Regulation of ß-amylase synthesis: a brief overview.

BACKGROUND: The major activity of ß-amylase (BMY) is the production of maltose by the hydrolytic degradation of starch. BMY is found to be produced by some plants and few microorganisms only. The industrial importance of the enzyme warrants its application in a larger scale with the help of genetic engineering, for which the regulatory mechanism is to be clearly understood. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In plants, the activities of BMY are regulated by various environmental stimuli including stress of drought, cold and heat. In vascular plant, Arabidopsis sp. the enzyme is coded by nine BAM genes, whereas in most bacteria, BMY enzymes are coded by the spoII gene family. The activities of these genes are in turn controlled by various compounds. Production and inhibition of the microbial BMY is regulated by the activation and inactivation of various BAM genes. Various types of transcriptional regulators associated with the plant- BMYs regulate the production of BMY enzyme. The enhancement in the expression of such genes reflects evolutionary significance. Bacterial genes, on the other hand, as exemplified by Bacillus sp and Clostridium sp, clearly depict the importance of a single regulatory gene, the absence or mutation of which totally abolishes the BMY activity.

Biochemical and thermodynamic characterization of de novo synthesized ß-amylase from fenugreek.

ß-Amylase has been de novo synthesized from germinating fenugreek seeds. Enzyme has been isolated and purified from 36 h germinated seeds with 226-fold purification and specific activity of 763 U/mg. Homogeneity of the purified ß-amylase has been confirmed with size-exclusion chromatography, SDS-PAGE and MALDI MS/MS analysis. The isoelectric point, optimum pH and temperature of the enzyme were found to be pH 5.2, 5.7 and 57 °C, respectively. The enzyme was specific for soluble starch with Km and Vmax of 2.4 mg/mL and 833.3 U/mg, respectively. Maltose was found to be competitive inhibitor of the enzyme with inhibition constant (Ki) of 14 mM. However, metallic ions like Ag+ and Hg2+ were found to be non-competitive inhibitors of the enzyme. Thermodynamic parameters like Gibbs free energy (ΔG), enthalpy (ΔH) and entropy (ΔS) changes have further revealed that thermal denaturation of the enzyme has followed first-order with the enzyme unfolding rather an aggregation with the process being irreversible. The activation energy of ß-amylase during thermal activation and denaturation were 27.5 kJ/mol and 145.23 kJ/mol, respectively at R2 > 0.92. Thus, the enzyme was stable even at higher temperature with ability of undergoing catalysis making it commercially exploitable, particularly in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Production of recombinant beta-amylase of Bacillus aryabhattai.

In this study, the effects of carbon source, nitrogen source, and metal ions on cell growth and Bacillus aryabhattai ß-amylase production in recombinant Brevibacillus choshinensis were investigated. The optimal medium for ß-amylase production, containing glucose (7.5 g·L-1), pig bone peptone (40.0 g·L-1), Mg2+ (0.05 mol·L-1), and trace metal elements, was determined through single-factor experiments in shake flasks. When cultured in the optimized medium, the ß-amylase yield reached 925.4 U mL-1, which was 7.2-fold higher than that obtained in the initial medium. Besides, a modified feeding strategy was proposed and applied in a 3-L fermentor fed with glucose, which achieved a dry cell weight of 15.4 g L-1. Through this cultivation approached 30 °C with 0 g·L-1 initial glucose concentration, the maximum ß-amylase activity reached 5371.8 U mL-1, which was 41.7-fold higher than that obtained with the initial medium in shake flask.

Psychrotrophic Streptomyces spp. cells immobilisation in alginate microspheres produced by emulsification-internal gelation.

The objective of the investigations was the optimisation of the parameters for cold-adapted Streptomyces MIUG 4 Alga strain cells immobilisation using emulsification-internal gelation technique in calcium alginate microspheres and testing their ability to produce cold-active ß-amylase. By Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology, the effects of independent variables were established, which included sodium alginate concentration (A), sodium alginate:living cell ratio (B) and the Span 80 concentration (C) upon microspheres formation and their functionality. Mean diameter of formed microspheres with immobilised biomass and cold-active ß-amylase production were chosen as dependent variables in order to increase the yield of starch hydrolysis. Diameters of microspheres <25.5 µm provided large yield of cold-active ß-amylase comparing with microspheres with bigger diameter. A 1.5-fold increase in the substrate hydrolysis yield was achieved using the immobilised biocatalyst compared with the crude enzyme extract, after 96 h of substrate bioconversion.

