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Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology: Part A: Enzyme Engineering and Biotechnology (v.143, #1)

Mutation of Tyr-218 to Phe in Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase: Effects on Bioelectronic Interface Performance by Brian L. Hassler; Megan Dennis; Maris Laivenieks; J. Gregory Zeikus; Robert M. Worden (pp. 1-15).

Bioelectronic interfaces that facilitate electron transfer between the electrode and a dehydrogenase enzyme have potential applications in biosensors, biocatalytic reactors, and biological fuel cells. The secondary alcohol dehydrogenase (2° ADH) from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus is especially well suited for the development of such bioelectronic interfaces because of its thermostability and facile production and purification. However, the natural cofactor for the enzyme, β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP⁺), is more expensive and less stable than β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺). PCR-based, site-directed mutagenesis was performed on 2° ADH in an attempt to adjust the cofactor specificity toward NAD⁺ by mutating Tyr²¹⁸ to Phe (Y218F 2° ADH). This mutation increased the K _m(app) for NADP⁺ 200-fold while decreasing the K _m(app) for NAD⁺ 2.5-fold. The mutant enzyme was incorporated into a bioelectronic interface that established electrical communication between the enzyme, the NAD⁺, the electron mediator toluidine blue O (TBO), and a gold electrode. Cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy, gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, constant potential amperometry, and chronoamperometry were used to characterize the mutant and wild-type enzyme incorporated in the bioelectronic interface. The Y218F 2° ADH exhibited a fourfold increase in the turnover ratio compared to the wild type in the presence of NAD⁺. The electrochemical and kinetic measurements support the prediction that the Rossmann fold of the enzyme binds to the phosphate moiety of the cofactor. During the 45 min of continuous operation, NAD⁺ was electrically recycled 6.7 × 10⁴ times, suggesting that the Y218F 2° ADH-modified bioelectronic interface is stable.

Keywords: Secondary alcohol dehydrogenase; Biosensor; Cofactor regeneration; Site-directed mutagenesis; Bioelectronic; Biocatalysis; Electron mediator; Toluidine blue; NADP⁺ ; NAD⁺

Solid-state Fermentation for Enhanced Production of Laccase using Indigenously Isolated Ganoderma sp. by Madhavi S. Revankar; Kiran M. Desai; S. S. Lele (pp. 16-26).

Laccase production by solid-state fermentation (SSF) using an indigenously isolated white rot basidiomycete Ganoderma sp. was studied. Among the various agricultural wastes tested, wheat bran was found to be the best substrate for laccase production. Solid-state fermentation parameters such as optimum substrate, initial moisture content, and inoculum size were optimized using the one-factor-at-a-time method. A maximum laccase yield of 2,400 U/g dry substrate (U/gds) was obtained using wheat bran as substrate with 70% initial moisture content at 25°C and the seven agar plugs as the inoculum. Further enhancement in laccase production was achieved by supplementing the solid-state medium with additional carbon and nitrogen source such as starch and yeast extract. This medium was optimized by response surface methodology, and a fourfold increase in laccase activity (10,050 U/g dry substrate) was achieved. Thus, the indigenous isolate seems to be a potential laccase producer using SSF. The process also promises economic utilization and value addition of agro-residues.

Keywords: Laccase; Ganoderma sp.; Solid-state fermentation; Response surface methodology

Effects of Substrate Loading on Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Viscosity of Pretreated Barley Straw by Lisa Rosgaard; Pavle Andric; Kim Dam-Johansen; Sven Pedersen; Anne S. Meyer (pp. 27-40).

