Improved production and characterization of Volvariella volvacea Endoglucanase 1 expressed in Pichia pastoris.

Endoglucanase 1 (EG1) isolated from the straw mushroom has great potential in the textile and paper industries. Improving EG1 expression level will add to its value for industrial applications. In this study, we employed two combined strategies to enhance the expression quantity of EG1, which are increase the copy number of EG1 and enhance the folding and secretion efficiency of EG1 in the endoplasmic reticulum by overexpress HAC1. Multiple plasmids, which contains four copies of EG1, were constructed by isocaudamers, resulted a recombinant strain with EG1 activity up to 39.6 U/mL, 262% higher than that measured in the strain containing only a single copy. A significant increase in activity (151%) was found when eight copies of EG1 was introduced into a different host, compared with a host harboring four copies. Further overexpression of the HAC1 transcription factor in the host harboring eight EG1 copies led to activity of 91.9 U/mL, which is 619% higher than that measured in the original strain. Finally, EG1 activity of 650.1 U/mL was achieved in a 3-L scaled-up fed-batch fermenter and the protein yield was 4.05 g/L. The characteristics of recombinant EG1 were also investigated, the optimal values for enzyme activity were 60 °C and pH 5.0, which yielded a catalytic efficiency of 312.9 mL mg-1min-1 using carboxymethyl cellulose(CMC) as the substrate.

Construction and characterization of the GFAT gene as a novel selection marker in Aspergillus nidulans.

Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase (GFAT) catalyzes the formation of glucosamine-6-phosphate, and its gene is one of the genes essential for microbes. Using the GFAT-encoding gene can prevent the use of a drug-resistant gene as a selection marker in a bacterial system. Another unique property of the GFAT selection marker is that no particular compound is prohibited or required for creating a selective stress for a yeast. Filamentous fungi are major producers of industrial enzymes. However, there has been no report on the construction and application of the GFAT gene as a selection marker in filamentous fungi. To develop a new selection marker, the GFAT-encoding gene gfaA was deleted from the genome of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans, and the gfat gene of the straw mushroom Volvariella volvacea was used as the selection marker to mediate the transformation and overexpression of a thermostable bacterial laccase in A. nidulans. The GFAT-deficient strain A. nidulans ∆gfaA was not able to grow in the culture medium containing 0.5% yeast extract unless about 20 mM glucosamine was used to supplement to the medium. The gfat gene was amplified and inserted into the integration vector pAL5 and autonomous replication vector Prg3-AMA1-NotI for A. nidulans to generate the gfat vectors pALG and pAMAG, respectively. Using these gfat vectors, the laccase gene lcs from a hyperthermophilic bacterium was overexpressed intra- and extracellularly in A. nidulans ∆gfaA. Therefore, recombinant filamentous fungi can be constructed with gfat vectors, which can be maintained stably in host cells with the naturally occurred selective stress of a medium, forage, pulp, animal gut, wastewater, or soil.

N- and C-terminal truncations of a GH10 xylanase significantly increase its activity and thermostability but decrease its SDS resistance.

XynII from Volvariella volvacea has high sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) resistance, with the potential for industrial applications under harsh conditions. It consists of a single glycoside hydrolase family 10 (GH10) catalytic domain but contains an additional unique 10 and 4 amino acid residues at the N- and C-terminus, respectively. In this study, five XynII derivatives with N- and/or C-terminus deletions were constructed to determine the effects of these regions on enzyme activity, substrate specificity, thermostability, and SDS resistance. Our results revealed that N- and/or C-terminal truncations significantly increased enzyme activity and thermostability, but reduced SDS resistance. Specifically, the XynIIΔNC4 mutant had 2.53-fold more catalytic efficiency (k cat/K m) towards beechwood xylan than wild-type and 3.0-fold more thermostability (t 1/2 [55°C]). XynIIΔNC4 displayed 3.33-, 4.38-, 1.37-, and 1.98-fold more activity against xylotriose, xylotetraose, xylopentaose, and xylohexaose, respectively, than XynII did. However, its half-life (t 1/2) in 4 % SDS was only 1.72 h, while that of XynII was 4.65 h. Circular dichroism analysis revealed that deletion of N- and C-terminal segments caused minor changes in secondary structure. Our observations suggest that the extra N- and C-terminal segments in wild-type XynII evolved to strengthen the interaction between these regions of the protein, making the local structure more rigid and reducing structural flexibility. In this way, N- and C-terminal truncations increased the thermostability and activity of XynII on different xylans and linear xylooligosaccharides, but reduced its resistance to SDS.

