A peroxiredoxin cDNA from Taiwanofungus camphorata: role of Cys31 in dimerization.

Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) play important roles in antioxidant defense and redox signaling pathways. A Prx isozyme cDNA (TcPrx2, 745 bp, EF552425) was cloned from Taiwanofungus camphorata and its recombinant protein was overexpressed. The purified protein was shown to exist predominantly as a dimer by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrolysis in the absence of a reducing agent. The protein in its dimeric form showed no detectable Prx activity. However, the protein showed increased Prx activity with increasing dithiothreitol concentration which correlates with dissociation of the dimer into monomer. The TcPrx2 contains two Cys residues. The Cys(60) located in the conserved active site is the putative active peroxidatic Cys. The role of Cys(31) was investigated by site-directed mutagenesis. The C31S mutant (C(31) → S(31)) exists predominantly as a monomer with noticeable Prx activity. The Prx activity of the mutant was higher than that of the corresponding wild-type protein by nearly twofold at 12 µg/mL. The substrate preference of the mutant was H2O2 > cumene peroxide > t-butyl peroxide. The Michaelis constant (K M) value for H2O2 of the mutant was 0.11 mM. The mutant enzyme was active under a broad pH range from 6 to 10. The results suggest a role of Cys(31) in dimerization of the TcPrx2, a role which, at least in part, may be involved in determining the activity of Prx. The C(31) residue does not function as a resolving Cys and therefore the TcPrx2 must follow the reaction mechanism of 1-Cys Prx. This TcPrx2 represents a new isoform of Prx family.

Continuous production of high-purity fructooligosaccharides and ethanol by immobilized Aspergillus japonicus and Pichia heimii.

High-purity fructooligosaccharides (FOS) were produced from sucrose by an innovative process incorporating immobilized Aspergillus japonicus and Pichia heimii cells. Intracellular FTase of A. japonicus converted sucrose into FOS and glucose, and P. heimii fermented glucose mainly into ethanol. The continuous production of FOS was carried out using a tanks-in-series bioreactor consisting of three stirred tanks. When a solution composed of 1 g L(-1) yeast extract and 300 g L(-1) sucrose was fed continuously to the bioreactor at a dilution rate of 0.1 h(-1), FOS at a purity of up to 98.2 % could be achieved and the value-added byproduct ethanol at 79.6 g L(-1) was also obtained. One gram of sucrose yielded 0.62 g FOS and 0.27 g ethanol. This immobilized dual-cell system was effective for continuous production of high-purity FOS and ethanol for as long as 10 days.

Enhancement of insulin-producing cell differentiation from embryonic stem cells using pax4-nucleofection method.

AIM: To enhance the differentiation of insulin producing cell (IPC) ability from embryonic stem (ES) cells in vitro. METHODS: Four-day embryoid body (EB)-formatted ES cells were dissociated as single cells for the followed plasmid DNA delivery. The use of Nucleofector electroporator (Amaxa biosystems, Germany) in combination with medium-contained G418 provided a high efficiency of gene delivery for advanced selection. Neucleofected cells were plated on the top of fibronectin-coated Petri dishes. Addition of Ly294002 and raised the glucose in medium at 24 h before examination. The differentiation status of these cells was monitored by semi-quantitative PCR (SQ-PCR) detection of the expression of relative genes, such as oct-4, sox-17, foxa2, mixl1, pdx-1, insulin 1, glucagons and somatostatin. The percentage of IPC population on d 18 of the experiment was investigated by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and the content/secretion of insulin was estimated by ELISA assay. The mice with severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) pretreated with streptozotocin (STZ) were used to eliminate plasma glucose restoration after pax4+ ES implantation. RESULTS: A high efficiency of gene delivery was demonstrated when neucleofection was used in the present study; approximately 70% cells showed DsRed expression 2 d after neucleofection. By selection of medium-contained G418, the percentage of DsRed expressing cells kept high till the end of study. The pancreatic differentiation seemed to be accelerated by pax4 nucleofection. When compared to the group of cells with mock control, foxa2, mixl1, pdx1, higher insulin and somatostatin levels were detected by SQ-PCR 4 d after nucleofection in the group of pax4 expressing plasmid delivery. Approximately 55% of neucleofected cells showed insulin expression 18 d after neucleofection, and only 18% of cells showed insulin expression in mock control. The disturbance was shown by nucleofected pax4 RNAi vector; only 8% of cells expressed insulin 18 d after nucleofection. A higher IPC population was also detected in the insulin content by ELISA assay, and the glucose dependency was demonstrated in insulin secretion level. In the animal model, improvement of average plasma glucose concentration was observed in the group of pax-4 expressed ES of SCID mice pretreated with STZ, but no significant difference was observed in the group of STZ-pretreated SCID mice who were transplanted ES with mock plasmid. CONCLUSION: Enhancement of IPC differentiation from EB-dissociated ES cells can be revealed by simply using pax4 expressing plasmid delivery. Not only more IPCs but also pancreatic differentiation-related genes can be detected by SQ-PCR. Expression of relative genes, such as foxa 2, mixl 1, pdx-1, insulin 1 and somatostatin after nucleofection, suggests that pax4 accelerates the whole differentiation progress. The higher insulin production with glucose dependent modulation suggests that pax4 expression can drive more mature IPCs. Although further determination of the entire mechanism is required, the potential of pax-4-nucleofected cells in medical treatment is promising.

