D. O. Osipov

Cellulases of Penicillium verruculosum.

Nine major cellulolytic enzymes were isolated from a culture broth of a mutant strain of the fungus Penicillium verruculosum: five endo-1, 4-beta-glucanases (EGs) having molecular masses 25, 33, 39, 52, and 70 kDa, and four cellobiohydrolases (CBHs: 50, 55, 60, and 66 kDa). Based on amino acid similarities of short sequenced fragments and peptide mass fingerprinting, the isolated enzymes were preliminary classified into different families of glycoside hydrolases: Cel5A (EG IIa, 39 kDa), Cel5B (EG IIb, 33 kDa), Cel6A (CBH II, two forms: 50 and 60 kDa), Cel7A (CBH I: 55 and 66 kDa), Cel7B (EG I: 52 and 70 kDa). The 25 kDa enzyme was identical to the previously isolated Cel12A (EG III). The family assignment was further confirmed by the studies of the substrate specificity of the purified enzymes. High-molecular-weight forms of the Cel6A, Cel7A, and Cel7B were found to possess a cellulose-binding module (CBM), while the catalytically active low-molecular-weight forms of the enzymes, as well as other cellulases, lacked the CBM. Properties of the isolated enzymes, such as substrate specificity toward different polysaccharides and synthetic glycosides, effect of pH and temperature on the enzyme activity and stability, adsorption on Avicel cellulose and kinetics of its hydrolysis, were investigated.

The production of highly effective enzyme complexes of cellulases and hemicellulases based on the Penicillium verruculosum strain for the hydrolysis of plant raw materials

Methods for the production and analysis of cellulase and hemicellulase enzyme preparations of various compositions based on the Penicillium verruculosum carbohydrase complex and intended for the effective hydrolysis of different types of cellulose-containing materials (CCMs) have been developed. New recombinant strains of P. verruculosum producing multienzyme carbohydrase complexes with increased activities of cellulases (due to the expression of endo-β-1,4-glucanases I and IV and cellobiohydrolase II from Trichoderma reesei) and hemicellulases (due to the expression of endo-β-1,4-xylanases from P. canescens and T. reesei and endo-β-1,4-mannanase from T. reesei) were constructed. The hydrolytic efficiency of the enzyme preparations (EPs) produced by the new recombinant strains during continuous hydrolysis of three CCM types (milled aspen, depitched pine wood, and milled bagasse) was studied. It was shown that new EPs containing recombinant proteins and retaining their own basic cellulase complex are characterized by the highest hydrolytic ability, exceeding that of the EP based on the original P. verruculosum strain. The recombinant enzyme preparations were highly stable; the optimal pH and temperature values for cellulase, xylanase and mannanase activities were in the range of 3.5–5.5 and 50–80°C, respectively.

Site-directed mutagenesis of GH10 xylanase A from Penicillium canescens for determining factors affecting the enzyme thermostability

In order to investigate factors affecting the thermostability of GH10 xylanase A from Penicillium canescens (PcXylA) and to obtain its more stable variant, the wild-type (wt) enzyme and its mutant forms, carrying single amino acid substitutions, were cloned and expressed in Penicillium verruculosum B1-537 (niaD-) auxotrophic strain under the control of the cbh1 gene promoter. The recombinant PcXylA-wt and I6V, I6L, L18F, N77D, Y125R, H191R, S246P, A293P mutants were successfully expressed and purified for characterization. The mutations did not affect the enzyme specific activity against xylan from wheat as well as its pH-optimum of activity. One mutant (L18F) displayed a higher thermostability relative to the wild-type enzyme; its half-life time at 50-60°C was 2-2.5-fold longer than that for the PcXylA-wt, and the melting temperature was 60.0 and 56.1°C, respectively. Most of other mutations led to decrease in the enzyme thermostability. This study, together with data of other researchers, suggests that multiple mutations should be introduced into GH10 xylanases in order to dramatically improve their stability.

