Enzymatic properties and immobilization of a thermostable prenyltransferase from Aspergillus fumigatiaffinis for the production of prenylated naringenin.

Prenyltransferases catalyze the synthesis of prenylated flavonoids, providing these with greater lipid solubility, biological activity, and availability. In this study, a thermostable prenyltransferase (AfPT) from Aspergillus fumigatiaffinis was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. By optimizing induction conditions, the expression level of AfPT reached 39.3 mU/mL, which was approximately 200 % of that before optimization. Additionally, we determined the enzymatic properties of AfPT. Subsequently, AfPT was immobilized on carboxymethyl cellulose magnetic nanoparticles (CMN) at a maximum load of 0.6 mg/mg. Optimal activity of CMN-AfPT was achieved at pH 8.0 and 55 °C. Thermostability assays showed that the residual activity of CMN-AfPT was greater than 50 % after incubation at 55 °C for 4 h. Km and Vmax of CMN-AfPT for naringenin were 0.082 mM and 5.57 nmol/min/mg, respectively. The Kcat/Km ratio of CMN-AfPT was higher than that of AfPT. Residual prenyltransferase activity of CMN-AfPT remained higher than 70 % even after 30 days of storage. Further, CMN-AfPT retained 68 % of its original activity after 10 cycles of reuse. Compared with free AfPT, CMN-AfPT showed higher catalytic efficiency, thermostability, metal ion tolerance, substrate affinity, storage stability, and reusability. Our study presents a thermostable prenyltransferase and its immobilized form for the production of prenylated flavonoids in vitro.

Screening and characterization of a ß-xylosidase from Bifidobacterium breve K-110 and its application in the biotransformation of the total flavonoids of epimedium to icariin with α-l-rhamnosidase.

Among the flavonoids of epimedium, epimedin B, epimedin C, and icariin are considered to be representative components and their structures are quite similar. Besides sharing the same backbone, the main difference is the sugar groups attached at the positions of C-3 and C-7. Despite their structural similarities, their potencies differ significantly, and only icariin is currently included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as a quality marker (Q-marker) for epimedium flavonoids. Furthermore, icariin has the functions of anti-aging, anti-inflammation, antioxidation, anti-osteoporosis, and ameliorating fibrosis. We used bioinformatics to look for the GH43 family ß-xylosidase genes BbXyl from Bifidobacterium breve K-110, which has a length of 1347 bp and codes for 448 amino acids. This will allow us to convert epimedin B and epimedin C into icariin in a specific way. The expression level of recombinant BbXyl in TB medium containing 1 % inulin as carbon source, with an inducer concentration of 0.05 mmol/L and a temperature of 28 °C, was 86.4 U/mL. Previous studies found that the α-l-rhamnosidase BtRha could convert epoetin C to produce icariin, so we combined BbXyl and BtRha to catalyze the conversion of epimedium total flavonoids in vitro and in vivo to obtain the product icariin. Under optimal conditions, in vitro hydrolysis of 5 g/L of total flavonoids of epimedium eventually yielded a concentration of icariin of 678.1 µmol/L. To explore the conversion of total flavonoids of epimedium in vivo. Under the optimal conditions, the yield of icariin reached 97.27 µmol/L when the total flavonoid concentration of epimedium was 1 g/L. This study is the first to screen xylosidases for the targeted conversion of epimedin B to produce icariin, and the first to report that epimedin B and epimedin C in the raw epimedium flavonoids can convert efficiently to icariin by a collaborative of ß-xylosidase and α-l-rhamnosidase.

Efficient production of the glycosylated derivatives of baicalein in engineered Escherichia coli.