A Simplified Method for Gene Knockout and Direct Screening of Recombinant Clones for Application in Paenibacillus polymyxa.

BACKGROUND: Paenibacillus polymyxa is a bacterium widely used in agriculture, industry, and environmental remediation because it has multiple functions including nitrogen fixation and produces various biologically active compounds. Among these compounds are the antibiotics polymyxins, and the bacterium is currently being reassessed for medical application. However, a lack of genetic tools for manipulation of P. polymyxa has limited our understanding of the biosynthesis of these compounds. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To facilitate an understanding of the genetic determinants of the bacterium, we have developed a system for marker exchange mutagenesis directly on competent cells of P. polymyxa under conditions where homologous recombination is enhanced by denaturation of the suicide plasmid DNA. To test this system, we targeted P. polymyxa α-and ß-amylase genes for disruption. Chloramphenicol or erythromycin resistance genes were inserted into the suicide plasmid pGEM7Z-f+ (Promega). To mediate homologous recombination and replacement of the targeted genes with the antibiotic resistance genes nucleotide sequences of the α-and ß-amylase genes were cloned into the plasmid flanking the antibiotic resistance genes. CONCLUSIONS: We have created a simple system for targeted gene deletion in P. polymyxa E681. We propose that P. polymyxa isogenic mutants could be developed using this system of marker exchange mutagenesis. α-and ß-amylase genes provide a useful tool for direct recombinant screening in P. polymyxa.

Dose- and tissue-specific interaction of monoterpenes with the gibberellin-mediated release of potato tuber bud dormancy, sprout growth and induction of α-amylases and ß-amylases.

Gibberellins (GA) are involved in bud dormancy release in several species. We show here that GA-treatment released bud dormancy, initiated bud sprouting and promoted sprout growth of excised potato tuber bud discs ('eyes'). Monoterpenes from peppermint oil (PMO) and S-(+)-carvone (CAR) interact with the GA-mediated bud dormancy release in a hormesis-type response: low monoterpene concentrations enhance dormancy release and the initiation of bud sprouting, whereas high concentrations inhibit it. PMO and CAR did, however, not affect sprout growth rate after its onset. We further show that GA-induced dormancy release is associated with tissue-specific regulation of α- and ß-amylases. Molecular phylogenetic analysis shows that potato α-amylases cluster into two distinct groups: α-AMY1 and α-AMY2. GA-treatment induced transcript accumulation of members of both α-amylase groups, as well as α- and ß-amylase enzyme activity in sprout and 'sub-eye' tissues. In sprouts, CAR interacts with the GA-mediated accumulation of α-amylase transcripts in an α-AMY2-specific and dose-dependent manner. Low CAR concentrations enhance the accumulation of α-AMY2-type α-amylase transcripts, but do not affect the α-AMY1-type transcripts. Low CAR concentrations also enhance the accumulation of α- and ß-amylase enzyme activity in sprouts, but not in 'sub-eye' tissues. In contrast, high CAR concentrations have no appreciable effect in sprouts on the enzyme activities and the α-amylase transcript abundances of either group. The dose-dependent effects on the enzyme activities and the α-AMY2-type α-amylase transcripts in sprouts are specific for CAR but not for PMO. Different monoterpenes therefore may have specific targets for their interaction with hormone signalling pathways.

Extracellular production of beta-amylase by a halophilic isolate, Halobacillus sp. LY9.

A moderately halophilic strain LY9 with high amylolytic activity was isolated from soil sample obtained from Yuncheng, China. Biochemical and physiological characterization along with 16S rRNA sequence analysis placed the isolate in the genus Halobacillus. Amylase production started from the post-exponential phase of bacterial growth and reached a maximum level during the early-stationary phase. The isolate LY9 was found to secrete the amylase, the production of which depended on the salinity of the growth medium. Maximum amylase production was observed in the presence of 10% KCl or 10% NaCl. Maltose was the main product of soluble starch hydrolysis, indicating a ß-amylase activity. The enzyme showed optimal activity at 60°C, pH 8.0, and 10-12.5% of NaCl. It was highly active over broad temperature (50-70°C), NaCl concentration (5.0-20.0%), and pH (4.0-12.0) ranges, indicating its thermoactive and alkali-stable nature. However, activity dropped off dramatically at low NaCl concentrations, showing the amylase was halophilic. Ca(2+) was found to stimulate the ß-amylase activity, whereas ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), phenylarsine oxide (PAO), and diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) strongly inhibited the enzyme, indicating it probably was a metalloenzyme with cysteine and histidine residues located in its active site. Moreover, the enzyme exhibited remarkable stability towards sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and Triton X-100. This is the first report of ß-amylase production from moderate halophiles. The present study indicates that the extracellular ß-amylase of Halobacillus sp. LY9 may have considerable potential for industrial application owing to its properties.

