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Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (v.84, #3)


Biocatalytic production of (S)-4-bromo-3-hydroxybutyrate and structurally related chemicals and their applications by Hiroyuki Asako; Masatoshi Shimizu; Nobuya Itoh (pp. 397-405).
The enzymatic production of (S)-4-bromo-3-hydroxybutyrate has been poorly studied compared with (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutyrate. This can be attributed to the toxicity of bromide for biocatalysis. Recently, we isolated cDNA that encodes Penicillium citrinum β-keto ester reductase (KER) and the gene that encodes Leifsonia sp. alcohol dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the reduction of methyl 4-bromo-3-oxobutyrate to methyl (S)-4-bromo-3-hydroxybutyrate with high optical purity and productivity and expressed them in Escherichia coli. Moreover, protein engineering was performed using error-prone PCR-based random mutagenesis to improve the thermostability and enantioselectivity of KER. This review focuses on the establishment of a novel biotechnological process for the production of (S)-4-bromo-3-hydroxybutyrate using E. coli transformants. This process is suitable for industrial production of (S)-4-bromo-3-hydroxybutyrate, an intermediate for statin compounds.

Keywords: (S)-4-Bromo-3-hydroxybutyrate; Intermediate for statin compounds; Enzymatic production; Aldo-keto reductase; Penicillium citrinum ; Alcohol dehydrogenase; Leifsonia sp.


Genomic organization and biochemistry of the ribulose monophosphate pathway and its application in biotechnology by Hiroya Yurimoto; Nobuo Kato; Yasuyoshi Sakai (pp. 407-416).
3-Hexulose-6-phosphate synthase (HPS) and 6-phospho-3-hexuloisomerase (PHI) are key enzymes catalyzing exergonic reactions of the formaldehyde-fixing reaction and the isomerization of sugar phosphate in the ribulose monophosphate (RuMP) pathway. This pathway, which was originally found in methylotrophic bacteria, is now recognized to be widespread in prokaryotes and has been shown to be involved not only in formaldehyde fixation and detoxification but also in pentose phosphate biosynthesis. In this review, we describe the genomic organization and regulation of the genes of the RuMP pathway and then discuss the physiological roles of this pathway in prokaryotes. We further describe the biochemical properties of HPS and PHI. Heterologous expression of HPS and PHI in various organisms allows them to metabolize and detoxify formaldehyde, and we also review recent progress in such applications in biotechnology.

Keywords: Ribulose monophosphate pathway; 3-Hexulose-6-phosphate synthase; 6-Phospho-3-hexuloisomerase; Formaldehyde; Methylotroph


Biosynthesis, biotechnological production, and application of teicoplanin: current state and perspectives by Hyung-Moo Jung; Marimuthu Jeya; Sang-Yong Kim; Hee-Jung Moon; Raushan Kumar Singh; Ye-Wang Zhang; Jung-Kul Lee (pp. 417-428).
The glycopeptide teicoplanin isolated from the fermentation broth of Actinoplanes teichomyceticus is used to treat serious Gram-positive bacterial infections that are resistant to other antibiotics, e.g. β-lactams. The long time frame and progressively broader clinical use of teicoplanin has eventually led to the emergence and spreading of resistance in enterococci and staphylococci towards the antibiotics. Given the structural complexity of the natural product, only fermentative routes are available for bulk production of teicoplanin even though the total synthesis of the antibiotic has been accomplished. Because the low productivity (0.1–3.1 g/L) is a limitation to the commercial production of teicoplanin, substantial effort has been devoted to the strain improvement and process development for enhancing the productivity. This review summarizes the current state of the action mechanism, antibacterial activity, resistance mechanism, biotechnological production, and application of teicoplanin.

