[Enzymatic biocatalysis in chemical synthesis of pharmaceuticals].

In this review we summarize the available research on enzymatic biocatalysis in the chemical synthesis of drugs. We focus on oxydoreductsases, particularly ketoreductases, that are widely used in biotechnological processes: alpha- and omega-transaminases, lipases, nitrile hydrolases, and aldolases. The potential for the extended use of novel enzymes produced via bioengineering is discussed.

[Lipases in catalytic reactions of organic chemistry].

Aspects of enzymatic catalysis in lipase-catalyzed reactions of organic synthesis are discussed in the review. The data on modern methods of protein engineering and enzyme modification allowing a broader range of used substrates are briefly summarized. The application of lipase in the preparation of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals containing no inactive enantiomers and in the synthesis of secondary alcohol enantiomers and optically active amides is demonstrated. The subject of lipase involvement in the C-C bond formation in the Michael reaction is discussed. Data on the enzymatic synthesis of construction materials--polyesters, siloxanes, etc.--are presented. Examples demonstrating the application of lipase enzymatic catalysis in industry are given.

[Elimination of volatile compounds of leaf tobacco from air emissions using biofiltration].

The composition of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of various leaf tobacco brands and their blends has been studied. The differences in the content of nicotine, solanone, tetramethyl hexadecenol, megastigmatrienones, and other compounds, determining the specific tobacco smell, have been revealed. A microbial consortium, which is able to deodorize simulated tobacco emissions and decompose nicotine, has been formed by long-term adaptation to the VOCs of tobacco leaves in a laboratory reactor, functioning as a trickle-bed biofilter. Such a biofilter eliminates 90% of the basic toxic compound (nicotine) and odor-active compounds; the filtration efficiency does not change for tobacco brands with different VOC concentrations or in the presence of foreign substances. The main strains, isolated from the formed consortium and participating in the nicotine decomposition process, belong to the genera Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Rhodococcus. An examination of the biofilter trickling fluid has shown full decomposition of nicotine and odor-active VOCs. The compounds, revealed in the trickling fluid, did not have any odor and were nontoxic. The obtained results make it possible to conduct scaling of the biofiltration process to eliminate odor from air emissions in the tobacco industry.

[Organization of metabolic pathways and molecular-genetic mechanisms of xenobiotic biodegradation in microorganisms: a review].

Contemporary data on the mechanism of biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons and biodegradation genes (genomic organization and pathways of evolution) in diverse groups of microorganisms have been reviewed. Studies of this problem are topical, in view of the need in identification and construction of new strains degrading xenobiotics, particularly those halogenated. For this reason, emphasis is placed on specific features of explored metabolic pathways that can be used for constructing new enzymatic systems not present in nature. Sections on the mechanisms of genomic rearrangements involving biodegradation determinants are presented from the same standpoint. Part of the review is devoted to analyzing methods used for studying the population dynamics of bacterial communities involved in xenobiotic degradation in natural biotopes or industrial waste disposal plants. Particular attention is given to methods of gene systematics.

[Monitoring of microbial degraders in manned space stations].

Samples of microorganisms from the surface of constructions of Mir Space Station (Mir SS) were taken and examined after 13 years of operation. The following microorganisms were isolated and identified: 12 fungal species belonging to the genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Aureobasidium; 3 yeast species belonging to the genera Debaryomyces, Candida, and Rhodotorula; and 4 bacterial species belonging to the genera Bacillus, Myxococcus, and Rhodococcus. The predominant species in all samples was Penicillium chrisogenum. It was shown that the fungi isolated could damage polymers and induce corrosion of aluminum-magnesium alloys. We commenced a study of microbial degraders on constructions of the Russian section of the International Space Station (RS ISS). Twenty-six species of fungi, bacteria, yeasts, and actinomycetes, known as active biodegraders, were identified in three sample sets taken at intervals. We founded a collection of microorganisms surviving throughout space flights. This collection can be used to test spacecraft production materials, in order to determine their resistance to biodegradation.

