much desired for the industrial synthesis of catechols. However, the generally low ratio of monophenolase/diphenolase activity of tyrosinase limited its utilization in the industry. In this study, a novel tyrosinase from Armillaria ostoyae strain C18/9 (AoTyr) was characterized, and the results showed that the enzyme has an optimal temperature of 25°C and an optimal pH of 6. The enzyme has comparable monophenolase and diphenolase activities and exhibits substrate inhibition in both of the activities. In silico analysis and mutagenesis experiments showed that residues 262 and 266 play important roles in modulating the substrate inhibition and enzymatic activities of AoTyr, and the replacement of D262 with asparagine significantly increased the monophenolase/diphenolase catalytic efficiencies (k_cat/K_m ratios) (1.63-fold) of the enzyme. The results from this study indicated that this novel tyrosinase could be a potential candidate for the industrial biosynthesis of catechols. IMPORTANCE Tyrosinase is able to oxidize various phenolic compounds, and its ability to convert monophenols into diphenols has caught great attention in the research field and industrial applications. However, the utilization of tyrosinase for the industrial synthesis of catechols has been limited due to the fact that the monophenolase activity of most of the known tyrosinases is much lower than the diphenolase activity. In the present study, a novel tyrosinase with comparable monophenolase and diphenolase activities was characterized. The enzyme exhibits substrate inhibition in both monophenolase and diphenolase activities. In silico analysis followed by mutagenesis experiments confirmed the important roles of residues 262 and 266 in the substrate inhibition and activity modulation of the enzyme, and the D262N variant showed an enhanced monophenolase/diphenolase catalytic efficiency ratio compared to the wild-type enzyme.

Effectivity of tyrosinase purification by membrane techniques versus fractionation by salting out

The main goal of this study was to select micro- and ultrafiltration membranes that can be used for the purification of mushroom tyrosinase, replacing salting-out dual-step processes followed by centrifugations. In experiments, a raw extract from white mushrooms was used with high level of ballast proteins and brownish impurities. Four microfiltration membranes for the removal of undesired high molecular weight compounds were screened and that made of nitrocellulose was selected due to high recovery of enzymatic activity. Then diafiltration and concentration on the membrane made of polyethersulphone (300 kDa) was selected to recover 8% of proteins and 58% of tyrosinase activity with five- to seven purification fold, 10% of proteases, and 8% of brown impurities. It was shown that tyrosinase can be pre-purified by selected membranes yielding the enzyme quality at least comparable to that after double salting-out method but in one device. In both cases, subsequent purification by ion-exchange chromatography slightly increased purification degree of the enzyme and brown impurity removal. The surplus of membrane pre-purification is substantially higher thermal stability of the enzyme, enlarged after the chromatographic step, due to very low content of proteolytic enzymes.

Preliminary Study on Enzymatic-Based Cleaning of Cation-Exchange Membranes Used in Electrodialysis System in Red Wine Production

The use of enzymatic agents as biological solutions for cleaning ion-exchange membranes fouled by organic compounds during electrodialysis (ED) treatments in the food industry could be an interesting alternative to chemical cleanings implemented at an industrial scale. This paper is focused on testing the cleaning efficiency of three enzyme classes (β-glucanase, protease, and polyphenol oxidase) chosen for their specific actions on polysaccharides, proteins, and phenolic compounds, respectively, fouled on a homogeneous cation-exchange membrane (referred CMX-Sb) used for tartaric stabilization of red wine by ED in industry. First, enzymatic cleaning tests were performed using each enzyme solution separately with two different concentrations (0.1 and 1.0 g/L) at different incubation temperatures (30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 °C). The evolution of membrane parameters (electrical conductivity, ion-exchange capacity, and contact angle) was determined to estimate the efficiency of the membrane′s principal action as well as its side activities. Based on these tests, we determined the optimal operating conditions for optimal recovery of the studied characteristics. Then, cleaning with three successive enzyme solutions or the use of two enzymes simultaneously in an enzyme mixture were tested taking into account the optimal conditions of their enzymatic activity (concentration, temperatures, and pH). This study led to significant results, indicating effective external and internal cleaning by the studied enzymes (a recovery of at least 25% of the electrical conductivity, 14% of the ion-exchange capacity, and 12% of the contact angle), and demonstrated the presence of possible enzyme combinations for the enhancement of the global cleaning efficiency or reducing cleaning durations. These results prove, for the first time, the applicability of enzymatic cleanings to membranes, the inertia of their action towards polymer matrix to the extent that the choice of enzymes is specific to the fouling substrates.

Promising perspectives for ruminal protection of polyunsaturated fatty acids through polyphenol-oxidase-mediated crosslinking of interfacial protein in emulsions

Previously, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from linseed oil were effectively protected (>80%) against biohydrogenation through polyphenol-oxidase-mediated protein crosslinking of an emulsion, prepared with polyphenol oxidase (PPO) extract from potato tuber peelings. However, until now, emulsions of only 2 wt% oil have been successfully protected, which implies serious limitations both from a research perspective (e.g. in vivo trials) as well as for further upscaling toward practical applications. Therefore, the aim of this study was to increase the oil/PPO ratio. In the original protocol, the PPO extract served both an emulsifying function as well as a crosslinking function. Here, it was first evaluated whether alternative protein sources could replace the emulsifying function of the PPO extract, with addition of PPO extract and 4-methylcatechol (4MC) to induce crosslinking after emulsion preparation. This approach was then further used to evaluate protection of emulsions with higher oil content. Five candidate emulsifiers (soy glycinin, gelatin, whey protein isolate (WPI), bovine serum albumin and sodium caseinate) were used to prepare 10 wt% oil emulsions, which were diluted five times (w/w) with PPO extract (experiment 1). As a positive control, 2 wt% oil emulsions were prepared directly with PPO extract according to the original protocol. Further, emulsions of 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 wt% oil were prepared, with 80 wt% PPO extract (experiment 2), or with 90, 80, 70, 60 and 50 wt% PPO extract, respectively (experiment 3) starting from WPI-stabilized emulsions. Enzymatic crosslinking was induced by 24-h incubation with 4MC. Ruminal protection efficiency was evaluated by 24-h in vitro batch simulation of the rumen metabolism. In experiment 1, protection efficiencies were equal or higher than the control (85.5% to 92.5% v. 81.3%). In both experiments 2 and 3, high protection efficiencies (>80%) were achieved, except for emulsions containing 10 wt% oil emulsions (<50% protection), which showed oiling-off after enzymatic crosslinking. This study demonstrated that alternative emulsifier proteins can be used in combination with PPO extract to protect emulsified PUFA-rich oils against ruminal biohydrogenation. By applying the new protocol, 6.5 times less PPO extract was required.

