Affinity Purifications of Aldose Reductase and Xylitol Dehydrogenase from the Xylose-Fermenting Yeast Pachysolen tannophilus

Physiological Properties of a Mutant of Pachysolen tannophilus Deficient in NADPH-Dependent d-Xylose Reductase

A d-xylose reductase mutant of Pachysolen tannophilus was isolated on the basis of its poor growth on d-xylose but normal growth on xylitol and d-glucose. Fractionation of cell extracts indicated that the mutant was deficient in d-xylose reductase activity that used NADPH exclusively as a cofactor, but not in activity that used both NADH and NADPH. Mutant cultures grown on d-xylose as the sole carbon source exhibited some properties that would be desired in improved strains. Growth rate, growth yield, and d-xylose consumption rate of the mutant were less sensitive than those of the wild type to changes in aeration rate. d-Xylose was utilized more efficiently in that less of a by-product, xylitol, was produced. In addition, under low aeration conditions, more ethanol was produced. A disadvantage was a relatively slow rate of d-xylose utilization.

Towards industrial pentose-fermenting yeast strains

Production of bioethanol from forest and agricultural products requires a fermenting organism that converts all types of sugars in the raw material to ethanol in high yield and with a high rate. This review summarizes recent research aiming at developing industrial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with the ability to ferment all lignocellulose-derived sugars. The properties required from the industrial yeast strains are discussed in relation to four benchmarks: (1) process water economy, (2) inhibitor tolerance, (3) ethanol yield, and (4) specific ethanol productivity. Of particular importance is the tolerance of the fermenting organism to fermentation inhibitors formed during fractionation/pretreatment and hydrolysis of the raw material, which necessitates the use of robust industrial strain background. While numerous metabolic engineering strategies have been developed in laboratory yeast strains, only a few approaches have been realized in industrial strains. The fermentation performance of the existing industrial pentose-fermenting S. cerevisiae strains in lignocellulose hydrolysate is reviewed. Ethanol yields of more than 0.4 g ethanol/g sugar have been achieved with several xylose-fermenting industrial strains such as TMB 3400, TMB 3006, and 424A(LNF-ST), carrying the heterologous xylose utilization pathway consisting of xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase, which demonstrates the potential of pentose fermentation in improving lignocellulosic ethanol production.

Metabolic engineering for pentose utilization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The introduction of pentose utilization pathways in baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is summarized together with metabolic engineering strategies to improve ethanolic pentose fermentation. Bacterial and fungal xylose and arabinose pathways have been expressed in S. cerevisiae but do not generally convey significant ethanolic fermentation traits to this yeast. A large number of rational metabolic engineering strategies directed among others toward sugar transport, initial pentose conversion, the pentose phosphate pathway, and the cellular redox metabolism have been exploited. The directed metabolic engineering approach has often been combined with random approaches including adaptation, mutagenesis, and hybridization. The knowledge gained about pentose fermentation in S. cerevisiae is primarily limited to genetically and physiologically well-characterized laboratory strains. The translation of this knowledge to strains performing in an industrial context is discussed.

Response surface methodology as an approach to determine the optimal activities of xylose reductase and xylitol dehydrogenase enzymes from Candida Mogii

A central composite experimental design leading to a set of 16 experiments with different combinations of pH and temperature was performed to attain the optimal activities of xylose reductase (XR) and xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH) enzymes from Candida mogii cell extract. Under optimized conditions (pH 6.5 and 38 degrees C), the XR and XDH activities were found to be 0.48 U/ml and 0.22 U/ml, respectively, resulting in an XR to XDH ratio of 2.2. Stability, cofactor specificity and kinetic parameters of the enzyme XR were also evaluated. XR activity remained stable for 3 h under 4 and 38 degrees C and for 4 months of storage at -18 degrees C. Studies on cofactor specificity showed that only NADPH-dependent XR was obtained under the cultivation conditions employed. The XR present in C. mogii extracts showed a superior Km value for xylose when compared with other yeast strains. Besides, this parameter was not modified after enzyme extraction by aqueous two-phase system.