[Metabolic pathways responsible for consumption of aromatic hydrocarbons by microbial associations: molecular-genetic characterization].

Genes for catechol 1,2- and 2,3-dioxygenases were cloned. These enzymes hold important positions in the ortho and meta pathways of the metabolism of aromatic carbons by microbial associations that consume the following volatile organic compounds in pilot minireactors: toluene, styrene, ethyl benzene, o-xylene, m-xylene, and naphthalene. Genes of both pathways were found in an association consuming m-xylene; only genes of the ortho pathway were found in associations consuming o-xylene, styrene, and ethyl benzene, and only genes of the meta pathway were found in associations consuming naphthalene and toluene. Genes of the ortho pathway (C120) cloned from associations consuming o-xylene and ethyl benzene were similar to corresponding genes located on the pND6 plasmid of Pseudomonas putida. Genes of the ortho pathway from associations consuming o-xylene and m-xylene were similar to chromosomal genes of P. putida. Genes of the meta pathway (C230) from associations consuming toluene and naphthalene were similar to corresponding genes formerly found in plasmids pWWO and pTOL.

[Application of molecular systematics to study of bacterial cultures consuming volatile organic compounds].

A range of species of four mixed bacterial cultures was studied by molecular systematics methods with the use of 16S rRNA genes. The cultures had been developed for application in minireactors, to degrade volatile organic compounds (VOCs): ethyl benzene, m-xylene, styrene, and o-xylene. A sample of 30 plasmid rDNA clones was obtained for each of the mixed cultures. The clones were analyzed by RFLP according to two restriction sites. Major variants of the 16S-rDNA sequences, corresponding to the most abundant species, were determined for each association. Sequencing of four clones of predominant 16S-rDNAs showed that the culture consuming ethyl benzene was dominated by Pseudomonas fluorescens; o-xylene, by Achromobacter xylosoxydans; styrene, by Pseudomonas veronii; and m-xylene, by Delftia acidovorans. Minor components of all four cultures were generally similar. They included species of the genera Sphingobacter, Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Pedobacter, and Paenibacillus. Sampling sequencing of genes for 16S rRNA cloned from total genomic DNA allowed quantitative determination of the composition of actual bacterial associations consuming VOCs in minireactors.

[An immunoregulatory effect of endoglucanase preparations on plant resistance to fungal infections]. / Immunoreguliruiushchee deistvie fermentnykh preparatov éndoglikanaz na ustoichivost' rastenii k gribnoi infektsii.

Effects of enzymatic preparations--pectomacerin, hemicellulase, and Trichoderma viride 13/10 cellulase--on the plant immunological status were studied by examples of the pathosystems carrot root-white rot agent (Sclerotinia libertiana) and carrot root-black rot agent (Rhizopus nigricans). It was demonstrated that these preparations reduced the damage of infections, namely, decreased the permeability of cell membranes in infected tissue and stimulated its defense responses, which manifested itself in a stable elevation in the content of phenolic compounds and formation of tissue protective barriers.

[Use of the enzyme preparation cellocandin from Geotrichum candidum 3C-106 for difibering of waste paper and dessication of cellulose suspension]. / Primenenie fermentnogo preparata tsellokandin iz Geotrichum candidum 3C-106 dlia rospuska makulatury i obezvozhivaniia suspenzii tselliulozy.

The effect of cellocandin, an enzymatic preparation from Getrichum candidum 3C-106 with cellulolytic and xylanolytic activities, on defibring of waste paper and acceleration of desiccation of paper pulp was studied. It was shown that cellocandin accelerated defibring of waste paper to cellulose fibers and desiccation of cellulose suspension.

[Formation of xylitol in Candida guilliermondii 2581 culture]. / Obrazovanie ksilita v kul'ture Candida guilliermondii 2581.

The yeast strain Candida guilliermondii 2581 was chosen for its ability to produce xylitol in media with high concentrations of xylose. The rate of xylitol production at a xylose concentration of 150 g/l is 1.25 g/l per h; the concentration of xylitol after three days of cultivation is 90 g/l; and the relative xylitol yield is 0.6 g per g substrate consumed. The growth conditions were found that resulted in the maximum relative xylitol yield with complete consumption of the sugar: xylose concentration, 150 g/l; pH 6.0; and shaking at 60 rpm. It was shown that the growth under conditions of limited aeration favors the reduction of xylose.