Production of biocatalysts on the basis of recombinant heterologous xylanase producer strains in the Penicillium verruculosum fungus: Their application in the hydrolysis of timber and wood processing industry wastes

The aim of this work was to create biocatalysts with an increased heterologous expression of endo-β-1,4-xylanase of P. canescens using recombinant P. verruculosum strains, to analyze the properties of new enzyme preparations, and to study the saccharifying activity of these preparations in the hydrolysis of plant raw materials, such as hogged aspen and detarred pine wood wastes of the timber and wood processing industries. The xylanase activity of the existing enzymatic preparations is insufficiently high to hydrolyze a xylan-rich biomass. The creation of increasingly xylanolytically active P. verruculosum-based recombinant strains containing homologous or heterologous genes of xylanase and mannanase is therefore a problem of great interest.Using the methods of genetic engineering, we obtained enzymatic preparations that are biocatalysts for the hydrolysis of plant raw material wastes of the sawmilling and wood processing industries and, according to the data of chromatographic fractionation, have compositions of 45–60% cellulase and 20–50% xylanase (which is optimal for the saccharifying of bagasse, along with aspen and pine wood). The originality of our technique lies in the creation of biocatalysts with predetermined properties, thus reducing appreciably the cost of enzyme preparation by eliminating the need to mix components of the carbohydrase complex for the hydrolysis of plant raw materials, e.g., aspen and pine wood.

Cultivation of a novel cellulase/xylanase producer, Trichoderma longibrachiatum mutant TW 1-59-27: Production of the enzyme preparation and the study of its properties

As a result of γ-mutagenesis of Trichoderma longibrachiatum TW1 and the subsequent selection of improved producers, a novel mutant strain, TW1-59-27, capable of efficiently secreting cellulase and xylanase was obtained. In a fed-batch cultivation, the new TW1-59-27 mutant was significantly more active compared with the original TW1 strain. For instance, the activities of cellulase (towards carboxymethylcellulose) and xylanase in the culture broth (CB) increased by 1.8 and two times, respectively, and the protein content increased by 1.47 times. The activity of these enzymes in the dry enzyme preparation derived from the CB of the TW1-59-27 mutant was 1.3–1.8 times higher than that in the preparation derived from the original TW1 strain. It was established that the cellulase from the enzyme preparation of the mutant strain demonstrated the maximum activity at 55–65°C; it occurred in xylanase at 60°C. The pH optima of these enzymes were pH 4.5–5.0 and pH 5.0–6.0, respectively. It was shown that the content of endoglucanases in the enzyme preparation increased from 7% to 13.5%; the effect is largely driven by the elevated secretion of endoglucanase-1. An enzyme preparation with increased endoglucanase-1 content is promising for use as a feed additive in agriculture.

Application of complex biocatalysts based on recombinant Penicillium verruculosum enzyme preparations in the hydrolysis of semichemical hardwood pulp

A comparative study of the efficiency of the biocatalysts based on recombinant enzyme preparations obtained from the Penicillium verruculosum fungus in the hydrolysis of semichemical hardwood pulp is performed. The activity of the biocatalysts with respect to different types of semichemical pulp and the dependence of the depth of exhaustive hydrolysis on its beating and drying is determined. It is shown that semichemical pulp after cooking with green liquor displays high reactivity in enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulase complex and is of clear interest as a substrate for scaling the bioengineering processes of renewable plant feedstock conversion.

Preparation and properties of new biocatalysts for the degradation of nonstarch plant polysaccharides