Baicalein-7-O-glucoside and baicalein-7-O-rhamnoside have been proven to possess many pharmacological activities and are potential candidate drug leads and herb supplements. However, their further development is largely limited due to low content in host plants. Few studies reported that both bioactive plant components are prepared through the bioconversion of baicalein that is considered as the common biosynthetic precursor of both compounds. Herein, we constructed a series of the engineered whole-cell bioconversion systems in which the deletion of competitive genes and the introduction of exogenous UDP-glucose supply pathway, glucosyltransferase, rhamnosyltransferase, and the UDP-rhamnose synthesis pathway are made. Using these engineered strains, the precursor baicalein is able to be transformed into baicalein-7-O-glucoside and baicalein-7-O-rhamnoside, with high-titer production, respectively. The further optimization of fermentation conditions led to the final production of 568.8 mg/L and 877.0 mg/L for baicalein-7-O-glucoside and baicalein-7-O-rhamnoside, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest production in preparation of baicalein-7-O-glucoside from baicalein so far, while the preparation of baicalein-7-O-rhamnoside is the first reported via bioconversion approach. Our study provides a reference for the industrial production of high-value products baicalein-7-O-glucoside and baicalein-7-O-rhamnoside using engineered E. coli. KEY POINTS: • Integrated design for improving the intracellular UDP-glucose pool • High production of rare baicalein glycosides in the engineered E. coli • Baicalein-7-O-glucoside and baicalein-7-O-rhamnoside.

Engineering Escherichia coli for efficient and economic production of C-glycosylflavonoids by deleting YhhW and regulating pH.

C-glycosylflavonoids have a number of pharmacological activities. An efficient method for the preparation of C-glycosylflavonoids is through metabolic engineering. Thus, it is important to prevent the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids for producing C-glycosylflavonoids in the recombinant strain. In this study, two critical factors for the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids were clarified. The quercetinase (YhhW) gene from Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) was expressed, purified, and characterized. YhhW effectively degraded quercetin 8-C-glucoside, orientin, and isoorientin, while the degradation of vitexin and isovitexin was not significant. Zn2+ can significantly reduce the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids by inhibiting the activity of YhhW. pH was another key factor causing the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids, and C-glycosylflavonoids were significantly degraded with pH exceeding 7.5 in vitro or in vivo. On this basis, two strategies, deleting YhhW gene from the genome of E. coli and regulating pH during the bioconversion, were developed to relieve the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids. Finally, the total degradation rates for orientin and quercetin 8-C-glucoside decreased from 100 to 28% and 65% to 18%, respectively. The maximum yield of orientin reached 3353 mg/L with luteolin as substrate, and the maximum yield of quercetin 8-C-glucoside reached 2236 mg/L with quercetin as substrate. Therefore, the method described herein for relieving the degradation of C-glycosylflavonoids may be widely used for the biosynthesis of C-glycosylflavonoids in recombinant strains.

Biotransformation to synthesize the methylated derivatives of baicalein using engineered Escherichia coli.

Oroxylin A and negletein are flavonoid compounds existing in plants, with excellent pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-viropexis, and anti-cancer. Nevertheless, the natural abundance of these compounds in plants is extremely low. Here, a biotransformation pathway was developed in engineered strains to synthesize oroxylin A and negletein from baicalin by using the crude extract of Scutellaria baicalensis as the substrate. Briefly, the precursor baicalin in this crude extract was hydrolyzed by a ß-glucuronidase to form the intermediate baicalein, then O-methyltransferases utilize this intermediate to synthesize oroxylin A and negletein. Through screening strains and carbon sources, regulating intercellular S-adenosyl L-methionine synthesis, and optimizing culture conditions, the titers of the target products increased gradually, with 188.0 mg/L for oroxylin A and 222.7 mg/L for negletein finally. The study illustrates a convenient method to synthesize oroxylin A and negletein from a low-cost substrate, paving the way for the mass acquisition and further bioactivities development and utilization of these rare and high-value compounds.

One-step purification and immobilization of thermostable ß-glucosidase on Na-Y zeolite based on the linker and its application in the efficient production of baohuoside I from icariin.

Baohuoside I, a minor flavonoid component of Herba Epimedii, has better bioactivities than its precursor compound icariin. In this work, we have fused the linker (4LP) to thermostable ß-glucosidase (Tpebgl3) and successfully prepared the immobilized enzyme (4LP-Tpebgl3@Na-Y) to produce baohuoside I from icariin. The activity recovery and maximum load of 4LP-Tpebgl3@Na-Y were 95.4% and 50.3 mg/g, respectively. Moreover, it exhibited four-fold improved adsorption selectivity (80.5%) with respect to native enzyme after immobilization. The maximum activity of 4LP-Tpebgl3@Na-Y was exhibited at 85 °C, pH 5.0, and it retained>80% of its initial activity after incubation at 75 °C for 2 h . It showed enhanced tolerance of organic solvent and glucose as compared to free enzymes. Kcat/Km value for 4LP-Tpebgl3@Na-Y was 1616.0 s-1•mM-1, which was 61.0% higher than that of free enzyme. Under suitable conditions (75 °C, pH 5.0, 0.1 U/mL enzyme and 120 min), 2000 mg/L icariin was transformed into baohuoside I with a molar conversion of 97.6%. 4LP-Tpebgl3@Na-Y retained 85.2% of its original activity after 10 cycles of reuse and the 768.8 mg/L/h total productivity of baohuoside I was obtained. This is the first research on one-step purification and immobilization of thermostable ß-glucosidase based on the linker and its application in the efficient production of baohuoside I from icariin.