Differential expression of two ß-amylase genes (Bmy1 and Bmy2) in developing and mature barley grain.

Two barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) ß-amylase genes (Bmy1 and Bmy2) were studied during the late maturation phase of grain development in four genotypes. The Bmy1 and Bmy2 DNA and amino acid sequences are extremely similar. The largest sequence differences are in the introns, seventh exon, and 3' UTR. Accumulation of Bmy2 mRNA was examined in developing grain at 17, 19, and 21 days after anthesis (DAA). One genotype, PI 296897, had significantly higher Bmy2 RNA transcript accumulation than the other three genotypes at all developmental stages. All four genotypes had Bmy2 mRNA levels decrease from 17 to 19 DAA, and remain the same from 19 to 21 DAA. Levels of Bmy1 mRNA were twenty thousand to over one hundred thousand times more than Bmy2 mRNA levels in genotypes Legacy, Harrington, and Ashqelon at all developmental stages and PI 296897 at 19 and 21 DAA. PI 296897 had five thousand times more Bmy1 mRNA than Bmy2 mRNA at 17 DAA. However, Bmy2 protein was not found at 17 DAA in any genotype. The presence of Bmy2 was immunologically detected at 19 DAA and was present in greater amounts at 21 DAA. Also, Bmy2 protein was found to be stored in mature grain and localized in the soluble fraction. However, Bmy1 protein was far more prevalent than Bmy2 at all developmental stages in all genotypes. Thus, the vast majority of ß-amylase activity in developing and mature grain can be attributed to endosperm-specific ß-amylase.

Recent advances in microbial raw starch degrading enzymes.

Raw starch degrading enzymes (RSDE) refer to enzymes that can directly degrade raw starch granules below the gelatinization temperature of starch. These promising enzymes can significantly reduce energy and simplify the process in starch industry. RSDE are ubiquitous and produced by plants, animals, and microorganisms. However, microbial sources are the most preferred one for large-scale production. During the past few decades, RSDE have been studied extensively. This paper reviews the recent development in the production, purification, properties, and application of microbial RSDE. This is the first review on microbial RSDE to date.

[Cloning, expression and the characterization of beta-amylase from a Bacillus megaterium WS06].

A beta-amylase gene (amyG) was cloned from a Bacillus megaterium WS06 and expressed in the Escherichia coli. Nucleotide sequence anlysis showed the amyG gene is composed of 1638 bp (545 amino acid residues with a Mr of 60.194 kD). The AmyG shows 94.5% sequence homologies with beta-amylase from Bacillus megaterium DSM319 and presents a normal beta-amylase primary structure, constituted by three parts: the N-terminal signal sequence, the catalytic domain and the C-terminal starch binding domains. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed that several highly conserved regions of the glycosylhydrolase family 14. The amyG gene was overexpressed using the pET21a vector and Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The recombinant enzyme was purified 7.4 fold to electrophoretic homogeneity and had a Mr of 57 kD (by SDS-PAGE). The enzyme was optimally active at pH 7.0 and 60 degrees C and showed stability at the temperature below 60 degrees C. This enzyme efficiently hydrolyzed starch to yield maltose from non-reducing chain ends by exo-cleavage mode.

A rapid response of beta-amylase to nitric oxide but not gibberellin in wheat seeds during the early stage of germination.

The effects of nitric oxide (NO) and gibberellic acid (GA(3)) on the responses of amylases in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds (caryopses) were investigated during the first 12 h of germination. GA(3) had no effects on the activities of alpha-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) or beta-amylase (EC 3.2.1.2), either in intact seeds or embryoless halves within 12 h. In contrast, addition of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, was able to induce a rapid increase in beta-amylase activity without affecting alpha-amylase. Furthermore, the rapid response of beta-amylase to SNP in wheat seeds could be attributed to NO and was approximately dose-dependent. Some other aspects of SNP induction of amylase isozymes were also characterized. Further investigations showed that SNP might play an interesting role in the dissociation of free beta-amylase from small homopolymers or heteropolymers. Furthermore, SNP also directly induced the release of bound beta-amylase from glutenin and its crude enzyme preparation. However, the slight increase in protease also induced by SNP might not be responsible for this action. Interestingly, based on the fact that the rapid response of beta-amylase to NO also existed in seeds of other species, such as barley, soybean, rice and watermelon, it might be a universal event in early seed germination.

