Enterocin M-Producing Enterococcus faecium CCM 8558 Demonstrating Probiotic Properties in Horses

The effects of non-authochtonous Enterococcus faecium AL41 = CCM 8558, enterocin M-producing and probiotic strain were tested on the microbiota, phagocytic activity, hydrolytic enzymes, biochemical parameters and dry matter in horses based on its previous benefits demonstrated in other animals. E. faecium CCM 8558 sufficiently colonized the digestive tract of horses. At day 14, its counts reached 2.35 ± 0.70 CFU/g (log 10) on average. The identity of CCM 8558 was confirmed by means of PCR after its re-isolation from horse faeces. The inhibition activity of CCM 8558 was demonstrated against Gram-negative aeromonads, counts of which were significantly reduced (P < 0.001). After 14 days application of CCM 8558, a tendency towards increased phagocytic activity (PA) was measured; PA value was 73.13% ± 8.55 on average at day 0/1; at day 14, it was 75.11 ± 8.66%. Cellulolytic, xylanolytic and pectinolytic activity in horse faeces was significantly increased (P < 0.001) at day 14 (after CCM 8558 application) and amylolytic activity as well (P < 0.01) compared to day 0/1. Inulolytic activity increased with mathematical difference 1.378. Dry matter value reached 20.81 ± 2.29% on average at day 0/1; at day 14, it was 20.77 ± 2.59% (P = 0.9725). Biochemical parameters were influenced mostly in the physiological range. These results achieved after application of CCM 8558 in horses are original, giving us further opportunity to continue these studies, to measure additional parameters and to show the benefits of CCM 8558 application in horses.

Method for the Production and Purification of Plant Immuno-Active Xylanase from Trichoderma

Plants lack a circulating adaptive immune system to protect themselves against pathogens. Therefore, they have evolved an innate immune system based upon complicated and efficient defense mechanisms, either constitutive or inducible. Plant defense responses are triggered by elicitors such as microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). These components are recognized by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) which include plant cell surface receptors. Upon recognition, PRRs trigger pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Ethylene Inducing Xylanase (EIX) is a fungal MAMP protein from the plant-growth-promoting fungi (PGPF)-Trichoderma. It elicits plant defense responses in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), making it an excellent tool in the studies of plant immunity. Xylanases such as EIX are hydrolytic enzymes that act on xylan in hemicellulose. There are two types of xylanases: the endo-1, 4-β-xylanases that hydrolyze within the xylan structure, and the β-d-xylosidases that hydrolyze the ends of the xylan chain. Xylanases are mainly synthesized by fungi and bacteria. Filamentous fungi produce xylanases in high amounts and secrete them in liquid cultures, making them an ideal system for xylanase purification. Here, we describe a method for cost- and yield-effective xylanase production from Trichoderma using wheat bran as a growth substrate. Xylanase produced by this method possessed xylanase activity and immunogenic activity, effectively inducing a hypersensitive response, ethylene biosynthesis, and ROS burst.

Functional exploration of Pseudoalteromonas atlantica as a source of hemicellulose-active enzymes: Evidence for a GH8 xylanase with unusual mode of action

To address the need for efficient enzymes exhibiting novel activities towards cell wall polysaccharides, the bacterium Pseudoalteromonas atlantica was selected based on the presence of potential hemicellulases in its annotated genome. It was grown in the presence or not of hemicelluloses and the culture filtrates were screened towards 42 polysaccharides. P. atlantica showed appreciable diversity of enzymes active towards hemicelluloses from Monocot and Dicot origin, in agreement with its genome annotation. After growth on beechwood glucuronoxylan and fractionation of the secretome, a β-xylosidase, a α-arabinofuranosidase and an acetylesterase activities were evidenced. A GH8 enzyme obtained in the same growth conditions was further cloned and heterologously overexpressed. It was shown to be a xylanase active on heteroxylans from various sources. The detailed study of its mode of action demonstrated that the oligosaccharides produced carried a long tail of un-substituted xylose residues on the reducing end.

Purification and Characterization of a recombinant β-Xylosidase from Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 14580 into E. coli Bl21

Present research work is aimed to purify and characterize a recombinant β-xylosidase enzyme which was previously cloned from Bacillus licheniformis ATCC 14580 in to Escherichia coli BL21. Purification of recombinant enzyme was carried out by using ammonium sulphate precipitation method followed by single step immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography. Specific activity of purified recombinant β-xylosidase enzyme was 20.78 Umg-1 with 2.58 purification fold and 33.75% recovery. SDS-PAGE was used to determine the molecular weight of recombinant purified β-xylosidase and it was recorded as 52 kDa. Purified enzyme showed stability upto 90°C within a pH range of 3-8 with and optimal temperature and pH, 55ºC and 7.0, respectively. The enzyme activity was not considerably affected in the presence of EDTA. An increase in the enzyme activity was found in the manifestation of Mg+2. Enzyme activity was also increased by 6%, 18% and 22% in the presence of 1% Tween 80, β-mercaptoethanol and DTT, respectively. Higher concentrations (10 - 40%) of organic solvents did not show any effect upon activity of enzyme. All these characteristics of the recombinant enzyme endorsed it as a potential candidate for biofuel industry.

Enhanced Purification Efficiency and Thermal Tolerance of Thermoanaerobacterium aotearoense β-Xylosidase through Aggregation Triggered by Short Peptides

To simplify purification and improve heat tolerance of a thermostable β-xylosidase (ThXylC), a short ELK16 peptide was attached to its C-terminus, which is designated as ThXylC-ELK. Wild-type ThXylC was normally expressed in soluble form. However, ThXylC-ELK assembled into aggregates with 98.6% of total β-xylosidase activity. After simple centrifugation and buffer washing, the ThXylC-ELK particles were collected with 92.57% activity recovery and 95% purity, respectively. Meanwhile, the wild-type ThXylC recovery yield was less than 55% after heat inactivation, affinity and desalting chromatography followed by HRV 3C protease cleavage purification. Catalytic efficiency ( K_cat/ K_m) was increased from 21.31 mM^-1 s^-1 for ThXylC to 32.19 mM^-1 s^-1 for ThXylC-ELK accompanied by a small increase in K_m value. Heat tolerance of ThXylC-ELK at high temperatures was also increased. The ELK16 peptide attachment resulted in 6.2-fold increase of half-life at 65 °C. Released reducing sugars were raised 1.3-fold during sugar cane bagasse hydrolysis when ThXylC-ELK was supplemented into the combination of XynAΔSLH and Cellic CTec2.

A bifunctional cellulase-xylanase of a new Chryseobacterium strain isolated from the dung of a straw-fed cattle

A new cellulolytic strain of Chryseobacterium genus was screened from the dung of a cattle fed with cereal straw. A putative cellulase gene (cbGH5) belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 5 subfamily 46 (GH5_46) was identified and cloned by degenerate PCR plus genome walking. The CbGH5 protein was overexpressed in Pichia pastoris, purified and characterized. It is the first bifunctional cellulase-xylanase reported in GH5_46 as well as in Chryseobacterium genus. The enzyme showed an endoglucanase activity on carboxymethylcellulose of 3237 μmol min-1  mg-1 at pH 9, 90 °C and a xylanase activity on birchwood xylan of 1793 μmol min-1  mg-1 at pH 8, 90 °C. The activity level and thermophilicity are in the front rank of all the known cellulases and xylanases. Core hydrophobicity had a positive effect on the thermophilicity of this enzyme. When similar quantity of enzymatic activity units was applied on the straws of wheat, rice, corn and oilseed rape, CbGH5 could obtain 3.5-5.0× glucose and 1.2-1.8× xylose than a mixed commercial cellulase plus xylanase of Novozymes. When applied on spent mushroom substrates made from the four straws, CbGH5 could obtain 9.2-15.7× glucose and 3.5-4.3× xylose than the mixed Novozymes cellulase+xylanase. The results suggest that CbGH5 could be a promising candidate for industrial lignocellulosic biomass conversion.