Cloning and expression of a NAD+-dependent xylitol dehydrogenase gene (xdhA) of Aspergillus oryzae

XdhA, which encodes a xylitol dehydrogenase gene, was cloned from Aspergillus oryzae genomic DNA. It consists of 1214 bp structural region, which is interrupted by two introns, and encodes 358-amino-acid protein (38,197 Da). It is similar to the known NAD(+)-dependent xylitol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.9). The gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21-AI using a T7 promoter. The cell-free extract of the transformant showed a 36.5 kDa band upon SDS-PAGE and NAD(+)-dependent xylitol dehydrogenase activity.

Simultaneous bioconversion of cellulose and hemicellulose to ethanol

Lignocellulosic materials containing cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin as their main constituents are the most abundant renewable organic resource present on Earth. The conversion of both cellulose and hemicellulose for production of fuel ethanol is being studied intensively with a view to develop a technically and economically viable bioprocess. The fermentation of glucose, the main constituent of cellulose hydrolyzate, to ethanol can be carried out efficiently. On the other hand, although bioconversion of xylose, the main pentose sugar obtained on hydrolysis of hemicellulose, to ethanol presents a biochemical challenge, especially if it is present along with glucose, it needs to be fermented to make the biomass-to-ethanol process economical. A lot of attention therefore has been focussed on the utilization of both glucose and xylose to ethanol. Accordingly, while describing the advancements that have taken place to get xylose converted efficiently to ethanol by xylose-fermenting organisms, the review deals mainly with the strategies that have been put forward for bioconversion of both the sugars to achieve high ethanol concentration, yield, and productivity. The approaches, which include the use of (1) xylose-fermenting yeasts alone, (2) xylose isomerase enzyme as well as yeast, (3) immobilized enzymes and cells, and (4) sequential fermentation and co-culture process are described with respect to their underlying concepts and major limitations. Genetic improvements in the cultures have been made either to enlarge the range of substrate utilization or to channel metabolic intermediates specifically toward ethanol. These contributions represent real significant advancements in the field and have also been adequately dealt with from the point of view of their impact on utilization of both cellulose and hemicellulose sugars to ethanol.

Structural and functional properties of a yeast xylitol dehydrogenase, a Zn2+-containing metalloenzyme similar to medium-chain sorbitol dehydrogenases

The NAD+-dependent xylitol dehydrogenase from the xylose-assimilating yeast Galactocandida mastotermitis has been purified in high yield (80%) and characterized. Xylitol dehydrogenase is a heteronuclear multimetal protein that forms homotetramers and contains 1 mol of Zn2+ ions and 6 mol of Mg2+ ions per mol of 37.4 kDa protomer. Treatment with chelating agents such as EDTA results in the removal of the Zn2+ ions with a concomitant loss of enzyme activity. The Mg2+ ions are not essential for activity and are removed by chelation or extensive dialysis without affecting the stability of the enzyme. Results of initial velocity studies at steady state for d-sorbitol oxidation and d-fructose reduction together with the characteristic patterns of product inhibition point to a compulsorily ordered Theorell-Chance mechanism of xylitol dehydrogenase in which coenzyme binds first and leaves last. At pH 7.5, the binding of NADH (Ki approximately 10 microM) is approx. 80-fold tighter than that of NAD+. Polyhydroxyalcohols require at least five carbon atoms to be good substrates of xylitol dehydrogenase, and the C-2 (S), C-3 (R) and C-4 (R) configuration is preferred. Therefore xylitol dehydrogenase shares structural and functional properties with medium-chain sorbitol dehydrogenases.

