Optimization of recombinant fungal laccase production with strains of the yeastKluyveromyces lactis from the pyruvate decarboxylase promoter

Valorization of Lignin and Its Derivatives Using Yeast

As the third most plentiful biopolymer after other lignocellulosic derivates such as cellulose and hemicellulose, lignin carries abundant potential as a substitute for petroleum-based products. However, the efficient, practical, value-added product valorization of lignin remains quite challenging. Although several studies have reviewed the valorization of lignin by microorganisms, this present review covers recent studies on the valorization of lignin by employing yeast to obtain products such as single-cell oils (SCOs), enzymes, and other chemical compounds. The use of yeasts has been found to be suitable for the biological conversion of lignin and might provide new insights for future research to develop a yeast strain for lignin to produce other valuable chemical compounds.

Synthetic Saccharomyces cerevisiae tolerate and degrade highly pollutant complex hydrocarbon mixture

Fungal laccase (Lac) has become a very useful biocatalyst in different industries, bio-refineries and, most importantly, bioremediation. Many reports have also linked hydrocarbon tolerance and degradation by various microorganisms with Lac secretion. In this study, Trametes trogii Lac (Ttlcc1) was engineered into Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain CEN.PK2-1 C under the constitutive GPD promoter (pGPD) for multi-fold synthesis with efficient hydrocarbon tolerance and degradation. Protein expression in heterologous hosts is strictly strain-specific, it can also be influenced by the synthetic design and culture conditions. We compared synthetic designs with different shuttle vectors for the yeast strains and investigated the best culture conditions by varying the pH, temperature, carbon, nitrogen sources, and CuSO₄ amount. Two S. cerevisiae strains were built in this study: byMM935 and byMM938. They carry the transcription unit pGPD-Ttlcc1-CYC1t either inside the pRSII406 integrative plasmid (byMM935) or the pRSII426 multicopy plasmid (byMM938). The performance of these two synthetic strains were studied by comparing them to the wild-type strain (byMM584). Both byMM935 and byMM938 showed significant response to different carbon sources (glucose, galactose, lactose, maltose, and sucrose), nitrogen sources (NH₄Cl, NH₄NO₃, KNO₃, malt extract, peptone, and yeast extract), and solid state fermentation of different plant biomasses (bagasse, banana peels, corn cob, mandarin peels, and peanut shells). They performed best in optimized growth conditions with specific carbon and nitrogen sources, and a preferred pH in the range 3.5-4.5, temperature between 30 and 40 ⁰C, and 1 mM CuSO_4. In optimized yeast-growth medium, strain byMM935 showed the highest laccase activities of 1.621 ± 0.063 U/mL at 64 h, whereas byMM938 gave its highest activity (1.417 ± 0.055 U/mL) at 48 h. In this work, we established, by using Bushnell Hass synthetic medium, that the new Ttlcc1-yeast strains tolerated extreme pH and complex hydrocarbon mixture (CHM) toxicity. They degraded 60-90% of the key components in CHM within 48 h, including poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkyl indenes, alkyl tetralines, alkyl benzenes, alkyl biphenyls, and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes). This is the first report on the hydrocarbon degradation potential of a Ttlcc1-yeast. Compared to the native organism, such synthetic strains are better suited for meeting growing demands and have potentials for application in large-scale in situ bioremediation of hydrocarbon-polluted sites.