Genomic characterization of plant cell wall degrading enzymes and in silico analysis of xylanases and polygalacturonases of Fusarium virguliforme

BACKGROUND

Plant cell wall degrading enzymes (PCWDEs) are a subset of carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZy) produced by plant pathogens to degrade plant cell walls. To counteract PCWDEs, plants release PCWDEs inhibitor proteins (PIPs) to reduce their impact. Several transgenic plants expressing exogenous PIPs that interact with fungal glycoside hydrolase (GH)11-type xylanases or GH28-type polygalacturonase (PG) have been shown to enhance disease resistance. However, many plant pathogenic Fusarium species were reported to escape PIPs inhibition. Fusarium virguliforme is a soilborne pathogen that causes soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS). Although the genome of F. virguliforme was sequenced, there were limited studies focused on the PCWDEs of F. virguliforme. Our goal was to understand the genomic CAZy structure of F. viguliforme, and determine if exogenous PIPs could be theoretically used in soybean to enhance resistance against F. virguliforme.

RESULTS

F. virguliforme produces diverse CAZy to degrade cellulose and pectin, similar to other necrotorphic and hemibiotrophic plant pathogenic fungi. However, some common CAZy of plant pathogenic fungi that catalyze hemicellulose, such as GH29, GH30, GH44, GH54, GH62, and GH67, were deficient in F. virguliforme. While the absence of these CAZy families might be complemented by other hemicellulases, F. virguliforme contained unique families including GH131, polysaccharide lyase (PL) 9, PL20, and PL22 that were not reported in other plant pathogenic fungi or oomycetes. Sequence analysis revealed two GH11 xylanases of F. virguliforme, FvXyn11A and FvXyn11B, have conserved residues that allow xylanase inhibitor protein I (XIP-I) binding. Structural modeling suggested that FvXyn11A and FvXyn11B could be blocked by XIP-I that serves as good candidate for developing transgenic soybeans. In contrast, one GH28 PG, FvPG2, contains an amino acid substitution that is potentially incompatible with the bean polygalacturonase-inhibitor protein II (PvPGIP2).

CONCLUSIONS

Identification and annotation of CAZy provided advanced understanding of genomic composition of PCWDEs in F. virguliforme. Sequence and structural analyses of FvXyn11A and FvXyn11B suggested both xylanases were conserved in residues that allow XIP-I inhibition, and expression of both xylanases were detected during soybean roots infection. We postulate that a transgenic soybean expressing wheat XIP-I may be useful for developing root rot resistance to F. virguliforme.

Characterization of three novel thermophilic xylanases from Humicola insolens Y1 with application potentials in the brewing industry

Three xylanase genes (xynA, xynB, xynC) of glycosyl hydrolase family 10 were identified in Humicola insolens Y1. The deduced protein sequences showed the highest identity of ⩽83% to known fungal xylanases and of ⩽38% with each other. Recombinant XynA-C produced in Pichia pastoris showed optimal activities at pH 6.0-7.0 and at high temperature (70-80°C), and exhibited good stability over a broad pH range and temperatures at 60°C. The gene xynC produced by H. insolens Y1 (named XynW) was similar in enzyme properties with XynC expressed by Pichia. XynA exhibited better alkaline adaptation and thermostability, and had higher catalytic efficiency and wider substrate specificity. Under simulated mashing conditions, addition of XynA-C showed better performance on filtration acceleration (37.4%) and viscosity reduction (13.5%) than Ultraflo from Novozyme. Thus the three xylanases represent good candidates for application in the brewing industry.

A novel xylan degrading β-D-xylosidase: purification and biochemical characterization

Aspergillus ochraceus, a thermotolerant fungus isolated in Brazil from decomposing materials, produced an extracellular β-xylosidase that was purified using DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography, Sephadex G-100 and Biogel P-60 gel filtration. β-xylosidase is a glycoprotein (39 % carbohydrate content) and has a molecular mass of 137 kDa by SDS-PAGE, with optimal temperature and pH at 70 °C and 3.0-5.5, respectively. β-xylosidase was stable in acidic pH (3.0-6.0) and 70 °C for 1 h. The enzyme was activated by 5 mM MnCl₂ (28 %) and MgCl₂ (20 %) salts. The β-xylosidase produced by A. ochraceus preferentially hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl-β-D-xylopyranoside, exhibiting apparent K(m) and V(max) values of 0.66 mM and 39 U (mg protein)⁻¹ respectively, and to a lesser extent p-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucopyranoside. The enzyme was able to hydrolyze xylan from different sources, suggesting a novel β-D-xylosidase that degrades xylan. HPLC analysis revealed xylans of different compositions which allowed explaining the differences in specificity observed by β-xylosidase. TLC confirmed the capacity of the enzyme in hydrolyzing xylan and larger xylo-oligosaccharides, as xylopentaose.

Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray characterization of the pentamodular arabinoxylanase CtXyl5A from Clostridium thermocellum

The cellulosome, a highly elaborate extracellular multi-enzyme complex of cellulases and hemicellulases, is responsible for the degradation of plant cell walls. The xylanase CtXyl5A (Cthe_2193) is a multimodular arabinoxylanase which is one of the largest components of the Clostridium thermocellum cellulosome. The N-terminal catalytic domain of CtXyl5A, which is a member of glycoside hydrolase family 5 (GH5), is responsible for the hydrolysis of arabinoxylans. Appended after it are three noncatalytic carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs), which belong to families 6 (CBM6), 13 (CBM13) and 62 (CBM62). In addition, CtXyl5A has a fibronectin type III-like (Fn3) module preceding the CBM62 and a type I dockerin (DOK) module following it which allows the enzyme to be integrated into the cellulosome through binding to a cohesin module of the protein scaffold CipA. Crystals of the pentamodular enzyme without the DOK module at the C-terminus, with the domain architecture CtGH5-CBM6-CBM13-Fn3-CBM62, have been obtained. The structure of this pentamodular xylanase has been determined by molecular replacement to a resolution of 2.64 Å using coordinates of CtGH5-CBM6, Fn3 and CBM62 from the PDB as search models.

High-level expression of extracellular secretion of a β-xylosidase gene from Paecilomyces thermophila in Escherichia coli

A novel β-xylosidase gene (designated as PtXyl43) from thermophilic fungus Paecilomycesthermophila was cloned and extracellularly expressed in Escherichia coli. PtXyl43 belonging to glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 43 has an open reading frame of 1017 bp, encoding 338 amino acids without a predicted signal peptide. No introns were found by comparison of the PtXyl43 genomic DNA and cDNA sequences. The recombinant β-xylosidase (PtXyl43) was secreted into the culture medium in E. coli with a yield of 98.0 U mL(-1) in shake-flask cultures. PtXyl43 was purified 1.2-fold to homogeneity with a recovery yield of 61.5% from the cell-free culture supernatant. It appeared as a single protein band on SDS-PAGE with a molecular mass of approx 52.3 kDa. The enzyme exhibited an optimal activity at 55 °C and pH 7.0, respectively. This is the first report on the cloning and expression of a GH family 43 β-xylosidase gene from thermophilic fungi.

Characterization of a Paenibacillus woosongensis beta-Xylosidase/alpha-Arabinofuranosidase produced by recombinant Escherichia coli

A gene encoding the beta-xylosidase/alpha-arabinofuranosidase (XylC) of Paenibacillus woosongensis was cloned into Escherichia coli. This xylC gene consisted of 1,425 nucleotides, encoding a polypeptide of 474 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence exhibited an 80% similarity with those of both Clostridium stercorarium beta-xylosidase/alpha-N-arabinosidase and Bacillus cellulosilyticus alpha-arabinofuranosidase, belonging to the glycosyl hydrolase family 43. The structural gene was subcloned with a Cterminal His-tag into a pET23a(+) expression vector. The His-tagged XylC, purified from a cell-free extract of a recombinant E. coli BL21(DE3) Codon Plus carrying a xylC gene by affinity chromatography, was active on paranitrophenyl- alpha-arabinofuranoside (pNPA) as well as paranitrophenyl- beta-xylopyranoside (pNPX). However, the enzymatic activities for the substrates were somewhat incongruously influenced by reaction pHs and temperatures. The enzyme was also affected by various chemicals at different levels. SDS (5 mM) inhibited the enzymatic activity for pNPX, while enhancing the enzymatic activity for pNPA. Enzyme activity was also found to be inhibited by addition of pentose or hexose. The Michaelis constant and maximum velocity of the purified enzyme were determined for hydrolysis of pNPX and pNPA, respectively.