The Sequence Characteristics and Expression Models Reveal Superoxide Dismutase Involved in Cold Response and Fruiting Body Development in Volvariella volvacea.

As the first defence for cells to counteract the toxicity of active oxygen, superoxide dismutase (SOD) plays an important role in the response of living organisms to stress and cell differentiation. One extracellular Cu-ZnSOD (ecCu-ZnSOD), and two MnSODs, were identified based on the Volvariella volvacea genome sequence. All three genes have complicated alternative splicing modes during transcription; only when the fourth intron is retained can the Vv_Cu-Znsod1 gene be translated into a protein sequence with SOD functional domains. The expression levels of the three sod genes in the pilei are higher than in the stipe. The Vv_Cu-Znsod1 and the Vv_Mnsod2 are co-expressed in different developmental stages of the fruiting body, with the highest level of expression in the pilei of the egg stage, and they show a significant, positive correlation with the efficiency of karyogamy, indicating the potential role of these two genes during karyogamy. The expression of the ecCu-Znsod and two Vv_Mnsod genes showed a significant up-regulated when treated by cold stress for one hour; however, the lack of the intracellular Cu-ZnSOD encoding gene (icCu-Znsod) and the special locus of the ecCu-Znsod gene initiation codon suggested a possible reason for the autolysis phenomenon of V. volvacea in cold conditions.

Small GTPases and Stress Responses of vvran1 in the Straw Mushroom Volvariella volvacea.

Small GTPases play important roles in the growth, development and environmental responses of eukaryotes. Based on the genomic sequence of the straw mushroom Volvariella volvacea, 44 small GTPases were identified. A clustering analysis using human small GTPases as the references revealed that V. volvacea small GTPases can be grouped into five families: nine are in the Ras family, 10 are in the Rho family, 15 are in the Rab family, one is in the Ran family and nine are in the Arf family. The transcription of vvran1 was up-regulated upon hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) stress, and could be repressed by diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI), a NADPH oxidase-specific inhibitor. The number of vvran1 transcripts also increased upon cold stress. Diphenyleneiodonium chloride, but not the superoxide dismutase (SOD) inhibitor diethy dithiocarbamate (DDC), could suppress the up-regulation of vvran1 gene expression to cold stress. These results combined with the high correlations between gene expression and superoxide anion (O2(-)) generation indicated that vvran1 could be one of the candidate genes in the downstream of O2(-) mediated pathways that are generated by NADPH oxidase under low temperature and oxidative stresses.

Biochemical characteristics of an alkaline pectate lyase PelA from Volvariella volvacea: roles of the highly conserved N-glycosylation site in its secretion and activity.

Alkaline pectate lyases have great application potential in the bioscouring of textiles. They are isolated predominantly from bacteria and a few fungi. Here, we report the biochemical characteristics of a novel alkaline pectate lyase PelA from the basidiomycete Volvariella volvacea. The full-length pelA encodes a 321-amino-acid polypeptide containing a putative 18-residue signal peptide and a pectate lyase family 1 catalytic domain. It contains one conserved and one non-conserved potential N-glycosylation site (N-X-S/T) at the residues N95 and N198, respectively. The enzyme showed optimal activity at 60 °C and pH 10, although it was stable between pH 4 and pH 11. Additional Ca(2+) was not required to measure PelA activity in vitro, but it could significantly enhance its activity and thermal stability. The V max values using polygalacturonic acid as substrate were increased from 50.71 to 89.96 IU mg(-1) by the addition of 0.1 mM Ca(2+), whereas the K m values were decreased from 0.681 to 0.514 mg ml(-1). Site-directed mutagenesis revealed PelA has only one N-glycan attached to the residue N95. This N-glycan is crucial to its efficient secretion and activity possibly due to its role in maintaining the secondary structure of PelA. Amino acid substitution at the residue N198 had no effect on PelA secretion, but resulted in a slight (5.16 %) to modest (27.37 %) decrease in specific activity and less thermal stability, indicating the amino acid itself is also important for activity due to it being highly conserved and because of its proximity to the catalytic site.