Neokestose suppresses the growth of human melanoma A2058 cells via inhibition of the nuclear factor­κB signaling pathway.

Neokestose has superior prebiotic effects compared with the commercial fructooligosaccharides (FOS). In addition, the branched structure of neokestose, a type of neo­FOS, confers improved chemical stability compared with conventional FOS; therefore, the investigation of the branched structure by the present study may be of high biomedical value. The present study aimed to determine whether neokestose may suppress growth of the A2058 melanoma cell line. The cells were initially treated with neokestose; subsequently, in vitro cytotoxicity was assessed using MTT, and cell cycle progression and apoptosis were detected using flow cytometry. The protein expression levels of cyclin D1, phosphorylated (p)­inhibitor of κB (IκB) and nuclear factor­κB (NF­κB) were determined using western blotting. Treatment with neokestose led to a dose­dependent inhibition of cell viability. Flow cytometry data indicated that neokestose increased the sub­G1 cell population, and induced early and late apoptosis. Western blot analysis revealed that neokestose treatment reduced the expression levels of p­IκB and cyclin D1. These findings suggest that neokestose treatment may induce suppression of A2058 melanoma cell viability via inhibition of the NF­κB pathway. The present findings support the requirement for further investigation into the potential use of neokestose as an additional or chemopreventive therapeutic agent for the treatment of melanoma.

Antineoplastic effect of a novel chemopreventive agent, neokestose, on the Caco-2 cell line via inhibition of expression of nuclear factor-κB and cyclooxygenase-2.

Neokestose is a 6G-fructooligosaccharide (FOS) and an important prebiotic. When FOS are ingested by patients with colorectal cancer, they may come into contact with cancer cells prior to being fermented by bifidobacteria in the colon. In the present study, the effects of neokestose on cell proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of the colorectal cancer cell line Caco-2 were investigated to evaluate its anti-cancer effect. An MTT assay showed that neokestose-treated Caco-2 cells exhibited a significant and dose-dependent loss of viability. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that the sub-G1 population of Caco-2 cells was significantly increased following treatment with neokestose, and the percentage of Caco-2 cells in the stage of late apoptosis was also significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis showed that the overexpression of nuclear factor-κB, a central molecule responsible for the transition from inflammation to cancer, and cyclooxygenase-2, an important enzyme in colorectal tumorigenesis, in colorectal carcinoma cells was inhibited by neokestose. Accordingly, the present study provided in vitro evidence that neokestose may be used as a dietary chemopreventive agent, whose application is more rational than that of COX-2 inhibitors or aspirin for preventing colorectal cancer.

Continuous production of high-content fructooligosaccharides by a complex cell system.

A complex biocatalyst system with a bioreactor equipped with a microfiltration (MF) module was employed to produce high-content fructooligosaccharides (FOS) in a continuous process initiated by a batch process. The system used mycelia of Aspergillus japonicus CCRC 93007 or Aureobasidium pullulans ATCC 9348 with beta-fructofuranosidase activity and Gluconobacter oxydans ATCC 23771 with glucose dehydrogenase activity. Calcium carbonate slurry was used to control pH to 5.5, and gluconic acid in the reaction mixture was precipitated as calcium gluconate. Sucrose solution with an optimum concentration of 30% (w/v) was employed as feed for the complex cell system, and high-content FOS was discharged continuously from a MF module. The complex cell system was run at 30 degrees C with an aeration rate of 5 vvm and produced more than 80% FOS with the remainder being 5-7% glucose and 8-10% sucrose on a dry weight basis, plus a small amount of calcium gluconate. The system worked for a 7-day continuous production process with a dilution rate of 0.04 h(-1), and the volumetric productivity for total FOS was more than 160 g L(-1) h(-1).