Novel bifunctional alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase/xylobiohydrolase (ABF3) from Penicillium purpurogenum

The soft rot fungus Penicillium purpurogenum grows on a variety of natural substrates and secretes various isoforms of xylanolytic enzymes, including three arabinofuranosidases. This work describes the biochemical properties as well as the nucleotide and amino acid sequences of arabinofuranosidase 3 (ABF3). This enzyme has been purified to homogeneity. It is a glycosylated monomer with a molecular weight of 50,700 and can bind cellulose. The enzyme is active with p-nitrophenyl alpha-L-arabinofuranoside and p-nitrophenyl beta-D-xylopyranoside with a K(m) of 0.65 mM and 12 mM, respectively. The enzyme is active on xylooligosaccharides, yielding products of shorter length, including xylose. However, it does not hydrolyze arabinooligosaccharides. When assayed with polymeric substrates, little arabinose is liberated from arabinan and debranched arabinan; however, it hydrolyzes arabinose and releases xylooligosaccharides from arabinoxylan. Sequencing both ABF3 cDNA and genomic DNA reveals that this gene does not contain introns and that the open reading frame is 1,380 nucleotides in length. The deduced mature protein is composed of 433 amino acids residues and has a calculated molecular weight of 47,305. The deduced amino acid sequence has been validated by mass spectrometry analysis of peptides from purified ABF3. A total of 482 bp of the promoter were sequenced; putative binding sites for transcription factors such as CreA (four), XlnR (one), and AreA (three) and two CCAAT boxes were found. The enzyme has two domains, one similar to proteins of glycosyl hydrolase family 43 at the amino-terminal end and a family 6 carbohydrate binding module at the carboxyl end. ABF3 is the first described modular family 43 enzyme from a fungal source, having both alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase and xylobiohydrolase functionalities.

Optimization of biobleaching of paper pulp in an expanded bed bioreactor with immobilized alkali stable xylanase by using response surface methodology

Purified alkali stable xylanase from Aspergillus fischeri was immobilized on polystyrene beads using diazotization method. An expanded bed bioreactor was developed with these immobilized beads to biobleach the paper pulp in continuous mode. Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the biobleaching conditions. Temperature (degrees C), flow rate of pulp (ml/min) and concentration of the pulp (%) were selected as variables in this study. Optimal conditions for biobleaching process were reaction temperature 60 degrees C, flow rate of 2 ml/min and 5% (w/v) of pulp. The kappa number reduced from 66 in the unbleached pulp to 20 (reduction of 87%). This system proves to be a better option for the conventional chlorine based pulp bleaching.

A xylose-tolerant beta-xylosidase from Paecilomyces thermophila: characterization and its co-action with the endogenous xylanase

An extracellular beta-xylosidase from the thermophilic fungus Paecilomyces thermophila J18 was purified 31.9-fold to homogeneity with a recovery yield of 2.27% from the cell-free culture supernatant. It appeared as a single protein band on SDS-PAGE with a molecular mass of approx 53.5 kDa. The molecular mass of beta-xylosidase was 51.8 kDa determined by Superdex 75 gel filtration. The enzyme was a glycoprotein with a carbohydrate content of 61.5%. It exhibited an optimal activity at 55 degrees C and pH 6.5, respectively. The enzyme was stable in the range of pH 6.0-9.0 and at 55 degrees C. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed xylobiose and higher xylooligosaccharides but was inactive against xylan substrates. It released xylose from xylooligosaccharides with a degree of polymerization ranging between 2 and 5. The rate of xylose released from xylooligosaccharides by the purified enzyme increased with increasing chain length. It had a K(m) of 4.3mM for p-nitrophenol-beta-d-xylopyranoside and was competitively inhibited by xylose with a K(i) value of 139 mM. Release of reducing sugars from xylans by a purified xylanase produced by the same organism increased markedly in the presence of beta-xylosidase. During 24-hour hydrolysis, the amounts of reducing sugar released in the presence of added beta-xylosidase were about 1.5-1.73 times that of the reaction employing the xylanase alone. This is the first report on the purification and characterization of a beta-xylosidase from Paecilomyces thermophila.

[Purification and characterization of a beta-D-xylosidase from Leifsonia shinshuensis DICP 16]

A beta-D-xylosidase from Leifsonia shinshuensis DICP 16 was purified to apparent homogeneity using a combination of ammonium sulfate precipitation, DE 52 anion-exchange, Q-Sepharose Fast Flow anion-exchange, Toyopearl Butyl 650C hydrophobic-interaction and Sephacryl S-300 HR gel-permeation chromatography. The purified xylosidase consisted of two same subunits and had the relative molecular weight of 180 kD as determined by SDS-PAGE and gel-permeation chromatography. The maximal beta-D-xylosidase activity occurred at 55 degrees C and pH 7.0. It was stable at 45 degrees C and retained its original activity for 60 min. The stability declined rapidly when the temperature rose above 55 degrees C. The xylosidase was stable in the pH range from 6.0 to 11.0 for 20 h. At pH 7.0 and 45 degrees C the Km for p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside (pNPX) was 1.04 mmol/L and the Vmx was 0.095 mmol nitrophenol/min/mg xylosidase. The enzyme was inhibited strongly by Fe2+ and Cu2+. It exhibited low levels of activity against other artificial substrates, compared to its activity against pNPX. When different natural xylosides were used as the substrates, the xylosidase showed distinct hydrolysis ability. It could hydrolyze 20-C, beta-(1-->6)-xyloside of ginsenoside Rb3 (G-Rb3) into ginsenoside Rd, but did not hydrolyze the other beta-D-glucosidic bonds of G-Rb3. Additionally, the xylosidase could not hydrolyze C-7 xylosyl-bearing taxanes.

Purification and characterization of extracellular xylanase from Streptomyces cyaneus SN32

Streptomyces cyaneus SN32 was used in this study to produce extracellular xylanase, an important industrial enzyme used in pulp and paper industry. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by anion exchange chromatography using DEAE-Sepharose column, with 43.0% yield. The enzyme was found to be a monomer of 20.5 kDa as determined by SDS gel electrophoresis and has a pI of 8.5. The optimum pH and temperature for purified xylanase activity was 6.0 and 60-65 degrees C, respectively. The half-lives of xylanase at 50 and 65 degrees C were approximately 200 and 50 min, respectively. The xylanase exhibited K(m) and V(max) values of 11.1 mg/ml and 45.45 micromol/min/mg. The 15 residue N-terminal sequence of the enzyme was found to be 87% identical up to that of endoxylanases from Steptomyces sp. Based on the zymogram analysis, sequence similarity and other characteristics, it is proposed that the purified enzyme from S. cyaneus SN32 is an endoxylanase and belongs to Group 1 xylanases (low molecular weight - basic proteins). The purified enzyme was stable for more than 20 week at 4 degrees C. Easy purification from the fermentation broth and its high stability will be highly useful for industrial application of this endoxylanase.