Studies on production and evaluation of biopigment and synthetic dye decolorization capacity of laccase produced by A. oryzae cultivated on agro-waste

The present study investigated the screening of mono and co-culture fungal cultivations for laccase production using extracted lignin as the substrate obtained from cauliflower wastes by two different pretreatment methods. Amongst mono and mixed culture fungal cultivations, monoculture of Aspergillus oryzae exhibited the highest enzymatic activity of 29.7 ± 0.6 U mL^-1 under submerged conditions and using alkali extracted lignin as substrate. Under the optimal conditions (pH 4.5, 30 °C, 12 days, 1% (w/v) lignin and 0.5 mM Cu²⁺ concentration) the maximum laccase activity was estimated to be 41.3 ± 2.8 U mL^-1 and production yield of 153.3 ± 2.4 mg L^-1. Maximum decolorization of pigment extracted from Aspergillus heteromorphus CBS 117.55 cultivated culture media was achieved by administration of 40 U g^-1 of crude enzyme concentration. Thermal and pH stability of crude laccase was observed over wide ranges. The dye decolorization efficiency of crude A. oryzae laccase was studied and Congo Red exhibited maximum decolorization percentage (64 ± 1.3%) at 15 µM, 50 °C and pH 4.5. The kinetic study of different dye (Congo Red) concentrations obtained V_max and K_m values of 0.123 × 10^-3 M and 0.724 mol L^-1 min^-1, respectively.

Decolorization and detoxification of textile wastewaters by recombinant Myceliophthora thermophila and Trametes trogii laccases

Laccases are multi-copper oxidoreductases with broad biotechnological applications. Here, we report detailed biochemical characterization of purified recombinant laccases originating from Myceliophthora thermophila (MtL) and Trametes trogii (TtL). We identified optimal conditions for decolorization of commercial dyes and textile wastewater samples. We also tested the toxicity of decolorized wastewater samples using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. MtL and TtL were expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and secreted enzymes were purified by consecutive hydrophobic and gel chromatography. The molecular masses of TtL (~ 65 kDa) and MtL (> 100 kDa) suggested glycosylation of the recombinant enzymes. Deglycosylation of MtL and TtL led to 25% and 10% decreases in activity, respectively. In a thermal stability assay, TtL retained 61% and MtL 86% of the initial activity at 40 °C. While TtL retained roughly 50% activity at 60 °C, MtL lost stability at temperatures higher than 40 °C. MtL and TtL preferred syringaldazine as a substrate, and the catalytic efficiencies for ABTS oxidation were 7.5 times lower than for syringaldazine oxidation. In the presence of the mediator HBT, purified TtL almost completely decolorized dyes within 30 min and substantially decolorized wastewater samples from a textile factory (up to 74%) within 20 h. However, products of TtL-catalyzed decolorization were more toxic than MtL-decolorized products, which were almost completely detoxified.

Yeast Hosts for the Production of Recombinant Laccases: A Review

Laccases are multi-copper oxidoreductases which catalyze the oxidation of a wide range of substrates during the simultaneous reduction of oxygen to water. These enzymes, originally found in fungi, plants, and other natural sources, have many industrial and biotechnological applications. They are used in the food, textile, pulp, and paper industries, as well as for bioremediation purposes. Although natural hosts can provide relatively high levels of active laccases after production optimization, heterologous expression can bring, moreover, engineered enzymes with desired properties, such as different substrate specificity or improved stability. Hence, diverse hosts suitable for laccase production are reviewed here, while the greatest emphasis is placed on yeasts which are commonly used for industrial production of various proteins. Different approaches to optimize the laccase expression and activity are also discussed in detail here.

Chitosan multiple addition enhances laccase production from Trametes versicolor

Chitosan multiple addition strategy was developed to improve laccase production from Trametes versicolor cultures. The optimized multiple addition strategy was carried out by two-time addition of 0.1 g L(-1) chitosan to a 2-day-old culture media, with 24-h interval between the treatments. Under these conditions, laccase activity of 644.9 U l(-1) was achieved on the seventh day and laccase production was improved by 93.5 % higher than the control. Chitosan treatment increased reactive oxygen species generation and extracellular protein concentration in the treated mycelia. In contrast, the inducer inhibited the mycelia growth. The result of the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that the copy number of the laccase gene transcript increased by 16.7-fold in the treated mycelia relative to the control. This study provides insight into some of the intrinsic metabolic processes involved in the upregulation of laccase production in the presence of chitosan inducer in fungal culture.