Keywords: Actinoplanes teichomyceticus ; Gene cluster; Modification; Production; Teicoplanin


Anaerobic reductive dehalogenation of polychlorinated dioxins by Michael Bunge; Ute Lechner (pp. 429-444).
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -furans (PCDD/Fs) are among the most harmful environmental contaminants. Their widespread distribution due to unintentional or unknown release coincides with environmental persistence, acute and chronic toxicity to living organisms, and long-term effects due to the compounds’ tendency for bioaccumulation and biomagnification. While microbial aerobic degradation of PCDD/Fs is mainly reported for the turnover of low chlorinated congeners, this review focuses on anaerobic reductive dehalogenation, which may constitute a potential remediation strategy for polychlorinated compounds in soils and sediments. Microorganisms in sediments and in microcosms or enrichment cultures have been shown to be involved in the reductive dechlorination of dioxins. Bacteria related to the genus Dehalococcoides are capable of the reductive transformation of dioxins leading to lower chlorinated dioxins including di- and monochlorinated congeners. Thus, reductive dehalogenation might be one of the very few mechanisms able to mediate the turnover of polychlorinated dioxins by reducing their toxicity and paving the way for a subsequent breakdown of the carbon skeleton.

Keywords: Reductive dehalogenation; Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans; Dehalococcoides


Biotechnological production of d-glyceric acid and its application by Hiroshi Habe; Tokuma Fukuoka; Dai Kitamoto; Keiji Sakaki (pp. 445-452).
Glycerol is currently produced in large amounts as a by-product during fat splitting and biodiesel fuel production. Over the past decade, both chemical and biotechnological processes to convert glycerol to value-added chemicals have been increasingly explored. This mini-review provides recent information about the biotechnological production of a glycerol derivative, d-glyceric acid (d-GA), and its possible applications. Little is known about GA as a bioproduct, but it is naturally found in different kinds of plants as a phytochemical constituent and is reported to have some biological activity. A racemic mixture of dl-GA can be obtained from glycerol via chemical oxidation; however, d-GA is mainly biotechnologically produced with the aid of bacteria. Under aerobic conditions, some acetic acid bacteria transform glycerol into d-GA, and optimization of initial glycerol concentration and aeration rate provided a yield of more than 80 g/l d-GA, using a strain of Gluconobacter frateurii.

Keywords: Acetic acid bacteria; Biorefinery; Biodiesel fuel; Glyceric acid; Glycerol use


Physiological characterization of brewer’s yeast in high-gravity beer fermentations with glucose or maltose syrups as adjuncts by Maya P. Piddocke; Stefan Kreisz; Hans Peter Heldt-Hansen; Kristian Fog Nielsen; Lisbeth Olsson (pp. 453-464).
High-gravity brewing, which can decrease production costs by increasing brewery yields, has become an attractive alternative to traditional brewing methods. However, as higher sugar concentration is required, the yeast is exposed to various stresses during fermentation. We evaluated the influence of high-gravity brewing on the fermentation performance of the brewer’s yeast under model brewing conditions. The lager brewer’s strain Weihenstephan 34/70 strain was characterized at three different gravities by adding either glucose or maltose syrups to the basic wort. We observed that increased gravity resulted in a lower specific growth rate, a longer lag phase before initiation of ethanol production, incomplete sugar utilization, and an increase in the concentrations of ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate in the final beer. Increasing the gravity by adding maltose syrup as opposed to glucose syrup resulted in more balanced fermentation performance in terms of higher cell numbers, respectively, higher wort fermentability and a more favorable flavor profile of the final beer. Our study underlines the effects of the various stress factors on brewer’s yeast metabolism and the influence of the type of sugar syrups on the fermentation performance and the flavor profile of the final beer.