[Sequence characterization and differential expression of a glutathione S-transferase gene vv-gto1 from Volvariella volvacea].

OBJECTIVE: Based on the analysis of omics data of Volvariella volvacea, a gene encoding glutathione S- transferase (GSTs) named vv-gtol was obtained. To reveal the role of GSTs in the growth and development in edible fungi, the structure, the sequence characters and the expression profile of a GST gene vv-gto1 of Volvariella volvacea were analyzed. METHODS: ZOOM software was used to map sequencing read (reads) from genome and transcriptome against the splicing sequence of genome, to confirm the complete length and the accuracy of the gene sequence, and to visualize gene structure. The MEGA 5.1 was used to do the multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis. Real time fluorescent quantitative PCR was used to determine the expression levels of vv-gtol at different growth periods of Volvariella volvacea. RESULTS: The full sequence of vv-gtol covered 2083 bp, containing 11 exons and 10 introns, and encoded a protein with 356 amino acids. 5'UTR was 305 bp which contains one intron region, and 3'UTR was 86bp. Two intron retentions could be recognized during RNA processing, and the transcripts formed by the intron retention could not translate the correct conservative functional domains. The full-length of vv-gtol had more than 50 accurate positioning genome sequencing reads, suggesting that genome sequencing and assembly results are accurate and reliable. The phylogenetic tree showed that GTO1 of Volvariella volvacea belonged to the subclass I of the Omega class of glutathione S-transferase superfamily, and had the closest relationship with GTO1 and GTO2 in Phanerochaete chrysosporium. The analysis of digital gene expression profiling, fluorescence quantitative PCR and proteomics showed that vv-gtol had the highest expression level in the heterokaryotic hyphae. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first time to obtain a gene encoding glutathione S-transferase from Volvariella volvacea which belongs to Omega class. Our study showed that the gene may play an important role during the special biological functions of heterokaryotic hyphae. This study also suggested that Volvariella volvacea heterokaryotic hyphae in H1521 had stronger resistance ability than other samples. In addition, vv-gto1 could form different alternative splicesome to regulate gene transcription and translation, and ultimately affect the function of the protein.

Processivity and enzymatic mode of a glycoside hydrolase family 5 endoglucanase from Volvariella volvacea.

EG1 is a modular glycoside hydrolase family 5 endoglucanase from Volvariella volvacea consisting of an N-terminal carbohydrate-binding module (CBM1) and a catalytic domain (CD). The ratios of soluble to insoluble reducing sugar produced from filter paper after 8 and 24 h of exposure to EG1 were 6.66 and 8.56, respectively, suggesting that it is a processive endoglucanase. Three derivatives of EG1 containing a core domain only or additional CBMs were constructed in order to evaluate the contribution of the CBM to the processivity and enzymatic mode of EG1 under stationary and agitated conditions. All four enzymatic forms exhibited the same mode of action on both soluble and insoluble cellulosic substrates with cellobiose as a main end product. An additional CBM fused at either the N or C terminus reduced specific activity toward soluble and insoluble celluloses under stationary reaction conditions. Deletion of the CBM significantly decreased enzyme processivity. Insertion of an additional CBM also resulted in a dramatic decrease in processivity in enzyme-substrate reaction mixtures incubated for 0.5 h, but this effect was reversed when reactions were allowed to proceed for longer periods (24 h). Further significant differences were observed in the substrate adsorption/desorption patterns of EG1 and enzyme derivatives equipped with an additional CBM under agitated reaction conditions. An additional family 1 CBM improved EG1 processivity on insoluble cellulose under highly agitated conditions. Our data indicate a strong link between high adsorption levels and low desorption levels in the processivity of EG1 and possibly other processive endoglucanses.