Autoregulation of the Kluyveromyces lactis pyruvate decarboxylase gene KlPDC1 involves the regulatory gene RAG3

In the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis, the pyruvate decarboxylase gene KlPDC1 is strongly regulated at the transcription level by different environmental factors. Sugars and hypoxia act as inducers of transcription, while ethanol acts as a repressor. Their effects are mediated by gene products, some of which have been characterized. KlPDC1 transcription is also strongly repressed by its product--KlPdc1--through a mechanism called autoregulation. We performed a genetic screen that allowed us to select and identify the regulatory gene RAG3 as a major factor in the transcriptional activity of the KlPDC1 promoter in the absence of the KlPdc1 protein, i.e. in the autoregulatory mechanism. We also showed that the two proteins Rag3 and KlPdc1 interact, co-localize in the cell and that KlPdc1 may control Rag3 nuclear localization.

Laccase production by Trametes versicolor under limited-growth conditions using dyes as inducers

Laccase production by pre-growth pellets of Trametes versicolor using two types of textile dyes as inducers was studied. By decoupling the enzyme production phase from the growth phase, it is possible to reduce the time and nutrients required for laccase production. At the glucose maintenance level, the effect of the nitrogen source and textile dye was analysed using response surface methodology. Ammonium chloride was used as the inorganic nitrogen source. Two types of dyes were tested: Grey Lanaset G (GLG), a metal complex dye mixture containing nitrogen; and Alizarin Red (AR), an anthraquinonic dye with no nitrogen in its chemical structure. GLG induces laccase production at a higher extent than AR. Despite the limiting conditions required for the production of laccase, enzyme production increases with increasing ammonium chloride. When AR, the N-free dye, was used as an inducer, the optimal supply of N for laccase production was 1.2 mg/(g dry cell weight x d) as ammonium chloride. The reuse of fungal pellets in the repeated-batch mode under maintenance conditions was found to be a good strategy for improving laccase production, as enzyme production increased to up to seven times the production of the first cycle. It was demonstrated that GLG can be used as an inducer and as an N source and, thus, it is possible to decolorize the dye and to induce laccase production at the same time without adding an extra N source.

Heterologous laccase production and its role in industrial applications

Laccases are blue multicopper oxidases, catalyzing the oxidation of an array of aromatic substrates concomitantly with the reduction of molecular oxygen to water. These enzymes are implicated in a variety of biological activities. Most of the laccases studied thus far are of fungal origin. The large range of substrates oxidized by laccases has raised interest in using them within different industrial fields, such as pulp delignification, textile dye bleaching, and bioremediation. Laccases secreted from native sources are usually not suitable for large-scale purposes, mainly due to low production yields and high cost of preparation/purification procedures. Heterologous expression may provide higher enzyme yields and may permit to produce laccases with desired properties (such as different substrate specificities, or improved stabilities) for industrial applications. This review surveys researches on heterologous laccase expression focusing on the pivotal role played by recombinant systems towards the development of robust tools for greening modern industry.

Isolation of laccase gene from Bacillus subtilis and analysis of its physicochemical properties

The present study reports the cloning and sequencing of lac2 from Bacillus subtilis. The gene is composed of 1542 bp and encodes a 514-amino acid protein. The gene has 86% homology with a published laccase with GeneID 936023. The lac2 gene was deposited in GenBank as a new nucleotide sequence. This new sequence was cloned into the multiple cloning site of pPIC9K to generate pPIC9K-lac2, which was then transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115 via electroporation. The recombinant GS115 (pPIC9K-lac2) was grown initially in BMGY medium and transferred to BMMY to induce gene expression for 48 h. The recombinant Lac2 protein shows laccase activity with α-naphthol and guaiacol as substrates. The optimal pH is between 3.2 and 4.7, and the optimal temperature is 25°C for enzyme reaction.