Keywords: High-gravity brewing; Brewer’s yeast; Sugar syrups; Adjuncts; Stress


Synergy between pretreatment lignocellulose modifications and saccharification efficiency in two brown rot fungal systems by Jonathan S. Schilling; Jacob P. Tewalt; Shona M. Duncan (pp. 465-475).
Brown rot wood-degrading fungi distinctly modify lignocellulose and completely hydrolyze polysaccharides (saccharification), typically without secreting an exo-acting glucanase and without removing lignin. Although each step of this two-step approach evolved within the same organism, it is unknown if the early lignocellulose modifications are made to specifically facilitate their own abbreviated enzyme system or if enhancements are more general. Because commercial pretreatments are typically approached as an isolated step, answering this question has immense implication on bioprocessing. We pretreated spruce and pine blocks with one of two brown rot fungi, Gloeophyllum trabeum or Fomitopsis pinicola. Wood harvested at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 8 showed a progression of weight loss from time zero due to selective carbohydrate removal. Hemicellulose losses progressed faster than cellulose loss. This “pretreated” material was then saccharified with commercially relevant Trichoderma reesei cellulases or with cellulases from the brown rot fungi responsible for degrading the wood to test for synergy. With increased decay, a significant increase in saccharification efficiency was apparent but not limited to same-species enzyme sources. We also calculated total sugar yields, and calculations that compensate for sugars consumed by fungi suggest a shorter residence time for fungal colonization than calculations based solely on saccharification yields.

Keywords: Bioprocessing; Biodegradation; Cellulase; Fenton; Fermentation; Lignin


Development of medium for enhanced production of glutaminase-free l-asparaginase from Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428 by Sanjay Kumar; K. Pakshirajan; V. Venkata Dasu (pp. 477-486).
Glutaminase-free l-asparaginase is known to be an excellent anticancer agent. In the present study, statistically based experimental designs were applied to maximize the production of glutaminase-free l-asparaginase from Pectobacterium carotovorum MTCC 1428. Nine components of the medium were examined for their significance on the production of l-asparaginase using the Plackett–Burman experimental design. The medium components, viz., glucose, l-asparagine, KH2PO4, and MgSO4·7H2O, were screened based on their high confidence levels (P < 0.04). The optimum levels of glucose, l-asparagine, KH2PO4, and MgSO4·7H2O were found to be 2.076, 5.202, 1.773, and 0.373 g L−1, respectively, using the central composite experimental design. The maximum specific activity of l-asparaginase in the optimized medium was 27.88 U mg−1 of protein, resulting in an overall 8.3-fold increase in the production compared to the unoptimized medium.

Keywords: Antileukemic enzyme; l-Asparaginase; Intracellular enzyme; Pectobacterium carotovorum ; Statistically based experiments


Comparison of engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae and engineered Escherichia coli for the production of an optically pure keto alcohol by Nádia Skorupa Parachin; Magnus Carlquist; Marie F. Gorwa-Grauslund (pp. 487-497).
In this study, the production of enantiomerically pure (1R,4S,6S)-6-hydroxy-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2-one ((−)-2) through stereoselective bioreduction was used as a model reaction for the comparison of engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae and engineered Escherichia coli as biocatalysts. For both microorganisms, over-expression of the gene encoding the NADPH-dependent aldo-keto reductase YPR1 resulted in high purity of the keto alcohol (−)-2 (>99% ee, 97–98% de). E. coli had three times higher initial reduction rate but S. cerevisiae continued the reduction reaction for a longer time period, thus reaching a higher conversion of the substrate (95%). S. cerevisiae was also more robust than E. coli, as demonstrated by higher viability during bioreduction. It was also investigated whether the NADPH regeneration rate was sufficient to supply the over-expressed reductase with NADPH. Five strains of each microorganism with varied carbon flux through the NADPH regenerating pentose phosphate pathway were genetically constructed and compared. S. cerevisiae required an increased NADPH regeneration rate to supply YPR1 with co-enzyme while the native NADPH regeneration rate was sufficient for E. coli.

