An alkaline and surfactant-tolerant lipase from Trichoderma lentiforme ACCC30425 with high application potential in the detergent industry

Photonic Nanochains for Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Physiological Environment

Diabetes is a common disease that seriously endangers human health. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is important for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Glucose-sensing photonic nanochains (PNCs) have the advantages of naked-eye colorimetric readouts, short response time and noninvasive detection of diabetes, showing immense potential in CGM systems. However, the developed PNCs cannot disperse in physiological environment at the pH of 7.4 because of their poor hydrophilicity. In this study, we report a new kind of PNCs that can continuously and reversibly detect the concentration of glucose (Cg) in physiological environment at the pH of 7.4. Polyacrylic acid (PAA) added to the preparation of PNCs forms hydrogen bonds with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in Fe3O4@PVP colloidal nanoparticles and the hydrophilic monomer N-2-hydroxyethyl acrylamide (HEAAm), which increases the content of PHEAAm in the polymer shell of prepared PNCs. Moreover, 4-(2-acrylamidoethylcarbamoyl)-3-fluorophenylboronic acid (AFPBA), with a relatively low pKa value, is used as the glucose-sensing monomer to further improve the hydrophilicity and glucose-sensing performances of PNCs. The obtained Fe3O4@(PVP-PAA)@poly(AFPBA-co-HEAAm) PNCs disperse in artificial serum and change color from yellow-green to red when Cg increases from 3.9 mM to 11.4 mM, showing application potential for straightforward CGM.

Recent insight into the advances and prospects of microbial lipases and their potential applications in industry

Enzymes play a crucial role in various industrial sectors. These biocatalysts not only ensure sustainability and safety but also enhance process efficiency through their unique specificity. Lipases possess versatility as biocatalysts and find utilization in diverse bioconversion reactions. Presently, microbial lipases are gaining significant focus owing to the rapid progress in enzyme technology and their widespread implementation in multiple industrial procedures. This updated review presents new knowledge about various origins of microbial lipases, such as fungi, bacteria, and yeast. It highlights both the traditional and modern purification methods, including precipitation and chromatographic separation, the immunopurification technique, the reversed micellar system, the aqueous two-phase system (ATPS), and aqueous two-phase flotation (ATPF), moreover, delves into the diverse applications of microbial lipases across several industries, such as food, vitamin esters, textile, detergent, biodiesel, and bioremediation. Furthermore, the present research unveils the obstacles encountered in employing lipase, the patterns observed in lipase engineering, and the application of CRISPR/Cas genome editing technology for altering the genes responsible for lipase production. Additionally, the immobilization of microorganisms' lipases onto various carriers also contributes to enhancing the effectiveness and efficiencies of lipases in terms of their catalytic activities. This is achieved by boosting their resilience to heat and ionic conditions (such as inorganic solvents, high-level pH, and temperature). The process also facilitates the ease of recycling them and enables a more concentrated deposition of the enzyme onto the supporting material. Consequently, these characteristics have demonstrated their suitability for application as biocatalysts in diverse industries.

Application Potential of Trichoderma in the Degradation of Phenolic Acid-Modified Chitosan

The aim of the study was to determine the potential use of fungi of the genus Trichoderma for the degradation of phenolic acid-modified chitosan in compost. At the same time, the enzymatic activity in the compost was checked after the application of a preparation containing a suspension of the fungi Trichoderma (spores concentration 105/mL). The Trichoderma strains were characterized by high lipase and aminopeptidase activity, chitinase, and β-1,3-glucanases. T. atroviride TN1 and T. citrinoviride TN3 metabolized the modified chitosan films best. Biodegradation of modified chitosan films by native microorganisms in the compost was significantly less effective than after the application of a formulation composed of Trichoderma TN1 and TN3. Bioaugmentation with a Trichoderma preparation had a significant effect on the activity of all enzymes in the compost. The highest oxygen consumption in the presence of chitosan with tannic acid film was found after the application of the consortium of these strains (861 mg O2/kg after 21 days of incubation). Similarly, chitosan with gallic acid and chitosan with ferulic acid were found after the application of the consortium of these strains (849 mgO2/kg and 725 mg O2/kg after 21 days of incubation). The use of the Trichoderma consortium significantly increased the chitinase activity. The application of Trichoderma also offers many possibilities in sustainable agriculture. Trichoderma can not only degrade chitosan films, but also protect plants against fungal pathogens by synthesizing chitinases and β-1,3 glucanases with antifungal properties.