Isolation and characterization of a novel tyrosinase produced by Sahara soil actinobacteria and immobilization on nylon nanofiber membranes

In the present study different actinomycete strains were collected and isolated from Algerian Sahara soil with the aim to select novel enzymes with promising features for biotechnological applications. The Ms1 strain was selected, amongst the others, for its capability to produce melanin in different solid media. Ms1 chromosomal DNA was sequenced and the strain assigned to Streptomyces cyaneofuscatus sp. A tyrosinase (MW∼30kD) encoding sequence was identified and the corresponding enzyme was isolated and biochemically characterized. The tyrosinase showed the highest activity and stability at neutral and alkaline pH and it was able to oxidize l-DOPA at T=55°C and pH 7. The enzyme showed variable stability in presence of various water-miscible organic solvents, while it was inactivated by reducing agents. The tyrosinase activity was unaffected by NaCl and enhanced by different cations. Furthermore, the enzyme showed a higher specificity for diphenols than monophenols showing a higher diphenolase than monophenolase activity. Finally, tyrosinase was stabilized by immobilization on nylon nanofiber membranes with a payload of 82% when 1% glutaraldeyde was used. Taken all together, these results show that the enzyme displays interesting properties for biotechnological purposes.

Streptomyces swartbergensis sp. nov., a novel tyrosinase and antibiotic producing actinobacterium

As part of an antibiotic screening program, an actinobacterium, strain HMC13^T, was isolated from soil collected from the banks of the Gamka River, Western Cape Province, South Africa. The isolate was found to produce branched mycelia that differentiated into spiral spore chains with spiny spores. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed the strain to be closely related to Streptomyces caelestis NRRL 2418^T (99.72%) and Streptomyces azureus NBRC 12744^T (99.51%). Chemotaxonomic analyses confirmed the classification of the strain as a member of the genus Streptomyces: LL-DAP in the peptidoglycan, no diagnostic sugars in the whole cell sugar pattern, dominant menaquinones including MK9(H₈), MK9(H₆), and the polar lipids detected included phosphatidylethanolamine. The fatty acid profile revealed the presence of mostly branched, saturated fatty acids: iso-C_15:0 (14.4%), anteiso-C_15:0 (21.1%), iso-C_16:0 (16.8%), C_16:1ω7c/2-OH iso-C_15:0 (5.8%), C_16:0 (6.2%), iso-C_17:1ω9c (5.8%), iso-C_17:0 (5.9%), and anteiso-C_17:0 (9.6%). Strain HMC13^T is a tyrosinase producer and exhibits very strong antibiosis against Mycobacterium aurum A+ and Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus ATCC 33591 (methicillin resistant), while only weak activity was observed against Bacillus cereus ATCC 10876, Enterococcus faecium VanA (vancomycin resistant), Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 51299 (vancomycin resistant) and Candida tropicalis ATCC 750^T. Strain HMC13^T (= LMG 28849^T = NRRL B-65294^T) is proposed as the type strain of a new species, to be named Streptomyces swartbergensis sp. nov.

Effective L-Tyrosine Hydroxylation by Native and Immobilized Tyrosinase

Hydroxylation of L-tyrosine to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) by immobilized tyrosinase in the presence of ascorbic acid (AH₂), which reduces DOPA-quinone to L-DOPA, is characterized by low reaction yields that are mainly caused by the suicide inactivation of tyrosinase by L-DOPA and AH₂. The main aim of this work was to compare processes with native and immobilized tyrosinase to identify the conditions that limit suicide inactivation and produce substrate conversions to L-DOPA of above 50% using HPLC analysis. It was shown that immobilized tyrosinase does not suffer from partitioning and diffusion effects, allowing a direct comparison of the reactions performed with both forms of the enzyme. In typical processes, additional aeration was applied and boron ions to produce the L-DOPA and AH₂ complex and hydroxylamine to close the cycle of enzyme active center transformations. It was shown that the commonly used pH 9 buffer increased enzyme stability, with concomitant reduced reactivity of 76%, and that under these conditions, the maximal substrate conversion was approximately 25 (native) to 30% (immobilized enzyme). To increase reaction yield, the pH of the reaction mixture was reduced to 8 and 7, producing L-DOPA yields of approximately 95% (native enzyme) and 70% (immobilized). A three-fold increase in the bound enzyme load achieved 95% conversion in two successive runs, but in the third one, tyrosinase lost its activity due to strong suicide inactivation caused by L-DOPA processing. In this case, the cost of the immobilized enzyme preparation is not overcome by its reuse over time, and native tyrosinase may be more economically feasible for a single use in L-DOPA production. The practical importance of the obtained results is that highly efficient hydroxylation of monophenols by tyrosinase can be obtained by selecting the proper reaction pH and is a compromise between complexation and enzyme reactivity.