Characterization of beta-xylosidase enzyme from a Pichia stipitis mutant

beta-Xylosidase production was maximal for the mutant Pichia stipitis NP54376 grown on xylan as the sole carbon source. beta-Xylosidase was purified from culture supernatant by (NH(4))(2)SO(4) precipitation and a hydrophobic interaction chromatography on phenyl sepharose. Optima of pH and temperature were 5.0 and 50 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme was inhibited by 2-mercaptoethanol (100%) and Fe(3+) (80%), and moderately affected by Cu(2+), Ag(+), NH(4)(+) and Mg(2+) and SDS. The purified xylosidase hydrolyzed xylobiose and xylo-oligosaccharides and it did not exhibit activity against cellulose, starch, maltose and cellobiose. 2.5 g l(-1) glucose repressed beta-xylosidase activity in the NP54376 strain. The K(m) and V(max) values on p-nitrophenyl-beta-xylopyranoside were 1.6 mM and 186 micromol p-nitrophenyl min(-1)mg(-1) protein, respectively. Analysis of the hydrolysis products by HPLC indicated that the major hydrolysis product is xylobiose in all the carbon sources tested.

Isolation and characterization of a thermostable β-xylosidase in the thermophilic bacterium Geobacillus pallidus

The isolation, purification, biochemical and biophysical characterization of the first reported beta-xylosidase from Geobacillus pallidus are described. The protein has an optimum pH close to 8 and an optimum temperature of 70 degrees C. These biochemical properties agree with those obtained by spectroscopic techniques, namely, circular dichroism (CD), infrared (FTIR) and fluorescence measurements. Thermal denaturation, followed by CD and FTIR, showed an apparent thermal denaturation midpoint close to 80 degrees C. The protein was probably a hydrated trimer in solution with, an elongated shape, as shown by gel filtration experiments. FTIR deconvolution spectra indicated that the protein contains a high percentage of alpha-helix (44%) and beta-sheet (40%). The sequencing of the N terminus and the biochemical features indicate that this new member of beta-xylosidases belongs to the GH52 family. Since there are no reported structural studies of any member of this family, our studies provide the first clue for the full conformational characterization of this protein family.

A novel cellulase free alkaliphilic xylanase from alkali tolerant Penicillium citrinum: production, purification and characterization

AIMS

The enzymatic hydrolysis of xylan has potential economic and environment-friendly applications. Therefore, attention is focused here on the discovery of new extremophilic xylanase in order to meet the requirements of industry.

METHODS AND RESULTS

An extracellular xylanase was purified from the culture filtrate of P. citrinum grown on wheat bran bed in solid substrate fermentation. Single step purification was achieved using hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The purified enzyme showed a single band on SDS-PAGE with an apparent molecular weight of c. 25 kDa and pI of 3.6. Stimulation of the activity by beta mercaptoethanol, dithiotheritol (DTT) and cysteine was observed. Moderately thermostable xylanase showed optimum activity at 50 degrees C at pH 8.5.

CONCLUSION

Xylanase purified from P. citrinum was alkaliphilic and moderately thermostable in nature.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The present work reports for the first time the purification and characterization of a novel endoglucanase free alkaliphilic xylanase from the alkali tolerant fungus Penicillium citrinum. The alkaliphilicity and moderate thermostability of this xylanase may have potential implications in paper and pulp industries.

Expression in Escherichia coli and characterization of β-xylosidases GH39 and GH-43 from Bacillus halodurans C-125

To develop xylosidases as tools for the hydrolysis of wheat bran arabinoxylans, two beta-xylosidases from Bacillus halodurans C-125 have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant (His)(6)-tagged enzymes, designated as XylBH39 and XylBH43, were efficiently purified using Ni(2+)-affinity chromatography. Determination of native molecular masses indicated that XylBH43 is dimeric in solution, whereas a similar analysis of XylBH39 did not allow differentiation between the dimeric and trimeric states. Both enzymes had similar pH and temperature optima (pH 7.5 and 55 degrees C for XylBH39 and pH 8 and 60 degrees C for XylBH43) and were relatively stable over the pH range of 3.5-8.5. In contrast, XylBH39 was more thermostable. At 60 degrees C, XylBH39 and XylBH43 displayed approximate half-life values of 2.40 and 0.05 h, respectively. The comparison of the ratio k (cat)/K (M) revealed that XylBH43 hydrolyzed p-nitrophenyl-beta-D: -xyloside more efficiently (4.6-fold) than XylBH39. Similarly, while XylBH43 was 18-fold less active on p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L: -arabinofuranoside, XylBH39 was essentially inactive on this substrate. Using either p-nitrophenyl-beta-D: -xyloside or xylotriose, XylBH39 performed transglycosylation, while xylobiose proved to be a poor substrate for both hydrolysis and transglycosylation. The use of XylBH39 and XylBH43 for the posttreatment of endoxylanase-generated wheat bran hydrolysates revealed that XylBH43 efficiently produced xylose monomers (385 microg/ml after 330 min incubation). Its activity was improved by the simultaneous deployment of an alpha-L: -arabinofuranosidase. Together, these enzymes were able to release 521 microg/ml of xylose after 330 min. This constitutes an approximate yield improvement of 35%.

Paenibacillus sp. strain HC1 xylanases responsible for degradation of rice bran hemicellulose

Paenibacillus sp. strain HC1 is the first bacterium capable of growing on rice bran hemicellulose as a sole carbon source. Two xylanases (Xyl-I and -II) were purified from the bacterial culture fluid and enzymatically characterized. Xyl-I and -II showed monomer forms with molecular masses of 30 and 18kDa, respectively, and were most active at around pH 5.0 and 45 degrees C. Xylooligosaccharides were degraded to xylobiose and xylose by Xyl-I, but not by Xyl-II, suggesting that Xyl-I plays an important role in complete depolymerization of xylan. Both enzymes acted endolytically on rice bran hemicellulose, indicating that Xyl-I and -II contribute to the structure determination and practical use of the polysaccharide, an unutilized biomass in technology.

Xyn11A, a multidomain multicatalytic enzyme fromPseudobutyrivibrio xylanivorans Mz5T

The rumen bacterium Pseudobutyrivibrio xylanivorans Mz5T has a potent xylanolytic enzyme system. A small native peptide (approximately 30-kDa, designated Xyn11A) from the bacterium was first isolated and characterized by Edman degradation. The gene coding for Xyn11A was identified using PCR amplification with consensus primers. It was then fully sequenced to reveal an open reading frame of 1809 bp. The predicted N-terminal domain exhibited xylanolytic activity and was classed to the family 11 of glycosyl hydrolases; it is followed by a region with homology to a family 6 cellulose binding module. The C-terminal domain codes for a putative NodB-like polysaccharide deacetylase which is predicted to be an acetyl esterase implicated in debranching activity in the xylan backbone. As similar domain organization was also found in several other xylanases from a diverse range of bacteria, a common ancestor of such a xylanase is considered to be present and spread, possibly by horizontal gene transfer, to other microorganisms from different ecological niches.

Stimulation of alkalothermophilic Aspergillus terreusxylanase by low-intensity laser radiation

In this study, Aspergillus terreus was irradiated by a 7.3 mW He-Ne laser in the presence of crystal violet, toluidine blue O and hematoporphyrin as photosensitizers. Xylanases recovered from non-irradiated and irradiated fungi were purified and characterized. The maximum production of xylanase (42.2 U/ml) was obtained after 5 min of laser irradiation in the absence of the photosensitizer. The irradiation of the sensitized fungus diminished the production of xylanase. On purification using G-100, the specific activity of xylanase recovered from the irradiated fungus was 292 U/mg protein representing a 37-fold purification over the crude extract compared with 95.6 U/mg protein representing the 12.8-fold for the enzyme recovered from the non-irradiated fungus. The enzyme recovered from the irradiated fungus had lower molecular weight as compared with that recovered from the non-irradiated one. Characterization of the purified enzymes revealed that the enzyme recovered from the irradiated fungus was more thermostable and had a wider range of optimum reaction temperature (60-70 degrees C) and pH (4.0-12.0), compared to the non-irradiated one.