Keywords: Bioreduction; Asymmetric carbonyl reduction; Chiral alcohol; Recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; Recombinant Escherichia coli ; Aldo-keto reductase; YPR1; (1R,4S,6S)-6-hydroxy-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-2-one


Glucose exerts a negative effect over a peroxidase from Trichosporon asahii, with carotenoid cleaving activity by Eduardo Rodríguez-Bustamante; Gabriela Maldonado-Robledo; Roberto Arreguín-Espinosa; Guillermo Mendoza-Hernández; Romina Rodríguez-Sanoja; Sergio Sánchez (pp. 499-510).
Tobacco aroma compounds were generated via lutein cleavage by the combined action of a yeast and a bacterium identified as Trichosporon asahii and Paenibacillus amylolyticus, respectively. In this study, an inverse relationship between glucose concentration and the generation of three compounds, present in the tobacco aroma profile, was observed in mixed cultures. In order to identify the organism sensitive to the sugar effect, both were grown separately. The presence of glucose suppressed β-ionone production by T. asahii grown with lutein. However, the biotransformation of the ionone into its reduced derivatives (7,8-dihydro-β-ionone and 7,8-dihydro-β-ionol) by P. amylolyticus was not affected by the sugar . This pointed to the cleavage of lutein, a step within the process necessary for the synthesis of β-ionone, as the target of the glucose effect. In vitro studies with crude extracts and concentrated cell-free medium derived from T. asahii cultures showed that the carotenoid breakdown activity was located extracellularly and only detected in supernatants from yeast cells grown in the absence of the sugar. Rather than an inhibition or a mechanism affecting the enzyme secretion, the glucose effect on lutein degradation comprised another regulatory level. Further experiments showed that the enzyme responsible for lutein breakdown and susceptible to the sugar effect exhibited a high degree of identity to fungal peroxidases, studied as well, for their involvement in carotenoid cleavage.

Keywords: Glucose negative effect; Lutein cleavage; β-ionone and its reduced derivatives; Fungal peroxidases


Temperature influence on fluorescence intensity and enzyme activity of the fusion protein of GFP and hyperthermophilic xylanase by Chong Zhang; Min-Sheng Liu; Xin-Hui Xing (pp. 511-517).
By constructing the expression system for fusion protein of GFPmut1 (a green fluorescent protein mutant) with the hyperthermophilic xylanase obtained from Dictyoglomus thermophilum Rt46B.1, the effects of temperature on the fluorescence of GFP and its relationship with the activities of GFP-fused xylanase have been studied. The fluorescence intensities of both GFP and GFP-xylanase have proved to be thermally sensitive, with the thermal sensitivity of the fluorescence intensity of GFP-xylanase being 15% higher than that of GFP. The lost fluorescence intensity of GFP inactivated at high temperature of below 60°C in either single or fusion form can be completely recovered by treatment at 0°C. By the fluorescence recovery of GFP domain at low temperature, the ratios of fluorescence intensity to xylanase activity (R gfp/A xyl) at 15°C and 37°C have been compared. Even though the numbers of molecules of GFP and xylanase are equivalent, the R gfp/A xyl ratio at 15°C is ten times of that at 37°C. This is mainly due to the fact that lower temperature is more conducive to the correct folding of GFP than the hyperthermophilic xylanase during the expression. This study has indicated that the ratio of GFP fluorescence to the thermophilic enzyme activity for the fusion proteins expressed at different temperatures could be helpful in understanding the folding properties of the two fusion partners and in design of the fusion proteins.

Keywords: Temperature; Green fluorescent protein; Fusion protein; Hyperthermophilic xylanase; Fluorescence intensity


BacA is indispensable for successful Mesorhizobium–Astragalus symbiosis by Xue-Juan Tan; Yong Cheng; Yi-Xing Li; You-Guo Li; Jun-Chu Zhou (pp. 519-526).
A homologue of Sinorhizobium meliloti bacA was isolated from Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R, which is capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen in symbiotic association with leguminous Astragalus sinicus (Chinese milk vetch). Inactivation of the bacA gene abolished the ability of M. huakuii 7653R to establish a successful symbiosis with its host plant. Simultaneously, compared with wild-type M. huakuii 7653R, the bacA mutant was more sensitive to cell envelope-disrupting agents (acidic solution, ethanol, SDS, and crystal violet). Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the very-long-chain fatty acid (27-OHC-28:0 and 29-OHC-30:0) contents of lipid A was reduced in the M. huakuii 7653R bacA mutant. Taken together, our data suggest that the cell envelope was altered in the M. huakuii 7653R bacA mutant, which might deteriorate bacterial adaption to acute environmental changes encountered in host cells and ultimately result in the failure of Mesorhizobium–legume symbiosis.