Overexpression and Characterization of a Novel Plant Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenase 1 from Morus notabilis.

Synthesis of ß-ionone in microbial cell factories is limited by the efficiency of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs). To obtain genes responsible for specific cleavage of carotenoids generating ß-ionone, a novel carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 1 from Morus notabilis was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The MnCCD1 protein was able to cleave a variety of carotenoids at the positions 9, 10 (9', 10') to produce ß-ionone, 3-hydroxy-4-oxo-ß-ionone, 3-hydroxy-ß-ionone, and 3-hydroxy-α-ionone in vitro. MnCCD1 could also cleave lycopene and ß-carotene at the 9, 10 (9', 10') bind bond to produce pseudoionone and ß-ionone, respectively, in E. coli accumulating carotenoids. The enzyme activity of MnCCD1 was reached 2.98 U/mL at optimized conditions (temperature 28 °C, IPTG 0.1 mM, induction time 24 h). The biochemical characterization of MnCCD1 revealed the optimal activities were at pH 8.4 and 35 °C. The addition of 10 % ethanol could increase enzyme activity at above 15 %. However, an obvious decline was observed on enzyme activity as the concentration of Fe2+ increased (0-1 mM). The Vmax for ß-apo-8'-carotenal was 72.5 U/mg, while the Km was 0.83 mM. The results provide a foundation for developing the application of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases as biocatalysis and synthetic biology platforms to produce volatile aroma components from carotenoids.

Cloning and Characterization of a Novel Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenase 1 from Helianthus annuus.

Natural ß-ionone, a high-value flavoring agent, has been widely applied in the food, cosmetics, and perfume industry. However, attempts to overproduce ß-ionone in microorganisms have been limited by the efficiency of carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs), which catalyzes ß-carotene in the biosynthesis pathway. In order to obtain CCD genes responsible for the specific cleavage of carotenoids generating ß-ionone, a novel carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 1 from Helianthus annuus was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The recombinant CCD was able to cleave a variety of carotenoids at the 9, 10 (9', 10') sites to produce C13 products in vitro, including ß-ionone, pseudoionone, 3-hydroxy-4-oxo-ß-ionone, 3-hydroxy-ß-ionone, and 3-hydroxy-α-ionone, which vary depending on the carotenoid substrates. In comparison with lycopene and zeaxanthin, HaCCD1 also showed the high specificity for ß-carotene to cleave the 9, 10 (9', 10') double bond to produce ß-ionone in E. coli accumulating carotenoids. Finally, the expression of HaCCD1 in E. coli was optimized, and biochemical characterizations were further clarified. The optimal activity of HaCCD1 was at pH 8.8 and 50 °C. The Vmax for ß-apo-8'-carotenal was 10.14 U/mg, while the Km was 0.32 mM. Collectively, our study provides a valuable enzyme for the synthesis of natural ß-ionone by biotransformation and synthetic biology platform.

Functional Characterization and Screening of Promiscuous Kinases and Isopentenyl Phosphate Kinases for the Synthesis of DMAPP via a One-Pot Enzymatic Cascade.

Dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP) is a key intermediate metabolite in the synthesis of isoprenoids and is also the prenyl donor for biosynthesizing prenylated flavonoids. However, it is difficult to prepare DMAPP via chemical and enzymatic methods. In this study, three promiscuous kinases from Shigella flexneri (SfPK), Escherichia coli (EcPK), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ScPK) and three isopentenyl phosphate kinases from Methanolobus tindarius (MtIPK), Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus str. Delta H (MthIPK), and Arabidopsis thaliana (AtIPK) were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzymatic properties of recombinant enzymes were determined. The Kcat/Km value of SfPK for DMA was 6875 s-1 M-1, which was significantly higher than those of EcPK and ScPK. The Kcat/Km value of MtIPK for DMAP was 402.9 s-1 M-1, which was ~400% of that of MthIPK. SfPK was stable at pH 7.0-9.5 and had a 1 h half-life at 65 °C. MtIPK was stable at pH 6.0-8.5 and had a 1 h half-life at 50 °C. The stability of SfPK and MtIPK was better than that of the other enzymes. Thus, SfPK and MtIPK were chosen to develop a one-pot enzymatic cascade for producing DMAPP from DMA because of their catalytic efficiency and stability. The optimal ratio between SfPK and MtIPK was 1:8. The optimal pH and temperature for the one-pot enzymatic cascade were 7.0 and 35 °C, respectively. The optimal concentrations of ATP and DMA were 10 and 80 mM, respectively. Finally, maximum DMAPP production reached 1.23 mM at 1 h under optimal conditions. Therefore, the enzymatic method described herein for the biosynthesis of DMAPP from DMA can be widely used for the synthesis of isoprenoids and prenylated flavonoids.

Orientin and vitexin production by a one-pot enzymatic cascade of a glycosyltransferase and sucrose synthase.

Orientin and vitexin, important components of bamboo-leaf extracts, are C-glycosylflavones which exhibit a number of interesting biological properties. In this work, we developed an efficient biocatalytic cascade for orientin and vitexin production consisting of Trollius chinensis C-glycosyltransferase (TcCGT) and Glycine max sucrose synthase (GmSUS). In order to relieve the bottleneck of the biocatalytic cascade, the biocatalytic efficiency, reaction condition compatibilities and the ratio of the enzymes were determined. We found that the specific activity of TcCGT was significantly influenced by enzyme dose and Triton X-100 or Tween 20 (0.2%). Co-culture of BL21-TcCGT-Co and BL21-GmSUS-Co affected the catalytic efficiency of TcCGT and GmSUS, and the maximum orientin production rate reached 47 µM/min at the inoculation ratio of 9:1. The optimal pH and temperature for the biocatalytic cascade were pH 7.5 and 30 °C, respectively. Moreover, the high dose of the enzymes can improve the tolerance of biocatalytic cascade to substrate inhibition in the one-pot reaction. By using a fed-batch strategy, maximal titers of orientin and vitexin reached 7090 mg/L with a corresponding molar conversion of 98.7% and 5050 mg/L with a corresponding molar conversion of 97.3%, respectively, which is the highest titer reported to date. Therefore, the method described herein for efficient production of orientin and vitexin by modulating catalytic efficiencies of enzymes can be widely used for the C-glycosylation of flavonoids.

High-level expression of a novel multifunctional GH3 family ß-xylosidase/α-arabinosidase/ß-glucosidase from Dictyoglomus turgidum in Escherichia coli.

A novel ß-xylosidase Dt-2286 from Dictyoglomus turgidum was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). Dt-2286 belonging to glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 3 encodes a polypeptide with 762 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 85.1 kDa. By optimization of the growth and induction conditions, the activity of ß-xylosidase reached 273 U/mL, which is the highest yield reported to date from E. coli in a shake-flask. The optimal activities of the purified Dt-2286 were found at pH 5.0 and 98 °C. It also shows excellent thermostable/haloduric/organic solvent-tolerance. Dt-2286 was revealed to be a multifunctional enzyme with ß-xylosidase, α-arabinofuranoside, α-arabinopyranoside and ß-glucosidase activities, and Kcat/Km was 5245.316 mM-1 s-1, 2077.353 mM-1 s-1, 1626.454 mM-1 s-1, and 470.432 mM-1 s-1 respectively. Dt-2286 showed significant synergistic effects on the degradation of xylans, releasing more reduced sugars (up to 15.08 fold) by simultaneous addition with endoxylanase. Moreover, this enzyme has good activity in the hydrolysis of epimedium B, demonstrating its versatility in practical applications.

Cloning and characterization of the ß-xylosidase from Dictyoglomus turgidum for high efficient biotransformation of 10-deacetyl-7-xylosltaxol.