In this study, the applicability of a “fed-batch” strategy, that is, sequential loading of substrate or substrate plus enzymes during enzymatic hydrolysis was evaluated for hydrolysis of steam-pretreated barley straw. The specific aims were to achieve hydrolysis of high substrate levels, low viscosity during hydrolysis, and high glucose concentrations. An enzyme system comprising Celluclast and Novozyme 188, a commercial cellulase product derived from Trichoderma reesei and a β-glucosidase derived from Aspergillus niger, respectively, was used for the enzymatic hydrolysis. The highest final glucose concentration, 78 g/l, after 72 h of reaction, was obtained with an initial, full substrate loading of 15% dry matter weight/weight (w/w DM). Conversely, the glucose yields, in grams per gram of DM, were highest at lower substrate concentrations, with the highest glucose yield being 0.53 g/g DM for the reaction with a substrate loading of 5% w/w DM after 72 h. The reactions subjected to gradual loading of substrate or substrate plus enzymes to increase the substrate levels from 5 to 15% w/w DM, consistently provided lower concentrations of glucose after 72 h of reaction; however, the initial rates of conversion varied in the different reactions. Rapid cellulose degradation was accompanied by rapid decreases in viscosity before addition of extra substrate, but when extra substrate or substrate plus enzymes were added, the viscosities of the slurries increased and the hydrolytic efficiencies decreased temporarily.

Keywords: Lignocellulose; Enzymatic hydrolysis; Glucose yield; Viscosity

Production of Nisin Z by Lactococcus lactis Isolated from Dahi by Suranjita Mitra; Pran Krishna Chakrabartty; Swadesh Ranjan Biswas (pp. 41-53).

Lactococcus lactis CM1, an isolate from homemade “Dahi,” a traditional fermented milk from India, used maltose as carbon source to produce a high level of bacteriocin. The bacterial cell mass and the bacteriocin production correlated with the initial pH of the medium and were highest when the initial pH was 11.0. The level of bacteriocin reached its peak at the late log phase with concomitant reduction of culture pH to 4.2, regardless of the initial pH of the medium. A combination of maltose and an initial medium pH of 11 resulted in the highest bacteriocin production. The antibacterial spectrum of the bacteriocin was closely similar to that of nisin and it inhibited a number of food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. Upon sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the compound migrated close to the position of nisin (3.5 kDa). However, it had higher stability than nisin at a wide range of pH and temperature. PCR amplification using nisin gene-specific primers and sequencing of the amplified DNA revealed the structural gene for the bacteriocin to be identical to that of nisZ.

Keywords: Lactococcus lactis ; Nisin; Inhibitory spectrum

Accumulation of Silver(I) Ion and Diamine Silver Complex by Aeromonas SH10 biomass by Haoran Zhang; Qingbiao Li; Huixuan Wang; Daohua Sun; Yinghua Lu; Ning He (pp. 54-62).

The biomass of Aeromonas SH10 was proven to strongly absorb Ag⁺ and [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺. The maximum uptake of [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺ was 0.23 g(Ag) g⁻¹(cell dry weight), higher than that of Ag⁺. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra analysis indicated that some organic groups, such as amide and ionized carboxyl in the cell wall, played an important role in the process of biosorption. After SH10 cells were suspended in the aqueous solution of [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺ under 60°C for more than 12 h, [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺ was reduced to Ag(0), which was demonstrated by the characteristic absorbance peak of elemental silver nanoparticle in UV-VIS spectrum. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observation showed that nanoparticles were formed on the cell wall after reduction. These particles were then confirmed to be elemental silver crystal by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV-VIS analysis. This study demonstrated the potential use of Aeromonas SH10 in silver-containing wastewater treatment due to its high silver biosorption ability, and the potential application of bioreduction of [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺ in nanoparticle preparation technology.

Keywords: Biosorption; Bioreduction; Silver ion; Diamine silver complex; Nanoparticle

Optimization of Spore and Antifungal Lipopeptide Production During the Solid-state Fermentation of Bacillus subtilis by Scott W. Pryor; Donna M. Gibson; Anthony G. Hay; James M. Gossett; Larry P. Walker (pp. 63-79).

