The active component in the flax-retting system of the zygomycete Rhizopus oryzae sb is a family 28 polygalacturonase.

The zygomycete Rhizopus oryzae sb is a very efficient organism for retting of flax, the initial microbiological step in the process of making linen. An extracellular polygalacturonase, when isolated could perform retting, and therefore probably is the key component in the retting system of R. oryzae. This was purified and characterized. The purified enzyme has a molecular mass of 37,436 Da from mass spectrometric determination, an isoelectric point of 8.4, and has non-methylated polygalacturonic acid as its preferred substrate. Peptide sequences indicate that the enzyme belongs to family 28, in similarity with other polygalacturonases (EC. 3.2.1.15). It contains, however an N-terminal sequence absent in other fungal pectinases, but present in an enzyme from the phytopathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum. The biochemical background for the superior retting efficiency of R. oryzae sb is discussed.

Production of poplar xyloglucan endotransglycosylase using the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris.

The gene XET16A encoding the enzyme xyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET) from hybrid aspen (Populus tremula x tremuloides Mich) was transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115 and the enzyme was secreted to the medium. The influence of process conditions on the XET production, activity, and proteolytic degradation were examined. Inactivation of XET occurred in the foam, but could be decreased significantly by using an efficient antifoam. Rich medium (yeast extract plus peptone) was needed for product accumulation, but not for growth. The proteolytic degradation of the enzyme in the medium was substantially decreased by also adding yeast extract and peptone to the glycerol medium before induction with methanol. Decreasing the fermentation pH from 5.0 to 4.0 further reduced the proteolysis. The specific activity was further improved by production at 15 degrees C instead of 22 degrees C. In this way a XET production of 54 mg/L active enzyme could be achieved in the process with a specific activity of 18 Unit/mg protein after a downstream process including centrifugation, micro- and ultrafiltration, and ion exchange chromatography.

A simple purification and activity assay of the coagulant protein from Moringa oleifera seed.

Use of extracts from Moringa oleifera (MO) is of great interest for low-cost water treatment. This paper discusses water and salt extraction of a coagulant protein from the seed, purification using ion exchange, its chemical characteristics, coagulation and antimicrobial properties. The coagulant from both extracts is a cationic protein with pI greater than 9.6 and molecular mass less than 6.5 kDa. Mass spectrometric analysis of the purified water extract indicated that it contained at least four homologous proteins, based on MS/MS peptide sequence data. The protein is thermoresistant and remained active after 5h heat treatment at 95 degrees C. The coagulant protein showed both flocculating and antibacterial effects of 1.1--4 log reduction. With samples of high turbidity, the MO extract showed similar coagulation activity as alum. Cecropin A and MO extract were found to have similar flocculation effects for clay and microorganisms. Simple methods for both the purification and assay of MO coagulating proteins are presented, which are necessary for large-scale water treatment applications.

Antimicrobial activity of conditioned medium fractions from Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 and Trichoplusia ni Hi5 insect cells.

Concentrated conditioned medium (CM) fractions from Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 and Trichoplusia ni cells, eluting from a gel filtration column at around 10 kDa, were found to exhibit strong antibacterial activity against Bacillus megaterium and Escherichia coli. The B. megaterium cells incubated in the CM fraction from Sf9 cells rapidly lost viability: after 8 min the viability had decreased to 0.7%, as compared with the control. Addition of the CM fraction to E. coli cells resulted in a less drastic drop in viability: 65% viability was lost after 60 min of incubation. Further, exposure to the CM fraction caused a substantial leakage of intracellular proteins, as demonstrated by SDS-PAGE analysis. Cell lysis was confirmed by optical density measurements, microscopic investigations and flow cytometry. B. megaterium exposed to a CM fraction from T. ni cells lost 97% of their viability in about 40 min. Ubiquitin, thioredoxin and cyclophilin were identified in the antibacterial fraction from Sf9 cells by mass spectrometry and N-terminal amino acid sequencing. Other proteins in the fraction gave no matches in a database search. Since ubiquitin was shown not to cause the antimicrobial effect and thioredoxin and cyclophilin were likely not involved, the responsible agent may be an unknown protein, not yet registered in databases. The antimicrobial effect of the CM fraction from T. ni cells most probably comes from a lysozyme precursor protein.

Enzymatic properties of native and deglycosylated hybrid aspen (Populus tremulaxtremuloides) xyloglucan endotransglycosylase 16A expressed in Pichia pastoris.

The cDNA encoding a xyloglucan endotransglycosylase, PttXET16A, from hybrid aspen (Populus tremulaxtremuloides) has been isolated from an expressed sequence tag library and expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. Sequence analysis indicated a high degree of similarity with other proteins in the XTH (xyloglucan transglycosylase/hydrolase) gene subfamily of GH16 (glycoside hydrolase family 16). In addition to the conserved GH16 catalytic sequence motif, PttXET16A contains a conserved N-glycosylation site situated proximal to the predicted catalytic residues. MS analysis indicated that the recombinant PttXET16A expressed in P. pastoris is heterogeneous due to the presence of variable N-glycosylation and incomplete cleavage of the alpha-factor secretion signal peptide. Removal of the N-glycan by endoglycosidase H treatment did not influence the catalytic activity significantly. Similarly, site-directed mutagenesis of Asn93 to serine to remove the N-glycosylation site resulted in an enzyme which was comparable with the wild-type enzyme in specific activity and thermal stability but had clearly reduced solubility. Hydrolytic activity was detected neither in wild-type PttXET16A before or after enzymatic deglycosylation nor in PttXET16A N93S (Asn93-->Ser) mutant.