Site-directed mutagenesis of the cysteine residues in the Pichia stipitis xylose reductase

Xylose reductase catalyzes the reduction of xylose to xylitol and is known to play a pivotal role in pentose metabolism in yeasts. We previously showed that a cystein residue may be involved in binding of the coenzyme NADPH to the Pichia stipitis xylose reductase through chemical modification studies. The question arose as to which of the three cysteine residues in this enzyme may be involved in coenzyme binding. We cloned the XYL1 gene encoding xylose reductase from P. stipitis into the phagemid pEMBL18(+) suitable for site-directed mutagenesis. Each of the three cysteine residues (Cys19, Cys27 and Cys130) was individually mutated to serine. All three Cys-->Ser variants remained functional, but with reduced catalytic activity. Sensitivity of the P. stipitis xylose reductase to thiol-specific reagents was attributed to both Cys27 and Cys130 residues as substitution of either residue with Ser resulted in a significant but incomplete loss of sensitivity to PCMBS. The apparent Km values of the Cys variants for NADPH, NADH and xylose did not differ from those of the wild-type enzyme isolated from yeast by more than 4-fold. Our results suggest that none of the Cys residues are directly involved in NADPH binding, although Cys130 may reside in or near the coenzyme binding region and might play a role in coenzyme specificity.

Purification, kinetic characterization and involvement of tryptophan residue at the NADPH binding site of xylose reductase from Neurospora crassa

Xylose reductase (XR) from Neurospora crassa was purified to homogeneity and was found to be specific to NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). The purified enzyme showed M(r) of 60 and 29 kDa by gel filtration and SDS-PAGE indicating the presence of two subunits. The kinetic mechanism of xylose reductase is 'iso-ordered bi bi'. Inactivation of XR by N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) was found to be biphasic with second-order rate constants of 2.5 x 10(2) and 80 M-1S-1 for the fast (kf) and slow phase (ks), respectively. NADPH protected 90% of XR activity against inhibition by NBS. The fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) studies revealed that inactivation was not due to gross conformational change in the enzyme. Analysis of the modified Stern-Volmer plot indicated that 49% of the tryptophanyl fluorescence was available for quenching which was completely abolished in the presence of NADPH confirming the involvement of tryptophan at the coenzyme binding site. Experimental evidence presented here serves to implicate the involvement of a tryptophan residue at the low-affinity NADPH binding site and the nature of this site has been assessed by using the hydrophobic probe ANS.

Cloning and improving the expression of Pichia stipitis xylose reductase gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The intact Pichia stipitis xylose reductase gene (XR) has been cloned and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The possible further improvement of the expression of the Pichia gene in the new host was studied. To improve the expression of the XR gene in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), its 5'noncoding sequence containing the genetic elements for transcription and translation was systematically replaced by that from the yeast genes. It was found that the Pichia genetic signal for transcription of XR is more effective than the yeast TRP5 promoter, but is about half as effective as the yeast strong promoter of the alcohol dehydrogenase gene (ADC1). However, the nucleotide sequence immediately adjacent to the initiation codon of XR, which controls the translation of the gene product, seemed to be five times less effective than the corresponding sequence of the ADC1 gene. By totally replacing its 5'-noncoding sequence with that of the yeast ADC1 gene, the expression of XR in yeast was found to be nearly ten times higher. Furthermore, the cloned Pichia XR described in this article contains very little of its 3'-noncoding sequence. In order to study whether the 3'-noncoding sequence is important to its expression in S. cerevisiae, the intact 3'-noncoding sequences of the yeast xylulokinase gene was spliced to the 3' end of the PADC1-XR structural gene. This latter modification has resulted in a twofold further increase in the expression of the Pichia XR in yeast.

Enzyme selectivity analyses of arylsulfonylamino acid aldose reductase inhibitors

Arylsulfonylamino acids, displaying a wide range of inhibitory activities versus rat lens aldose reductase (RLAR), were analyzed for enzyme selectivity in several test systems. These RLAR inhibitors were found not to produce significant inhibition of genetically-linked reductases (aldehyde reductase, ALR), catalytically similar reductases (Pachysolen tannophilus xylose reductase, PTXR), functionally distinct oxidoreductases (glutathione reductase, GR, lactate dehydrogenase, LDH, and gamma-transaminase, GABA-T), and thymidylate synthase (TS). These data suggest that aldose reductase differs significantly from other oxidoreductases in its inhibitor binding domain(s). Furthermore, the aldose reductase selectivity demonstrated by the arylsulfonylamino acids suggests that these compounds may not inhibit other key metabolic transformations in various cell types and that they may function as selective probes for studies of the relationship between aldose reductase mediated biochemical changes and the pathologies of chronic diabetes.