Keywords: Mesorhizobium huakuii ; Symbiosis; BacA; Lipid A; Very long chain; Fatty acid; Cell envelope


Elimination of by-product formation during production of 1,3-propanediol in Klebsiella pneumoniae by inactivation of glycerol oxidative pathway by Mi-Young Seo; Jeong-Woo Seo; Sun-Yeon Heo; Jin-Oh Baek; Dina Rairakhwada; Baek-Rock Oh; Pil-Soo Seo; Min Ho Choi; Chul Ho Kim (pp. 527-534).
The microbial production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) by Klebsiella pneumoniae involves the formation of various by-products, which are synthesized through the oxidative pathway. To eliminate the by-products synthesis, the oxidative branch of glycerol metabolism was inactivated by constructing two mutant strains. In one of the mutant strains, the structural genes encoding glycerol dehydrogenase and dihydroxyacetone kinase were deleted from the chromosomal DNA, whereas in the second mutant strain dhaR, which is a putative transcription factor that activates, gene expression was deleted from the chromosomal DNA. In the resultant mutant strains lacking the dhaT gene encoding 1,3-PD oxidoreductase, which was simultaneously deleted while replacing the native promoter with the lacZ promoter, the by-product formation except for acetate was eliminated, but it still produced 1,3-PD at a lower level, which might be due to a putative oxidoreductase that catalyzes the production of 1,3-PD. The recombinant strains in which the reductive pathway was recovered produced slightly lower amount of 1,3-PD as compared to the parent strain, which might be due to the reduced activity of DhaB caused by the substitution of the promoter. However, the production yield was higher in the recombinant strain (0.57 mol mol−1) than the wild type Cu strain (0.47 mol mol−1).

Keywords: Klebsiella pneumoniae ; 1,3-Propanediol; Glycerol metabolism; By-product


Transformation of RDX and other energetic compounds by xenobiotic reductases XenA and XenB by Mark E. Fuller; Kevin McClay; Jalal Hawari; Louise Paquet; Thomas E. Malone; Brian G. Fox; Robert J. Steffan (pp. 535-544).
The transformation of explosives, including hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), by xenobiotic reductases XenA and XenB (and the bacterial strains harboring these enzymes) under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions was assessed. Under anaerobic conditions, Pseudomonas fluorescens I-C (XenB) degraded RDX faster than Pseudomonas putida II-B (XenA), and transformation occurred when the cells were supplied with sources of both carbon (succinate) and nitrogen (NH4 +), but not when only carbon was supplied. Transformation was always faster under anaerobic conditions compared to aerobic conditions, with both enzymes exhibiting a O2 concentration-dependent inhibition of RDX transformation. The primary degradation pathway for RDX was conversion to methylenedinitramine and then to formaldehyde, but a minor pathway that produced 4-nitro-2,4-diazabutanal (NDAB) also appeared to be active during transformation by whole cells of P. putida II-B and purified XenA. Both XenA and XenB also degraded the related nitramine explosives octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine and 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane. Purified XenB was found to have a broader substrate range than XenA, degrading more of the explosive compounds examined in this study. The results show that these two xenobiotic reductases (and their respective bacterial strains) have the capacity to transform RDX as well as a wide variety of explosive compounds, especially under low oxygen concentrations.