[Isolation, purification and properties of acetolactate synthase from cultured Lactococcus lactis]. / Vydelenie, ochistka i izuchenie svoistv atsetolaktatsintazy iz kul'tury Lactococcus lactis.

Acetolactate synthase catalyzing the synthesis of alpha-acetolactate was isolated from lactic acid bacteria Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis 4 and purified. Acetolactate synthase was shown to be an allosteric enzyme with low affinity for the substrate: the Km for pyruvate was 70 mM. The curve relating the dependence of enzyme activity on pyruvate concentration had a sigmoid shape. The enzyme activity persisted for 24 h in the presence of stabilizers, pyruvate, and thiamine pyrophosphate. Acetolactate synthase had the pH optimums of 5.8 and 6.5-7.0 in acetate and phosphate buffers, respectively. The temperature optimum for this enzyme was 38-40 degrees C at pH 6.5. The molecular weight of acetolactate synthase was 150 kDa. In Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate showed that the enzyme consisted of three identical subunits with a molecular weight of 55 kDa.

[Isolation and purification of acetolactate synthase and acetolactate decarboxylase from a Lactococcus lactis culture]. / Vydelenie i ochistka tsetolaktatsintazy i atsetolaktatdekaroksilazy iz kul'tury Lactococcus lactis.

Enzymes catalyzing the synthesis and subsequent transformation of alpha-acetolactate (AcL)--acetolactate synthase (AcLS) and acetolactate decarboxylase (AcLDC)--were isolated and partially purified from the cells of lactic acid bacteria Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis biovar. diacetylactis strain 4. The preparation of AcLS, purified 560-fold, had a specific activity of 358,300 U/mg protein (9% yield). The preparation of AcLDC, purified 4828-fold, had a specific activity of 140 U/mg protein (4.8% yield). The enzymes exhibited optimum activity at pH 6.5 and 6.0, respectively (medium, phosphate buffer). The values of apparent Km, determined for AcLS and AcLDC with pyruvate and AcL, respectively, were equal to 70 mM and 20 mM. AcLS appeared as an allosteric enzyme with low affinity for the substrate and a sigmoid dependence of the activity on the substrate concentration. In the case of AcLDC, this dependence was hyperbolic, and the affinity of the enzyme for its substrate was high (Km = 20 mM). Leucine, valine, and isoleucine were shown to be activators of AcDLC.

[Development of microbiological technology of air deodoration in laboratory-industrial conditions using a pilot plant]. / Razrabotka tekhnologii mikrobiologicheskoo dezodoratsii vozdukha v laboratorno-proizvodstvennykh usloviiakh s ispol'zovaniem polotnoi ustanovki.

Laboratory tests were performed to select a complex of bacterial strains capable of effective deodoration of waste air produced by an animal formulated feed works under elevated temperature with the presence of numerous organic pollutants. The complex included species from the general Nocardia, Rhodococcus, and Comamonas. The biocatalyst was tested in a real industrial process with the use of a pilot plant for microbiological deodoration of waste air. The test lasted for over six months and confirmed the efficiency of the development method of deodoration.

[An analysis of the acupuncture treatment results in bronchial asthma patients]. / Analiz rezul'tatov lecheniia akupunkturoi bol'nykh bronkhial'noi astmoi.

Treatment effects reached in 94 patients with bronchial asthma demonstrate that neurogenic, humoral and bioenergetic responses to acupuncture proceed according to adaptation laws and result in reduction of bronchial hyperreactivity. Eosinophilic inflammation in the bronchi diminishes acupuncture efficacy.

[beta-Glucanases of Geotrichum candidum]. / beta-Gliukanazy Geotrichum candidum.