Production of high-purity neofructooligosaccharides by culture of Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous.

Neofructooligosaccharides (neo-FOS) were produced in submerged cultures of Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous. Among the various strains of X. dendrorhous that have intracellular (6)G-fructofuranosidase ((6)G-FFase), BCRC 21346 with high enzyme activity (3.60 U/mL) and BCRC 22367 with low enzyme activity (0.59 U/mL) were investigated in this work. Neo-FOS were generated in a 5-L jar fermenter at 20°C, 100rpm and 2vvm with the pH controlled at 6.9±0.1, using 250g/L of sucrose as the substrate. Through the catalytic action of X. dendrorhous(6)G-FFase on sucrose, monosaccharides as well as neo-FOS were produced. A portion of these monosaccharides was consumed by the yeast cells. However, the production of monosaccharides was low in concentration in culture with low (6)G-FFase activity, indicating they might be used up concurrently during the fermentation. Consequently, neo-FOS at a purity of up to 87.4% could be obtained.

Production of high-content galacto-oligosaccharide by enzyme catalysis and fermentation with Kluyveromyces marxianus.

Of three beta-galactosidases from Aspergillus oryzae, Kluyveromyces lactis and Bacillus sp., used for the production of low-content galacto- oligosaccharides (GOS) from lactose, the latter produced the highest yield of trisaccharides and tetrasaccharides. GOS production was enhanced by mixing beta-galactosidase glucose oxidase. The low-content GOS syrups, produced either by beta-galactosidase alone or by the mixed enzyme system, were subjected to the fermentation by Kluyveromyces marxianus, whereby glucose, galactose, lactose and other disaccharides were depleted, resulting in up to 97% and 98% on a dry weight basis of high-content GOS with the yields of 31% and 32%, respectively.

Immobilization of beta-fructofuranosidase from Aspergillus japonicus on chitosan using tris(hydroxymethyl)phosphine or glutaraldehyde as a coupling agent.

A partially purified beta-fructofuranosidase from Aspergillus japonicus was covalently immobilized on to chitosan beads using either glutaraldehyde or tris(hydroxymethyl)phosphine (THP) as a coupling agent. Compared with the glutaraldehyde-immobilized and the free enzyme, the THP-immobilized enzyme had the highest thermal stability with 78% activity retained after 12 days at 37 degrees C. The THP-immobilized enzyme also had higher reusability than that immobilized by glutaraldehyde, 75% activity was retained after 11 batches (or 11 days) at 37 degrees C for the THP immobilized enzyme system. Less yield (48%) of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) were produced by the THP-immobilized enzyme compared with the free enzyme system (58%) from 50 (w/v) sucrose at 50 degrees C.

Production of xylitol from Candida tropicalis by using an oxidation-reduction potential-stat controlled fermentation.

An on-line device, ORP (oxidation-reduction potential)-stat, was used to control glucose-feeding for enhancing xylitol conversion from D-xylose during an oxygen-limited fermentation by Candida tropicalis. The fermentation was carried out in a 5 l jar fermenter. After glucose in the medium was depleted, a switching to a limited aeration and feeding glucose controlled by ORP-stat was performed. The maximum xylitol yield was obtained under a condition at an ORP of - 180 mV and at an aeration rate of 0.2 l min(-1).

Production of xylitol from Candida tropicalis by using an oxidation-reduction potential-stat controlled fermentation.

An on-line device, ORP (oxidation-reduction potential)-stat, was used to control glucose-feeding for enhancing xylitol conversion from D-xylose during an oxygen-limited fermentation by Candida tropicalis. The fermentation was carried out in a 5 l jar fermenter. After glucose in the medium was depleted, a switching to a limited aeration and feeding glucose controlled by ORP-stat was performed. The maximum xylitol yield was obtained under a condition at an ORP of -180 mV and at an aeration rate of 0.2 l min(-1).