Beta-amylases from various fungal strains. A review.

An overview presentation is made on the current global status of fungal beta3-amylases, their characteristics and applications in various industries. Among the few available report on beta-amylase producing fungal strains, many showed a preference for a cultivation temperature of 28 degrees C, acidic pH and soluble starch as an inducer of enzyme synthesis. In some fungal strains, alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidases were found to be present as major contaminating enzymes. Although the existence of a few starch digesting and raw starch adsorbing fungal strains were reported, detailed study on molecular biology of corresponding fungal genes was not available.

beta-Amylase induction and the protective role of maltose during temperature shock.

A number of studies have demonstrated beta-amylase induction in response to abiotic stress. In the present work, a temperature response profile in 5 degrees C increments from 45 degrees C to 0 degrees C showed that induction at temperature extremes was specific for two members of the gene family (BMY7 and BMY8). Both members encode proteins that possess apparent transit peptides for chloroplast stromal localization. However, induction was not observed for other key starch degrading enzymes demonstrating a rather specific response to temperature stress for BMY7 and BMY8. Time course experiments for heat shock at 40 degrees C and cold shock at 5 degrees C showed that beta-amylase induction correlated with maltose accumulation. Maltose has the ability, as demonstrated by in vitro assays, to protect proteins, membranes, and the photosynthetic electron transport chain at physiologically relevant concentrations. Therefore, beta-amylase induction and the resultant maltose accumulation may function as a compatible-solute stabilizing factor in the chloroplast stroma in response to acute temperature stress.

Production and partial characterization of a beta-amylase by Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous.

AIMS: The characterization of a beta-amylase produced by Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous. METHODS AND RESULTS: Growth in different culture media showed that X. dendrorhous produces an amylase whose synthesis is repressed by the carbon source and induced by starch and maltose. Enzymatic assays using substrates with different degrees of polymerization together with viscosity experiments revealed that the enzyme was beta-amylase. According to the biochemical characterization, the enzyme has a molecular weight of 240 kDa and a Km of 1.35 mg ml-1. The optimum pH and temperature were 5.5 and 50 degrees C, respectively. Using different inhibitors of the enzymatic activity it was shown that cysteine, tryptophan and serine are essential amino acids for catalysis. CONCLUSIONS: Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous CECT1690 synthesizes and secretes beta-amylase that could be a by-product, in addition to carotenoid pigments, in the fermentation downstream. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The beta-amylase produced by X. dendrorhous may have certain industrial applications.

Inhibition of beta-amylase activity, starch degradation and sucrose formation by indole-3-acetic acid during banana ripening.

In order to observe the effect of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) on carbohydrate metabolism, unripe banana (Musa acuminata AAA, cv. Nanicão) slices were infiltrated with the hormone and left to ripen under controlled conditions. The climacteric respiration burst was reduced by the action of IAA, and starch degradation and sucrose formation were delayed. Sucrose synthase (SuSy; EC 2.4.1.13) and sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS; EC 2.4.1.14) activities and transcript levels were not affected, indicating that prevention of sucrose accumulation was not related to sucrose-metabolizing enzymes. Impairment of sucrose synthesis could be a consequence of lack of substrate, since starch degradation was inhibited. The increase in activity and transcript level of beta-amylase was delayed, indicating that this enzyme could be important in starch-to-sucrose metabolism in bananas and that it might be, at least partially, controlled at the transcriptional level. This is the first report showing that IAA can delay starch degradation, possibly affecting the activity of hydrolytic enzymes such as beta-amylase (EC 3.2.1.2).

Effect of various flours on the production of thermostable beta-amylase and pullulanase by Clostridium thermosulfurogenes SV2.

The effects of various flours on production of thermostable beta-amylase and pullulanase using Clostridium thermosulfurogenes SV2 was studied in submerged fermentation. Among the flours added to PYE basal medium, potato flour was the best substrate for enzyme production, and under optimal conditions C. thermosulfurogenes SV2 produced 0.87 and 0.98 U of thermostable beta-amylase and pullulanase, respectively, per ml culture broth.

Water stress enhances beta-amylase activity in cucumber cotyledons.