Purification and characterization of thermoalkalophilic xylanase isolated from the Enterobacter sp. MTCC 5112

Thermoalkalophilic Enterobacter sp. MTCC 5112 was isolated from a sediment sample collected from the Mandovi estuary on the west coast of India. This culture produced extracellular xylanase. The xylanase enzyme was isolated by ammonium sulfate (80%) fractionation and purified to homogeneity using size exclusion and ion exchange chromatography. The molecular mass of the xylanase was approximately 43 kDa. The optimal pH of the xylanase activity was 9, and at room temperature it showed 100% stability at pH 7, 8 and 9 for 3 h. The optimal temperature for the enzyme activity was 100 degrees C at pH 9.0. At 80 degrees C and pH 9, 90% of the enzyme activity was retained after 40 min. At 70 and 60 degrees C, the enzyme retained 64% and 85% of its activity after 18 h, respectively, while at 50 degrees C and pH 9 the enzyme remained stable for days. For xylan, the enzyme gave a K(m) value of 3.3 mg ml(-1) and a V(max) value of 5,000 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) when the reaction was carried out at 100 degrees C and pH 9. In the presence of metal ions such as Co(2+), Zn(2+), Fe(2+), Cu(2+), Mg(2+) and Ca(2+) the activity of the enzyme increased, whereas strong inhibition of enzyme activity was observed in the presence of Hg(2+) and EDTA. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the production of xylanase by this bacterium.

Cloning and characterization of a cold-active xylanase enzyme from an environmental DNA library

There is a great interest in xylanases due to the wide variety of industrial applications for these enzymes. We cloned a xylanase gene (xyn8) from an environmental genomic DNA library. The encoded enzyme was predicted to be 399 amino acids with a molecular weight of 45.9 kD. The enzyme was categorized as a glycosyl hydrolase family 8 member based on sequence analysis of the putative catalytic domain. The purified enzyme was thermolabile, had an activity temperature optimum of 20 degrees C on native xylan substrate, and retained significant activity at lower temperatures. At 4 degrees C, the apparent K (m) was 3.7 mg/ml, and the apparent k (cat) was 123/s.

Rapid and selective isolation of β-xylosidase through an activity-based chemical approach

beta-Xylosidase is a key enzyme in the xylanolytic system with a great potential in many biotechnological applications, especially in the food as well as the pulp and paper industries. We have developed a chemical approach for the rapid screening and isolation of beta-xylosidase. Activity probe LCL-6X targeting beta-xylosidase was utilized in this study. It carries a beta-xylopyranosyl recognition head, a latent trapping device consisting of a 2-fluoromethylphenoxyl group, and a biotin reporter group. The biotin reporter group serves both as a readout device and as a tool for enriching the labeled proteins. LCL-6X could selectively label a model beta-xylosidase from Trichoderma koningii. All other bystander proteins used in this study, including phosphorylase b, BSA, ovalbumin, carbonic anhydrase, and trypsin inhibitor, gave negligible cross-labeling effect. With the assistance of streptavidin agarose beads and mass spectrophotometry for the recovery and identification of the biotinylated proteins, we demonstrated that LCL-6X could be successfully applied to identify a bi-functional enzyme with alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase/beta-xylosidase activity from the total protein extract of a Pichia expressing system and a prospective beta-xylosidase in the culture medium of Aspergillus fumigatus. The beta-xylosidase activities from numerous microbes were also screened using the LCL-6X probe. Preliminary results showed significant differences among these microbial sources and some distinct protein bands were observed. Thus, we have successfully developed a novel chemical probe that has potential applications in xylan-related research.

Evolution of a carbohydrate binding module into a protein-specific binder

A carbohydrate binding module, CBM4-2, derived from the xylanase (Xyn 10A) of Rhodothermus marinus has been used as a scaffold for molecular diversification. Its binding specificity has been evolved to recognise a quite different target, a human monoclonal IgG4. In order to understand the basis for this drastic change in specificity we have further investigated the target recognition of the IgG4-specific CBMs. Firstly, we defined that the structure target recognised by the selected CBM-variants was the protein and not the carbohydrates attached to the glycoprotein. We also identified key residues involved in the new specificity and/or responsible for the swap in specificity, from xylan to human IgG4. Specific changes present in all these CBMs included mutations not introduced in the design of the library from which the specific clones were selected. Reversion of such mutations led to a complete loss of binding to the target molecule, suggesting that they are critical for the recognition of human IgG4. Together with the mutations introduced at will, they had transformed the CBM scaffold into a protein binder. We have thus shown that the scaffold of CBM4-2 is able to harbour molecular recognition for either carbohydrate or protein structures.

Purification, functional characterization, cloning, and identification of mutants of a seed-specific arabinan hydrolase in Arabidopsis

This work describes the purification and characterization of an enzyme that exhibits arabinan hydrolase activity in seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana. The enzyme, designated XYL3, had an apparent molecular mass of 80 kDa when purified to homogeneity, and was identified using MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight) as a putative beta-D-xylosidase that belongs to family 3 of glycoside hydrolases encoded by gene At5g09730. XYL3 hydrolysed synthetic substrates such as p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-arabinofuranoside and p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xyloside with similar catalytic efficiency. XYL3 released L-arabinose from (1-->5)-alpha-L-arabinofuranobiose, arabinoxylan, sugar beet arabinan, and debranched arabinan. The enzyme hydrolysed both arabinosyl-substituted side group residues and terminal arabinofuranosyl residues (1-->5)-alpha-linked to the arabinan backbone. This indicates that XYL3 is able to degrade all terminal arabinosyl residues and suggests that it participates in the in-vivo hydrolysis of arabinan. Analysis of gene expression patterns by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, in-situ hybridization and a promoter-GUS fusion demonstrated that AtBX3 was specifically expressed in the seed endosperm at the globular stage of the embryo. Immunolocalization using LM6 anti-arabinan antisera found that arabinan, the XYL3 substrate, was also present in this seed tissue. T-DNA null mutants for AtBX3 were identified. The mutant plants lacked the alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase and beta-D-xylosidase activities corresponding to XYL3. Mutants showed reduced seed size and are delayed in seedling germination compared with the wild type.

Purification and properties of a xylanase from Ceriporiopsis subvermispora cultivated on Pinus taeda

The production of hemicellulose and cellulose degrading enzymes by the white-rot fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora was determined while growing in Pinus taeda wood chips. Enzymes produced by the fungus were extracted after 30 days of cultivation and at least two different xylanases were secreted. An endo-(1,4)-beta-xylanase was purified by means of ultrafiltration, anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Its molecular mass was 29 kDa and the pH and temperature optima were 5.0 and 60 degrees C, respectively. The endo-xylanase was able to hydrolyze xylan to principally xylotriose and xylotetraose and it has different activities against different xylans. With birchwood xylan as substrate, the enzyme showed a K(m) of 1.93 mg/ml and specific activity of 538 units/mg protein at 50 degrees C.

Inexpensive one-step purification of polypeptides expressed in Escherichia coli as fusions with the family 9 carbohydrate-binding module of xylanase 10A from T. maritima

A novel inexpensive affinity purification technology is described based on recombinant expression in Escherichia coli of the polypeptide or protein target fused through its N-terminus to TmXyn10ACBM9-2 (CBM9), the C-terminal family 9 carbohydrate-binding module of xylanase 10A from Thermotoga maritima. Measured association constants (K(a)) for adsorption of CBM9 to insoluble allomorphs of cellulose are between 2 x 10(5) and 8 x 10(6) M(-1). CBM9 also binds a range of soluble sugars, including glucose. As a result, a 1M glucose solution is effective in eluting CBM9 and CBM9-tagged fusion proteins from a very inexpensive commercially-available cellulose-based capture column. A processing site is encoded at the C-terminus of the tag to facilitate its rapid and quantitative removal by Factor X(a) to recover the desired target protein sequence following affinity purification. Fusion of the CBM9 affinity tag to the N-terminus of green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish, Aquorin victoria, is shown to yield >200 mgl(-1) of expressed soluble fusion protein that can be affinity separated from clarified cell lysate to a purity of >95% at a yield of 86%.