The formation of (1-4)-, (1-3)- and (1-6)-beta-glucanases and beta-glucosidases was studied during the growth of the fungus Geotrichum candidum under the conditions of submerged cultivation in a medium optimal for the production of cellulolytic enzymes. Endo-(1-4)-beta-glucanases and C1 enzyme, as well as (1-3)- and (1-6)-beta-glucanases appeared in the medium as soon as by the 45th hour of growth. However, the maximal concentration of the enzymes in the medium was observed at different periods of the fermentation: between 75th and 105th, 70th and 95th, 55th and 100th, 80th and 105th hours, respectively. The content of the enzymes abruptly decreased by the 160th hour of the growth. The activity of beta-glucosidases, which was low at the beginning of the growth, sharply increased by the 70th hour and remained at the same level by the 160th hour of the growth. The accumulation of beta-glucanases was an uneven process, consistent with irregular changes in the content of DNA and protein in the biomass. The isoelectric points of beta-glucanases and beta-glucosidases were studied in the filtrate of the cultural broth after 96 h of the cultivation. The high activity of endo-(1-4)-beta-glucanase was found at the pH 4.6, 4.1 and 3.8; its low activity was detected at the pH 6.4, 3.2, 1.6 and 1.3. Other glucanases behaved also as acid proteins. During isoelectric focusing, (1-3)-beta-glucanase showed the peaks of activity at the pH 4.4, 4.0, 3.8 and 2.9; (1-6)-beta-glucanase, at the pH 5.0, 3.7, 3.5, 3.1 and 2.0; beta-glucosidases were distributed over a broad pH range from 6.7 to 2.0, with the maximal activity at the pH 6.2, 4.8 and 3.7.

[Purification and properties of beta-galactosidase from fungus, Curvularia inaequalis]. / Ochistka i svoistva beta-galaktozidazy iz griba Curvularia inaequalis.

Highly purfied beta-galactosidase from fungus Curvularia inaequalis cultural fluid with a specific activity of 50 units per mg of protein was obtained by 2-fold purification of the enzyme, using chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and on hydroxylapatite. The enzyme was found to hydrolyze o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside (pH optimum of 3.7--4.5) and lactose (pH optimum 3.9--5.3). The isoelectric point was observed at pH 4.4 the temperature optimum was 60 degrees C. The molecular weight (115 000--126 000) and the amino acid composition of the enzyme were determined. Km values for o-nitrophenyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside and lactose were 0.55-10(-3) M and 4.5-10(-3) M respectively. Disc-electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel revealed a single band with a specific activity. The homogeneity of the enzyme was found in ultracentrifuge.

[Production and properties of a beta-galactosidase preparation from Alternaria tenuis]. / Poluchenie i svoistva preparata beta-galaktozidazy iz Alternaria tenuis

Different methods of the preparation of fungal beta-galactosidase from the 72-hour culture of Alternaria tenuis were tested: lyophilization of the culture liquid, precipitation with ethanol, acetone, ammonium sulphate. Optimal results were obtained with precipitation by 1.5 acetone volume. Studies of the properties of fungal beta-galactosidase demonstrated that the preparation retained its activity during 22 month storage at 5 degrees C. The fungal preparation had pH optimum at a more acidic zone (4.2 versus 6.9), was active in a wider pH range 2.8-5.7 and 6.2-7.5), had a much higher temperature optimum (65 degrees and 30 degrees) and better thermostability as compared with the yeast preparation. Data on other properties of the preparation are presented.

[Factors influencing the biosynthesis of beta-galactosidase in Alternaria tenuis]. / O faktorakh, vliiaiushchikh na biosintez beta-galaktozidazy Alternaria tenuis

The effect of pH, carbon sources, and some organic substances on the biosynthesis of beta-galactosidase was studied in Alternaria tenuis on a defined medium that had been optimized by the method of mathematical planning of experiments. Optimal conditions for the production of the enzyme and its liberation into the cultural broth were maintained by adding 2 per cent soya flour to the medium and 0.1 M phosphate-citrate buffer pH 3.0. The production of the enzyme was increased by 3 to 4 times. The biosynthesis of beta-galactosidase by Alternaria tenuis is of an induced nature.