Bacillus subtilis strain TrigoCor 1448 was grown on wheat middlings in 0.5-l solid-state fermentation (SSF) bioreactors for the production of an antifungal biological control agent. Total antifungal activity was quantified using a 96-well microplate bioassay against the plant pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis. The experimental design for process optimization consisted of a 2⁶⁻¹ fractional factorial design followed by a central composite face-centered design. Initial SSF parameters included in the optimization were aeration, fermentation length, pH buffering, peptone addition, nitrate addition, and incubator temperature. Central composite face-centered design parameters included incubator temperature, aeration rate, and initial moisture content (MC). Optimized fermentation conditions were determined with response surface models fitted for both spore concentration and activity of biological control product extracts. Models showed that activity measurements and spore production were most sensitive to substrate MC with highest levels of each response variable occurring at maximum moisture levels. Whereas maximum antifungal activity was seen in a limited area of the design space, spore production was fairly robust with near maximum levels occurring over a wider range of fermentation conditions. Optimization resulted in a 55% increase in inhibition and a 40% increase in spore production over nonoptimized conditions.

Keywords: Solid-state fermentation; Optimization; B. subtilis ; Lipopeptides; Spores; Biocontrol

Ensiling Agricultural Residues for Bioethanol Production by Ye Chen; Ratna R. Sharma-Shivappa; Chengci Chen (pp. 80-92).

The potential of using ensiling, with and without supplemental enzymes, as a cost-effective pretreatment for bioethanol production from agricultural residues was investigated. Ensiling did not significantly affect the lignin content of barley straw, cotton stalk, and triticale hay ensiled without enzyme, but slightly increased the lignin content in triticale straw, wheat straw, and triticale hay ensiled with enzyme. The holocellulose (cellulose plus hemicellulose) losses in the feedstocks, as a result of ensiling, ranged from 1.31 to 9.93%. The percent holocellulose loss in hays during ensiling was lower than in straws and stalks. Ensiling of barley, triticale, wheat straws, and cotton stalk significantly increased the conversion of holocellulose to sugars during subsequent hydrolysis with two enzyme combinations. Enzymatic hydrolysis of ensiled and untreated feedstocks by Celluclast 1.5 L-Novozyme 188 enzyme combination resulted in equal or higher saccharification than with Spezyme® CP–xylanase combination. Enzyme loadings of 40 and 60 FPU/g reducing sugars gave similar sugar yields. The percent saccharification with Celluclast 1.5 L-Novozyme 188 at 40 FPU/g reducing sugars was 17.1 to 43.6%, 22.4 to 46.9%, and 23.2 to 32.2% for untreated feedstocks, feedstocks ensiled with, and without enzymes, respectively. Fermentation of the hydrolysates from ensiled feedstocks resulted in ethanol yields ranging from 0.21 to 0.28 g/g reducing sugars.

Keywords: Carbohydrate; Ensiling; Enzyme; Feedstocks; Fermentation; Hydrolysis; Lignin; Pretreatment

A Novel Stepwise Recovery Strategy of Cellulase Adsorbed to the Residual Substrate after Hydrolysis of Steam Exploded Wheat Straw by Jian Xu; Hongzhang Chen (pp. 93-100).

Cellulase distribution between residual substrate and supernatant in the process of enzymatic hydrolysis of steam-exploded wheat straw was investigated. Subsequently, a novel stepwise recovery strategy with three successive steps was adopted to recover cellulase adsorbed to the residual substrate. The results showed that cellulase protein in the supernatant increased as the hydrolysis time increased. When hydrolysis ended, the cellulase remaining on the residual substrate accounted for 33–42% of the original added cellulase according to the different cellulase loading. To obtain the maximum cellulase recovery rate, the residual substrate was dealt with in three successive steps: washed with sodium acetate buffer (step 1), shaken with sodium acetate buffer (step 2), and then treated with 0.0015 mol/L, pH 10 Ca(OH)₂ (step 3). The total cellulase protein recovered by the three steps reached 96.70–98.14%. The enzyme activity of cellulase recovered by the first two steps was kept well. The ratios of the specific activity between the recovered cellulase and the original were 89–96%, which was by far higher than that using step 3 (the value was 48% ∼ 56%).

Keywords: Cellulase; Enzymatic hydrolysis; Residual substrate; Stepwise recovery strategy; Specific activity

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Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology: Part A: Enzyme Engineering and Biotechnology (v.143, #1)

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Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology: Part A: Enzyme Engineering and Biotechnology (v.143, #1)