Christoph Reisinger

An efficient plasmid vector for expression cloning of large numbers of PCR fragments in Escherichia coli

The described plasmid pEamTA was designed for parallel polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cloning of open reading frames (ORFs) in Escherichia coli. It relies on the well-known TA-cloning principle, and the “T-vector” can be generated from a plasmid preparation by digestion with the restriction enzyme Eam1105I. The single 3′-T-overhangs of the vector fragment are positioned in a way that A-tailed PCR-products beginning with the start-ATG of an ORF end up in optimal position for expression from a strong tac-promoter when ligated in correct orientation. The orientation of the insert can be checked via a reconstituted NdeI site (catATG) present in correct clones. The protocol works regardless of internal restriction sites of the PCR fragment, a major advantage when cloning a number of fragments in parallel. It also does not require 5′-primer extensions and finally delivers an expression clone for the preparation of untagged protein in less than a week.

Dissecting the effect of chemical additives on the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated wheat straw

Chemical additives were examined for ability to increase the enzymatic hydrolysis of thermo-acidically pretreated wheat straw by Trichoderma reesei cellulase at 50 °C. Semi-empirical descriptors derived from the hydrolysis time courses were applied to compare influence of these additives on lignocellulose bioconversion on a kinetic level, presenting a novel view on their mechanism of action. Focus was on rate retardation during hydrolysis, substrate conversion and enzyme adsorption. PEG 8000 enabled a reduction of enzyme loading by 50% while retaining the same conversion of 67% after 24h. For the first time, a beneficial effect of urea is reported, increasing the final substrate conversion after 48 h by 16%. The cationic surfactant cetyl-trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) enhanced the hydrolysis rate at extended reaction time (rlim) by 34% and reduced reaction time by 28%. A combination of PEG 8000 and urea increased sugar release more than additives used individually.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose and pretreated wheat straw: a detailed comparison using convenient kinetic analysis.

Marked slow-down of soluble sugar production at low degree of substrate conversion limits the space-time yield of enzymatic hydrolysis of ligno-cellulosic materials. A simple set of kinetic descriptors was developed to compare reducing sugar release from pure crystalline cellulose (Avicel) and pretreated wheat straw by Trichoderma reesei cellulase at 50 °C. The focus was on the rate-retarding effect of maximum hydrolysis rate at reaction start (r(max)), limiting hydrolysis rate (r(lim)) at extended reaction time (24h), and substrate conversion, marking the transition between the r(max) and r(lim) kinetic regimes (C(trans)). At apparent saturation of substrate (12.2g cellulose/L) with enzyme, r(max) for pretreated wheat straw (~9.6g/L/h) surpassed that for Avicel by about 1.7-fold whereas their r(lim) were almost identical (~0.15 g/L/h). C(trans) roughly doubled as enzyme/substrate loading was increased from 3.8 to 75FPU/g, suggesting C(trans) to be a complex manifestation of cellulase-cellulose interaction, not an intrinsic substrate property. A low-temperature adsorption step preceding hydrolysis at 50 °C resulted in enhanced cellulase binding at reaction start without increasing r(max). C(trans) was higher for pretreated wheat straw (~30%) than for Avicel (~20%) under these conditions.

Sensitive high-throughput screening for the detection of reducing sugars

The exploitation of renewable resources for the production of biofuels relies on efficient processes for the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials. The development of enzymes and strains for these processes requires reliable and fast activity‐based screening assays. Additionally, these assays are also required to operate on the microscale and on the high‐throughput level. Herein, we report the development of a highly sensitive reducing‐sugar assay in a 96‐well microplate screening format. The assay is based on the formation of osazones from reducing sugars and para‐hydroxybenzoic acid hydrazide. By using this sensitive assay, the enzyme loads and conversion times during lignocellulose hydrolysis can be reduced, thus allowing higher throughput. The assay is about five times more sensitive than the widely applied dinitrosalicylic acid based assay and can reliably detect reducing sugars down to 10 μM. The assay‐specific variation over one microplate was determined for three different lignocellulolytic enzymes and ranges from 2 to 8%. Furthermore, the assay was combined with a microscale cultivation procedure for the activity‐based screening of Pichia pastoris strains expressing functional Thermomyces lanuginosus xylanase A, Trichoderma reesei β‐mannanase, or T. reesei cellobiohydrolase 2.