Prospects for Bio-Industrial Application of an Extremely Alkaline Mannanase From Bacillus subtilis subsp. inaquosorum CSB31.

Mannan-degrading enzymes have been growing interest in bio-industrial applications, such as the pulp and paper, food, and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, an extremely alkaline mannanase (MnB31) is produced by Bacillus subtilis subsp. inaquosorum CSB31. MnB31 is purified to 17.92-fold with a 21.51% yield and specific activity of 1,796.13 U mg-1 by anion-exchange and gel filtration column chromatography. The biochemical characterization of MnB31 is performed, and the results are as follows: molecular weight of ≈47 kDa with an optimum temperature of 60 °C and pH of 12.5. The enzyme is strongly activated by Co2+ , Mn2+ , Na+ , and K+ , and inhibited by Zn2+ , Ni2+ , and Mg2+ . Halo-tolerance (10% NaCl), urea stability (3 M), and protease resistance are also observed. The kinetic parameters of MnB31 are found to be Km of 0.043 mg ml-1 , and Vmax of 1,046 ± 3.605 U mg-1 , respectively. In addition, the thermodynamical parameters are investigated; the activation energy (Ea ) is found to be 31.36 kJ mol-1 with a Kcat value of 156.9 × 104 s-1 , ΔH (28.59 kJ mol-1 ), ΔG (42.38 kJ mol-1 ), ΔS (-41.39 J mol-1 K-1 ), Q10 (1.40), ΔGE-S (-8.697 kJ mol-1 ), and ΔGE-T (-48.22 kJ mol-1 ). These results suggest that MnB31 has potential bio-industrial application, due to its greater hydrolytic efficiency and feasibility of enzymatic reaction.

Understanding ß-mannanase from Streptomyces sp. CS147 and its potential application in lignocellulose based biorefining.

Hydrolytic enzymes such as cellulase and hemicellulase have been attracted in lignocellulose based biorefinery. Especially, mannanase has been a growing interest in industrial applications due to its importance in the bioconversion. In this study, an extracellular endo-ß-1,4-D-mannanase was produced by Streptomyces sp. CS147 (Mn147) and purified 8.5-fold with a 43.4% yield using Sephadex G-50 column. The characterization of Mn147 was performed, and the results were as follows: molecular weight of ∼25 kDa with an optimum temperature of 50°C and pH of 11.0. The effect of metal ions and various reagents on Mn147 was strongly activated by Ca(+2) but inhibited by Mg(+2) , Fe(+2) , hydrogen peroxide, EDTA and EGTA. Km and Vmax values of Mn147 were 0.13 mg/mL and 294 µmol/min mg, respectively, when different concentrations (3.1 to 50 mg/mL) of locust bean gum galactomannan were used as substrate. In enzymatic hydrolysis of heterogeneous substrate (spent coffee grounds), Mn147 shows a similar conversion compared to commercial enzymes. In addition, lignocellulosic biomass can be hydrolyzed to oligosaccharides (reducing sugars), which can be further utilized for the production of biomaterials. These results showed that Mn147 is attractive in quest of potential bioindustrial applications.

Hematogenous metastasis of ovarian cancer: rethinking mode of spread.

Ovarian cancer has a clear predilection for metastasis to the omentum, but the underlying mechanisms involved in ovarian cancer spread are not well understood. Here, we used a parabiosis model that demonstrates preferential hematogenous metastasis of ovarian cancer to the omentum. Our studies revealed that the ErbB3-neuregulin 1 (NRG1) axis is a dominant pathway responsible for hematogenous omental metastasis. Elevated levels of ErbB3 in ovarian cancer cells and NRG1 in the omentum allowed for tumor cell localization and growth in the omentum. Depletion of ErbB3 in ovarian cancer impaired omental metastasis. Our results highlight hematogenous metastasis as an important mode of ovarian cancer metastasis. These findings have implications for designing alternative strategies aimed at preventing and treating ovarian cancer metastasis.

Effect of biodiesel-derived raw glycerol on 1,3-propanediol production by different microorganisms.

The microbial production of 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD) from raw glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel production, is economically and environmentally advantageous. Although direct use of raw glycerol without any pretreatment is desirable, previous studies have reported that this could cause inhibition of microbial growth. In this study, we investigated the effects of raw glycerol type, different microorganisms, and pretreatment of raw glycerol on the production of 1,3-PD. Raw glycerol from waste vegetable-oil-based biodiesel production generally caused more inhibition of 1,3-PD production and microbial growth compared to raw glycerol from soybean-oil-based biodiesel production. In addition, two raw glycerol types produced from two biodiesel manufacturers using waste vegetable oil exhibited different 1,3-PD production behavior, partially due to different amounts of methanol included in the raw glycerol from the two biodiesel manufacturers. Klebsiella strains were generally resistant to all types of raw glycerol while the growth of Clostridium strains was variably inhibited depending on the type of raw glycerol. The 1,3-PD production of the Clostridium strains using acid-pretreated raw glycerol was significantly enhanced compared to that with raw glycerol, demonstrating the feasibility of using raw glycerol for 1,3-PD production by various microorganisms.

EphA2 overexpression promotes ovarian cancer growth.

BACKGROUND: Silencing EphA2 has been shown to result in anti-tumor efficacy. However, it is not known whether increasing EphA2 expression specifically results in increased tumor growth and progression. We examined the effects of stable EphA2 transfection into poorly invasive ovarian cancer cells with regard to in vitro invasive and in vivo metastatic potential. RESULTS: In low cell density, EphA2-overexpressing A2780 cells (A2780-EphA2) displayed less cell-cell contact, increased cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) attachment and anchorage-independent cell growth compared to empty vector controls. There was no significant effect on anchorage-dependent cell proliferation, migration or invasion. Increased expression of EphA2 promoted tumor growth and enhanced the metastatic potential in A2780-EphA2 human ovarian cancer xenografts. The overexpression of EphA2 resulted in enhanced microvessel density (MVD), but had no effect on tumor cell proliferation. METHODS: EphA2 gene was introduced into A2780 cells by retroviral infection. The effects of increased EphA2 expression were examined on cellular morphology, and anchorage-dependent and independent cell growth. Furthermore, the effect of EphA2 overexpression on metastatic ability was determined using an orthotopic nude mouse model of ovarian carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: EphA2 promotes tumor growth by enhancing cell-ECM adhesion, increasing anchorage-independent growth and promoting angiogenesis.