Pyrroloquinoline quinone from Gluconobacter oxydans fermentation broth enhances superoxide anion-scavenging capacity of Cu/Zn-SOD.

A bioassay-guided fractionation of extract from Gluconobacter oxydans fermentation broth afforded Compound 1, which was identified as pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) by spectroscopic methods. PQQ has been shown to enhance the superoxide anion-scavenging capacity significantly for Cu/Zn-SOD. To illustrate the mechanism, the interaction between PQQ and Cu/Zn-SOD was investigated. The multiple binding sites involving hydrogen bonds and van der Waals force between PQQ and Cu/Zn-SOD were revealed by isothermal titration calorimetry. The α-helix content was increased in the Cu/Zn-SOD structure with the addition of PQQ into the solution through ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy. These results indicated that PQQ could change the conformation of Cu/Zn-SOD through interaction, which could enhance its superoxide anion-scavenging capacity. Therefore, PQQ is a potential natural antioxidant.

Bioconversion of lutein to form aroma compounds by Pantoea dispersa.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the conversion of lutein, a carotenoid, to aroma compounds by Pantoea dispersa Y08, a lutein-degrading bacterium isolated from marigold flower residue. Bioconversion conditions, including substrate concentration, applied co-solvent and reaction time, were optimized. RESULTS: A maximum biodegradation yield of 80 % for lutein at 10 g/l was achieved. The intermediate, 3-hydroxy-ß-ionone, and final ß-ionone products were revealed by GC-MS. A bioconversion pathway of lutein is proposed to involve cleavage at the 9-10 double bond position, followed by de-hydroxylation at the 3-hydroxy position. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of the ability of a bacterium, P. dispersa, to sequentially convert lutein to 3-hydroxy-ß-ionone and then ß-ionone.

Characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the mating-type loci in the asexual ascomycete genus Ulocladium.

The genus Ulocladium is thought to be strictly asexual. Mating-type (MAT) loci regulate sexual reproduction in fungi and their study may help to explain the apparent lack of sexual reproduction in Ulocladium. We sequenced the full length of two MAT genes in 26 Ulocladium species and characterized the entire MAT idiomorphs plus flanking regions of Ulocladium botrytis. The MAT1-1 ORF encodes a protein with an alpha-box motif by the MAT1-1-1 gene and the MAT1-2 ORF encodes a protein with an HMG box motif by the MAT1-2-1 gene. Both MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 genes were detected in a single strain of every species. Moreover, the results of RT-PCR revealed that both MAT genes are expressed in all 26 Ulocladium species. This demonstrates that MAT genes of Ulocladium species might be functional and that they have the potential for sexual reproduction. Phylogenies based on MAT genes were compared with GAPDH and Alt a 1 phylograms in Ulocladium using maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian analysis. The MAT genealogies and the non-MAT trees displayed different topologies, indicating that MAT genes are unsuitable phylogenetic markers at the species level in Ulocladium. Furthermore, the conflicting topologies between MAT1-1-1 and MAT1-2-1 phylogeny indicate separate evolutionary events for the two MAT genes. However, the intergeneric phylogeny of four closely allied genera (Ulocladium, Alternaria, Cochliobolus, Stemphylium) based on MAT alignments demonstrated that MAT genes are suitable for phylogenetic analysis among allied genera.