I-Ching Kuan

Characterization of two lignin peroxidase clones from Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Two cDNA clones encoding lignin peroxidase isozymes from Phanerochaete chrysosporium have been isolated and characterized. One of the clones, lambda ML-4, encodes isozyme H8 as does the previously reported clone lambda ML-1 [Tien, M. and Tu, C.-P.D. Nature 326 (1987) 520-523; 328, 742]. Our data are consistent with lambda ML-1 and lambda ML-4 being allelic variants. The other clone, lambda ML-5, encodes a homologous isozyme. We have also isolated the genomic clone corresponding to lambda ML-4 cDNA. Conserved residues thought to be essential for peroxidase function were identified in the predicted amino acid sequences of both cDNA clones. Northern blot analyses indicate that these isozymes are expressed during secondary metabolism, appearing on day 4 of growth and increasing on days 5 and 6.

Optimized production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil by lipase immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles.

Biodiesel, a non-toxic and biodegradable fuel, has recently become a major source of renewable alternative fuels. Utilization of lipase as a biocatalyst to produce biodiesel has advantages over common alkaline catalysts such as mild reaction conditions, easy product separation, and use of waste cooking oil as raw material. In this study, Pseudomonas cepacia lipase immobilized onto magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) was used for biodiesel production from waste cooking oil. The optimal dosage of lipase-bound MNP was 40% (w/w of oil) and there was little difference between stepwise addition of methanol at 12 h- and 24 h-intervals. Reaction temperature, substrate molar ratio (methanol/oil), and water content (w/w of oil) were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal reaction conditions were 44.2 °C, substrate molar ratio of 5.2, and water content of 12.5%. The predicted and experimental molar conversions of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) were 80% and 79%, respectively.

Properties of Rhodotorula gracilis d-Amino Acid Oxidase Immobilized on Magnetic Beads through His-Tag

D-amino acid oxidase catalyzes one of the key steps in the production of semisynthetic cephalosporins. We expressed and purified recombinant Rhodotorula gracilis D-amino acid oxidase with C-terminal his-tags. This engineered enzyme was immobilized onto Ni(2+)-chelated nitrilotriacetic acid magnetic beads through the interaction between his-tag and Ni(2+). The kinetic constants, storage properties, and the reusability of the immobilized d-amino acid oxidase were determined. The effects of temperature, pH, and hydrogen peroxide on the activity of immobilized d-amino acid oxidase were also studied. The highest activity recovery was 75%. Thermal stability was improved after immobilization; the relative activity of the immobilized enzyme was 56% whereas the free enzyme was completely inactivated after incubation at 50 degrees C for 1 h. In the presence of 10 mM hydrogen peroxide, the immobilized enzyme did not show a rapid loss of activity during the first 2 h of incubation, which was observed in the case of the free enzyme; the residual activity of the immobilized enzyme after 9 h was 72% compared with 22% of the free form. The long-term storage stability was improved; the residual activity of the immobilized enzyme was 74% compared with 20% of the free enzyme when stored at room temperature for 10 d. The immobilized form retained 37% of its initial activity after 20 consecutive reaction cycles.

Co-expression of glutathione S-transferase with methionine aminopeptidase: a system of producing enriched N-terminal processed proteins in Escherichia coli

We describe here an Escherichia coli expression system that produces recombinant proteins enriched in the N-terminal processed form, by using glutathione S-transferase cGSTM1-1 and rGSTT1-1 as models, where c and r refer to chick and rat respectively. Approximately 90% of the cGSTM1-1 or rGSTT1-1 overexpressed in E. coli under the control of a phoA promoter retained the initiator methionine residue that was absent from the mature isoenzymes isolated from tissues. The amount of initiator methionine was decreased to 40% of the expressed cGSTM1-1 when the isoenzyme was co-expressed with an exogenous methionine aminopeptidase gene under the control of a separate phoA promoter. The recombinant proteins expressed were mainly methionine aminopeptidase. The yield of cGSTM1-1 was decreased to 10% of that expressed in the absence of the exogenous methionine aminopeptidase gene. By replacing the phoA with its natural promoter, the expression of methionine aminopeptidase decreased drastically. The yield of the co-expressed cGSTM1-1 was approx. 60% of that in the absence of the exogenous methionine aminopeptidase gene; approx. 65% of the initiator methionine residues were removed from the enzyme. Under similar conditions, N-terminal processing was observed in approx. 70% of the recombinant rGSTT1-1 expressed. By increasing the concentration of phosphate in the growth medium, the amount of initiator methionine on cGSTM1-1 was decreased to 14% of the overexpressed isoenzymes, whereas no further improvement could be observed for rGSTT1-1. The initiator methionine residue does not affect the enzymic activities of either cGSTM1-1 or rGSTT1-1. However, the epoxidase activity and the 4-nitrobenzyl chloride-conjugating activity of the purified recombinant rGSTT1-1 are markedly higher that those reported recently for the same isoenzyme isolated from rat livers.

Optimization of Lipase Production by Burkholderia sp. Using Response Surface Methodology

Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the extracellular lipase production by Burkholderia sp. HL-10. Preliminary tests showed that olive oil, tryptone and Tween-80 exhibited significant effects on the lipase production. The optimum concentrations of these three components were determined using a faced-centered central composite design (FCCCD). The analysis of variance revealed that the established model was significant (p < 0.01). The optimized medium containing 0.65% olive oil (v/v), 2.42% tryptone (w/v) and 0.15% Tween-80 (v/v) resulted in a maximum activity of 122.3 U/mL, about three fold higher than that in basal medium. Approximately 99% of validity of the predicted value was achieved.

Stabilization of native and double d-amino acid oxidases from Rhodosporidium toruloides and Trigonopsis variabilis by immobilization on streptavidin-coated magnetic beads

Double d-amino acid oxidases (dRtDAO and dTvDAO) were previously genetically constructed by linking the C-terminus of one subunit of their corresponding native DAOs from Rhodosporidium toruloides and Trigonopsis variabilis (RtDAO and TvDAO) to the N-terminus of the other identical subunit. We have now immobilized these double DAOs and their native counterparts onto streptavidin-coated magnetic beads through the interaction between biotin and streptavidin. The catalytic efficiencies (kcat/KM) of immobilized DAOs toward d-alanine and cepharosporin C remained similar to those of their soluble forms, except the catalytic efficiency of immobilized TvDAO toward d-alanine was decreased by 56%. After immobilization, the Tm value for RtDAO was shifted 15°C higher to 60°C, while those for dRtDAO, TvDAO and dTvDAO were increased by 5–8°C to 56, 60 and 60°C, respectively. In the presence of 10 mM H2O2, immobilized RtDAO, dRtDAO, TvDAO and dTvDAO exhibited half-lives of about 8, 10, 3 and 5 h, respectively, giving 16-, 10-, 6- and 7-fold greater stability than their soluble forms, respectively. Therefore, immobilization through biotin–streptavidin affinity binding enhances the thermal and oxidative stability of native and double DAOs studied, especially RtDAO. The additive stabilizing effect of subunit fusion and immobilization was more pronounced in the case of RtDAO than TvDAO.