Chanpen Wiwat

Purification and Characterization of Chitinase from Bacillus circulans No.4.1

Abstract.Bacillus circulans No.4.1 produced a high level of chitinase when cells were grown in tryptic soy broth supplemented with 0.3% colloidal chitin at 35°C for 5 days. Purification was carried out by protein precipitation with 80% saturation ammonium sulfate, anion-exchange chromatography with DEAE-Sephacel, and gel filtration with Sephadex G-100, sequentially. The purified enzyme could be demonstrated as a single band on SDS-PAGE, estimated to be 45 kDa. This enzyme could hydrolyze colloidal chitin, purified chitin, glycol chitin, carboxymethyl-chitin (CM-chitin), and 4-methylumbelliferyl-β-D-N,N′-diacetylchitobioside [4-MU-(GlcNAc)2]. The optimal conditions for this chitinase were pH 8.0 and 40°C. The isoelectric point of the chitinase was 5.1. The amino acid composition of the purified chitinase was determined. The initial 20 amino acid residues of the N-terminal were found to be alanine (A), proline (P), tryptophan (W), asparagine (N), serine (S), lysine (K), glycine (G), asparagine (N), tyrosine (Y), alanine (A), leucine (L), proline (P), tyrosine (Y), tyrosine (Y), arginine (R), glycine (G), alanine (A), tryptophan (W), alanine (A), and valine (V). Knowledge of these properties of chitinase from B. circulans No. 4.1 should be useful in the development of genetically engineered Bacillus sp. as biopesticides.

Characterization of an extracellular lipase from the biocontrol fungus, Nomuraea rileyi MJ, and its toxicity toward Spodoptera litura.

An extracellular lipase from Nomuraea rileyi MJ was purified 23.9-fold with 1.69% yield by ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by Sephacryl S-100 HR column chromatography. By mass spectrometry and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the molecular weight of the homogenous lipase was 81kDa. The N-terminal sequence was determined as LeuSerValGluGlnThrLysLeuSerLysLeuAlaTyrAsnAsp and it showed no homology to sequences of known lipases. The optimum pH and temperature for activity were 8.0 and 35°C, respectively. The enzyme was stable in the pH range 7.0-9.0 and at 15-35°C for 1h. Higher activity was observed in the presence of surfactants, Na(+), NH(4)(+) ions, NaN(3) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), while Co(2+) and Cu(2+) ions, cysteine and dithiothreitol (DTT) strongly inhibited activity. The purified lipase hydrolyzed both synthetic and natural triglycerides with maximum activity for trilaurin and coconut oil, respectively. It also hydrolyzed esters of p-nitrophenol (pNP) with highest activity for p-nitrophenyl caprate (pNPCA). The purified lipase was found to promote N. rileyi spore germination in vitro in that germination reached 98% in conidial suspensions containing purified lipase at 2.75 U. Moreover, it enhanced toxicity of N. rileyi toward Spodoptera litura larvae with mortality via topical application reaching 63.3% at 4-10days post-treatment which calculated to be 2.7 times higher than the mortality obtained using conidial suspensions alone.

Expression of Chitinase-Encoding Genes in Bacillus thuringiensis and Toxicity of Engineered B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai Toward Lymantria dispar Larvae

Chitinase genes from Aeromonas hydrophila and Bacillus circulans No.4.1 were cloned into the plasmid pHY300PLK and designated as pHYA2 and pHYB43, respectively. Both plasmids were introduced into various strains of B. thuringiensis by electroporation. Plasmid pHYB43 was generally structurally stable, but showed lower segregrational stability than pHYA2 in B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai when grown under nonselective conditions. The production of chitinase from B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai harboring pHYB43 or pHYA2 could be detected after native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis by using 4-methylumbelliferyl β-D-N,N′- diacetylchitobioside as the substrate. Moreover, B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai harboring pHYB43 gave 15 times higher chitinase activity than when harboring pHYA2, as determined by means of a colorimetric method using glycol chitin as the substrate. In addition, B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai harboring pHYB43 was more toxic to gypsy moth larvae (Lymantria dispar) than parental B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai or its clone harboring pHYA2.