A novel neutral xylanase with high SDS resistance from Volvariella volvacea: characterization and its synergistic hydrolysis of wheat bran with acetyl xylan esterase.

A neutral xylanase (XynII) from Volvariella volvacea was identified and characterized. Unlike other modular xylanases, it consists of only a single GH10 catalytic domain with a unique C-terminal sequence (W-R-W-F) and a phenylalanine and proline-rich motif (T-P-F-P-P-F) at N-terminus, indicating that it is a novel GH10 xylanase. XynII exhibited optimal activity at pH 7 and 60 °C and stability over a broad range of pH 4.0-10.0. XynII displayed extreme highly SDS resistance retaining 101.98, 92.99, and 69.84 % activity at the presence of 300 mM SDS on birchwood, soluble oat spelt, and beechwood xylan, respectively. It remained largely intact after 24 h of incubation with proteinase K at a protease to protein ratio of 1:50 at 37 °C. The kinetic constants K(m) value towards beechwood xylan was 0.548 mg ml⁻¹, and the k(cat)/K(m) ratio, reflecting the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme, was 126.42 ml mg⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 60 °C. XynII was a true endo-acting xylanase lacking cellulase activity. It has weak activity towards xylotriose but efficiently hydrolyzed xylans and xylooligosaccharides larger than xylotriose mainly to xylobiose. Synergistic action with acetyl xylan esterase (AXEI) from V. volvacea was observed for de-starched wheat bran. The highest degree of synergy (DS 1.42) was obtained in sequential reactions with AXEI digestion preceding XynII. The high SDS resistance and intrinsic stability suggested XynII may have potential applications in various industrial processes especially for the detergent and textile industries and animal feed industries.

A combined approach for improving alkaline acetyl xylan esterase production in Pichia pastoris, and effects of glycosylation on enzyme secretion, activity and stability.

High level expression of axe1, a gene previously cloned from Volvariella volvacea that encodes an acetyl xylan esterase with two potential N-linked glycosylation sites, has been achieved in Pichia pastoris using a codon-optimized axe1 synthesized by the primer extension PCR procedure. The GC content of the codon-optimized axe1 was 48.62% compared with 55.49% in the native gene. Using the codon-optimized construct, AXE1 expression in P. pastoris was increased from an undetectable level to 136.45 U/ml six days after induction of yeast cultures grown in BMMY medium. A further increase (to 463 U/ml) was achieved when conditions for yeast culture were optimized as follows: 2.8% methanol, 0.63% casamino acids, and pH 8.0. This latter value represented a 3.4-fold and 246-fold increase in the enzyme levels recorded in non-optimized P. pastoris cultures and in rice straw-grown cultures of V. volvacea, respectively. N-linked glycosylation played an essential role in AXE1 secretion but had only a slight effect on the catalytic activity and stability of the recombinant enzyme.

Purification and characterization of phytase with a wide pH adaptation from common edible mushroom Volvariella volvacea (Straw mushroom).

A novel phytase with a molecular mass of 14 kDa was isolated from fresh fruiting bodies of the common edible mushroom Volvariella volvacea (Straw mushroom). The isolation procedure involved successive chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, CM-cellulose, Affi-gel blue gel, Q-Sepharose and Superdex-75. The enzyme was a monomeric protein and was unadsorbed on DEAE-cellulose, CM-cellulose and Affi-gel blue gel, but was adsorbed on Q-Sepharose. The enzyme was purified 51.6-fold from the crude extract with 25.9% yield. Its N-terminal amino acid sequence GEDNEHDTQA exhibited low homology to the other reported phytases. The optimal pH and temperature of the purified enzyme was 5 and 45 degrees C, respectively. The enzyme was quite stable over the pH range of 3.0 to 9.0 with less than 30% change in its activity, suggesting that it can be used in a very wide pH range. The enzyme exhibited broad substrate selectivity towards various phosphorylated compounds, but lacked antifungal activity against tested plant pathogens.