Simultaneous refolding/purification of xylanase with a microwave treated smart polymer

Affinity precipitation with a smart polymer, Eudragit S-100 (a methyl methacrylate polymer), was exploited for simultaneous refolding and purification of xylanase. Affinity precipitation consisted of this reversibly soluble-insoluble polymer-binding xylanase selectively. The complex was precipitated by lowering the pH and xylanase was eluted off the polymer using 1 M NaCl. For refolding experiments, the commercial preparation of Aspergillus niger xylanase was denatured with 8 M urea. Addition of microwave irradiated Eudragit S-100 and affinity precipitation led to recovery of 96% enzyme activity by refolding. Simultaneously, the enzyme was purified 45 times. Thermally inactivated preparation, when subjected to similar steps, led to 95% recovery of enzyme activity with 42-fold purification. The strategy has the potential for recovering pure proteins in active forms from overexpressed proteins, which generally form inclusion bodies in E. coli.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of reducing-end xylose-releasing exo-oligoxylanase from Bacillus halodurans C-125

The reducing-end xylose-releasing exo-oligoxylanase (Rex) from Bacillus halodurans C-125, a novel family GH8 glycoside hydrolase, was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using 13.6 mg ml(-1) purified Rex, 5.6%(v/v) polyethylene glycol 4000, 70 mM sodium acetate pH 4.6 and 30%(v/v) glycerol. Suitable crystals grew after incubation for 5 d at 293 K. The crystals belonged to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 52.69, b = 86.02, c = 87.92 A. X-ray diffraction data were collected at a resolution of 1.35 A.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of alpha-xylosidase from Escherichia coli

Glycoside hydrolases have been implicated in many biological processes. To date, they have been classified into 93 glycoside hydrolase (GH) families based on amino-acid sequence similarity. alpha-Xylosidase from Escherichia coli belongs to GH family 31 and catalyzes the release of alpha-xylose from the non-reducing terminal side of alpha-xyloside. Single crystals of alpha-xylosidase have been grown by vapour diffusion at 293 K from 10%(w/v) PEG 20K, 2%(v/v) 2-propanol, 2%(v/v) glycerol and 0.1 M 2-morpholinoethanesulfonic acid pH 5.5. These crystals belong to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and X-ray diffraction data were collected to a resolution of 2.75 A. Crystals of selenomethionyl-substituted alpha-xylosidase were also obtained, which diffracted to at least 3.0 A. Based on the value of VM, the asymmetric unit in these crystals was assumed to contain six molecules.

Sequencing and expression of the gene encoding the Clostridium stercorarium beta-xylosidase Xyl43B in Escherichia coli

The Clostridium stercorarium F-9 xyl43B gene encoding the beta-xylosidase Xyl43B consists of an open reading frame of 1,491 nucleotides that encodes a putative protein, classified in family 43, of 497 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 56,355. The deduced amino acid sequence of Xyl43B has sequence similarity with beta-xylosidases from Bacteriodes thetaiotaomicron (57% sequence identity), Prevotella ruminicola (45%), Streptomyces coelicolor (40%), and Clostridium acetobutylicum (36%), all of which have been classified in family 43 of the glycoside hydrolases. Xyl43B was purified from a recombinant Escherichia coli and characterized. The optimum pH of the purified enzyme was 3.5 and it was stable over pH from 3.0 to 8.0. Its optimum temperature was 80 degrees C and it showed thermostability in the temperature range from 50 to 70 degrees C. Xyl43B had a K(m) of 6.2 mM and a V(max) of 15 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) for p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside.

Single mutations of residues outside the active center of the xylanase Xys1Δ fromStreptomyces halstediiJM8 affect its activity

Mutagenesis of the xylanase Xys1 of Streptomyces halstedii JM8 has been done by error prone PCR. Mutants with modified hydrolytic activity were isolated, the recombinant variant proteins purified and the catalytic activities of each one determined and compared with the wild type enzyme. Two of the isolated single point mutants, m1 (G133D) and m8 (N148D), showed 22-25% increase in specific activity towards xylan compared to wild type xylanase. Two other mutants, m5a (D175A) and m7 (T160A), showed a significant reduction in specific activity of 40-50% with respect to the wild type enzyme. These residues are mainly located in the beta alpha-loops of the xylanase, the region showing the main structural divergences within family 10 of xylanases. This study shows the usefulness of random mutagenesis to point out some key residues not directly involved in the active center, but in which mutation produces subtle structural rearrangements affecting the enzymatic function.

Overexpression and characterization of two unknown proteins, YicI and YihQ, originated from Escherichia coli

The proteins encoded in the yicI and yihQ gene of Escherichia coli have similarities in the amino acid sequences to glycoside hydrolase family 31 enzymes, but they have not been detected as the active enzymes. The functions of the two proteins have been first clarified in this study. Recombinant YicI and YihQ produced in E. coli were purified and characterized. YicI has the activity of alpha-xylosidase. YicI existing as a hexamer shows optimal pH at 7.0 and is stable in the pH range of 4.7-10.1 with incubation for 24h at 4 degrees C and also is stable up to 47 degrees C with incubation for 15 min. The enzyme shows higher activity against alpha-xylosyl fluoride, isoprimeverose (6-O-alpha-xylopyranosyl-glucopyranose), and alpha-xyloside in xyloglucan oligosaccharides. The alpha-xylosidase catalyzes the transfer of alpha-xylosyl residue from alpha-xyloside to xylose, glucose, mannose, fructose, maltose, isomaltose, nigerose, kojibiose, sucrose, and trehalose. YihQ exhibits the hydrolysis activity against alpha-glucosyl fluoride, and so is an alpha-glucosidase, although the natural substrates, such as alpha-glucobioses, are scarcely hydrolyzed. alpha-Glucosidase has been found for the first time in E. coli.

Purification and characterization of thermostable xylanase and beta-xylosidase by the thermophilic bacterium Bacillus thermantarcticus

Bacillus thermantarcticus, a thermophilic bacterium isolated from Antarctic geothermal soil near the crater of Mount Melbourne, produced extracellular xylanase (1,4-beta-D-xylan xylanohydrolase; E.C. 3.2.1.8) and beta-xylosidase (1,4-beta-D-xylan xylohydrolase; E.C. 3.2.1.37). Each extracellular enzyme was separated by gel filtration with Sephacryl S-200 and further purified to homogeneity (119-fold for xylanase and 160-fold for beta-xylosidase). The optimum temperatures were 80 degrees C for xylanase at pH 5.6 and 70 degrees C for beta-xylosidase at pH 6.0. The isoelectric points and molecular masses were 4.8 and 45 kDa for xylanase and 4.2 and 150 kDa for beta-xylosidase, respectively. Xylanase was stable at 60 degrees C for 24 h, whereas it showed a half life at 70 degrees C of 24 h and at 80 degrees C for 50 min. beta-xylosidase activity did not decrease after 1 h at 60 degrees C. Km of xylanase for xylan was 1.6 mg/ml, Km of beta-xylosidase for p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside was 0.5 mM and for o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside was 1.28 mM. The action of two enzymes on xylan gave only xylose.

Xylanase and mannanase enzymes from Streptomyces galbus NR and their use in biobleaching of softwood kraft pulp

Enzymatic pretreatment of softwood kraft pulp was investigated using xylanase and mannanase, singly or in combination, either sequentially or simultaneously. Enzymes were obtained from Streptomyces galbus NR that had been cultivated in a medium, containing either xylan of sugar cane bagasse or galactomannan of palm-seeds, when they were used as sole carbon sources from local wastes in fermentation media. No cellulase activity was detected. Incubation period, temperature, initial pH values and nature of nutritive constituents were investigated. Optimum production of both enzymes was achieved after 5 days incubation on a rotary shaker (200 rpm) at 35 degrees C and initial pH 7.0. Partial purification of xylanase and mannanase in the cultures supernatant were achieved by salting out at 40-60 and 60-80% ammonium sulphate saturation with a purification of 9.63- and 8.71-fold and 68.80 and 62.79% recovery, respectively. The xylanase and mannanase from S. galbus NR have optimal activity at 50 and 40 degrees C, respectively. Both enzymes were stable at a temperature up to 50 degrees C. Xylanase and mannanase showed highest activity at pH 6.5 and were stable from 5.0 to 8.0 and from 5.5 to 7.5, respectively. The partial purified enzymes preparations of xylanase and mannanase enzymes showed high bleaching activity, which is an important consideration for industry. Xylanase was found to be more effective for paper-bleaching than mannanase. When xylanase and mannanase were dosed together (simultaneously), both enzymes were able to enhance the liberation of reducing sugars and improve pulp bleachability, possibly as a result of nearly additive interactions. The simultaneous addition of both enzymes was more effective in pulp treatment than their sequential addition.