A New Exopolysaccharide from a Wood-Decaying Fungus Spongipellis borealis for a Wide Range of Biotechnological Applications

Fungi are a unique natural resource rich in polysaccharides, proteins, and other components. Polysaccharides are considered one of the most important bioactive components in fungi. Increasing numbers of studies have confirmed that fungal polysaccharides have various biological activities. Given these facts, the main aim of this investigation was to carry out isolation, identification, and structural characterisation of a new polysaccharide (EPS) derived from laboratory-cultured vegetative mycelium of a new Spongipellis borealis strain isolated from the environment. The examination of monosaccharides in the EPS demonstrated that the isolated biopolymer was composed mainly of glucose, galactose, and mannose monomers. The analysis of the methylation of the studied polymer indicated that it contained mainly terminal, →3)-linked, →4)-linked, and →2,4)-linked hexoses. The effect of fungal polysaccharides on S. borealis proteolytic enzymes (pepsin, trypsin, and pycnoporopepsin) and laccase activity was determined for the first time. Incubation of the enzyme preparation and EPS showed an influence of EPS on the stability of these enzymes, compared to the control values (without EPS).

Alkaliphilic/Alkali-Tolerant Fungi: Molecular, Biochemical, and Biotechnological Aspects

Biotechnologist interest in extremophile microorganisms has increased in recent years. Alkaliphilic and alkali-tolerant fungi that resist alkaline pH are among these. Alkaline environments, both terrestrial and aquatic, can be created by nature or by human activities. Aspergillus nidulans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are the two eukaryotic organisms whose pH-dependent gene regulation has received the most study. In both biological models, the PacC transcription factor activates the Pal/Rim pathway through two successive proteolytic mechanisms. PacC is a repressor of acid-expressed genes and an activator of alkaline-expressed genes when it is in an active state. It appears, however, that these are not the only mechanisms associated with pH adaptations in alkali-tolerant fungi. These fungi produce enzymes that are resistant to harsh conditions, i.e., alkaline pH, and can be used in technological processes, such as in the textile, paper, detergent, food, pharmaceutical, and leather tanning industries, as well as in bioremediation of pollutants. Consequently, it is essential to understand how these fungi maintain intracellular homeostasis and the signaling pathways that activate the physiological mechanisms of alkali resistance in fungi.

Biochemical characterization of an alkaline and detergent-stable Lipase from Fusarium annulatum Bugnicourt strain CBS associated with olive tree dieback

This work describes a novel extracellular lipolytic carboxylester hydrolase named FAL, with lipase and phospholipase A1 (PLA1) activity, from a newly isolated filamentous fungus Ascomycota CBS strain, identified as Fusarium annulatum Bunigcourt. FAL was purified to about 62-fold using ammonium sulphate precipitation, Superdex® 200 Increase gel filtration and Q-Sepharose Fast Flow columns, with a total yield of 21%. The specific activity of FAL was found to be 3500 U/mg at pH 9 and 40°C and 5000 U/mg at pH 11 and 45°C, on emulsions of triocanoin and egg yolk phosphatidylcholine, respectively. SDS-PAGE and zymography analysis estimated the molecular weight of FAL to be 33 kDa. FAL was shown to be a PLA1 with a regioselectivity to the sn-1 position of surface-coated phospholipids esterified with α-eleostearic acid. FAL is a serine enzyme since its activity on triglycerides and phospholipids was completely inhibited by the lipase inhibitor Orlistat (40 μM). Interestingly, compared to Fusarium graminearum lipase (GZEL) and the Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (Lipolase®), this novel fungal (phospho)lipase showed extreme tolerance to the presence of non-polar organic solvents, non-ionic and anionic surfactants, and oxidants, in addition to significant compatibility and stability with some available laundry detergents. The analysis of washing performance showed that it has the capability to efficiently eliminate oil-stains. Overall, FAL could be an ideal choice for application in detergents.

Industrial applications of fungal lipases: a review

Fungal lipases (triacylglycerol acyl hydrolases EC 3.1.1.3) are significant industrial enzymes and have several applications in a number of industries and fields. Fungal lipases are found in several species of fungi and yeast. These enzymes are carboxylic acid esterases, categorized under the serine hydrolase family, and do not require any cofactor during the catalyzing of the reactions. It was also noticed that processes including the extraction and purification of lipases from fungi are comparatively easier and cheaper than other sources of lipases. In addition, fungal lipases have been classified into three chief classes, namely, GX, GGGX, and Y. Fungal lipases have applications not only in the hydrolysis of fats and oils (triglycerides) but are also involved in synthetic reactions such as esterification, acidolysis, alcoholysis, interesterification, and aminolysis. The production and activity of fungal lipases are highly affected by the carbon source, nitrogen source, temperature, pH, metal ions, surfactants, and moisture content. Therefore, fungal lipases have several industrial and biotechnological applications in many fields such as biodiesel production, ester synthesis, production of biodegradable biopolymers, formulations of cosmetics and personal care products, detergent manufacturing, degreasing of leather, pulp and paper production, textile industry, biosensor development, and drug formulations and as a diagnostic tool in the medical sector, biodegradation of esters, and bioremediation of wastewater. The immobilization of fungal lipases onto different carriers also helps in improving the catalytic activities and efficiencies of lipases by increasing thermal and ionic stability (in organic solvents, high pH, and temperature), being easy to recycle, and inducing the volume-specific loading of the enzyme onto the support, and thus, these features have proved to be appropriate for use as biocatalysts in different sectors.