Comparison of endoglucanase-1 (EG1) induction in the edible straw mushroom Volvariella volvacea by lactose and/or cellobiose with or without added sorbose.

We have compared the induction of an endoglucanase (EG1) by α-lactose and/or cellobiose, with or without added L-sorbose, in submerged cultures of Volvariella volvacea, to better understand the mechanism whereby cellulase formation is triggered by these soluble disaccharides. EG1 levels induced by α-lactose and cellobiose were 28.6% and 6.7%, respectively of the highest levels recorded with crystalline cellulose. Sorbose did not induce EG1 and strongly repressed enzyme levels when added to α-lactose but not cellobiose-containing cultures. EG1 levels in cultures containing all three saccharides were similar to those recorded with sorbose and cellobiose although enzyme induction was delayed by 12 h. When V. volvacea was pre-grown for 24 h in medium containing sorbose as the sole carbon source, followed by addition of α-lactose or cellobiose or a mixture of the two, EG1 levels recorded in the α-lactose-supplemented cultures were again markedly lower compared with cultures containing only α-lactose. Maximal enzyme levels in cultures with added cellobiose or cellobiose and α-lactose were not affected although appearance of EG1 in culture supernatants was again delayed by 12 h. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR revealed that higher, more prolonged, levels of eg1 transcription occurred in V. volvacea cultures induced with α-lactose compared with cellobiose- or α-lactose + cellobiose-induced cultures. However, eg1 transcription levels in cultures induced with cellobiose or with cellobiose + lactose, and the corresponding cultures with added sorbose, were not markedly different.

The NADPH oxidase in Volvariella volvacea and its differential expression in response to mycelial ageing and mechanical injury.

NADPH oxidases are enzymes that have been reported to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in animals, plants and many multicellular fungi in response to environmental stresses. Six genes of the NADPH oxidase complex components, including vvnoxa, vvnoxb, vvnoxr, vvbema, vvrac1 and vvcdc24, were identified based on the complete genomic sequence of the edible fungus Volvariella volvacea. The number of vvnoxa, vvrac1, vvbema and vvcdc24 transcripts fluctuated with ageing, and the gene expression patterns of vvnoxa, vvrac1 and vvbema were significantly positively correlated. However, the expression of vvnoxb and vvnoxr showed no significant difference during ageing. In hyphae subjected to mechanical injury stress, both O2- and H2O2 concentrations were increased. The expression of vvnoxa, vvrac1, vvbema and vvcdc24 was substantially upregulated, but vvnoxb and vvnoxr showed no response to mechanical injury stress at the transcriptional level. Additionally, the transcription of vvnoxa, vvrac1, vvbema and vvcdc24 could be repressed when the intracellular ROS were eliminated by diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) chloride and reduced glutathione (GSH) treatments. These results indicated a positive feedback loop involving NADPH oxidase and intracellular ROS, which might be the reason for the oxidative burst during injury stress.

Molecular cloning, sequencing, and expression of a L -glutamine D-fructose 6-phosphate amidotransferase gene from Volvariella volvacea.