Ethanolic fermentation of pentoses in lignocellulose hydrolysates

In the fermentation of lignocellulose hydrolysates to ethanol, two major problems are encountered: the fermentation of the pentose sugar xylose, and the presence of microbial inhibitors. Xylose can be directly fermented with yeasts, such as Pachysolen tannophilus, Candida shehatae, and Pichia stipis, or by isomerization of xylose to xylulose with the enzyme glucose (xylose) isomerase (XI; EC 5.3.1.5), and subsequent fermentation with bakers' yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The direct fermentation requires low, carefully controlled oxygenation, as well as the removal of inhibitors. Also, the xylose-fermenting yeasts have a limited ethanol tolerance. The combined isomerization and fermentation with XI and S. cerevisiae gives yields and productivities comparable to those obtained in hexose fermentations without oxygenation and removal of inhibitors. However, the enzyme is not very stable in a lignocellulose hydrolysate, and S. cerevisiae has a poorly developed pentose phosphate shunt. Different strategies involving strain adaptation, and protein and genetic engineering adopted to overcome these different obstacles, are discussed.

Purification, characterization, and amino terminal sequence of xylose reductase from Candida shehatae

D-Xylose is a major component of the carbohydrates derived from agricultural residues and forest products. Among more than two hundred known xylose-utilizing yeasts, only a few species are known to be able to ferment xylose anaerobically. Candida shehatae is one of such xylose-fermenting yeasts. Xylose reductase (E.C. 1.1.1.21) is a key enzyme responsible for xylose metabolism in xylose-utilizing as well as xylose-fermenting yeasts. In this paper, we report the development of a convenient and reliable procedure for the purification of xylose reductase from C. shehatae to near homogeneity. The amino acid composition and N-terminal sequence of the enzyme have also been analyzed. C. shehatae seems to contain only a single xylose reductase, but the enzyme has a dual coenzyme specificity for both NADPH and NADH. The enzyme is remarkably stable at room temperature and 4 degrees C.

Conversion of pentoses to ethanol by yeasts and fungi

Fermentation of D-xylose is of interest in enhancing the yield of ethanol obtainable from lignocellulosic hydrolysates. Such hydrolysates can contain both pentoses and hexoses, and while technology to convert hexoses to ethanol is well established, the fermentation of pentoses had been problematical. To overcome the difficulty, yeasts and fungi have been sought and identified in recent years that can convert D-xylose into ethanol. However, operation of their cultures in the presence of the pentose to obtain rapid and efficient ethanol production is somewhat more complex than in the archetype alcoholic fermentation, Saccharomyces cerevisiae on D-glucose. The complexity stems, in part, from the association of ethanol accumulation in cultures where D-xylose is the sole carbon source with conditions that limit growth, by oxygen in particular, although limitation by other nutrients might also be implicated. Aspects of screening for appropriate organisms and of the parameters that play a role in determining culture variables, especially those associated with ethanol productivity, are reviewed. Performance with D-xylose as sole carbon source, in sugar mixtures, and in lignocellulosic hydrolysates is discussed. A model that involves biochemical considerations of D-xylose metabolism is presented that rationalizes the effects of oxygen on cultures where D-xylose is the sole carbon source, notably effects of the specific rate of oxygen use on the rate and extent of ethanol accumulation. Alternate methods to direct fermentation of D-xylose have been developed that depend on its prior isomerization to D-xylose, followed by fermentation of the pentulose by certain yeasts and fungi. Factors involved in the biochemistry, use, and performance of these methods, which with some organisms involves sensitivity to oxygen, are reviewed.