Recombinant expression and enzymatic characterization of PttCel9A, a KOR homologue from Populus tremula x tremuloides.

PttCel9A is a membrane-bound, family 9 glycosyl hydrolase from Populus tremula x tremuloides that is upregulated during secondary cell wall synthesis. The catalytic domain of PttCel9A, Delta(1-105)PttCel9A, was purified, and its activity was compared to TfCel9A and TfCel9B from Thermobifida fusca. Since aromatic amino acids involved in substrate binding at subsites -4, -3, and -2 are missing in PttCel9A, the activity of TfCel9A mutant enzymes W256S, W209A, and W313G was also investigated. Delta(1-105)PttCel9A hydrolyzed a comparatively narrow range of polymeric substrates, and the preferred substrate was (carboxymethyl)cellulose 4M. Moreover, Delta(1-105)PttCel9A did not hydrolyze oligosaccharides shorter than cellopentaose, whereas TfCel9A and TfCel9B hydrolyzed cellotetraose and cellotriose, respectively. These data suggest that the preferred substrates of PttCel9A are long, low-substituted, soluble cellulosic polymers. At 30 degrees C and pH 6.0, the kcat for cellohexaose of Delta(1-105)PttCel9A, TfCel9A, and TfCel9B were 0.023 +/- 0.001, 16.9 +/- 2.0, and 1.3 +/- 0.2, respectively. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of TfCel9B was 39% of that of TfCel9A, whereas the catalytic efficiency of Delta(1-105)PttCel9A was 0.04% of that of TfCel9A. Removing tryptophan residues at subsites -4, -3, and -2 decreased the efficiency of cellohexaose hydrolysis by TfCel9A. Mutation of W313 to G had the most drastic effect, producing a mutant enzyme with 1% of the catalytic efficiency of TfCel9A. The apparent narrow substrate range and catalytic efficiency of PttCel9A are correlated with a lack of aromatic amino acids in the substrate binding cleft and may be necessary to prevent excessive hydrolysis of cell wall polysaccharides during cell wall formation.

Crystal structures of a poplar xyloglucan endotransglycosylase reveal details of transglycosylation acceptor binding.

Xyloglucan endotransglycosylases (XETs) cleave and religate xyloglucan polymers in plant cell walls via a transglycosylation mechanism. Thus, XET is a key enzyme in all plant processes that require cell wall remodeling. To provide a basis for detailed structure-function studies, the crystal structure of Populus tremula x tremuloides XET16A (PttXET16A), heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris, has been determined at 1.8-A resolution. Even though the overall structure of PttXET16A is a curved beta-sandwich similar to other enzymes in the glycoside hydrolase family GH16, parts of its substrate binding cleft are more reminiscent of the distantly related family GH7. In addition, XET has a C-terminal extension that packs against the conserved core, providing an additional beta-strand and a short alpha-helix. The structure of XET in complex with a xyloglucan nonasaccharide, XLLG, reveals a very favorable acceptor binding site, which is a necessary but not sufficient prerequisite for transglycosylation. Biochemical data imply that the enzyme requires sugar residues in both acceptor and donor sites to properly orient the glycosidic bond relative to the catalytic residues.

N-linked glycosylation of native and recombinant cauliflower xyloglucan endotransglycosylase 16A.

The gene encoding a XET (xyloglucan endotransglycosylase) from cauliflower ( Brassica oleracea var. botrytis ) florets has been cloned and sequenced. Sequence analysis indicated a high degree of similarity to other XET enzymes belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 16 (GH16). In addition to the conserved GH16 catalytic sequence motif EIDFE, there exists one potential N-linked glycosylation site, which is also highly conserved in XET enzymes from this family. Purification of the corresponding protein from extracts of cauliflower florets allowed the fractionation of a single, pure glycoform, which was analysed by MS techniques. Accurate protein mass determination following the enzymic deglycosylation of this glycoform indicated the presence of a high-mannose-type glycan of the general structure GlcNAc2Man6. LC/MS and MS/MS (tandem MS) analysis provided supporting evidence for this structure and confirmed that the glycosylation site (underlined) was situated close to the predicted catalytic residues in the conserved sequence YLSSTNNEHDEIDFEFLGNRTGQPVILQTNVFTGGK. Heterologous expression in Pichia pastoris produced a range of protein glycoforms, which were, on average, more highly mannosylated than the purified native enzyme. This difference in glycosylation did not influence the apparent enzymic activity of the enzyme significantly. However, the removal of high-mannose glycosylation in recombinant cauliflower XET by endoglycosidase H, quantified by electrospray-ionization MS, caused a 40% decrease in the transglycosylation activity of the enzyme. No hydrolytic activity was detected in native or heterologously expressed BobXET16A, even when almost completely deglycosylated.

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of a xyloglucan endotransglycosylase from Populus tremula x tremuloides.

Xyloglucan endotransglycosylases (XETs) cleave and religate xyloglucan polymers in plant cell walls. Recombinant XET from poplar has been purified from a Pichia pastoris expression system and crystallized. Two different crystal forms were obtained by vapour diffusion from potassium sodium tartrate and from an imidazole buffer using sodium acetate as a precipitant. Data were collected from these crystal forms to 3.5 and 2.1 A resolution, respectively. The first crystal form was found to belong to space group P3(1)21 or P3(2)21 (unit-cell parameters a = 98.6, b = 98.6, c = 98.5 A) and the second crystal form to space group P6(3) (unit-cell parameters a = 188.7, b = 188.7, c = 46.1 A).