Homologue expression of a ß-xylosidase from native Aspergillus niger.

Xylan constitutes the second most abundant source of renewable organic carbon on earth and is located in the cell walls of hardwood and softwood plants in the form of hemicellulose. Based on its availability, there is a growing interest in production of xylanolytic enzymes for industrial applications. ß-1,4-xylan xylosidase (EC 3.2.1.37) hydrolyses from the nonreducing end of xylooligosaccharides arising from endo-1,4-ß-xylanase activity. This work reports the partial characterization of a purified ß-xylosidase from the native strain Aspergillus niger GS1 expressed by means of a fungal system. A gene encoding ß-xylosidase, xlnD, was successfully cloned from a native A. niger GS1 strain. The recombinant enzyme was expressed in A. niger AB4.1 under control of A. nidulans gpdA promoter and trpC terminator. ß-xylosidase was purified by affinity chromatography, with an apparent molecular weight of 90 kDa, and showed a maximum activity of 4,280 U mg protein(-1) at 70°C, pH 3.6. Half-life was 74 min at 70°C, activation energy was 58.9 kJ mol(-1), and at 50°C optimum stability was shown at pH 4.0-5.0. ß-xylosidase kept residual activity >83% in the presence of dithiothreitol (DTT), ß-mercaptoethanol, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), and Zn(2+). Production of a hemicellulolytic free xylosidase showed some advantages in applications, such as animal feed, enzymatic synthesis, and the fruit-juice industry where the presence of certain compounds, high temperatures, and acid media is unavoidable in the juice-making process.

A putative peroxidase cDNA from turnip and analysis of the encoded protein sequence.

A putative peroxidase cDNA was isolated from turnip roots (Brassica napus L. var. purple top white globe) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Total RNA extracted from mature turnip roots was used as a template for RT-PCR, using a degenerated primer designed to amplify the highly conserved distal motif of plant peroxidases. The resulting partial sequence was used to design the rest of the specific primers for 5' and 3' RACE. Two cDNA fragments were purified, sequenced, and aligned with the partial sequence from RT-PCR, and a complete overlapping sequence was obtained and labeled as BbPA (Genbank Accession No. AY423440, named as podC). The full length cDNA is 1167bp long and contains a 1077bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 358 deduced amino acid peroxidase polypeptide. The putative peroxidase (BnPA) showed a calculated Mr of 34kDa, and isoelectric point (pI) of 4.5, with no significant identity with other reported turnip peroxidases. Sequence alignment showed that only three peroxidases have a significant identity with BnPA namely AtP29a (84%), and AtPA2 (81%) from Arabidopsis thaliana, and HRPA2 (82%) from horseradish (Armoracia rusticana). Work is in progress to clone this gene into an adequate host to study the specific role and possible biotechnological applications of this alternative peroxidase source.

Chemical modification of turnip peroxidase with methoxypolyethylene glycol enhances activity and stability for phenol removal using the immobilized enzyme.

Peroxidase from turnip roots (TP) was isolated followed by modification with methoxypolyethylene glycol (MPEG). The catalytic activity of the modified TP (MTP) on ABTS increased 2.5 times after 80 min of reaction. MTP showed a KM similar value to that of TP, but a significantly greater kcat for ABTS oxidation, in aqueous buffer. Chemical modification produced an enhanced stability in organic solvents and increased thermal stability of about 4 times that of TP, in aqueous buffer at 70 degrees C. Circular dichroism showed that MPEG modification decreased TP alpha-helical structure from 26 to 16% and increased beta-turns from 26 to 34%, resulting in an enhanced conformational stability. The temperature at the midpoint of thermal denaturation (melting temperature) increased from 57 to 63 degrees C after modification. MTP was immobilized in alginate beads (IMTP) and tested for oxidative polymerization of concentrated phenolic synthetic solutions, achieving 17 effective contact cycles removing >65% phenols. IMTP may be useful for the development of an enzymatic process for wastewater effluent treatment.

Polyethylene glycol improves phenol removal by immobilized turnip peroxidase.

