Isolation of cytoplasmic NADPH-dependent phenol hydroxylase and catechol-1,2-dioxygenase from Candida tropicalis yeast

Determination of phenol biodegradation pathways in three psychrotolerant yeasts, Candida subhashii A011, Candida oregonensis B021 and Schizoblastosporion starkeyi-henricii L012, isolated from Rucianka peatland

In this study, three psychrotolerant phenol-degrading yeast strains Candida subhashii (strain A01₁), Candida oregonenis (strain B02₁) and Schizoblastosporion starkeyi-henricii (strain L01₂) isolated from Rucianka peatland were examined to determine which alternative metabolic pathway for phenol biodegradation is used by these microorganisms. All yeast strains were cultivated in minimal salt medium supplemented with phenol at 500, 750 and 1000 mg l^-1 concentration with two ways of conducting phenol biodegradation experiments: with and without the starving step of yeast cells. For studied yeast strains, no catechol 2,3-dioxygenase activities were detected by enzymatic assay and no products of catechol meta-cleavage in yeast cultures supernatants (GC-MS analysis), were detected. The detection of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase activity and the presence of cis,cis-muconic acid in the analyzed samples revealed that all studied psychrotolerant yeast strains were able to metabolize phenol via the ortho-cleavage pathway. Therefore, they may be tested in terms of their use to develop biotechnology for the production of cis,cis-muconic acid, a substrate used in the production of plastics (PET) and other valuable goods.

Phenol hydroxylase from Pseudomonas sp. KZNSA: Purification, characterization and prediction of three-dimensional structure

A 61.3 kDa Phenol hydroxylase (PheA) was purified and characterized from Pseudomonas sp. KZNSA (PKZNSA). Cell free extract of the isolate grown in mineral salt medium supplemented with 600 ppm phenol showed 21.58 U/mL of PheA activity with a specific activity of 7.67 U/mg of protein. The enzyme was purified to 1.6-fold with a total yield of 33.6%. The purified PheA was optimally active at pH 8 and temperature 30 °C, with ≈95% stability at pH 7.5 and temperature 30 °C after 2 h. The Lineweaver-Burk plot showed the v_max and K_m values of 4.04 µM/min and 4.03 µM, respectively, for the substrate phenol. The ES-MS data generated from the tryptic digested fragments of pure protein and PCR amplification of a ≈600 bp gene from genomic DNA of PKZNSA lead to the determination of complete amino acid and nucleotide sequence of PheA. Bioinformatics tools and homology modelling studies indicated that PheA from PKZNSA is likely a probable protein kinase UbiB (2-octaprenylphenol hydroxylase) involving Lys and Asp at positions 153 and 288 for binding and active site, respectively. Characterization and optimization of PheA activity may be useful for a better understanding of 2,4-dichlorophenol degradation by this organism and for potential industrial application of the enzyme.

Multisubstrate specific flavin containing monooxygenase from Chlorella pyrenoidosa with potential application for phenolic wastewater remediation and biosensor application

Microbial degradation of phenolic pollutants in industrial wastewater is dependent on enzymatic pathway comprising a cascade of phenol metabolizing enzymes. Phenol hydroxylase is the first enzyme of the pathway catalysing the initial attack on phenol in green algae Chlorella pyrenoidosa. The present work reports cost-effective production of partially purified microalgal phenol hydroylase by single-step purification and characterization of its kinetic properties with the view of application for enzyme-based remediation of phenolic wastewater or in phenolic biosensor. The enzyme with a molecular weight of 25 kDa shows all characteristics of phenol hydroxylases, that is, hydroxylation of phenol to catechol (confirmed by HPLC), substrate-dependent NADPH oxidation, absorption spectrum typical of flavoproteins and peptide mass fingerprint corresponding to flavoprotein hydroxylase. The enzyme utilizes phenol with apparent Michealis constant (K_m) of 1.71 µM, maximal velocity (V_max) of 0.4 µM/min with optimal activity at pH 7 and 35°C. Fe²⁺chelators (Phenanthroline and sodium arsenate), heavy metals, denaturants and oxidizing agents showed inhibitory effect on phenol hydroxylation activity of the enzyme. The enzyme has broad substrate specificity against isomeric diphenols, isomeric methylphenols, halogen-substituted phenols, amino-substituted phenols, nitrophenols, hydroxybenzaldehyde and hydroxylbenzoic acid. The enzyme shows remarkable storage stability at room temperature and at 4°C. The multisubstrate specificity coupled to remarkable storage stability of the microalgal phenol hydroxylase opens up avenues for its application in remediation of a wide range of phenolics released in industrial wastewater or phenolic biosensor application.