With the aim of finding an extracellular biocatalyst that can efficiently remove the C-7 xylose group from 10-deacetyl-7-xylosltaxol, a Dictyoglomus turgidum ß-xylosidase was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The molecular mass of purified Dt-Xyl3 was approximately 84 kDa. The recombinant Dt-Xyl3 was most active at pH 5.0 and 75 °C, retaining 88% activity at 65 °C for 1 h, and displaying excellent stability over pH 4.0-7.5 for 24 h. In terms of kinetic parameters, the Km and Vmax values for pNPX were 0.8316 mM and 5.0178 µmol/mL·min, respectively. Moreover, Dt-Xyl3 was activated by Mn2+ and Ba2+ and inhibited by Cu2+, Ni+ and Al3+. In particular, it displayed high tolerance to salts with 60.8% activity in 20% (w/v) NaCl. Ethanol and methanol at 5-15% showed little effect on the enzymatic activity. Dt-Xyl3 demonstrated multifunctional activities followed by pNPX, pNPAraf and pNPG and had a high selectivity for cleaving the outer xylose moieties of 10-deacetyl-7-xylosltaxol with Kcat/Km 110.87 s-1/mM, which produced 10-deacetyl-taxol to semi-synthesize paclitaxel. Under the optimized conditions (60 °C, pH 4.5, enzyme dosage of 0.5 U/mL), 1 g of 10-deacetyl-7-xylosltaxol was transformed to its corresponding aglycone 10-deacetyl-taxol within 30 min, with a molar conversion of 98%. This is the first report that Dictyoglomus turgidum can produce extracellular GH3 ß-xylosidase with highly specific activity for 10-deacetyl-7-xylosltaxol biotransformation, thus leading to the application of ß-xylosidase Dt-Xyl3 as a biocatalyst in biopharmaceutics.

Cloning, overexpression and characterization of a thermostable ß-xylosidase from Thermotoga petrophila and cooperated transformation of ginsenoside extract to ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 with a ß-glucosidase.

A thermostable ß-xylosidase gene Tpexyl3 from Thermotoga petrophila DSM 13,995 was cloned and overexpressed by Escherichia coli. Recombinant Tpexyl3 was purified, and its molecular weight was approximately 86.7 kDa. Its optimal activity was exhibited at pH 6.0 and 90 °C. It had broad specificity to xylopyranosyl, arabinopyranosyl, arabinofuranosyl and glucopyranosyl moieties. The ß-xylosidase activity of the recombinant Tpexyl3 was 6.81 U/mL in the LB medium and 151.4 U/mL in a 7.5 L bio-reactor. It was applied to transform ginsenoside extract into the pharmacologically active minor ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3, which was combined with thermostable ß-glucosidase Tpebgl3. After transforming under optimal condition, the 20 g/L of ginsenoside extract was transformed into 6.28 g/L of Rg3 within 90 min, with a corresponding molar conversion of 95.0% and Rg3 productivity of 1793.49 mg/L/h, respectively. This study is the highest report of a GH3 family glycosidase with arabinopyranosidase activity and also the first report on the high substrate concentration bioconversion of ginsenoside extract to ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 by using two thermostable glycosidases.

Modulating heterologous pathways and optimizing fermentation conditions for biosynthesis of kaempferol and astragalin from naringenin in Escherichia coli.

Kaempferol and astragalin are used as standards to assess the quality of Ginkgo biloba extract and Radix astragali, respectively, and possess numerous biological properties. In this study, we constructed a recombinant strain with a highly efficient biosynthetic pathway of kaempferol by screening key enzyme genes, designing a synthetic fusion enzyme and increasing the gene copy number. By optimizing conversion and fed-batch fermentation conditions, maximal kaempferol production reached 1184.2 ± 16.5 mg/L, which represents the highest yield of kaempferol from naringenin reported to date. Based on this result, glycosyltransferase (AtUGT78D2) and an efficient UDP-glucose synthesis pathway were introduced into the recombinant strain to produce astragalin, resulting in maximal astragalin production at 1738.5 ± 24.8 mg/L without kaempferol accumulation. The efficient synthesis pathway described in this study for kaempferol and astragalin biosynthesis can be widely used for flavonoid biosynthesis in Escherichia coli.