Extremophilic lipases for industrial applications: A general review

With industrialization and development in modern science enzymes and their applications increased widely. There is always a hunt for new proficient enzymes with novel properties to meet specific needs of various industrial sectors. Along with the high efficiency, the green and eco-friendly side of enzymes attracts human attention, as they form a true answer to counter the hazardous and toxic conventional industrial catalyst. Lipases have always earned industrial attention due to the broad range of hydrolytic and synthetic reactions they catalyse. When these catalytic properties get accompanied by features like temperature stability, pH stability, and solvent stability lipases becomes an appropriate tool for use in many industrial processes. Extremophilic lipases offer the same, thermostable: hot and cold active thermophilic and psychrophilic lipases, acid and alkali resistant and active acidophilic and alkaliphilic lipases, and salt tolerant halophilic lipases form excellent biocatalyst for detergent formulations, biofuel synthesis, ester synthesis, food processing, pharmaceuticals, leather, and paper industry. An interesting application of these lipases is in the bioremediation of lipid waste in harsh environments. The review gives a brief account on various extremophilic lipases with emphasis on thermophilic, psychrophilic, halophilic, alkaliphilic, and acidophilic lipases, their sources, biochemical properties, and potential applications in recent decades.

Production strategies and biotechnological relevance of microbial lipases: a review

Lipases are enzymes that catalyze the breakdown of lipids into long-chain fatty acids and glycerol in oil-water interface. In addition, they catalyze broad spectrum of bioconversion reactions including esterification, inter-esterification, among others in non-aqueous and micro-aqueous milieu. Lipases are universally produced from plants, animals, and microorganisms. However, lipases from microbial origin are mostly preferred owing to their lower production costs, ease of genetic manipulation etc. The secretion of these biocatalysts by microorganisms is influenced by nutritional and physicochemical parameters. Optimization of the bioprocess parameters enhanced lipase production. In addition, microbial lipases have gained intensified attention for a wide range of applications in food, detergent, and cosmetics industries as well as in environmental bioremediation. This review provides insights into strategies for production of microbial lipases for potential biotechnological applications.

Recent advances of electrochemical and optical enzyme-free glucose sensors operating at physiological conditions

Diabetes is a pathological condition that requires the continuous monitoring of glucose level in the blood. Its control has been tremendously improved by the application of point-of-care devices. Conventional enzyme-based sensors with electrochemical and optical transduction systems can successfully measure the glucose concentration in human blood, but they suffer from the low stability of the enzyme. Non-enzymatic wearable electrochemical and optical sensors, with low-cost, high stability, point-of-care testing and online monitoring of glucose levels in biological fluids, have recently been developed and can help to manage and control diabetes worldwide. Advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology have enabled the development of novel nanomaterials that can be implemented for the use in enzyme-free systems to detect glucose. This review summarizes recent developments of enzyme-free electrochemical and optical glucose sensors, as well as their respective wearable and commercially available devices, capable of detecting glucose at physiological pH conditions without the need to pretreat the biological fluids. Additionally, the evolution of electrochemical glucose sensor technology and a couple of widely used optical detection systems along with the glucose detection mechanism is also discussed. Finally, this review addresses limitations and challenges of current non-enzymatic electrochemical, optical, and wearable glucose sensor technologies and highlights opportunities for future research directions.

"Recombinant cold -adapted halotolerant, organic solvent-stable esterase (estHIJ) from Bacillus halodurans

Esterases and lipases enduring harsh conditions, including low temperature and extreme tolerance to organic solvents, have attracted great attention in recent times. In the current study, a full open reading frame of 747 bp that encodes a novel, cold-adapted esterase (estHIJ) of 248 amino acids from Bacillus halodurans strain NAH-Egypt was heterologously cloned and expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) Rosetta. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that estHIJ belongs to family XIII of lipolytic enzymes, with a characteristic pentapeptide motif (G-L-S-L-G). The recombinant estHIJ was purified using Ni-affinity chromatography to homogeneity with purification fold, yield, specific activity, and molecular weight (MW) of 3.5, 47.5%, 19.8 U/mg and 29 kDa, respectively. The enzyme showed preferential substrate specificity towards pNP-acetate (C2), with catalytic efficiency of 46,825 min^-1 mM^-1 estHIJ displayed optimal activity at 30 °C and pH (7.0-8.0). estHIJ demonstrated robust stability in the presence of 50% (v/v) non-polar solvents and 4 M NaCl after 15 h and 6 h of incubation, respectively. The promising features of the recombinant estHIJ underpin its potential in several fields, e.g., the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds and the food industry.