High-yield expression of periplasmic single-chain variable fragments by solid Escherichia coli cultures

High-yield expression of quality antibody fragments is indispensable for research and diagnosis. Most recombinant antibody fragments are expressed in Escherichia coli using liquid cultures; however, their yields and quality are often poor. Here the authors expressed a single-chain variable fragment in E. coli cultivated on the wet surface of a solid support. Compared with a liquid culture, the authors obtained 2.5-times more single-chain variable fragments with membrane-cultivated E. coli. This method has two important advantages: it enables high yields of periplasmic single-chain variable fragments compared with liquid culture and offers simple and rapid expression and extraction.

Metabolic engineering of microbes for monoterpenoid production

Monoterpenoids are an important class of natural products that are derived from the condensation of two five‑carbon isoprene subunits. They are widely used for flavouring, fragrances, colourants, cosmetics, fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals in various industries. They can also serve as precursors for the production of many industrially important products. Currently, monoterpenoids are produced predominantly through extraction from plant sources. However, the small quantity of monoterpenoids in nature renders this method of isolation non-economically viable. Similarly impractical is the chemical synthesis of these compounds as they suffer from high energy consumption and pollutant discharge. Microbial biosynthesis, however, exists as a potential solution to these hindrances, but the transformation of cells into efficient factories remains a major impediment. Here, we critically review the recent advances in engineering microbes for monoterpenoid production, with an emphasis on categorized strategies, and discuss the challenges and perspectives to offer guidance for future engineering.

Protocol for in-vitro purification and refolding of hexachlorocyclohexane degrading enzyme haloalkane dehalogenase LinB from inclusion bodies

LinB is an important haloalkane dehalogenase involved in the degradation pathway of different isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), mainly in catalyzing degradation of the notorious β-HCH. The HCH isomers are known to have neurotoxic, carcinogenic and estrogenic effects. Enzymatic bioremediation for decontamination of β- as well as other HCH isomers can prove to be a potential remediation strategy. For any bioremediation technology that is to be developed, apart from having high turnover number, the candidate enzyme must also be available in sufficient amounts. In this direction, the LinB variants reported in database were tested in laboratory studies. The variant LinBSSO4-3 however could not be obtained in soluble fraction by using standard procedures. The protein LinBSSO4-3 was cloned in pDEST17 vector and codon optimized for better expression in Escherichia coli BL21AI using a strong T7 promoter. However, the over-expression of this protein in ectopic host E. coli, led to aggregation of the protein in form of inclusion bodies, which are insoluble aggregates of misfolded or partially folded proteins. SEM analysis of the inclusion bodies showed them as aggregated spherical particles. The inclusion bodies were isolated using high speed sonication and homogenization. This was followed by solubilization in the strong denaturing agent urea. Refolding into its native state was done by using pulsatile refolding. This was done by slowly decreasing the denaturant concentration in the presence of sucrose. The turnover number of the refolded protein was then determined for different isomers of HCH. The protein was found to have a turnover number of ∼43 molecules min^-1 on β-HCH and ∼13 molecules min^-1 on δ-HCH. Additionally, a mutation I253 M in the active site of the enzyme was found to drastically decrease the enzyme activity on β-HCH. Taking into consideration the wide range of substrates of haloalkane dehalogenases, such a protocol for inclusion body refolding will contribute to the field of bioremediation technology development for organochlorines, specifically HCH. Such a protocol for refolding of haloalkane dehalogenases from inclusion bodies has not been developed or reported before.