Synthesis of Isorhamnetin-3-O-Rhamnoside by a Three-Enzyme (Rhamnosyltransferase, Glycine Max Sucrose Synthase, UDP-Rhamnose Synthase) Cascade Using a UDP-Rhamnose Regeneration System.

Isorhamnetin-3-O-rhamnoside was synthesized by a highly efficient three-enzyme (rhamnosyltransferase, glycine max sucrose synthase and uridine diphosphate (UDP)-rhamnose synthase) cascade using a UDP-rhamnose regeneration system. The rhamnosyltransferase gene (78D1) from Arabidopsis thaliana was cloned, expressed, and characterized in Escherichia coli. The optimal activity was at pH 7.0 and 45 °C. The enzyme was stable over the pH range of 6.5 to 8.5 and had a 1.5-h half-life at 45 °C. The Vmax and Km for isorhamnetin were 0.646 U/mg and 181 µM, respectively. The optimal pH and temperature for synergistic catalysis were 7.5 and 25 °C, and the optimal concentration of substrates were assayed, respectively. The highest titer of isorhamnetin-3-O-rhamnoside production reached 231 mg/L with a corresponding molar conversion of 100%. Isorhamnetin-3-O-rhamnoside was purified and the cytotoxicity against HepG2, MCF-7, and A549 cells were evaluated. Therefore, an efficient method for isorhamnetin-3-O-rhamnoside production described herein could be widely used for the rhamnosylation of flavonoids.

Characterization of a novel thermostable and xylose-tolerant GH 39 ß-xylosidase from Dictyoglomus thermophilum.

BACKGROUND: ß-D-xylosidase is a vital exoglycosidase with the ability to hydrolyze xylooligosaccharides to xylose and to biotransform some saponins by cleaving outer ß-xylose. ß-D-xylosidase is widely used as one of the xylanolytic enzymes in a diverse range of applications, such as fuel, food and the pharmaceutical industry; therefore, more and more studies have focused on the thermostable and xylose-tolerant ß-D-xylosidases. RESULTS: A thermostable ß-xylosidase gene (xln-DT) of 1509 bp was cloned from Dictyoglomus thermophilum and expressed in E.coli BL21. According to the amino acid and phylogeny analyses, the ß-xylosidase Xln-DT is a novel ß-xylosidase of the GH family 39. The recombinant ß-xylosidase was purified, showing unique bands on SDS-PAGE, and had a protein molecular weight of 58.7 kDa. The ß-xylosidase Xln-DT showed an optimal activity at pH 6.0 and 75 °C, with p-nitrophenyl-ß-D-xylopyranoside (pNPX) as a substrate. Xln-DT displayed stability over a pH range of 4.0-7.5 for 24 h and displayed thermotolerance below 85 °C. The values of the kinetic parameters K m and V max for pNPX were 1.66 mM and 78.46 U/mg, respectively. In particular, Xln-DT displayed high tolerance to xylose, with 60% activity in the presence of 3 M xylose. Xln-DT showed significant effects on the hydrolyzation of xylobiose. After 3 h, all the xylobiose tested was degraded into xylose. Moreover, ß-xylosidase Xln-DT had a high selectivity for cleaving the outer xylose moieties of natural saponins, such as notoginsenoside R1 and astragaloside IV, which produced the ginsenoside Rg1 with stronger anti-fatigue activity and produced cycloastragenol with stronger anti-aging activity, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study provides a novel GH 39 ß-xylosidase displaying extraordinary properties of highly catalytic activity at temperatures above 75 °C, remarkable hydrolyzing activity of xylooligosaccharides and rare saponins producing ability in the pharmaceutical and commercial industries.

Cloning and characterization of enoate reductase with high ß-ionone to dihydro-ß-ionone bioconversion productivity.