Using 3'-RACE and 5'-RACE, we have cloned and sequenced the genomic gene and complete cDNA encoding L: -glutamine D: -fructose 6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) from the edible straw mushroom, Volvariella volvacea. Gfat contains five introns, and encodes a predicted protein of 697 amino acids that is homologous to other reported GFAT sequences. Southern hybridization indicated that a single gfat gene locus exists in the V. volvacea genome. Recombinant native V. volvacea GFAT enzyme, over-expressed using Escherichia coli and partially purified, had an estimated molecular mass of 306 kDa and consisted of four equal-sized subunits of 77 kD. Reciprocal plots revealed K (m) values of 0.55 and 0.75 mM for fructose 6-phosphate and L: -glutamine, respectively. V. volvacea GFAT activity was inhibited by the end-product of the hexosamine pathway, UDP-GlcNAc, and by the glutamine analogues N (3)-(4-methoxyfumaroyl)-L: -2,3-diaminopropanoic acid and 2-amino-2-deoxy-D: -glucitol-6-phosphate.

A newly discovered ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 correlated with the cryogenic autolysis of Volvariella volvacea.

In Volvariella volvacea, a species of edible mushroom, cryogenic autolysis is a typical part of abnormal metabolism. Previous functional annotation cluster analyses of cold-induced gene expression profiles have shown that the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 (UBE2), rather than the cyclin-like F-box domain alone, forms the functional cluster. In this study, analysis of gene expression profiling showed that only one type of UBE2 in V. volvacea (UBEV2) was significantly up-regulated. Further quantitative real-time PCR analysis confirmed that the expression of UBEV2 was significantly up-regulated (P<0.05) after cold-treatment lasting 4, 6, and 8h. This provided evidence that UBEV2 was closely correlated with cryogenic autolysis. The specific distribution of UBEV2 in recently diverged herb decay fungi indicated that UBEV2 was not evolutionarily correlated with early diverging fungi. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that UBEV2 was generated by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from the ancestry of Selaginella moellendorffii UBE2. Further relative time estimation and detection of natural selection showed that there has been recent positive selection after HGT in UBEV2. Molecular modeling and logo analysis showed that the cysteine-cysteine motif is the characteristic of the UBEV2 family. These observations indicate that UBEV2 is a new type of UBE2 correlated with the cryogenic autolysis of V. volvacea.

Composition and expression of genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes in the straw-degrading mushroom Volvariella volvacea.

Volvariella volvacea is one of a few commercial cultivated mushrooms mainly using straw as carbon source. In this study, the genome of V. volcacea was sequenced and assembled. A total of 285 genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) in V. volvacea were identified and annotated. Among 15 fungi with sequenced genomes, V. volvacea ranks seventh in the number of genes encoding CAZymes. In addition, the composition of glycoside hydrolases in V. volcacea is dramatically different from other basidiomycetes: it is particularly rich in members of the glycoside hydrolase families GH10 (hemicellulose degradation) and GH43 (hemicellulose and pectin degradation), and the lyase families PL1, PL3 and PL4 (pectin degradation) but lacks families GH5b, GH11, GH26, GH62, GH93, GH115, GH105, GH9, GH53, GH32, GH74 and CE12. Analysis of genome-wide gene expression profiles of 3 strains using 3'-tag digital gene expression (DGE) reveals that 239 CAZyme genes were expressed even in potato destrose broth medium. Our data also showed that the formation of a heterokaryotic strain could dramatically increase the expression of a number of genes which were poorly expressed in its parental homokaryotic strains.

Identification and expression analysis of a new glycoside hydrolase family 55 exo-ß-1,3-glucanase-encoding gene in Volvariella volvacea suggests a role in fruiting body development.

The edible straw mushroom Volvariella volvacea is an important crop in South East Asia and is predominantly harvested in the egg stage. Rapid stipe elongation and cap expansion result in a swift transition from the egg to elongation and maturation stage, which are subjected to fast senescence and deterioration. In other mushrooms, ß-1,3-glucanases have been associated with degradation (softening) of the cell wall during stipe elongation and senescence. We present a new glycoside hydrolase family 55 (GH55) exo-ß-1,3-glucanase gene, exg2, and highly conserved deduced EXG2 protein. The 3D model and presumed catalytic residues of V. volvacea EXG2 are identical to Lentinula edodes EXG2 and Phanerochaete chrysosporium Lam55A, supporting similar enzymatic functions. In addition to previous association to stipe elongation and senescence, our data clearly indicates a role for cap (pileus) expansion. Digital gene expression, quantitative PCR and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification analysis showed low exg2 and EXG2 levels in primordia, button, egg and elongation stages and significantly increased levels in the maturation stage. Subsequent relative quantitative PCR analysis designated expression of exg2 to the stipe in the elongation stage and to the pileus and stipe in the maturation stage. EXG2 cell wall softening activity, close correlation of exg2 expression with the principal expanding mushroom tissues and a strong conservation of expression patterns and protein sequences in other mushrooms, make V. volvacea exg2 an important candidate for future studies on mechanisms of fruiting body expansion and senescence causing commodity value loss.