Purification and characterization of enzymes exhibiting beta-D-xylosidase activities in stem tissues of Arabidopsis

This work describes the purification and characterization of enzymes that exhibit beta-d-xylosidase activity in stem tissues of Arabidopsis. This is the first detailed investigation that concerns the characterization of catalytic properties and sequence identity of enzymes with beta-D-xylosidase activities in a dicotyledonous plant. Three different enzymes, ARAf, XYL4, and XYL1 with apparent molecular masses of 75, 67, and 64 kD, respectively, were purified to homogeneity. ARAf was identified as a putative alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase, and XYL4 and XYL1 as putative beta-D-xylosidases using matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time of flight. ARAf belongs to family 51 and XYL4 and XYL1 to family 3 of glycoside hydrolases. ARAf and XYL1 have highest specificity for p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-arabinofuranoside and XYL4 for p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside and natural substrates such as xylobiose and xylotetraose. XYL4 was shown to release mainly D-Xyl from oat spelt xylan, rye arabinoxylan, wheat arabinoxylan, and oligoarabinoxylans. ARAf and XYL1 can also release D-Xyl from these substrates but less efficiently than XYL4. Moreover, they can also release L-Ara from arabinoxylans and arabinan. Overall, the results indicate that XYL4 possesses enzymatic specificity characteristic for a beta-D-xylosidase, while ARAf and XYL1 act as bifunctional alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase/beta-D-xylosidases. Analysis of the activity of these three enzymes in stem tissues at different stages of development has shown that young stems possess the highest activities for all three enzymes in comparison to the activities of the enzymes present in stems at older stages of development. High enzyme activities are most likely related to the necessary modifications of cell wall structure occurring during plant growth.

Streptomyces lividans and Brevibacterium lactofermentum as heterologous hosts for the production of X22 xylanase from Aspergillus nidulans

The Aspergillus nidulans gene xlnA coding for the fungal xylanase X22 has been cloned and expressed in two heterologous bacterial hosts: Streptomyces lividans and Brevibacterium lactofermentum. Streptomyces strains yielded 10 units/ml of xylanase when the protein was produced with its own signal peptide, and 19 units/ml when its signal peptide was replaced by the one for xylanase Xys1 from Streptomyces halstedii. B. lactofermentum was also able to produce xylanase X22, affording 6 units/ml upon using either the Aspergillus xlnA signal peptide or Streptomyces xysA. These production values are higher than those previously reported for the heterologous expression of the A. nidulans xlnA gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (1 unit/ml). Moreover, the X22 enzyme produced by Streptomyces lividans showed oenological properties, indicating that this Streptomyces recombinant strain is a good candidate for the production of this enzyme at the industrial scale.

Purification and biochemical properties of a thermostable xylose-tolerant β-D-xylosidase from Scytalidium thermophilum

The thermophilic fungus Scytalidium thermophilum produced large amounts of periplasmic beta- D-xylosidase activity when grown on xylan as carbon source. The presence of glucose in the fresh culture medium drastically reduced the level of beta- D-xylosidase activity, while cycloheximide prevented induction of the enzyme by xylan. The mycelial beta-xylosidase induced by xylan was purified using a procedure that included heating at 50 degrees C, ammonium sulfate fractioning (30-75%), and chromatography on Sephadex G-100 and DEAE-Sephadex A-50. The purified beta- D-xylosidase is a monomer with an estimated molecular mass of 45 kDa (SDS-PAGE) or 38 kDa (gel filtration). The enzyme is a neutral protein (pI 7.1), with a carbohydrate content of 12% and optima of temperature and pH of 60 degrees C and 5.0, respectively. beta- D-Xylosidase activity is strongly stimulated and protected against heat inactivation by calcium ions. In the absence of substrate, the enzyme is stable for 1 h at 60 degrees C and has half-lives of 11 and 30 min at 65 degrees C in the absence or presence of calcium, respectively. The purified beta- D-xylosidase hydrolyzed p-nitrophenol-beta- D-xylopyranoside and p-nitrophenol-beta- D-glucopyranoside, exhibiting apparent K(m) and V(max) values of 1.3 mM, 88 micromol min(-1) protein(-1) and 0.5 mM, 20 micromol min(-1) protein(-1), respectively. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed xylobiose, xylotriose, and xylotetraose, and is therefore a true beta- D-xylosidase. Enzyme activity was completely insensitive to xylose, which inhibits most beta-xylosidases, at concentrations up to 200 mM. Its thermal stability and high xylose tolerance qualify this enzyme for industrial applications. The high tolerance of S. thermophilum beta-xylosidase to xylose inhibition is a positive characteristic that distinguishes this enzyme from all others described in the literature.

Rational affinity purification of native Streptomyces family 10 xylanase

Xylanase SoXyn10A from Streptomyces olivaceoviridis E-86 comprises a family 10 catalytic module linked to a family 13 carbohydrate-binding module (SoCBM13). The SoCBM13 has a beta-trefoil structure, with binding sites in each subdomain (alpha, beta and gamma). Subdomain alpha, but not subdomains beta and gamma, binds tightly to lactose. It was, therefore, thought that immobilized lactose could be used for the affinity purification of SoXyn10A. Lactosyl-Sepharose was prepared and tested as an affinity matrix. SoXyn10A produced from the cloned xyn10A gene by Escherichia coli, and native SoXyn10A in culture supernatants from S. olivaceoviridis, were purified to homogeneity in a single step by affinity chromatography using this matrix. This simple purification of SoXyn10A makes the enzyme an attractive candidate for applications requiring xylanase. The CBM also has the potential for use as an affinity tag for the purification of other proteins.

Xylanase mass transfer studies in aqueous two-phase systems using spray and sieve plate columns

Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) have long been used for biomolecule partitioning; these systems offer the possibility of using continuous or semicontinuous extraction processes. They require relatively simple equipment like spray or sieve plate columns that can be adapted for use in ATPSs. The aim of this work was to study the semicontinuous extraction of a model enzyme, xylanase, in spray and sieve plate columns, since, unlike centrifugal contactors, the cost of construction and maintenance of this equipment is low and it is easy to operate. For the spray column, the dispersed phase hold-up and overall mass transfer coefficients K(D) a were evaluated for different column heights and for different superficial velocities of the dispersed phase (light phase). Results indicated that an increase in superficial velocity in the range of 0-0.18 mm/s of the dispersed phase had a positive effect on K(D) a and on hold-up in all column heights studied, 75, 161 and 246 mm. For the same superficial velocity of the dispersed phase, the larger the hold-up was, the shorter the column. For the sieve plate column, the effects of the superficial velocity of the dispersed phase and the number of plates were also studied. Results showed that the K(D) a and hold-up increased with an increase in both parameters. The selectivity of separation of xylanase and BSA (model contaminant) was very high, since 60% of the enzyme was extracted in the light phase, whereas no significant amount of BSA was extracted. The possibility of using the sieve plate column in continuous operation for enzyme extraction was studied because previous work had only addressed the semicontinuous extraction of enzyme. The residence time distribution of the PEG phase using different superficial velocities of the salt phase was studied in continuous operation. The time required to reach the steady state was 40 min, and 70% of the xylanase was recovered. It was found that the Modified Power Spline software was well adjusted to the experimental results.