Molecular characterization of a eukaryotic-like phenol hydroxylase from Corynebacterium glutamicum

This study focuses on the genetic and biochemical characterization of phenol hydroxylase (Phe, NCgl2588) from Corynebacterium glutamicum that shares 31% identity in amino acids with phenol hydroxylase from yeast Trichosporon cutaneum but less similarity with that from bacteria. The phe deletion mutant significantly reduced its ability to grow with phenol as the sole carbon and energy source. Expression of the phe gene was strongly induced with phenol and also subject to the control of carbon catabolite repression (CCR). The molecular weight of purified Phe protein determined by gel filtration chromatography was 70 kDa, indicating that Phe exists as a monomer in the purification condition. However, Phe protein pre-incubated with phenol showed a molecular weight of 140 kDa, suggesting that Phe is likely active as a dimer. In addition to phenol, the Phe protein could utilize various other phenolic compounds as substrates. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that D75, P261, R262, R269, C349 and C476 are key amino acid residues closely related to the enzyme activity of Phe.

Hydroquinone: environmental pollution, toxicity, and microbial answers

Hydroquinone is a major benzene metabolite, which is a well-known haematotoxic and carcinogenic agent associated with malignancy in occupational environments. Human exposure to hydroquinone can occur by dietary, occupational, and environmental sources. In the environment, hydroquinone showed increased toxicity for aquatic organisms, being less harmful for bacteria and fungi. Recent pieces of evidence showed that hydroquinone is able to enhance carcinogenic risk by generating DNA damage and also to compromise the general immune responses which may contribute to the impaired triggering of the host immune reaction. Hydroquinone bioremediation from natural and contaminated sources can be achieved by the use of a diverse group of microorganisms, ranging from bacteria to fungi, which harbor very complex enzymatic systems able to metabolize hydroquinone either under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Due to the recent research development on hydroquinone, this review underscores not only the mechanisms of hydroquinone biotransformation and the role of microorganisms and their enzymes in this process, but also its toxicity.

Effects of lignin-derived phenolic compounds on xylitol production and key enzyme activities by a xylose utilizing yeast Candida athensensis SB18

Candida athensensis SB18 is potential xylitol producing yeast isolated in Singapore. It has excellent xylose tolerance and is able to produce xylitol in high titer and yield. However, by-products, such as phenolic compounds, derived in lignocellulosic biomass hydrolysate might negatively influence the performance of this strain for xylitol production. In this work, four potential phenolic inhibitors, such as vanillin, syringaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and phenol, were evaluated for their inhibitory effects on xylitol production by C. athensensis SB18. Phenol was shown to be the most toxic molecule on this microorganism followed by syringaldehyde. Vanillin and 4-hydroxylbenzaldehyde was less toxic than phenol and syringaldehyde, with vanillin being the least toxic. Inhibition was insignificant when the total content of inhibitors was below 1.0 g/L. The presence of phenolic compounds affected the activity of xylose reductase, however not on that of xylitol dehydrogenase. C. athensensis SB18 is therefore a potential xylitol producer from hemicellulosic hydrolysate due to its assimilation of such phenolic inhibitors.