Keywords: Pseudomonas; RDX; Explosive; Biodegradation; CL-20; HMX


Biodegradation and surfactant-mediated biodegradation of diesel fuel by 218 microbial consortia are not correlated to cell surface hydrophobicity by Mikołaj Owsianiak; Alicja Szulc; Łukasz Chrzanowski; Paweł Cyplik; Mariusz Bogacki; Agnieszka K. Olejnik-Schmidt; Hermann J. Heipieper (pp. 545-553).
In this study, we elucidated the role of cell surface hydrophobicity (microbial adhesion to hydrocarbons method, MATH) and the effect of anionic rhamnolipids and nonionic Triton X-100 surfactants on biodegradation of diesel fuel employing 218 microbial consortia isolated from petroleum-contaminated soils. Applied enrichment procedure with floating diesel fuel as a sole carbon source in liquid cultures resulted in consortia of varying biodegradation potential and diametrically different cell surface properties, suggesting that cell surface hydrophobicity is a conserved parameter. Surprisingly, no correlations between cell surface hydrophobicity and biodegradation of diesel fuel were found. Nevertheless, both surfactants altered cell surface hydrophobicity of the consortia in similar manner: increased for the hydrophilic and decreased for the hydrophobic cultures. In addition to this, the surfactants exhibited similar influence on diesel fuel biodegradation: Increase was observed for initially slow-degrading cultures and the opposite for fast degraders. This indicates that in the surfactant-mediated biodegradation, effectiveness of surfactants depends on the specification of microorganisms and not on the type of surfactant. In contrary to what was previously reported for pure strains, cell surface hydrophobicity, as determined by MATH, is not a good descriptor of biodegrading potential for mixed cultures.

Keywords: Biodegradation; Cell surface hydrophobicity; Microbial consortia; Diesel fuel; Rhamnolipids; Triton X-100


Long-term performance and microbial community analysis of a full-scale synthesis gas fed reactor treating sulfate- and zinc-rich wastewater by Bernd H. G. W. van Houten; Wim van Doesburg; Henk Dijkman; Cris Copini; Hauke Smidt; Alfons J. M. Stams (pp. 555-563).
The performance of a full-scale (500 m3) sulfidogenic synthesis gas fed gas-lift reactor treating metal- and sulfate-rich wastewater was investigated over a period of 128 weeks. After startup, the reactor had a high methanogenic activity of 46 Nm3·h−1. Lowering the carbon dioxide feed rate during the first 6 weeks gradually lowered the methane production rate. Between weeks 8 and 93, less than 1% of the hydrogen supplied was used for methanogenesis. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments showed that the archaeal community decreased in diversity but did not disappear completely. After the carbon dioxide feed rate increased in week 88, the methane production rate also increased, confirming that methane production was carbon dioxide limited. Even though lowering the carbon dioxide feed appeared to affect part of the sulfate-reducing community, it did not prevent achieving the desired rates of sulfate reduction. The average sulfate conversion rate was 181 kg∙h−1 for the first 92 weeks. After 92 weeks, the sulfate input rate was increased and from week 94 to 128, the average weekly sulfate conversion rate was 295 kg·h−1 (SD ± 87). Even higher sulfate conversion rates of up to 400 kg·h−1 could be sustained for weeks 120–128. The long-term performance and stability together with the ability to control methanogenesis demonstrates that synthesis gas fed reactor can be used successfully at full scale to treat metal and sulfate-rich wastewater.

Keywords: Sulfate reduction; Methanogenesis; Hydrogen; Bioremediation; Metals; Community analysis


Enhancing pozzolana colonization by As(III)-oxidizing bacteria for bioremediation purposes by Sylvain Challan Belval; Frédéric Garnier; Caroline Michel; Sophie Chautard; Dominique Breeze; Francis Garrido (pp. 565-573).
The colonization of pozzolana by an As(III)-oxidizing bacterial consortium was monitored from the first hours of bacterial adhesion to 6 weeks of development under fed-batch conditions, using adapted ultrasonic dislodging and crystal-violet staining procedures to determine the biofilm adhering to the complex surfaces. The effect of temperature, arsenic concentration, and presence or absence of yeast extract (YE) on the amount of biofilm biomass and on the As(III)-oxidation were assessed to test the biofilm’s resilience and optimize the colonization. Fed-batch cultures allow twice as much pozzolana colonization as that obtained under batch conditions. In addition, As(III) oxidation and the quantities of biomass under fed-batch culture conditions were the same at 14°C and 25°C. Whereas YE improves (+150%) bacterial adhesion during the first 2 h, its impact in the longer term appears to be less significant—biofilm formation in presence of YE after 5 weeks was no greater than biofilm formation in the absence of YE. Finally, YE involves a drastic (−70%) decrease of As(III) oxidation. Preliminary tests for drinking-water bioremediation revealed the ability of Chéni Arsenic Oxidizing 1 biofilms to remain and retain As(III) oxidation activity at low As(III) concentrations (50 µg l−1).