Cotyledons detached from 4-d-old cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings were subjected to water stress (air-drying or PEG-treatment) to examine the effects of the stress on carbohydrate metabolism. Amylolytic activity in the cotyledon was increased about 6-fold by water stress within 1 d. The substrate specificity and the action pattern indicated that beta-amylase is responsible for the activity. Activities of azocaseinase, malate dehydrogenase and triose-phosphate isomerase were not affected by water stress, indicating that the effect of the stress on beta-amylase is rather specific. Cycloheximide-treatment strongly reduced the enhancement of beta-amylase activity. The hypocotyl of cucumber seedlings also exhibited an increase in the enzyme activity when subjected to water stress. The major free sugars in cucumber cotyledons were glucose, fructose, maltose, and sucrose; sucrose being the most abundant. Sucrose content in excised, unstressed cotyledons increased markedly during the incubation. Changes in other free sugars were small compared with that of sucrose. Starch also accumulated in unstressed cotyledons. In stressed cotyledons more sucrose and less starch accumulated than in unstressed ones. Such results were discussed in relation to the enhancement of beta-amylase activity.

Allele-dependent barley grain beta-amylase activity.

The wild ancestor of cultivated barley, Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum (K. Koch) A. & Gr. (H. spontaneum), is a source of wide genetic diversity, including traits that are important for malting quality. A high beta-amylase trait was previously identified in H. spontaneum strains from Israel, and transferred into the backcross progeny of a cross with the domesticated barley cv Adorra. We have used Southern-blot analysis and beta-amy1 gene characterization to demonstrate that the high beta-amylase trait in the backcross line is co-inherited with the beta-amy1 gene from the H. spontaneum parent. We have analyzed the beta-amy1 gene organization in various domesticated and wild-type barley strains and identified three distinct beta-amy1 alleles. Two of these beta-amy1 alleles were present in modern barley, one of which was specifically found in good malting barley cultivars. The third allele, linked with high grain beta-amylase activity, was found only in a H. spontaneum strain from the Judean foothills in Israel. The sequences of three isolated beta-amy1 alleles are compared. The involvement of specific intron III sequences, in particular a 126-bp palindromic insertion, in the allele-dependent expression of beta-amylase activity in barley grain is proposed.

Negative regulation in the expression of a sugar-inducible gene in Arabidopsis thaliana. A recessive mutation causing enhanced expression of a gene for beta-amylase.

Expression of a beta-amylase gene of Arabidopsis thaliana (AT beta-Amy) is regulated by sugars. We identified a mutant, hba1, in which the level of expression of AT beta-Amy in leaves of plants that had been grown in a medium with 2% sucrose was significantly higher than that in wild-type plants. Higher that wild-type levels of beta-amylase in hba1 plants depended on the presence of 1 to 2% sucrose or 1% glucose in the medium, whereas leaves of mutant plants grown with higher levels of sugars had beta-amylase activities similar to those in leaves of wild-type plants. The hba1 phenotype was recessive and did not affect levels of sugars and starch in leaves. It is proposed that expression of AT beta-Amy is regulated by a combination of both positive and negative factors, dependent on the level of sugars, and that HBA1 might function to maintain low-level expression of AT beta-Amy until the level of sugars reaches some high level. Results of crosses of hba1 plants with transgenic plants that harbored an AT beta-Amy:GUS transgene with 1587 bp of the 5'-upstream region suggested that HBA1 affects expressions of AT beta-Amy in trans. The hba1 plants also had growth defects and elevated levels of anthocyanin in their petioles. However, sugar-related changes in levels of several mRNAs other than beta-amylase mRNA were unaffected in hba1 plants, suggesting that only a subset of sugar-regulated genes is under the control HBA1.

Characterization of a maize beta-amylase cDNA clone and its expression during seed germination.

A maize (Zea mays L.) cDNA clone (pZMB2) encoding beta-amylase was isolated from a cDNA library prepared from the aleurone RNA of germinating kernels. The cDNA encodes a predicted product of 488 amino acids with significant similarity to known beta-amylases from barley (Hordeum vulgare), rye (Secale cereale), and rice (Oryza sativa). Glycine-rich repeats found in the carboxyl terminus of the endosperm-specific beta-amylase of barley and rye are absent from the maize gene product. The N-terminal sequence of the first 20 amino acids of a beta-amylase peptide derived from purified protein is identical to the 5th through 24th amino acids of the predicted cDNA product, indicating the absence of a conventional signal peptide in the maize protein. Recombinant inbred mapping data indicate that the cDNA clone is single-copy gene that maps to chromosome 7L at position 83 centimorgans. Northern blot analysis and in vitro translation-immunoprecipitation data indicate that the maize beta-amylase is synthesized de novo in the aleurone cells but not in the scutellum during seed germination.