Purified peroxidase from turnip (Brassica napus L. var. esculenta D.C.) was immobilized by entrapment in spheres of calcium alginate and by covalent binding to Affi-Gel 10. Both immobilized Turnip peroxidase (TP) preparations were assayed for the detoxification of a synthetic phenolic solution and a real wastewater effluent from a local paints factory. The effectiveness of phenolic compounds (PC's) removal by oxidative polymerization was evaluated using batch and recycling processes, and in the presence and in the absence of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The presence of PEG enhances the operative TP stability. In addition, reaction times were reduced from 3h to 10 min, and more effective phenol removals were achieved when PEG was added. TP was able to perform 15 reaction cycles with a real industrial effluent showing PC's removals >90% PC's during the first 10 reaction cycles. High PC's removal efficiencies (>95%) were obtained using both immobilized preparations at PC's concentrations <1.2mM. Higher PC's concentrations decreased the removal efficiency to 90% with both preparations after the first reaction cycle, probably due to substrate inhibition. On the other hand, immobilized TP showed increased thermal stability when compared with free TP. A large-scale enzymatic process for industrial effluent treatment is expected to be developed with immobilized TP that could be stable enough to make the process economically feasible.

Food-associated lactic acid bacteria with antimicrobial potential from traditional Mexican foods.

This work was conducted to identify indigenous LAB capable of antimicrobial activity, present in traditional Mexican-foods with potential as natural preservatives. A total of 27 artisan unlabeled Mexican products were evaluated, from which 94 LAB strains were isolated, and only 25 strains showed antimicrobial activity against at least one pathogen indicator microorganism. Most of the inhibitory activity showed by the isolated LAB strains was attributed to pH reduction by organic acids. Lactobacillus and Lactococcus strains were good acid producers, depending on the substrate, and may enhance the safety of food products. Cell free cultures of Leuconostoc mesenteroides CH210, and PT8 (from chorizo and pulque, respectively) reduced the number of viable cells of enteropathogenic E. coli in broth system. Lb. plantarum CC10 (from "madre" of vinegar) showed significant inhibitory effect against S. aureus 8943. E. faecium QPII (from panela cheese) produced a bacteriocin with wide anti-L. monocytogenes activity. Selected LAB from traditional Mexican foods showed good potential as bio-preservatives.

Anti-Listeria monocytogenes bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances from Enterococcus faecium UQ31 isolated from artisan Mexican-style cheese.

Artisan fresh Mexican-style cheeses are commonly made from raw milk that provides not only rich flavors, but also a diversity of associated lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains. Enterococcus faecium UQ31 was isolated from panela cheese and produced bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLIS) with a strong anti-Listeria activity. A modified pH-mediated adsorption-desorption purification process resulted in (after SDS-PAGE) two bands showing antimicrobial activities, where most of the activity corresponded to the band with an estimated molecular weight of 7.5 kDa. The BLIS produced by E. faecium UQ31 were heat resistant, stable at ambient storage conditions, and active in the pH range 5--9. The BLIS antimicrobial activities were detected during logarithmic growth phase and remained constant until the end of incubation time (19 h). These BLIS showed a wide anti-Listeria monocytogenes spectra. The E. faecium UQ31 strain or their BLIS represent a promising potential as antimicrobial food preservatives.

Purification and properties of a neutral peroxidase isozyme from turnip (Brassica napus L. Var. Purple Top White Globe) roots.

A neutral peroxidase isozyme (pI 7.2) from turnip roots (TNP) was purified to homogeneity and partially characterized. TNP is a monomeric glycoprotein with 9.1% carbohydrate content and a molecular weight of 36 kDa. Optimum pH values for activity using 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and guaiacol as H donors were 4.5 and 5.5, whereas the K(m) values were 0.7 and 3.7 mM, respectively. The ABTS K(m) was approximately 7 times higher than that reported for basic commercial horseradish peroxidase (HRP-C). TNP retained approximately 70% activity after 11 min of heating at 65 degrees C, whereas the activation energy for inactivation (132 kJ/mol) was higher than or comparable to that of other peroxidases. The low ABTS K(m) and high specific activity (1930 units/mg) gave a high catalytic efficiency (500 M(-1) s(-1)). These properties make TNP an enzyme with a high potential as an alternative to HRP in various applications.