Recombinant strains of Penicillium verruculosum are developed that produce the homologous endoglucanase 2 (Eg2) and the P. canescens heterologous xylanase E (XylE). The recombinant strains are used to obtain new biocatalysts, i.e., enzyme preparations (EPs) that are substantially enriched with Eg2 and XylE. These preparations are highly active with respect to nonstarch plant polysaccharides (NPSes): cellulose, β-glucan, and xylan. The qualitative and quantitative compositions of the new EPs are studied by protein chromatography. It was shown that the EPs contained (in terms of total protein content) ~16–17% Eg2, 48–63% XylE, and 17–30% cellobiohydrolases, while the EP obtained using the recipient strain contained 1.4% Eg2, ~60% cellobiohydrolase and no XylE. The optimum pH values for cellulase (with respect to carboxymethylcellulose, CMC) and the xylanase activity of the EPs are 4.0 and 5.5, respectively. The EPs exhibit the abovementioned activities within a wide range of pH (3 to 7). The EPs exhibit CMC-ase and xylanase activities in the temperature range of 20–80°С with maxima at 60 and 70°C, respectively. The xylanase activity of the new EPs is virtually uninhibited by protein inhibitors of rye.

Comparative analysis of the effect of pretreating aspen wood with aqueous and aqueous-organic solutions of sulfuric and nitric acid on its reactivity during enzymatic hydrolysis

The effect of aspen wood pretreatment methods with the use of both aqueous solutions of sulfuric and nitric acids and aqueous-organic solutions (ethanol, butanol) of sulfuric acid (organosolv) on the limiting degree of conversion of this type of raw material into simple sugars during enzymatic hydrolysis are compared. The effects of temperature, acid concentration, composition of organic phase (for sulfuric acid), and pressure (for nitric acid) on the effectiveness of pretreatment were analyzed. It is shown that the use of organosolv with 0.5% sulfuric acid allows us to increase the reactivity of ground wood by 300–400%, compared to the initial raw material. Pretreatment with a 4.8% aqueous solution of nitric acid (125°C, 1.8 MPa, 10 min) is shown to be most effective, as it increases the reactivity of the ground aspen wood by more than 500%.

Optimizing the composition of cellulase enzyme complex from Penicillium verruculosum: Enhancing hydrolytic capabilities via genetic engineering

Modern technologies for the enzyme hydrolysis of cellulose-containing raw materials allow the production of sugars from which alcohols (biofuel), organic and amino acids, biopolymers, feed additives, and other value-added products can be obtained via microbiological conversion. Three types of cellulolytic enzymes are required for the bioconversion of cellulose containing materials: endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, and ß-glucosidase. The prospects for improving the hydrolytic capabilities of the enzyme complex secreted from Penicillium verruculosum are investigated in this work by means of genetic engineering to add different combinations and ratios of homologous and heterologous cellulases: endoglucanase IV (EGIV) of Trichoderma reesei, endoglucanase II (EGII), and cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI) of P. verruculosum, along with ß-glucosidase (ß-GLU) of Aspergillus niger. The optimum ratio of components is determined and the catalytic activity of enzymatic complexes is increased by as much as 100%.

Влияние измельчения пшеничных отрубей на их свойства и реакционную способность при биокаталитической конверсии

Potentialities of wheat bran as a feedstock for biocatalytic conversion to synthesize sugars were demonstrated. The relatively low reactivity of the feedstock can be 2–4 fold increased through its dry crushing using a planetary mill-activator. A complex enzymatic agent (EA) Penicillium verruculosum gaBG showing cellulolytic, hemicellulolytic and amylolytic activity was used to improve the yield of reducing sugars; the maximal yield equal to 68,8 mg/L at the initial substrate concentration of 100 g/L in the reaction mixture was reached through biocatalytic conversion of wheat bran milled for 7–10 min in the presence of 60 mg/g of EA gaBG (and additional EA β-glucosidase F10, 40 unit/g), glucose being predominant among the produced sugars (93–95 %). The content of polysaccharide components was 62,4 % of the dry basis of wheat bran; hence, the observed sugar yield was close to the theoretical yield (with regard to water added during the enzymatic hydrolysis), and the carbohydrate component of the broken wheat bran was practically completely converted. Lengthening of the crushing time to 7–10 min resulted in a considerable decrease in the bran particle size, in weakening of their ability to bind water (by 28 %), in doubling of the content of soluble sugars and in an increase (by 12,6 %) in the total content of soluble components against those in the initial feedstock.