Purification and Characterization of a Novel α-L-Rhamnosidase from Papiliotrema laurentii ZJU-L07 and Its Application in Production of Icariin from Epimedin C

Heterologous Expression and Characterization of a Thermostable α-L-Rhamnosidase from Thermoclostridium stercorarium subsp. thermolacticum DSM 2910 and Its Application in the Biotransformation of Rutin

An α-L-rhamnosidase gene from Thermoclostridium. stercorarium subsp. thermolacticum DSM 2910 (TstRhaA) was cloned and expressed. The maximum TstRhaA activity of the protein reached 25.2 U/ml, and the molecular mass was approximately 106.6 kDa. The protein was purified 8.0-fold by Ni-TED affinity with an overall recovery of 16.6% and a specific activity of 187.9 U/mg. TstRhaA activity was the highest at 65°C and pH 6.5. In addition, it exhibited excellent thermal stability, better pH stability, good tolerance to low concentrations of organic reagents, and high catalytic activity for p-nitrophenyl-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (pNPR). Substrate specificity studies showed that TstRhaA exhibited a high specific activity for rutin. At 60°C, pH 6.5, and 0.3 U/ml enzyme dosage, 60 g/l rutin was converted to 45.55 g/l isoquercitrin within 150 min. The molar conversion rate of rutin and the yield of isoquercitrin were 99.8% and 12.22 g/l/h, respectively. The results suggested that TstRhaA could be used for mass production of isoquercitrin.

Advancements in the Biotransformation and Biosynthesis of the Primary Active Flavonoids Derived from Epimedium

Epimedium is a classical Chinese herbal medicine, which has been used extensively to treat various diseases, such as sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and brain diseases. Flavonoids, such as icariin, baohuoside I, icaritin, and epimedin C, are the main active ingredients with diverse pharmacological activities. Currently, most Epimedium flavonoids are extracted from Epimedium plants, but this method cannot meet the increasing market demand. Biotransformation strategies promised huge potential for increasing the contents of high-value Epimedium flavonoids, which would promote the full use of the Epimedium herb. Complete biosynthesis of major Epimedium flavonoids by microbial cell factories would enable industrial-scale production of Epimedium flavonoids. This review summarizes the structures, pharmacological activities, and biosynthesis pathways in the Epimedium plant, as well as the extraction methods of major Epimedium flavonoids, and advancements in the biotransformation and complete microbial synthesis of Epimedium flavonoids, which would provide valuable insights for future studies on Epimedium herb usage and the production of Epimedium flavonoids.

α-L-rhamnosidase: production, properties, and applications

α-L-rhamnosidase [EC 3.2.1.40] belongs to glycoside hydrolase (GH) families (GH13, GH78, and GH106 families) in the carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZy) database, which specifically hydrolyzes the non-reducing end of α-L-rhamnose. Αccording to the sites of catalytic hydrolysis, α-L-rhamnosidase can be divided into α-1, 2-rhamnosidase, α-1, 3-rhamnosidase, α-1, 4-rhamnosidase and α-1, 6-rhamnosidase. α-L-rhamnosidase is an important enzyme for various biotechnological applications, especially in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. α-L-rhamnosidase has a wide range of sources and is commonly found in animals, plants, and microorganisms, and its microbial source includes a variety of bacteria, molds and yeasts (such as Lactobacillus sp., Aspergillus sp., Pichia angusta and Saccharomyces cerevisiae). In recent years, a series of advances have been achieved in various aspects of α-validates the above-described-rhamnosidase research. A number of α-L-rhamnosidases have been successfully recombinant expressed in prokaryotic systems as well as eukaryotic systems which involve Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus niger, and the catalytic properties of the recombinant enzymes have been improved by enzyme modification techniques. In this review, the sources and production methods, general and catalytic properties and biotechnological applications of α-L-rhamnosidase in different fields are summarized and discussed, concluding with the directions for further in-depth research on α-L-rhamnosidase.