BACKGROUND: Dihydro-ß-ionone is a principal aroma compound and has received considerable attention by flavor and fragrance industry. The traditional method of preparing dihydro-ß-ionone has many drawbacks, which has restricted its industrial application. Therefore, it is necessary to find a biotechnological method to produce dihydro-ß-ionone. RESULTS: In this study, the enoate reductase with high conversion efficiency of ß-ionone to dihydro-ß-ionone, DBR1, was obtained by screening four genetically engineered bacteria. The product, dihydro-ß-ionone, was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The highest dihydro-ß-ionone production with 308.3 mg/L was detected in the recombinant strain expressing DBR1 which was later on expressed and purified. Its optimal temperature and pH were 45 °C and 6.5, respectively. The greatest activity of the purified enzyme was 356.39 U/mg using ß-ionone as substrate. In the enzymatic conversion system, 1 mM of ß-ionone was transformed into 91.08 mg/L of dihydro-ß-ionone with 93.80% of molar conversion. CONCLUSION: DBR1 had high selectivity to hydrogenated the 10,11-unsaturated double bond of ß-ionone as well as high catalytic efficiency for the conversion of ß-ionone to dihydro-ß-ionone. It is the first report on the bioconversion of ß-ionone to dihydro-ß-ionone by using enoate reductase.

Characterization of a α-l-rhamnosidase from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron with high catalytic efficiency of epimedin C.

In this study, a α-l-rhamnosidase gene from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron VPI-5482 was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The specific activity of rhamnosidase was 0.57 U/mg in LB medium with 0.1 mM Isopropyl ß-d-Thiogalactoside (IPTG) induction at 28 °C for 8 h. The protein was purified by Ni-NTA affinity, which molecular weight approximately 83.3 kDa. The characterization of BtRha was determined. The optimal activity was at 55 °C and pH 6.5. The enzyme was stable in the pH range 5.0-8.0 for 4 h over 60%, and had a 1-h half-life at 50 °C. The Kcat and Km for p-nitrophenyl-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (pNPR) were 1743.29 s-1 and 2.87 mM, respectively. The α-l-rhamnosidase exhibited high selectivity to cleave the α-1,2 and α-1,6 glycosidic bond between rhamnoside and rhamnoside, rhamnoside and glycoside, respectively, which could hydrolyze rutin, hesperidin, epimedin C and 2″-O-rhamnosyl icariside II. Under the optimal conditions, BtRha transformed epimedin C (1 g/L) to icariin by 90.5% in 4 h. This study provides the first demonstration that the α-l-rhamnosidase could hydrolyze α-1,2 glycosidic bond between rhamnoside and rhamnoside.

RNA-Seq analysis and comparison of the enzymes involved in ionone synthesis of three cultivars of Osmanthus.

To comprehend the molecular mechanisms that control the differences in the composition of Osmanthus essential oils, the RNA-seq data and differentially expressed genes in different cultivar Osmanthus were studied. cDNA libraries of "jinqiugui," "baijie," and "rixianggui" were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq TM 2000. All of the enzymes involved in ionone synthesis were verified. DEGs were revealed and their enriched pathways were analyzed. A total of 20 DEGsencoding four enzymes that were potential candidates involved in ionone biosynthesis, as well as ispH, GPPS, ZDS, and CCD. It provided a way for Osmanthus oil monomer material to be synthesized in vitro.

[Comparison of three different thermophilic beta-glucosidases for baicalin transformation].

Three different beta-glycosidase sequences of Ttebgl3, Tpebgl1 and Tpengl3 from Thermotoga thermarum DSM 5069 and Thermotoga petrophila RKU-1 were analyzed. Also, the influence of temperature, pH, concentration of DMSO, metal ions and kinetic constant on catalytic conversion of baicalin had been compared. The results indicated that the optimal pH and optimum temperature for transformation of baicalin was 4.5 85 °C, 5.0 80 °C and 5.5 80 °C, respectively. The family GH3 beta-glycosidase Ttebgl3 and Tpebgl3 had the better DMSO tolerance. The activation effect of the metal ions on the catalytic conversion of baicalin was not obvious, and the inhibition of the GH3 family beta glucosidase was significantly stronger than that of the GH1 family. The kinetic constants of three different beta-glucosidases catalyzed baicalin were significantly different. The Km and Vmax values of Tpebgl1, Tpebgl3 and Ttebgl3 were 0.029 2 mmol·L⁻¹ 4.85 U·mg⁻¹, 0.268 6 mmol·L⁻¹ 121.04 U·mg⁻¹ and 0.391 8 mmol·L⁻¹ 308.90 U·mg⁻¹, respectively. Family GH3 beta-glycosidase converted more baicalin than family GH1 with the optimal conditions, 0.02 g baicalin, and the conversion rate was 68%, 97.3%, 97.31% respectively. The results of the study provided a guarantee for the transformation of baicalin.