Two endoxylanases active and stable at alkaline pH from the newly isolated thermophilic fungus, Myceliophthora sp. IMI 387099

Two extra-cellular endoxylanases (Xyl Ia and Ib) were purified to homogeneity from the newly isolated thermophilic fungus, Myceliophthora sp. IMI 387099. Xyl Ia and Ib, having a molecular mass of approximately 53 kDa and pI of 5.2 and 4.8, respectively, were optimally active at 75 degrees C and at pH 6.0. They were stable at pH 9.2 at 60 degrees C for 2 h, but less stable at pH 6.0 and above 50 degrees C. Mg+2, Zn+2, Ca+2, Co+2 and DTT increased their activity by 1.5-3.0-folds, while SDS and NBS completely inhibited their activity. Both xylanases were active on pNPX and pNPC, but their activity on pNPC was three times higher than that on pNPX. Xyl Ia was more active than Xyl Ib on pNP-alpha-L-Arap, while the latter preferred pNP-alpha-L-Araf. Both xylanases showed two to four times higher activity on rye and wheat arabinoxylans than on birchwood xylan, but Xyl Ib was more active than Xyl Ia on oat spelt xylan. Wheat insoluble pentosan was a good substrate for Xyl Ia, while Xyl Ib preferred wheat soluble arabinoxylan. Xyl Ia had lower Km and higher kcat/Km ratios than Xyl Ib towards all three xylans tested. Both xylanases degraded X4-X6 in an endo-fashion and catalysed hydrolysis and trans-xylosylation reactions. HPLC and LC/MS analysis showed that Xyl Ia and Ib released the unsubstituted X2-X6 as well as mono and di-methyl glucuronic acid substituted X3 and X2 from arabinoxylans.

Purification and characterization of a β-xylosidase from potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)

Potatoes are a cheap and easily available source for the preparation of beta 1,2-xylosidase. The soluble enzyme was purified from potato tubers by ammonium sulfate precipitation, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, affinity gel blue chromatography, ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography yielding a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 39-40 kDa, an isoelectric point of 5.1 and a typical plant N-glycosylation pattern. The enzyme releases xylose residues beta1,2-linked to the beta-mannose of an N-glycan core, if the 3-position of this mannose is not occupied. It showed an optimal enzymatic activity at pH 4.0-4.5 and at a temperature of 50 degrees C. The activity was reduced in the presence of Ni(2+) and Cu (2+) and slightly increased by the addition of Mn(2+) or Ca(2+). At 37 degrees C the cleavage of xylose from p-nitrophenyl-beta-xylopyranoside or appropriate pyridylaminated N-glycans was proportional to the time of incubation over a period of 8 h and increased with time for at least 24 h. N-Methoxycarbonylpentyl-1,5-dideoxy-1,5-iminoxylitol inhibits the enzyme effectively. Sequencing of the N-terminus showed a high homology to a number of isoforms of patatin, the main protein of potato tubers. This enzyme will be an important tool for the analysis of N-glycans and in the modification of N-glycans for immunological studies.

A xylan-degrading strain of Sulfolobus solfataricus: isolation and characterization of the xylanase activity

Two strains (O(alpha) and X(2)) of the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus strain MT4 were selected and isolated for their ability to grow on xylan. O(alpha) and X(2), grown on media containing oat spelt xylan and birchwood xylan as the sole nutrient source, respectively, produced the same thermostable xylanase that was demonstrated to be inducible in xylan cultures. In an oat spelt medium, S. solfataricus O(alpha) underwent interesting morphological changes in the cell envelope, exhibiting mobile appendages not present in the typical coccal shape. The enzyme was prevalently membrane associated and showed a molecular mass of approximately 57.0 kDa. It was also highly thermostable, with a half-life of 47 min at 100 degrees C, and exhibited an optimal temperature and pH of 90 degrees C and 7.0, respectively. Xylo-oligosaccharides were the enzymatic products of xylan hydrolysis, and the smallest degradation product was xylobiose, thus indicating that the enzyme was an endoxylanase. The enzyme was able to bind weakly to crystalline cellulose (Avicel) and more strongly to insoluble xylan in a substrate amount-and temperature-dependent manner.

Selective precipitation and recovery of xylanase using surfactant and organic solvent

The selective precipitation of xylanase from an aqueous phase containing mixtures of xylanase and cellulase was studied using an ionic surfactant as precipitating ligand and a polar organic solvent as recovery solvent. Of four ionic surfactants tested, sodium di-(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) showed a complete removal of xylanase at pH 4.5. The recovery of xylanase from the xylanase-AOT complex was a strong function of the type and the volume of the polar solvent and of the concentration of sodium acetate buffer in the final aqueous solution used to solubilize the recovered xylanase. With ethanol as a recovery solvent, a recovery of xylanase activity of 78 +/- 10% was obtained. The cellulase activity in the recovered xylanase was below the detection limit. The results demonstrate that an ionic surfactant can recover enzymes from aqueous solutions without loss in their activity.

Characterization of expression, and cloning, of beta-D-xylosidase and alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase in developing and ripening tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruit

Modifications to the cell wall of developing and ripening tomato fruit are mediated by cell wall-degrading enzymes, including a beta-d-xylosidase or alpha-l-arabinofuranosidase, which participate in the breakdown of xylans and/or arabinoxylans. The activity of both enzymes was highest during early fruit growth, before decreasing during later development and ripening. Two beta-d-xylosidase cDNAs, designated LeXYL1 and LeXYL2, and an alpha-l-arabinofuranosidase cDNA, designated LeARF1, were obtained. Accumulation of mRNAs for beta-d-xylosidase and alpha-l-arabinofuranosidase was examined during fruit development and ripening. LeARF1 and LeXYL2 genes were relatively highly expressed during fruit development and decreased after the onset of ripening. By contrast, LeXYL1 was not expressed during fruit development, but was expressed later, particularly during over-ripening. The expression of all three genes was also followed in ripening-impaired mutants, Nr, Nr2, nor, and rin of cv. Ailsa Craig fruit. LeXYL2 mRNA was detected in the ripe fruits of all the mutants and its abundance was similar to that in mature green wild-type fruit. By contrast, LEXYL1 mRNA was expressed only in the ripe fruits of the Nr mutant, suggesting that the two beta-d-xylosidase genes are subject to distinct regulatory control during fruit development and ripening. LeARF1 mRNA was detected in ripe fruits of Nr2, nor and rin, and not in ripe fruit of the Nr mutant. The accumulation of LeARF1 in ripe fruit was restored by 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), an inhibitor of ethylene action, while 1-MCP had no effect on the expression of LeXYL1 or LeXYL2. This suggests that LeARF1 expression is subject to negative regulation by ethylene and that the two beta-d-xylosidase genes are independent of ethylene action.

Purification and properties of an extracellular beta-xylosidase from a newly isolated Fusarium proliferatum

An extracellular beta-xylosidase from a newly isolated Fusarium proliferatum (NRRL 26517) capable of utilizing corn fiber xylan as growth substrate was purified to homogeneity from the culture supernatant by DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B batch adsorption chromatography, CM Bio-Gel A column chromatography, Bio-Gel A-0.5 m gel filtration and Bio-Gel HTP Hydroxyapatite column chromatography. The purified beta-xylosidase (specific activity, 53 U/mg protein) had a molecular weight of 91,200 as estimated by SDS-PAGE. The optimum temperature and pH for the action of the enzyme were 60 degrees C and 4.5, respectively. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed xylobiose and higher xylooligosaccharides but was inactive against xylan substrates. It had a Km value of 0.77 mM (p-nitrophenol-beta-D-xyloside, pH 4.5, 50 degrees C) and was competitively inhibited by xylose with a Ki value of 5 mM. The enzyme did not require any metal ion for activity and stability. Comparative properties of this enzyme with other fungal beta-xylosidases are presented.