Transfer of plasmids and chromosomal genes amongst subspecies ofBacillus thuringiensis

SummaryThe plasmids pBC16 and pC194 fromBacilus thuringiensis subsp.israelensis strains A084-16-194 were transferred to 25 subspecies ofB. thuringiensis by a conjugation-like process using broth mating technique. The frequencies of transfer varied considerably between different mating pairs, ranging from 1.1×10−9 to 9.8×10−5. Additionally, chromosomal transfer could also be demonstrated in tenB. thuringiensis subspecies with very low frequencies (4.3×10−9 to 3.7×10−7). The intersubspecies matings within a group of eight subspecies strains gave higher frequencies of transfer than the matings between the subspecies. Furthermore, the results indicated that the capability to transfer plasmids among these various subspecies did not depend on the presence of large plasmid.

Inhibition of a conjugation-like gene transfer process in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis by the anti-S-layer protein antibody

Extraction of the S-layer protein by treatment with 6 m urea revealed a high-molecularweight protein in the extracts obtained from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (B.t.i) strain 4Q2. This protein band was found to be absent in partially cured (4Q2-72) and completely cured (c4Q2-72) strains. The antibody toward this S-layer protein was prepared and used to locate its antigenic protein on B.t.i cells by using indirect immunofluorescence. Immunodiffusion reactions and Western blot analysis confirmed the specificity of the anti-S-layer protein antibody. It was found that the antibody against 4Q2 S-layer protein, inhibited plasmid transfer via a conjugationlike process between, B.t.i. strains 4Q2-16 and c4Q2-72. That is, the frequency of transfer of plasmid pBC16 was reduced from 9.7×10-6 in the absence of the antibody to less than 1.0×10-8 in the presence of the antibody. The antibody was also found to reduce the frequency of pBC16 plasmid transfer via a conjugation-like process between B.t.i. strains A084-16-194 and c4Q2-72 from 2.2×10-5 in the absence of the antibody to 1.2×10-6 in the presence of the antibody.

Characterization of endoglucanase from Paenibacillus sp. M33, a novel isolate from a freshwater swamp forest

The newly isolated Paenibacillus sp. M33 from freshwater swamp forest soil in Thailand demonstrated its potential as a cellulose degrader. One of its endoglucanase genes from Paenibacillus sp., celP, was cloned to study the molecular characteristics of its gene product. The celP gene was recognized firstly by degenerate primer designed from Paenibacillus endoglucanase gene, and subsequently identified flanking region by inverse PCR technique. The celP gene consists of an open reading frame of 1707 bp encoding for 569 amino acids including 33‐amino acids signal sequence. CelP is a member of glycoside hydrolase family 5 appended with a family 46 carbohydrate‐binding module. CelP from recombinant Escherichia coli was purified by affinity chromatography. SDS–PAGE analysis of purified CelP showed a protein band at about 60 kDa. The purified enzyme gave a specific CMCase activity of 0.03 μmol min−1 mg−1. It had higher activities on lichenan (0.19 μmol min−1 mg−1) and barley β‐glucan (0.14 μmol min−1 mg−1). Maximum activity on lichenan was obtained at 50 °C, pH 5.0. CelP was stable over a pH range of 3.0–10.0 and retained 80% activity when incubated at 50 °C for 1 h. The properties of its CelP endoglucanase, especially substrate specificity, will make it useful in various biotechnological applications including biomass hydrolysis.

Cloning, Sequencing, and Expression of a Chitinase-Encoding Gene from Bacillus circulans No. 4.1

A chitinase encoding gene from Bacillus circulans No. 4.1 was cloned in Escherichia coli by using pBluescript II SK. The recombinant plasmid containing the 2.6-kb chitinase gene was designated as pCHIB43. The nucleotide sequence revealed a single open reading frame containing 1794 bp and encoding 598 amino acids with a molecular mass of 65.78 kDa. The gene was sequentially deleted; the deletion clones were designated as pC66, pC6S, pSS6, and pEVS. The clones pC6S, pSS6, and pEVS hydrolyzed soluble chitin, but the ability to hydrolyze colloidal chitin was lost. The deduced amino acid sequence was investigated and found to be a chitin-binding domain and a catalytic domain containing 40 and 57 amino acid residues, respectively. A HindIII-SacI fragment of pSS6 was subcloned into pBluescript SK to reverse the orientation of the gene, and the resulting plasmid pSK43 did produce chitinase. Thus, the cloned gene was expressed under the control of a self-promoter.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay targeting the blaCTX-M9 gene for detection of extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae

Extended‐spectrum β‐lactamases (ESBLs) produced by Enterobacteriaceae are one of the resistance mechanisms to most β‐lactam antibiotics. ESBLs are currently a major problem in both hospitals and community settings worldwide. Rapid and reliable means of detecting ESBL‐producing bacteria is necessary for identification, prevention and treatment. Loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a technique that rapidly amplifies DNA with high specificity and sensitivity under isothermal conditions. This study was aimed to develop a convenient, accurate and inexpensive method for detecting ESBL‐producing bacteria by a LAMP technique. ESBLs‐producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated from a tertiary hospital in Bangkok, Thailand and reconfirmed by double‐disk synergy test. A set of four specific oligonucleotide primers of LAMP for detection of blaCTX‐M9 gene was designed based on blaCTX‐M9 from E. coli (GenBank Accession No. AJ416345). The LAMP reaction was amplified under isothermal temperature at 63°C for 60 min. Ladder‐like patterns of band sizes from 226 bp of the blaCTX‐M9 DNA target was observed. The LAMP product was further analyzed by restriction digestion with MboI and TaqI endonucleases. The fragments generated were approximately 168, 177 and 250 bp in size for MboI digestion and 165, 193, 229, 281 and 314 bp for TaqI digestion, which is in agreement with the predicted sizes. The sensitivity of the LAMP technique to blaCTX‐M9 was greater than that of the PCR method by at least 10,000‐fold. These results showed that the LAMP primers specifically amplified only the blaCTX‐M9 gene. Moreover, the presence of LAMP amplicon was simply determined by adding SYBR Green I in the reaction. In conclusion, this technique for detection of ESBLs is convenient, reliable and easy to perform routinely in hospitals or laboratory units in developing countries.

Optimization of extracellular lipase production from the biocontrol fungus Nomuraea rileyi

Abstract Lipases are important cuticle-degrading enzymes that hydrolyze the ester bonds of waxes, fats and lipoproteins during the infection of insects by the fungus Nomuraea rileyi. Lipase production by the N. rileyi strain MJ was optimized by varying environmental and nutritional conditions in culture medium containing different vegetable oils at various concentrations with shaking at 150 rpm for 8 days at 25°C. The maximum lipase production was obtained using castor oil (30.5±0.6 U mL−1), followed in order by coconut oil (20.8±0.4 U mL−1), olive oil (20.8±0.4 U mL−1) and cottonseed oil (20.6±0.4 U mL−1). The highest lipase activity (37.7±0.4 U mL−1) was obtained when castor oil was used at a concentration of 4% (v/v) of basal medium. When the surfactant Tween 80 was added at the fourth day rather than at the beginning of incubation, a maximum lipase activity of 44.9±3.5 U mL−1 was obtained. The optimal temperature and pH for lipase production were 25°C and pH 8.0, respectively. This is the first report on lipase production by the biocontrol fungus N. rileyi.

Genotypic detection of the blaCTX-M-1 gene among extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae

OBJECTIVES Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs), a group of β-lactamase enzymes produced by bacteria in the family Enterobacteriaceae, are becoming a major problem in the healthcare community worldwide. Although many attempts have been made in the detection of ESBL-producing bacteria, the cost and speed of detection remains an important challenge. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a rapid, effective and affordable method for detection of the blaCTX-M-1 ESBL gene by a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technique. METHODS Clinical ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, were isolated and were used as representative strains. The double-disk synergy method was performed to detect ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Performance of the LAMP method in the detection of blaCTX-M-1 was compared with conventional PCR in terms of sensitivity and specificity. RESULTS The developed LAMP method efficiently identified the presence of the blaCTX-M-1 gene in ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. It provided similar results to conventional PCR, but the LAMP technique required only 20min of testing time. The accuracy of the LAMP method was confirmed by restriction digestion, which showed the predicted size of the blaCTX-M-1 gene. In addition, the developed method was comparable with PCR that amplified only the target blaCTX-M-1 gene in terms of specificity, but LAMP was ca. 1000-fold more sensitive than PCR. CONCLUSIONS A rapid assay to detect ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae by a LAMP technique was developed in this study. The developed method is sensitive and suitable for rapid screening of blaCTX-M-1 in routine laboratories with limited resources.