Enzyme activity in dialkyl phosphate ionic liquids.

The activity of four metagenomic enzymes and an enzyme cloned from the straw mushroom, Volvariella volvacea were studied in the following ionic liquids, 1,3-dimethylimidazolium dimethyl phosphate, [mmim][dmp], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethyl phosphate, [emim][dmp], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium diethyl phosphate, [emim][dep] and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, [emim][OAc]. Activity was determined by analyzing the hydrolysis of para-nitrobenzene carbohydrate derivatives. In general, the enzymes were most active in the dimethyl phosphate ionic liquids, followed by acetate. Generally speaking, activity decreased sharply for concentrations of [emim][dep] above 10% v/v, while the other ionic liquids showed less impact on activity up to 20% v/v.

Cloning and optimized expression of a neutral endoglucanase gene (ncel5A) from Volvariella volvacea WX32 in Pichia pastoris.

A cDNA fragment encoding a mature neutral endoglucanase with 366 amino acids was cloned from Volvariella volvacea WX32. Online analysis of amino acid sequence homology showed that the endoglucanase, designated as NCel5A, belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 5. The recombinant plasmid, pPIC9K-ncel5A, was transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115 by electroporation. Screening of multiple copies of the gene ncel5A in transformants was performed on YPD plates containing geneticin G418. One transformant expressing the highest recombinant NCel5A (rNCel5A) activity, numbered as GSNCel4-3, was chosen for optimizing expression conditions. In optimized conditions, the expressed rNCel5A activity was up to 4612 U/ml. SDS-PAGE and enzyme activity assays demonstrated that the rNCel5A, a glycosylated protein with an M.W. of about 42 kDa, was extracellularly expressed in P. pastoris. The rNCel5A showed the highest activity at pH 7.5 and 55°C and was stable at a broad pH range of 6.0-9.0 and at a temperature of 55°C or below.

Molecular characterization of a new acetyl xylan esterase (AXEII) from edible straw mushroom Volvariella volvacea with both de-O-acetylation and de-N-acetylation activity.

A new Volvariella volvacea gene encoding a carbohydrate esterase (CE) family 4 acetyl xylan esterase (AXE) (designated as VvaxeII) was cloned and characterized. The coded polypeptide had 253 amino acid residues, with the first 19 serving as a secretion signal peptide. The VvaxeII transcript levels were high when the fungus was grown on oat spelt xylan, cellobiose, microcrystalline cellulose, carboxymethyl-cellulose, lactose, galactose, and chitin from crab as carbon sources. The recombinant VvAXEII produced by expression of VvaxeII in Pichia pastoris exhibited activity toward acetylated oat spelt xylan and various chitinous substrates, but was totally inactive against artificial aromatic acetates such as beta-nitrophenyl, 4-methylumbelliferyl, and alpha-naphthyl acetates. Enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis was maximal at pH 7.0 and 60 degrees C, and reciprocal plots revealed an apparent K(m) value of 1.42 mg mL(-1) and a V(max) value of 833 IU micromol(-1) protein using glycol chitin as a substrate. The recombinant VvAXEII requires activation by bivalent cations such as Co2+ and Mg2+. Interestingly, the recombinant VvAXEII showed no deacetylation activity to fully acetylated monosaccharides such as xylose tetraacetate.