Keywords: As(III) oxidizing bacteria; Arsenite; Crystal violet; Biofilm; Pozzolana; Bioremediation


Production of yeastolates for uniform stable isotope labelling in eukaryotic cell culture by T. A. Egorova-Zachernyuk; G. J. C. G. M. Bosman; A. M. A. Pistorius; W. J. DeGrip (pp. 575-581).
Preparation of stable isotope-labelled yeastolates opens up ways to establish more cost-effective stable isotope labelling of biomolecules in insect and mammalian cell lines and hence to employ higher eukaryotic cell lines for stable isotope labelling of complex recombinant proteins. Therefore, we evaluated several common yeast strains of the Saccharomycetoideae family as a source of high-quality, non-toxic yeastolates with the major aim to find a primary amino acid source for insect and mammalian cell culture that would allow cost-effective uniform stable isotope labelling (13C, 15N). Strains of the facultative methylotrophic yeasts Pichia pastoris and Hansenula polymorpha (Pichia angusta) as well as a strain of the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were compared as a source of yeastolate with respect to processing, recovery and ability to sustain growth of insect and mammalian cell lines. The best growth-supporting yeastolates were prepared via autolysis from yeast obtained from fed-batch cultures that were terminated at the end of the logarithmic growth phase. Yeastolates obtained from H. polymorpha performed well as a component of insect cell cultures, while yeastolates from S. cerevisiae and H. polymorpha both yielded good results in mammalian cell cultures. Growth of yeasts in Heine’s medium without lactic acid allows relatively low concentrations of 13C and 15N sources, and this medium can be reused several times with supplementation of the 13C source only.

Keywords: Stable isotope labelling; Yeastolate; Cell culture; Insect cells; Mammalian cells; Hansenula polymorpha ; Pichia pastoris ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae


Xplor® 2—an optimized transformation/expression system for recombinant protein production in the yeast Arxula adeninivorans by Erik Böer; Michael Piontek; Gotthard Kunze (pp. 583-594).
Combining ease of genetic manipulation and fermentation with the ability to secrete and to glycosylate proteins in the basic eukaryotic manner, Arxula adeninivorans provides an attractive expression platform. Based on a redesign of the basic vector, a new Arxula vector system, Xplor® 2, for heterologous gene expression was established, which allows (1) the construction of expression plasmids for supertransformation of A. adeninivorans strains secreting target proteins of biotechnological interest and (2) the integration of small vector cassettes consisting of yeast DNA sequences only. For this purpose, a set of modules including the ATRP1m selection-marker module, expression modules for constitutive expression of the genes phyK (Klebsiella-derived phytase) and IFNα2a (human interferon α), the HARS (Hansenula polymorpha autonomous replication sequence) for autonomous replication and the chaperone module AHSB4 promoter –HpCNE1 gene (calnexin) –PHO5 terminator to improve secretion efficiency were constructed and integrated in various combinations in the basic vector Xplor® 2. After removal of the complete Escherichia coli-based plasmid parts (resistance marker, ColE1 ori and f1(−) origin), the remaining yeast-based linear vector fragment with or without rDNA targeting sequences were transformed as yeast rDNA integrative expression cassettes and yeast integrative expression cassettes (YICs), respectively, and the resulting strains were tested for their capacity to secrete PhyK or IFNα2a. Maximal expression levels were consistently obtained using YICs for transformation irrespective of whether or not they carry HARS and/or calnexin modules. It is recommended that at least 50 such transformants be analyzed to ensure selection of the best transformants.

Keywords: Arxula adeninivorans ; Interferon α; Phytase; Transformation; Xplor® 2; Yeast
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